The Lord Lieutenant, Sheriff Iona McDonald OBE recently joined a delegation from the Czech Republic, including the Minister of Defence, the Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Defence, and the Commander of the Czech Air Force, at a special ceremony held at the Loch Doon memorial site. It commemorates Czech Spitfire pilot, Frantisek Hekl, whose plane crashed into the loch in October 1941.

Hekl had enlisted with the RAF Volunteer Reserve in November 1940 and joined the 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, based at RAF Ayr, next to Prestwick Airport, in 1941. 

On the morning of October 25, 1941, 26-year-old Hekl took off from RAF Ayr and headed towards Loch Doon, where he flew fast and low over the water. Sadly, his wingtip struck the surface, and the plane was instantly submerged. Although Hekl's plane was eventually recovered in 1982, his body was never found.

The memorial was designed and created by local sculptor Kevin Roberts, from Patna, who was commissioned to create the piece by the Czech Ministry of Defence. It illustrates the Spitfire wing tip that struck the water as the plane banked away after flying low over the loch, causing the crash.

Following the event the Lord Lieutenant thanked East Ayrshire Council and Forestry and Land Scotland for making the siting and erection of the statue possible, the delegation from the Czech Republic for attending and the sculptor for his amazing skills.

The Spitfire which was subsequently recovered is now on display at the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum.