A special visitor to the site at Capel-le-Ferne has paid tribute to the Memorial his famous father inspired.
Jamie Page is the son of Wing Commander Geoffrey Page, whose realisation in the early 1990s that there was no memorial to the men he had flown alongside in the Battle of Britain was the catalyst for the National Memorial to the Few, unveiled in 1993.
A Pilot Officer during the Battle, Page was shot down on 12 August 1940 and baled out in to the sea, suffering terrible burns. He went on to become a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club for RAF personnel treated at the Queen Victoria Hospital by the team of plastic surgeons led by Archie McIndoe.
Page returned to operational flying, becoming a wing leader, and was awarded the DFC and bar. By the time he received the DSO in 1944 he was credited with having destroyed 15 enemy aircraft.
On a recent visit to the Memorial, his son Jamie said his father would have been “absolutely delighted to see the Memorial today, with its wonderful grounds, broad range of attractions and friendly staff”.
He added: “A really wonderful job has been done by the Trustees, staff and volunteers and particularly by Patrick and Janet Tootal, whose remarkable diligence, hard work, and long service to the Memorial is so apparent at this special place of remembrance.” The top picture below shows Jamie in front of the replica of the Hurricane in which his father was shot down.
