EVENTS – Memorial Day 2011
Memorial Day 2011 will be on Sunday, 10 July. Access the Memorial Day page from the drop down menu above for information about the 2010 70th anniversary event or visit the Past Events or Gallery pages for news and pictures from earlier years.
NEWS
Mold Salutes
The North Wales town of Mold is organising a series of events to commemorate the part the town played in supporting the men of the Battle of Britain 70 years ago.
The events include a lecture on Wednesday 18 August at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru, at which speakers will include Battle of Britain Hurricane pilot Squadron Leader Tony Pickering AE and the Trust's own Geoff Simpson, who will give a talk entitled "Who were the Few?"
The lecture is part of August's Mold Salutes programme that will mark the 70th anniversary of the RAF's defence of British skies against the Luftwaffe during World War II.
There were four operational bases within a 10-mile radius of Mold in 1940. They included RAF Sealand, where pilots received training before heading south to join front line squadrons.
Other planned events include a 1940s gala evening and a flyover by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as well as a memorial parade through the town centre.
Money raised will help the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and Help for Heroes, the charity that raises money to support members of the armed forces who have been wounded in action.
Tickets for the 18 August lecture, which cost £7 (concessions £5) are available by ringing the theatre box office on 0845 330 3565. For further information email: johndmold@uwclub.net
Anniversary print gets off to flying start
A fine art print now available from Flying Pencil Productions has already raised an estimated £10,000 for the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.
The painting by Nicholas Trudgian, entitled A Summer for Heroes, was launched at Duxford on 16 May, with many of the surviving members of The Few present.
Colin Smith, from Vector Fine Art, the company behind Flying Pencil Productions, presented trust chairman Richard Hunting with a cheque for £6,750.
That sum, raised by initial sales of the print, was boosted by further sales at Duxford estimated to be worth around £3,000.
The painting shows members of the Home Guard standing guard over a downed Messerschmitt Bf109E while Mark 1 Spitfires of 65 Squadron roar past.
Higher in the sky, against a backdrop of the chalk cliffs known as the Seven Sisters, Hurricanes go in search of their prey on a bright mid-1940s summer's day.
Members of The Few have supported the generosity of both the artist and Flying Pencil Productions by signing the limited edition prints. Artist-signed prints are also available.
The picture here was taken at Duxford by Les Wilson of the Mail on Sunday and is reprinted with his kind permission.
To order a print please call 01323 846877 or 07860 929295 or email sales@vectorfineart.co.uk
Visit the Vector Fine Art Website here
Logo features on anniversary stamp issue
The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust logo features on a new set of stamps issued by Isle of Man Post to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle.
The set of six stamps, plus various collectors' sets, features stunning artwork by the renowned aviation artist Keith Woodcock.
The trust is honoured to have its logo featured on the stamps alongside images of a Messerschmitt Bf110 and a Hurricane, a Blenheim 1 and a Junkers 88, a Heinkel 111 and a Spitfire, a Messerschmitt Bf109 and a Defiant, a Spitfire and a Messerschmitt Bf109 and a Junkers Ju87 and a Hurricane.
Stamp collectors with an interest in the Battle of Britain can also pick up a similar 70th anniversary set issued by the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau.
The Gibraltar six-stamp set features the Miles Master, Boulton Paul Defiant, Bristol Blenheim, Gloster Gladiator and, of course, the iconic Spitfire and Hurricane.
Links to both issues here:
www.iompost.com
www.gibraltar-stamps.com
70th anniversary appeal launched
The trust has unveiled ambitious plans for a learning centre that will be a permanent reminder of the bravery of the Allied aircrew who fought off the German air invasion in 1940.
The centre at Capel-le-Ferne will be designed as a living history resource that will use film, walk-through displays and modern technology to recreate the historic events of 1940.
The trust needs £650,000 to fund this exciting scheme and believes that this 70th anniversary year is the ideal backdrop to a national appeal.
Chairman of the trustees Richard Hunting explained: "The youngest of our Battle of Britain veterans is now approaching 90 and we have to accept that they won't always be around to help remind people of that critical point in this country's history.
"The Battle of Britain was arguably the most important battle fought by this country in the whole of the last century and it is vital that young people, in particular, remember their bravery and, in many cases, sacrifice.
"While the National Memorial here at Capel-le-Ferne has become well established as a place of pilgrimage, we believe we need something extra to engage future generations of young people in the events of 1940."
The living history idea is still in its early stages but the trust's aim is for it to be built close to the existing Hunting Lodge shop and refreshment area.
A feasibility study has confirmed that a visitor attraction targeted specifically at the heroism shown by the aircrews who took part in the Battle of Britain would attract enough visitors to make it a viable addition to the memorial site, and more detailed plans are now being drawn up.
To contribute to the appeal, send cheques payable to "the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust" to the trust c/o PO Box 337, West Malling, ME6 9AA, (please indicate if you wish to Gift Aid your donation), or donate on line by clicking on the donations tab.
Alternatively you can use BACS - the details you need are: NatWest, sort code 60-01-21 account 47697989.
New edition of iconic book to be published
A new edition of Men of the Battle of Britain by Kenneth G Wynn, a book that has acquired iconic status among those with an interest in the events of 1940, is to be published to mark this year's 70th anniversary.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust (BBMT) has acquired the rights to 'Wynn', thanks to a significant anonymous donation to Trust funds, and the new edition will be published by Halsgrove in association with the Trust.
The book provides at least some biographical information on every one of the almost 3,000 Allied airmen who flew in the battle, together with photographs of many of them. It was first published in 1989, with a later supplementary volume and a second edition in 1999.
Richard Hunting, Chairman of the BBMT, explained: "Ken Wynn has gathered much new material and the trust felt that it was vital that this information was made widely available.
"I am delighted that we have reached an agreement with Ken and with CCB Associates, the publishers of the last edition, to acquire the rights to publish at a time when we have particular reason to remember the heroism of the men whose lives Ken has recorded.
"We are honoured, too, to have the support of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, the body of which only The Few may be full members."
Further details, including publication date and price, will be announced as soon as possible.
