Editorial: Battle of Britain

The display yesterday over Buckingham Palace to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain was fantastic and was also a clear reminder that we should never forget. The battle over the skies of southern England was probably one of the turning points of the Second World War and gave Britain hope after months of retreats and setbacks. But the pilots of those Spitfires and Hurricanes were also extremely modest. I grew up reading of the exploits of “The Few” and like many other children of my age made by fair share of airfix models of the aircraft of the Battle of Britain.  I discovered that one of my relatives had been one of “The Few,” as Prime Minister Winston Churchill dubbed the pilots of Fighter Command who fought in the Battle of Britain. And in fact he had served in one of the squadrons which had been hugely successful. The last time I saw him I inquired about his time in the Royal Air Force. He told me that he had been a pilot but didn´t elaborate. In fact, I remember becoming quite angry, as you do when you are 14, because he refused to give further details. In the end he did tell me about his time in one of the Spitfire squadrons  which was protecting London during those dangerous days of  the summer of 1940. He ended his account by telling me that it was a long time ago and there was little point recounting events of years ago. I still believe he is wrong and the exploits of those young pilots should never be forgotten. The Battle of Britain was the RAF´s finest hour and should be remembered every year.