A handful of their members took part in a confrontation with the population of Landivisiau, on August 7, 1943.
Bideford town clerk George McLauchlan, told him locals had never heard of Manteo and the only town Bideford was twinned with was Landivisiau in France.
They were sent to the air naval base at Landivisiau in Finistère, north-west France where they then learnt how to fly the AMD-BA Super Étendard, being given up to 50 hours of flight training each.