British actor Leslie Howard

1 June, in 1943 a BOAC Douglas DC-3 such as seen above was intercepted and shot down over the Bay of Biscay by a German Junkers Ju 88. Amongst the 17 on board who perished was British actor Leslie Howard, at the height of his career following The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), Gone with the Wind (1939) and a number of wartime propaganda films.

At the time of his death, Howard was on a promotional tour in Spain and Portugal, curiously encouraged to be there by the British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. There has been much speculation since the event over his potential links to Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service. Howard remained the only major British star killed during the Second World War.