How are you spending the Battle of Britain weekend

Good for you Adrian…

As long as we remember it doesn’t matter how we do.

Tom H

I spent the weekend revising for an exam.

But, this morning, there was a red, white and blue wreath on Oxford’s war memorial.

Tally ho, chaps! We will not forget!

Adrian

I’ll be perfectly honest here. I’m 35 years old and this is actually the first I’ve ever heard of such an “event”.

I’m aware of various memorial days around the year, VE day, VJ day, Rememberence day etc, but I think I can honestly say I’ve never heard of this before now. Matter of fact I was reading in the paper today that the defence minister wasn’t even at the main services on Sunday as he didn’t realise the significance of it.

To go back to some of the points raised earlier, I doubt most people these days would be aware of too many of the old memorial days, as things are so much different now. When I was growing up in the 70’s, most of the older folk had either been in the war or had lived through that turbulent time.

However, there have been at least 3 generations since the end of the war. Young adults and children today would have no knowledge or understanding of what happened back then as it was well over half a century before they were even born. Yes we have history classes to teach kids about this stuff, but to them its so far in the past, to them its like the battle of hastings ie well before their time.

On Saturday attended the Beagle Pup & Bulldog Club AGM at Sywell. Then we flew a 4-ship missing man flypast rehearsal for a memorial unveiling this coming Friday. Although the memorial is to a single aircrew who were killed in 1945, our flypast on BoB Day was a broader tribute to all those who took off and never came back.

On Sunday I spent the day at North Weald, one of the key BoB fighter stations. We had a fly-in all day. The P51, P40, Gnat, Huey and Vampire were flying from there at the Shoreham air show.

Flypast forms up at Podington (Santa Pod race track)

The Number 2, who performed the missing man break had a SEAC Liberator pilot as his passsenger

Running in past Newport Pagnell

Running out past Woburn. Missing man rejoined as Number 4.

CAvM in Ottawa hosted a Battle of Britain Event for veterans on Sunday. Vintage Wings and CWHM provided the aircraft…quite the event for our veterans.

Andrew

Spent Saturday, fittingly, on the restoration of Hurricane 5447 at VWoC. We helped set up the Spitfire and Hurricane so they would be available as a backdrop for the media as they interviewed many of the BoB Canadian vets. The CWH B25 and Lancaster flew into Gatineau for formation practice for the flyby on Sunday. The winds and cloud cover however prevented any safe flying.
In addition to the pilots I talked with a lovely lady who had vivid memories of the BoB as a young woman living in England at the time. Her gratitude to the pilots was heart warming.

I was outside the local RAFA club as part of a display for the public associated with the Wings Collection.

The local council had roped off a section of the town centre carpark and donated it, and a warden, free of charge for all of Saturday.

On display for the kids and adults to look at and climb over were an Austin Fire Engine from Rover Works, 1944 Matador Refueller, Canberra PR.9 nose, Anson nose and a selection of vintage motorbikes and cars.

All are owned by local enthusiasts and attendance was donated to the RAFA club. This collection in the busy town centre provides quite an attraction with display boards showing the reason and use of the Wings fund.

Just a local event from the local RAFA club giving visual and tactile display for Battle of Britain Day.

Well I guess based on the responses of the board , here at least it is not a case of not caring…

Today we had (5) Air Cadet squadrons on parade as well as veterans, about 1000 people.

In the far off bastions of Canada, we remember and celebrate the victory the Battle of Britain represents.

Tom H

This might be a dumb colonial question…

Are there no more Battle of Britain parades?

Tonight I sit here writing the final parade schedule, parade order and annouced guest list for our Battle of Britain Parade tommorow (Sunday September 16th) and I guess this is a piece of history we are forgetting about as we chase the technology of the day.

The Battle of Britain involved pilots from every allied nation including the USA, who had not officially become involved yet.

Possibly the greatest air battle the world will ever see and a most decisive one as if the Luftwaffe had succeeded Britain would have surely fallen.

The notes read like a movie script….700 young pilots standing against an invincilbe force and holding back an army of 250,000.

Reads like the next Star Wars episode…but has fallen from the free worlds mind…kind of sad.

But I will be on parade tommorow, along with several hundred others here in Edmonton.

Tom H

Tom H

Fortunately my home town of Retford in Nottinghamshire are having a B.of.B. parade this w/end organised by the local RAFA+ ex-service organisations.

On my way home from work I will go & pay my respects at Retford’s only BofB pilot’s grave-Sgt Dennis Noble-43 Sqn.

“and at the going down of the sun-we will remember them”

This might be a dumb colonial question…

Are there no more Battle of Britain parades?

Tonight I sit here writing the final parade schedule, parade order and annouced guest list for our Battle of Britain Parade tommorow (Sunday September 16th) and I guess this is a piece of history we are forgetting about as we chase the technology of the day.

The Battle of Britain involved pilots from every allied nation including the USA, who had not officially become involved yet.

Possibly the greatest air battle the world will ever see and a most decisive one as if the Luftwaffe had succeeded Britain would have surely fallen.

The notes read like a movie script….700 young pilots standing against an invincilbe force and holding back an army of 250,000.

Reads like the next Star Wars episode…but has fallen from the free worlds mind…kind of sad.

But I will be on parade tommorow, along with several hundred others here in Edmonton.

Tom H

Tom H

It’s not a dumb question at all, I reckon that probably 90% of the population hadn’t a clue what day it was yesterday, or probably cared.
I was born 10 years after the event and grew up in an era where everyones dad had fought in the war in some capacity or other, when every RAF base put on a scintillating display and the Wings Appeal people stood on every street corner selling little badges.
All this has gone now, not even some sort of tribute programme, film or mention of the event on the multitude of TV channels that we have now, even some people I know, who should know better, hadn’t a clue what this weekend represented.
In some respects, the terrible loss of the pilot and Hurricane yesterday brought home what a sacrifice those pilots made 67 years ago, no sensational headlines for them, their losses weren’t ‘appropriate newsworthy events’, not good for morale or the war effort.
What did I do yesterday, I had to replace a kitchen window that I broke during the week, I couldn’t leave a gaping hole in the house. In some way I felt ashamed that I did nothing else, on the other hand smoothing over putty gives you time for thinking, remembering and quiet retrospection, suddenly being jolted back into reality by the news of the accident yesterday afternoon, which quite frankly was very difficult for me to take in.
Perhaps it will make people remember today and be thankfull for how the ‘Few’ sacrificed themselves for the nation and the free world.

This might be a dumb colonial question…

Are there no more Battle of Britain parades?

Tonight I sit here writing the final parade schedule, parade order and annouced guest list for our Battle of Britain Parade tommorow (Sunday September 16th) and I guess this is a piece of history we are forgetting about as we chase the technology of the day.

The Battle of Britain involved pilots from every allied nation including the USA, who had not officially become involved yet.

Possibly the greatest air battle the world will ever see and a most decisive one as if the Luftwaffe had succeeded Britain would have surely fallen.

The notes read like a movie script….700 young pilots standing against an invincilbe force and holding back an army of 250,000.

Reads like the next Star Wars episode…but has fallen from the free worlds mind…kind of sad.

But I will be on parade tommorow, along with several hundred others here in Edmonton.

Tom H

Tom H

Hope to see the BBMF Spit and Hurri over Bentley Priory.

DS

Why is this weekend know as Battle of Britian weekend I thought the Battle of britian took place during August to October 1940’s?

Today I watch the Battle of Britian film and pay my respects and sunday I be keeping an eye out for the BBMF Spitfire and Hurricane thats flying over the Weald of Kent ( Battle of Britian County):D

James

September 15th – watch the movie again 😉

Why is this weekend know as Battle of Britian weekend I thought the Battle of britian took place during August to October 1940’s?

Today I watch the Battle of Britian film and pay my respects and sunday I be keeping an eye out for the BBMF Spitfire and Hurricane thats flying over the Weald of Kent ( Battle of Britian County):D

James

A donation to the ‘Wings’ appeal today at the local supermarket. A period of quiet reflection,plus dinner out tonight with close friends and family, as it is the wifes **th birthday, as well as our 30th wedding anniversary too.

Hoping to get down to Biggin Hill at some point, but I really need to get some DIY done before then 🙁

Regards,

Dan

As I do every year – Battle of Britain on DVD, and probably Dark Blue World as well….

My mum and I are going to east Kirkby today, thought it was kind of fitting really.

Tomorrow we’ll probably end up at Coningsby again, even if we don’t try we always seem to end up there lol, See the spifire/hurricane come home, we saw them leave and I always prefer to see them coming back so I know they get back safe.

BoB weekend

Working Saturday, Sunday hopefully make it to Shoreham Airshow

I am working but I will spend sometime to reflect & remember what today is about.