Raising the baton

Tickets are selling fast for the visit of world-class conductor Anthony Inglis, who will begin our new season of talks at The Wing next weekend. The top conductor, who is currently music director of the London Concert Orchestra and works with superstar mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins OBE, will leave his music scores behind and instead focus on his family’s remarkable links with the Royal Air Force. His talk on Sunday (21 November), entitled 100 Years of RAF Family Flying History, promises to be a fascinating one. Anthony Inglis Howard-Williams’s family has been flying with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the RAF for the past century, occupying virtually every rank, from a current Flight Lieutenant to an Air Marshal, and flying a vast range of service aircraft. His paternal grandfather won the Military Cross flying over Mons and Passchendaele during World War 1 and was effectively number two at fighter command to Dowding at the outbreak of the second world war, until the two fell out. Inglis’ maternal grandfather was head of RAF Intelligence during World War 2, reporting directly to Churchill and sent by him to Roosevelt after Pearl Harbour to persuade him to enter the war in Europe rather than just in the Far East. His great-uncle, as senior air commander to Lord Gort, was responsible for flying back to London from the front and coming up with the idea of the Dunkirk “little Ships”. Another uncle, Squadron Leader P J Howard-Williams, served in the Battle of Britain with No 19 Sqn and played himself in the film The First of The Few. Inglis’ father was a night fighter pilot and an uncle by marriage was a pathfinder during the second world war and became Squadron Commander of No 27 Sqn with Canberras. His 24-year-old son is a front-line Chinook pilot in No 18 Sqn at RAF Odiham. This remarkable family history will be told in the Geoffrey Page Centre at The Wing, beginning at 2.30pm. As with all talks in the series, there is discounted or free entry for Friends of the Few, as per the pricing below: Friend of the Few – Hurricane level: Free Entry Friend of the Few – Spitfire level: £ 5 Guest of Friend of the Few: £ 6 (max one per Friend) Non-members: £12 Book either by phone on 01303 249292 or by emailing enquiries@battleofbritainmemorial.org