A Reflection on the Battle of Britain
''...and then we were in the thick of it.''
"[T]he sudden sight of wave after wave of enemy aircraft in numbers that we had never seen before, filling our windscreens as we dived headlong towards them."
"There could be no greater inspiration for a rather scared 19 year old than this fleeting scene in the last seconds before battle: what the hell are [they] doing flying over our country!"
"... and then we were in the thick of it."
Wg Cdr P P C ("Paddy") Barthropp DFC AFC RAF (Retd)
The Avigation team has had a long association with the Royal Air Force and, in turn, the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain plays a significant part in the Royal Air Force’s history, as it does in Britain’s, and the middle of September serves as a timely reminder to all of us to reflect on those pivotal events in 1940 and on those who took part in them.
In the summer and autumn of 1940, the Battle of Britain was fought over southern England; some would argue that it was the most crucial battle of World War Two and, indeed, Britain's history. The Luftwaffe’s last heavy daylight attack on London was on 15th September 1940, a turning point in the Battle, when Germany lost 60 aircraft of its attacking force. It is indeed fitting that it is on this date that we commemorate Battle of Britain Day. We hear and read of "The Few", but "The Many" should command an equal amount of our respect and gratitude - hold that thought...
One of the many popular images of the Battle is that of contrails in the sky over St Paul's Cathedral; another, is of fighter pilots running to their Spitfires and Hurricanes. Some might also be from the 1969 film "Battle of Britain": Section Officer Harvey shouting "Don't you yell at me, Mr Warwick" and Robert Shaw's Sqn Ldr Skipper training a new Spitfire pilot "DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA!"
Unsurprisingly, there are many books relating to the Battle of Britain (between the Avigation team, we have a fair few!), including David Masters' sterling account "The Immortal Record of the RAF". In our humble opinion, however, a much more fascinating read is a book entitled “…So Few”, issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle. The book is a collection of personal accounts of 25 (then) surviving British Battle of Britain pilots and was commissioned by the RAF Benevolent Fund; the 25 contributors were selected by the Battle of Britain Fighter Association to represent the different services and nations that took part in the Battle.
With exceptionally detailed artwork, photographs of contributors’ personal effects from the Battle and, most importantly, poignant recollections, the original work was limited to only 401 copies. In 1992, WH Smith produced an open edition of the book, bringing the emotive collection to a wider audience. Rightly, the book bears solid testament to the resilience and courage of the young British and Allied nations’ fighter pilots, and their personal recollections are a fantastic (and often harrowing) read.
Without wishing to transcribe masses of the book here (and risk being cited as a "30 min read"), one of the stand-out recollections is that of Gp Capt Brian Kingcombe DSO DFC RAF (Retd) - whose name might be familiar to some.
Writing in 1989, Kingcombe cited "difficulty in remembering what happened a week ago, let alone half a century", but "remembered those days with enormous affection". His recollections are lyrical and humorous, while tinged with sadness. I hope you will forgive our paraphrasing:
"Although I can recall no specific action, what I do remember was a way of life, an atmosphere simmering with excitement, a camaraderie based on the sure knowledge that your colleagues would - & often did - put their lives on the line for you, as you would for them. I also remember a frenetic social life when we were stood down at dusk. When each night could be your last, you didn't want to waste in on sleep. Partying by night and cat-napping by day; a quick whiff of neat oxygen from the cockpit to counter the effects of the night before; the inevitable ring of the telephone ‘92 Squadron, Scramble Scramble’; the voice from ops fading as we sprinted to warmed-up Spitfires; the mud on my flying boots freezing to the pedals in the climb; tension building; a phalanx of enemy aircraft; the sound of our guns tearing calico, as we engaged the bombers; and, then turning to engage the fighter escorts in a vicious aerial brawl.”
In a more reflective tone:
"...and then the curious lull, seeing the sun lift over the horizon from 20,000ft & again after landing on the still darkened earth below. The day only just begun and already behind us a lifetime of emotions: the memory of two sunrises in one morning & thoughts quickly suppressed of friends not yet accounted for. There were intensely sad moments, as well as exciting ones; we lost many friends, and the worst part was watching them die, spiralling down with a smudge of smoke, or breaking up, watching for the parachute to blossom, the relief when it did, the sick feeling when it didn't. I mourn them, but they had counted the cost; they had died with regret, but not without surprise. When I visit Biggin Hill, my old Battle of Britain station, I walk with ghosts, but they are friendly ones".
Copies of “…So Few” are still available, at what can only be described as an absurdly (embarrassingly...) small price... If you can get your hands on a copy, it really is worth reading.
"The Few" are often depicted as the "poster boys" of the Battle of Britain and, perhaps, rightly so. At that particular moment in Britain's history, they offered the nation something very tangible to pin its hopes to, admire and - well - adulate. We must also remember that they were only the "tip of the spear", we must never forget that this was a Herculean national (and Allied/international) effort - on both military and civilian fronts. RAF, Fleet Air Arm and Allied air force pilots were supported - often at greater human cost - by their respective groundcrews, wider Services and the communities around their operating bases, and they were doubtless bolstered by the collective resolves of the Allied nations' populations.
Perhaps, we should do more to salute "The Many", as we so often do "The Few", as it was the combination of that comprehensive national effort and resolve that helped the "tip of the spear" deliver and see Britain and its Allies prevail in the Battle of Britain against significant odds.
#AvigationLtd #RoyalAirForce #BattleofBritain #TheFew #PerArdua
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