The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust is offering just two chances in 2012 to join one of these unique tours, both led by author and historian Geoff Simpson and featuring lunch with veteran Hurricane pilot Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC.

The tours, planned for 12 May and 8 September, will combine a great day out with the chance to learn more about the historic events of the Battle of Britain, much of which took place in the skies over the south east of the country.

The tours start at 9.30 am and will be led by Trustee Geoff Simpson, a member of the RAF Historical Society and author of many texts on the Battle including “A Dictionary of the Battle of Britain”, published in association with the Trust.

Geoff will set the scene for the tour, which will start at the National Memorial to the Few at Capel-le-Ferne, by describing the key events of the Battle and the story of the Memorial.

The tour will then take in a number of notable and interesting sites, including the Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge, with its extensive collection of memorabilia, and the village of Elham, which had a unique role during the Battle. Geoff will provide a running commentary during the coach tour

Lunch and a light afternoon tea are included and Wing Commander Foster, Chairman of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association and a veteran of the Battle, will talk during lunch of his experiences.

For information and an application form contact Trustee Andrew Simpson, 31A Castleton Ave, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA7 5QT; email aj.simpson1950@talktalk.net

BATTLE OF BRITAIN GUIDED TOUR

Wing Commander Foster DFC AE is a Life Vice President of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and a very prominent supporter of The Wing,the new learning and visitor centre planned for the clifftop site that is home to the Memorial.

Bob, a Hurricane pilot during the Battle of Britain, also flew Spitfires later in the war and gave expert tips to the youngsters who attended the free Make and Paint event on 31 March sponsored by Airfix.

Tickets are just £5 and offer the chance to win four other great prizes as well as the ultimate trip for aircraft enthusiasts everywhere – a private visit to the Aircraft Restoration Hangar at Duxford Airfield to see at first hand the restoration and
maintenance of historic aircraft, including the nation’s favourite – the Spitfire, followed by a flight in a two-seater Spitfire trainer. This amazing prize has been kindly donated by John Romain, managing director of the Aircraft Restoration Company.

Just download the Adobe .pdf file by following the link at the bottom of this page, print the ticket, complete the payment details and return the reply portion to the address shown for your chance to win – and raise money for The Wing at the same time.

Print the ticket by following the link below, complete the reply section and return with your payment for your chance to win

7371 BofB Raffle Ticketpdf

There is news of developments at Capel-le-Ferne and new memorials to men who qualified for the Battle of Britain Clasp, while photographs include one of the state funeral in Poland of Wing Commander Tadeusz Sawicz, the last Polish survivor of the Battle.

Geoff Simpson, Editor of 1940, commented: “This is the 12th issue of the magazine and anyone who has a complete set has acquired a considerable body of information on the events of 1940 and the commemoration of The Few.”

This informative magazine is just one of the benefits of becoming a Friend of the Few. For more information follow this link

Interest in the event, which is completely free, is already sky-high, with hundreds of youngsters looking forward to making the most of the chance to make and paint a model aircraft.

Airfix is providing the kits for free and there is no charge to visit the Memorial, which means the event, on Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April, from 10am to 4pm both days, will be a great day out for the family.

As an added bonus, the Action Stations! Spitfire is expected over the site on a number of occasions between Friday and Sunday as passengers in the following helicopters get ‘up close and personal’ with Charlie Brown and the MkVb Spit. This is not a weekend to miss!

The Grand Duke is the last show on which Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated and is the only one of their shows that has never been produced professionally since its original production at the Savoy Theatre in 1896.

The show will play six nights on Sundays and Mondays in April – on the 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th – at the Finborough Theatre, a small venue above the Finborough Wine Café on Finborough Road in Earl’s Court.

The musical director is John Owen Edwards, former Musical Director of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, and the cast includes English National Opera favourite Richard Suart in the title role.

In another link with the work of the Trust, the leading role of Julia Jellicoe is being played by Charlotte Page, who appeared in the Trust’s 2008 Palladium gala Fly With the Stars.

Because of the ‘cult’ nature of this production tickets are selling fast, and anyone interested is urged to book early. For more information click here

The decision marks a succeesful conclusion to many months of hard work by Folkestone architectural practice Godden Allen Lawn, council planners and the Trust and gives the green light to this ambitious project.

The new building has been designed to look like the iconic Spitfire wing, complete with its signature uplift, and will have room for educational activities as well as the experience itself. The Wing will not be a museum but will use high tech audio-visual effects to bring to life the story of the Battle of Britain.

With planning permission granted,the real work begins as the Trust needs to raise an estimated £2.5 million to build
and fit out this exciting new project. A bid has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund but additional fund-raising will be a major priority over the coming year.

“We are delighted to have won planning permission for this exciting new development but we recognise that there is a long way to go,” said Trust Chairman Richard Hunting CBE. “We hope that people will see the value of what we are trying to achieve here at Capel-le-Ferne and will contribute generously to this great cause.”

If you would like to join the mailing list, just send an email to malcolm@go4marketing.net and we will make sure you are kept up-to-date with the work of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.

This is set to be a really exciting year for us, so make sure you keep in touch.

Battle of Britain veteran William Walker last year released a book of his poetry and donated all the proceeds to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.

The book, available in both hardback and softback versions, has proved immensely popular, and the Trust is waiting to hear if the Guinness Book of Records will accept the 98 year-old’s bid to be recognised as the oldest first-published poet.

Meanwhile the Trust has been recording William reading some of his own work with a view to releasing it on CD at a later date. Here is a sample of his work.