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Battle of Britain ThoughtsModern memories of 1940

by Wing Commander Andrew Simpson,Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch) Trustee,

Battle of Britain Memorial TrustEAA 0629799, Warbirds 0022547

It’s a bright summer Sunday in July, and I’m watching a Spitfire and a Hurricane twisting and turning through the sky above

the white cliffs that form the south-ern coast of England. Then they climb away over the English Chan-

nel and are silhouetted against a blue sky crisscrossed with white con-trails. The images I’m watching are real, but the time is 2009, not 1940, which the scenes call to mind. The Spitfire and the Hurricane are genu-ine from the Royal Air Force (RAF)

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, but the contrails are from commer-cial aircraft plying their trade.

The Battle of Britain was fought nearly 70 years ago in the skies above where I’m standing. It was an air en-counter about which much has been

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Battle of Britain Thoughtswritten, a conflict which has been por-trayed on film many times and com-memorated at the National Memorial to the Few, which I’m standing next to as one of the Spitfires from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performs an immaculate bar-rel roll overhead. Today is Memorial Day, a day when the start of the bat-tle is remembered. On this day, many people from many backgrounds, both military and civilian, congregate at the site of the memorial overlooking the English Channel, over which the Battle of Britain was fought. Some of the veterans of the battle are present, each with his own memories of what he faced in 1940. Many young people

are also present together with senior military personnel from the Royal Air Force and from the many other coun-tries that fought alongside the British people. Everyone is gathered to com-memorate a momentous event in time and those who took part in it.

The BattleThe early summer of 1940 saw

Britain at a very low point. The amaz-ing evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, France, was accomplished in early June, and just 11 days after it the German army paraded through Paris. Less than a week after this parade, the French government had signed an armistice with Germany. Britain now

faced the distinct possibility of inva-sion followed by a cruel occupation as had already been suffered by many other countries across Europe. How-ever, the British people weren’t about to let this happen without a fight for their freedom.

World War II was the first major conflict that an invasion was unlikely to have succeeded without the invad-ing forces having mastery of the air, and so just fewer than 3,000 men of the Royal Air Force spearheaded the British resistance to the Nazi forces ranged against it only a few miles away across the English Channel. These airmen became known to Winston Churchill as “The Few,” and to their

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leader, the commander of RAF Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, as “My Dear Fighter Boys.”

Officially, the Battle of Britain took place between July 10 and October 31, 1940, and during that time more than 500 of The Few perished. Nearly 800 more didn’t live to see the end of World War II.

The battle raged over the county of Kent in southeast England and over the English Channel during July and August of 1940. The Germans were confident of success and designated August 13 “Alder Tag” (Eagle Day). On this day they intended to utterly defeat the RAF Fighter Command Squadrons, but the Luftwaffe completely failed to meet its intentions. Having been completely unsuccessful in gaining air superiority, the Germans switched to attacking installations such as the fighter airfields, radar stations, and aircraft production factories.

However, the battle wasn’t won, and RAF Fighter Command was close to being overwhelmed in early Sep-tember. Exhaustion amongst the air-men and ground crews was taking a toll. Experienced personnel had either been killed or wounded, and whilst re-placements were coming through the training system, they lacked experi-ence and were being rushed through training to the extent that some of them had only a few hours of experi-ence on the aircraft type they were taking into the battle.

Fighter Command was at the point of being broken when suddenly the Luftwaffe changed tactics again and began the night bombing of London. On the first Saturday in September, the East End of London and the Lon-don docks burned. For Londoners the misery of the blitz with its nightly bombings had started, but for Fighter Command it was the start of a period of respite and recovery, since there was little the fighters could do against the night bombers.

On September 15, the last major daylight raid on London occurred, and this date is now commemorated as Battle of Britain Day.

RAF Fighter Command had pre-

A group of RAF pilots from 249 Squadron.COURTESY ANDREW SIMPSON

ERIC DUMIGAN

Lancaster, Spitfire’s and Hurricane’s.

The RAF defenders-Hurricane and Spitfire.

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Wall bearing quotation of Winston S. Churchill.

Above: A detail from the Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall with some of the wreaths laid at the annual Memorial Day.

Left: The centerpiece of the Battle of Britain Memorial— the figure of a pilot sitting in a contemplative pose, looking out across the English Channel above which the significant parts of the Battle took place.

Below: The Memorial statue with the Memorial Wall in the background.

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vailed and remained intact. The inva-sion never came. The Battle of Britain officially ended on October 31, 1940, but Fighter Command still had much hard work and sacrifice ahead of them.

The FewThere is a myth that has grown in

the years following the Battle of Brit-ain that the victory was won by young British officer pilots flying Spitfires.

The truth is that many were far from young. It’s true that many were in their late teens, but men in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and at least one in his 50s fought in the battle.

Many countries other than Great Britain were also represented in the Fighter Command formations of 1940. Personnel were from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Ireland, Jamaica, Newfound-land, New Zealand, Poland, the Rho-desias, South Africa, and the United States of America.

Many weren’t officers. Many of the highest-scoring pilots of the battle were noncommissioned officers (e.g., sergeants and flight sergeants).

Multicrewed aircraft took part in the battle, such as the Blenheim and the Defiant, so not everyone who took part was a pilot. And far more Hurri-canes than Spitfires flew in the Battle and were credited with the destruction of far more enemy aircraft.

Following the war a decision was made that every Allied airman who took part in the battle was entitled to the immediate award of the 1939-1945 Star with the Battle of Britain clasp. To

qualify for this honor, an airman had to have made one operational flight with one of 71 designated units under the control of Fighter Command between July 10 and October 31, 1940. Just fewer than 3,000 airmen qualified for the award. These are The Few.

The MemorialIn the Battle of Britain, Pilot Officer

Geoffrey Page was age 20 and flew a Hurricane with 56 Squadron. He was shot down into the sea and was ter-ribly burned. He became a guinea pig, one of the RAF personnel treated at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead (in Sussex, Southern Eng-land), by the pioneering plastic sur-gery team led by Archie McIndoe.

Geoffrey returned to action later in the war, became a wing commander, won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) with bar, and was badly injured again.

Many years later he realized, to his amazement, that there was no national memorial to his colleagues and com-rades of 1940, so he formed the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, as he was determined to rectify the situation.

His drive and resolve ensured that major obstacles were overcome, and he chose a site at Capel-le-Ferne in the area of Kent that had become known as “Hellfire Corner” in 1940. The site already had military connections, hav-ing been an airship mooring station in World War I and a gun battery in World War II.

In July 1993, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother came to

Current Aircraft of theBattle of Britain Memorial

Flight (2009)

Spitfire MkXVI, TE311: A low-back MkXVI.Spitfire MkIIa, P7350: Oldest air-

worthy Spitfire in the world. Fought in Battle of Britain.

Spitfire MkVb, AB910: Built in 1941.Spitf ire MkLFIXe, MK356: Built in

1944, served as a static airframe in the film Battle of Britain.

Spitfire MkPRXIX, PM631: Built in 1945 as a high-altitude PR aircraft with a Griffon 66 engine and pressurized cockpit.

Spitfire MkPRXIX, PS915: Built in 1945.Hurricane MkIIc, LF363: First flew on

January 1, 1944. Believed to be the last Hurricane to enter service with the RAF.

Hurricane MkIIc, PZ865: The last Hurri-cane ever built (of 14533). Used by Hawker as a communication and test aircraft.

Lancaster, PA474: One of only two airworthy Lancasters in the world. (The other is in Canada.)

Douglas C47 (DC3) Dakota ZA947: Built in 1942. Initially issued to United States Army Air Forces, then to Royal Cana-dian Air Force. Initially used by Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as “work-horse” transport aircraft, but now part of display either alone or as part of a three-ship formation. Cleared to oper-ate as a parachute drop aircraft.

DHC-1 Chipmunk, WK518: Delivered to RAF in 1952. Joined Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 1983.

DHC-1 Chipmunk, WG486: Delivered to RAF in 1952. Joined Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 1995 after varied uses that included being part of the Gatow Station Flight in Berlin, making it the most unlikely “spy plane” and Cold War warrior until the Berlin Wall came down.

Further information on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at www.RAF.mod.uk/bbmf or www.RAF.mod.uk.

The replica Hurricane at the Memorial.COURTESY ANDREW SIMPSON

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Capel-le-Ferne to unveil the memorial that is in place today. In the middle of a three-bladed propeller, a sculptured young airman sits looking out over the Strait of Dover in a contemplative mood. The airman sits on a plinth upon which are carved the squadron badges of all the units designated as taking part in the Battle of Britain.

Geoffrey also had a vision to include a wall at the memorial upon which the names of all of The Few would be in-scribed. At the time of the unveiling, in-sufficient funds were available to fulfill this vision. However in 2005, principally through the benefaction of the late Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris GCB, DSO, OBE (a veteran of the battle) and Lady Foxley-Norris, the trust was able to make the Memorial Wall a reality. On the wall, which consists of 15 2-meter-high panels, are listed the almost 3,000 names of the RAF aircrew, its reserve organizations, the Fleet Air Arm, and Allied air forces.

At the memorial there is also a low wall including the words of Winston Churchill’s reference to The Few. It was donated by the Beaverbrook Founda-tion. Lord Beaverbrook was minister of aircraft production in 1940, and his son, the Honourable Max Aitken DFC, commanded 601 (County of London) Squadron during the battle. Today, members of the family serve as trus-tees of the Memorial Trust.

One day each year is special at Capel-le-Ferne. On a Sunday in July,

Battle of Britain Memorial FlightIn the United Kingdom, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a household name

and a national institution. Just about everyone will stop in his tracks as the familiar Spitfire, Hurricane, and Lancaster thee-ship formation appears overhead. The flight is a fully supported unit of the Royal Air Force.

The modern Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was created from humble begin-nings. It has gone from a loose collection of “obsolete types” tucked away in the corners of various hangars to priceless assets of British aviation heritage being cared for in their own headquarters.

In 1945, at the end of World War II, thousands of people gathered in London on September 15, which had become known as Battle of Britain Day in recognition of the date in 1940, marking the height of the aerial action of the battle. They had gone to watch masses of RAF fighters carry out the first of what was to become an annual commemorative flypast over the capital, which traditionally was led by a Spitfire and a Hurricane.

With the advent of the jet age, aircraft that were once the mainstay of RAF fighter operations were withdrawn from service. Only one Hurricane was in service by the mid-1950s, and when the Spitfire was phased out in 1957, there were only three airworthy examples being flown.

There was a strong belief in the RAF that the service’s greatest battle honor should be commemorated in a fitting fashion—and the best way to do it was to keep these legendary fighters in the air. It was agreed that this should happen but at no cost to public funds and with the manpower being voluntary.

Over the years, aircraft have been added to the flight, and some have been ex-changed. Sadly some have been lost in accidents. In 1963, the flight was put on a more formal footing, a team of full-time RAF engineers appointed.

After the filming of the 1969 classic Battle of Britain in which some of the flight’s aircraft took part, the unit secured a major coup when it was presented with Spitfire MkIIa, P7350. This plane was and still is the world’s oldest airworthy example of its type and a genuine combat veteran of the Battle of Britain. On June 1, 1969, the unit formally adopted its hitherto popular name of “Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.”

In 1973, Avro Lancaster B I, PA474, joined the flight.The flight now has a variety of aircraft but still flies its trademark three-ship

formation of the Spitfire, Hurricane, and Lancaster at major shows throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. A Spitfire and Hurricane provide the flypast and display at the annual Memorial Day for the Battle of Britain Memorial.

The replica Spitfire at the Memorial.COURTESY ANDREW SIMPSON

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close to the date of the start of the Battle of Britain, the annual Memo-rial Day is held and includes a service of commemoration in the presence of surviving veterans of the battle. The day is officially supported by the RAF and often features flypasts of modern aircraft and the Spitfire and Hurricane from the RAF Battle of Britain Me-morial Flight. Geoffrey died in 2000 shortly after attending the 60th an-niversary Memorial Day, but thanks to him and many others, I can stand on the cliffs overlooking the English Channel and sense a little of what took place in the skies all those years ago.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust exists to maintain the National Memo-rial to The Few and seeks to raise the funds that will ensure that the memorial remains for all time to remind future gen-erations of the heroism of 1940. The trust seeks to maintain the tranquil atmos-phere at the memorial whilst developing the facilities to increase its educational value.

The trust can be contacted via its web-site (www.BattleOfBritainMemorial.org) or via e-mail at battleofbritain@btinternet.com.

by Jean Barbaudhttp://jeanbarbaud.blogspot.com

Bibliography Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. www.BattleOfBritainMemorial.org.Guide to the National Memorial to The Few at Capel-le-Ferne. Battle of Britain

Memorial Trust. Simpson, Geoff. A Dictionary of the Battle of Britain. Halsgrove in association

with Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, 2009.Wynn, Kenneth G. Men of the Battle of Britain. Gliddon Books, 1989. The Battle of Britain—August to October 1940. Issued by the UK Ministry of

Information on behalf of the Air Ministry. Published by His Majesty’s Sta-tionery Office, London, 1941.

Against All Odds: A 50th Anniversary Tribute to “The Few.” The Rococco Group for RAFA and The RAF Benevolent Fund, 1990.

Ramsey, Winston G., ed. The Battle of Britain, Then and Now. 5th ed. After the Battle Publications, 1989.

Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Air-Britain, 1985. Richards, Dennis, ed. The Few and the Many. AIM Group in association with

The Imperial War Museum, 1990. Korda, Michael. With Wings Like Eagles. JR Books, 2009. Foley, Michael. Front-Line Kent. Sutton Publishing, 2006. Bungay, Stephen. The Most Dangerous Enemy. Aurum Press, 2000. Wright, Robert. Dowding and The Battle of Britain. McDonald & Co., 1969. Ogley, Bob. Kent at War. Froglets Publications. Townsend, Peter. Duel of Eagles. Castle Books, 2003. Kent Airfields in the Battle of Britain. Kent Aviation Research Historical Society,

Meresborough Books, 1987.

These are the publications consulted in the preparation of this article. There are numerous other publications on the Battle of Britain.