Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent Paul Auston has unveiled a memorial stone on behalf of the Queen to mark the centenary of Sheppey's First World War flying ace Major James McCudden receiving his Victoria Cross.

Mr Auston said at Sheerness War Memorial on Saturday: "I am privileged to unveil this stone to this very brave aviator of the Royal Flying Corps who grew up here and was a resident of Kent for most of his unfortunately very short life."

Although McCudden was born in Gillingham, where a similar stone was unveiled the week before, he lived in Meyrick Road, Sheerness, went to school on the Island and fell in love with planes at Eastchurch.

Sheppey missed out on a free flagstone as part of the Government’s First World War VC celebrations but volunteers Chris Newman from the Blue Town Heritage Centre and Janys Thornton, secretary of arts organisation Sheppey Promenade, raised £540 for a second slab. Swale council paid for its installation.

Janys said: "While working for the Department of Communities and Local Government I realised Sheppey had its own VC and made it my mission to ensure we had it properly recorded."

Chris said: "McCudden was an exceptionally brave and daring pilot who flew to the edge of life, 20,000 feet up where there is little oxygen and it is freezing, so he could swoop down on the enemy."

One of his foes was Germany’s infamous dog-fighter the Red Baron, alias Manfred von Richthofen. By coincidence, the ceremony was on the anniversary of the Red Baron's death.

James Thomas Byford McCudden was born on March 28, 1895, and died on July 9, 1918 in a plane crash on his way to France to take up a new command. He was 23 and had already became one of Britain's most highly decorated airmen after downing 57 enemy planes.

He and his elder brother Willie spent hours spellbound watching early planes take off from Eastchurch and both vowed to become pilots.

At 14, James left the Garrison School and joined Sheerness Post Office as a telegram boy.

In 1910 he followed in his father by becoming a bugler in the Royal Engineers. Three years later he transferred to the fledgling Royal Flying Corps,later to become the Royal Air Force, as a mechanic and went on to become one of its top pilots.

Swale's mayor Cllr Colin Prescott and members of the Sheppey Air Cadets and Sheppey Scouts attended the service which was taken by Roman Catholic Priest Father Frank Moran and Sheerness town chaplain the Rev Jeanette McLaren.