Just a few words about the wonderful service to mark the sacrifice made by the RAF in the Battle of Britain. With Civic pagentry in full flow, a fly past of a Spitfire and a marching band to boot it was a very special event. I also find the Battle of Britain week such an uplifting event - praise and thanks for the greatest of sacrifice with the cornerstone thought of liberty. The remarks by the RAF chaplain were particularly meaningful drawing parallels between the 1940s and military conflict today.
On Friday we are having a Conservative event to commemorate the event too; we having a visiting speaker about the role of Norwich & Norfolk in the Battle of Britain. I am really looking forward to it.
We shall, indeed, always remember them.
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It brought a tear of joy this week to see the Polish Airmen; many experienced flyers involved in The Battle of Britain, honoured this week with a fitting memorial in Staffordshire this week
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/8262279.stm
In 1940, a young Group Captain Freddie Rosier, aged 25, "Freddie" to his mates, commanded squadrons (229 Squadron)of ammalgomated Polish and Czech fighter Huricane pilots, later Spitfires; my grandfather Ashton Down base commander looked after the young Rosier and his band of mad/brave slavic chattering Polish/Czech aces; for their every need in 1940/41. [No one understood their excited chitchat in a dogfight]. Many didn't make it back; the Poles and Kiwi's took massive fighter air casualties and sacrifices repelling the Luftwaffe, experienced English pilots where at a premium. Remember the Hurricane, not the Spitfire was the RAFs fighter.During operations over the Dunkirk beach-head, Freddie was shot down and badly burned whilst attempting to bale out of his doomed Hurricane, but survived to fight another day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Rosier
In November 1941 he spotted an Australian Tomahawk aircraft being forced down by enemy fighters (Over Trobruk)and landed his single-seater to rescue the pilot. Having got Sgt. Burney aboard he attempted to take-off but suffered a burst tyre and crashed the aircraft. Both he and Burney walked across the desert for four days, avoiding large enemy patrols, to reach safety with a Guards unit.
Later
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rosier GCB, CBE, DSO (13 October 1915-10 September 1998) was a Royal Air Force commander.
Chairman of the Polish Pilots Benevolent Fund and received the Polish Order of Merit in 1998.
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