Pilots from Dinas Powys will be featured in an exhibition honouring the Welsh Pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain next week.

The exhibition will be held at City Hall, Cardiff on 16-17 September, marking the 81st anniversary of the event.

Originally it was planned to mark the 80th anniversary last year, but it was postponed to the pandemic.

The exhibition will tell the story of Welsh fighter aces and commanders who defended Britain from the Nazi attacks and the Welsh airfields that trained fighter pilots.

At 11.30am, a parade and flypast outside City Hall will open the exhibition and this will be attended by Air Chief Marshall Sir Mike Wigston, chief of the air staff; secretary of state for Wales Simon Hart MP; Hannah Blythyn MS, deputy minister for social partnership; Cllr Rod McKerlich, Lord Mayor of Cardiff; Air Officer Wales, Air Commodore Adrian Williams and the deputy Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Gareth Chapman.

One of the pilots being featured in the exhibition is Dinas Powys native Robert Reid MacPherson.

Born in January 1914, he was educated at Barry County Secondary School, before joining the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1930, passing two years later. He served from 1937 with 65 Squadron after training to be a pilot.

MacPherson was involved in destroying a Dornier 17 bomber over Dunkirk on 27 May 1940.

He destroyed three Me109 fighters in August of that year and was given commission in November, but was killed in Combat over France on 13 October 1941, age was 27.

At the time of his death, MacPherson had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant, serving with 129 Squadron. He is commemorated at Runnymede Memorial.

Another Dinas Powys airman to be featured is Flight Lieutenant Norman Merrett from Michaelston-le-Pit.

He served with the only RAF Reserve unit from Wales, No 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron. The squadron consisted of part-time airmen from south Wales who began serving full-time when the war broke out.

During the Battle of Britain Flt Lt Merrett flew Lysander light bombers on anti-invasion patrols in Scotland, alongside the rest of the squadron.

He died on August 10, 1940, after his aircraft crashed while on exercise.

Mr HH Merrett, his father, joined the nationwide Spitfire appeal after Flt Lt Merrett's death.

Together with 100 villagers, they raised £5,000 to pay for a Spitfire that was named after Flt Lt Merrett. There is also a stained-glass window tribute in St Michael's Church where he is buried.

After the exhibition at City Hall, the exhibition will be toured across Wales, with the dates yet to be announced.