A SPITFIRE and a Hurricane wowed crowds in Salisbury today with a flypast to begin the countdown to Salisbury Wings Week 2015 which will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

With the unmistakable sound of their Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the historic aircraft circled around the city and Salisbury Cathedral.

The flight was delayed by fog in Goodwood, but onlookers said it was worth the wait.

For one spectator it brought back poignant memories of when he flew both planes during the Second World War.

Wing Commander Charles Laughton, 92, said it was still special to see the planes after so many years.

He said: “It is nice to come here and see them because I am a living link to the men who flew in those planes during the war.”

Wing Commander Laughton served with 273 Squadron during the war and trained to fly Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain in 1941.

He said: “I signed up when I was 17 and a half because then you could choose what you went into rather than at 18 when you were assigned, so as I’d rather fancied being a pilot, I signed up.

“After originally training in Tiger Moths, the plane I preferred to fly in was a Hurricane as opposed to a Spitfire because it felt more secure and sturdy.”

During the war he encountered many terrifying moments flying the planes including landing on one wheel after a training flight in a Hurricane.

He said: “They asked me if I wanted to bail out but as I’d already had one hairy moment in a Spitfire I wanted to bring it home.”

Salisbury Wings Week is from September 14 to 20 2015 and is being organised by local historian and vintage aeroplane pilot Paul Beaver.

There will be a series of events highlighting the role that Salisbury played in the Second World War and the Battle of Britain.

A series of lectures, school projects, a retro market and a concert have already been planned along with the chance for school children to visit people who remember the Second World War.