between 2 and 30 september he shot down 17 german aircraft and 1 probable, including nine bf 109 fighters, six heinkel he 111 bombers and one junkers ju 88 bomber. this made him one of the top scoring allied fighter pilots of the battle of britain, and on 20 september hm king george vi decorated him with the distinguished flying medal. a bar was later added to his dfm. his final confirmed victory was a bf 109 near brooklands in surrey on 30 september 1940.