Doug Gregory seriously ill after a hit and run crash in Hampton Lane, Blackfield

But last night former fighter pilot Doug Gregory, 92, was seriously ill in hospital after he was struck in a hit-and-run accident near his home.

The ex-serviceman was making his daily trip to the local shops when he was knocked down by a car that failed to stop.

He suffered serious head injuries and was flown to Southampton General Hospital in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Police say the motorist involved in the accident at Hampton Lane, Blackfield, later came forward and was interviewed under caution.

Mr Gregory, of nearby New Road, began flying during the Second World War and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after surviving almost 70 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe.

Recalling his wartime career many years later he said: “I wasn't shot down but I was shot at. Luckily they missed - most of the time.”

Mr Gregory flew Beaufighters and Mosquitoes before testing a wide range of other aircraft, including Spitfires and Hurricanes.

Yesterday's accident happened outside the Murco petrol filling station just after 7am.

Doug Gregory flying a mosquito over Gibraltar

Mr Gregory had been to buy a paper at Blackfield Newsagents and Post Office and had just started walking home when he was hit by a silver-coloured Nissan.

A woman working at the newsagents' said: “I saw a man lying on the ground, surrounded by people on their mobiles.”

Hampton Lane was closed between its junctions with Blackfied Road and New Road, while police investigated the collision.

Officers spent almost five hours at the scene, photographing the crash site from every angle.

They also visited a nearby Tesco Express store and asked to view CCTV footage in case the accident had been caught on camera.

Doug Gregory in his younger years

A broken wing mirror found in the road was taken away for examination.

Sgt Darren Ord, senior investigating officer, said: “An elderly gentleman was crossing from the newsagents' to the petrol station when he was in collision with a car coming from his right.

“He suffered a serious head injury and was taken to Southampton General Hospital. His wife and son are with him.”

Last night Mr Gregory's condition was described as “serious”.

Asked about the driver Sgt Ord added: “A female motorist came forward soon after the incident and spoke to officers. She wasn't arrested but was interviewed under caution.”

However, police said they were still treating it as a hit-and-run incident as the car failed to stop at the time.

Mr Gregory left the RAF and became an art teacher at two Hampshire schools including Hardley - now the New Forest Academy.

He also built a 1917-style bi-plane and joined the Great War Display Team, eventually becoming Britain's oldest stunt pilot.

Doug Gregory at his home

In 2010 Mr Gregory and some of his fellow pilots took part in a dogfight over the New Forest to celebrate the centenary of the former Royal Flying Corps airfield at East Boldre.

Three years later he vowed to stop performing aerobatic tricks at shows across the south and revealed he was selling his homemade plane.

Speaking at the time he said: “I'll miss it terribly and it's very sad to see it go. But it's difficult to get in and out of and very hard to start.”

But despite giving up risky stunts the self-confessed “aero addict” vowed to continue flying for as long as he could.

He said: “I still enjoy it as much as I did when I was younger. When you're up there you're in charge of everything. It's great.”

FACT FILE

Doug Gregory was born in Southampton on January 13 1923.

He left school at the age of 14 and initially worked in a local solicitor's office but volunteered for the RAF as soon as he turned 18 in 1941.

Three years later he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after completing scores of hazardous missions between March 1943 and October 1944.

In 1945 he was posted to India and took part in an investigation to discover why Mosquitoes struggled to cope with tropical conditions.

Mr Gregory became a teacher after leaving the RAF in 1946.

In 1983, aged 60, he began to build a replica First World War aircraft. The project took several years and cost £5,000.