REAL heroes are few and far between, but Alex Henshaw was such a man.
With dashing good looks and a daredevil nature, he rigorously tested the Spitfires made in Castle Bromwich during the Second World War and was renowned for his exploits, including loop-the-loops and low flying.
Less than a year ago, at the age of 93, he returned to the cockpit to fly a Spitfire for the last time.
Now Alex, a link with a generation that gave so much so that we might live in freedom and peace, has passed on.
We salute Alex and all the other brave men and women who put their country ahead of personal safety during the dark days of the 1940s.