Big military gathering marks 70thanniversary of Battle of Britain

THE largest military event of its kind in the North of England was staged yesterday to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The annual Allied Air Forces Day was held at the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington and more than 450 veterans, ex-service personnel and serving members of the RAF took part in a parade and commemoration service.

This year’s event had a special resonance as it was used to mark the landmark anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Organisers aimed to reflect the fact that Winston Churchill’s famous speech that “never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few” was actually directed at all British and Allied aircrews – and not just those in Fighter Command, to whom the words have been largely attributed.

Churchill’s speech actually pointed out that it was the bomber crews, undertaking their deadly missions to fly into heavily defended occupied lands to destroy enemy airfields and factories, that bore the brunt of the burden on the RAF.

With the loss of 998 aircrew RAF Bomber Command and Coastal Command lost more air crew during the Battle of Britain than the 554 pilots of Fighter Command.

The day culminated with a flypast by a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.