COUNCILLORS and staff at Wokingham Borough Council commemorated the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Britain last month.
On Tuesday, September 15 they raised a special flag at the Civic Offices at Shute End.
Cllr John Halsall, leader of the council, along with former Royal Air Force (RAF) member Cllr Carl Doran and chief executive Susan Parsonage, raised the RAF Ensign.
This was in tribute to the men and women across the world who risked their lives flying and supporting the RAF during the Second World War.
“The RAF Benevolent Fund carried out a survey this summer which found that 44% of those asked didn’t know about The Battle of Britain,” said Cllr Halsall.
“I think that marking any anniversary is a great way of educating people about historical events, but this particular event is a pivotal part of our history and, indeed, world history.”
September 15 is marked as Battle of Britain Day because on that day in 1940, the Luftwaffe launched its largest attack in London with the hope of defeating the RAF permanently.
But the RAF proved them wrong and held a strong defence – it was the climax of the battle.
Cllr Doran, who raised the Ensign along with Cllr Halsall, said that he wanted to honour those who made victory possible in the Second World War.
“The pilots, who Winston Churchill famously referred to as, ‘the few’ were the spearhead but the rest of the spear was made up of many,” he said, including ground crews, radar operators, and aircraft workers.
“The Battle was won by the team, and today is about thanking and paying tribute to every single one of them.”
Both of the councillors’ grandfathers served in the RAF during the Second World War.
He then joined the RAF himself at 18 where he served as a technician for 10 years.
Reflecting on the commemoration, former RAF airman, Cllr Gary Cowan, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Wokingham Borough Council for raising the flag at the council offices in remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.”
Cllr Angus Ross also added: “After spending 20 years as a pilot in the RAF, I can still barely appreciate how so few so young and so inexperienced pilots were able to perform so magnificently in the battle.
“We still owe them an immense debt of gratitude.”
