RAF veteran Bill Rowe has spent 13 years hunting high and low for a piece of wartime heritage 20 giant lace panels commemorating the Battle of Britain.

Now the 79-year-old, from Bencurtis Park, West Wickham, has completed his search and written a book about his experiences.

The panels, measuring 15ft by 5ft 5in, were originally presented to officials from countries whose pilots had flown alongside the RAF in the epic air battle of 1940.

They were also given to dignitaries, such as war leader Winston Churchill, and to several different institutions. One is currently on display at the Bromley Civic Centre.

Mr Rowe said: “I first became interested in the subject when I was helping to restore one of the panels, which hangs in Croydon Church, so I wrote to the Canadian embassy for information about their pattern.

“I had such a wonderful and encouraging response from them it urged me to go further.

“As I did more research, I realised this was something of great interest not only here in Britain, but also around the world.”

Over the years many of the panels, which depict views of planes dog-fighting above famous London landmarks, have been damaged or sold to private collectors, leading some historians to believe they had been lost for good.

Mr Rowe added: “Now I've finally found out what has happened to them all, I thought other people would be interested to know as well, so I wrote my book.”

In recognition, Mr Rowe, who served in Bomber Command during the war, was presented with one third of one of the panels, by original makers Dobson and M Brown Ltd of Nottingham.

For a copy of the book, which will cost £10, write to 70 Sarjeant Court, Bencurtis Park, West Wickham.

by MATT SKINNER