70th Anniversary Articles

Battle of Britain 70th: A London Pilgrimage With the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in mind, Paul Dunn paid a visit to Central London, to see how the city commemorates this momentous time in its history.

When my colleagues at GAR first mentioned the idea of producing a series of articles to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, one of the things I decided I would like to do was to visit some of the sites associated with the Battle in Central London, a short train ride from where I live. With London being such an important target for the Luftwaffe, the skies over the capital were a major battleground in the summer of 1940. I wanted to see how modern London recognises this period in its history.

I started my journey by seeking out a genuine Battle of Britain veteran at the Imperial War Museum, South Lambeth. This was partly out of convenience, having got off the train at nearby Waterloo Station, but it also helped set the tone for the day. The excellent IWM is a great day out, and a location I have visited on several previous occasions, so after a brief queue to get in, I made my way straight to the upper level, leaving most of the crowds behind. The gallery at the top of the building is home to several aircraft, including a rare Focke Wulf Fw190, but I had come to see the Spitfire, in the knowledge that this particular aircraft served during the Battle of Britain.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia R6915 was on the strength of 609 (West Riding) Sqn, based at RAF Middle Wallop (as it was) in the summer of 1940. The aircraft flew throughout the Battle, with records indicating it flew 57 sorties in the hands of 13 different pilots. The most successful of these pilots was Pilot Officer Noel Agazarian, who claimed two victories in the aircraft.

The Spitfire came to the museum in 1946 – it now hangs suspended from the ceiling, and, if I’m honest, looks slightly shabby. In my opinion though, this is exactly how it should look. We are all accustomed to seeing immaculately restored and painted “warbirds” at airshows and museums which tends to gloss over the reality of these machines and their working environment. They were built to fight a war, and fight they did.

Leaving the museum behind, I headed north, crossing the Thames at the Hungerford Bridge and headed along the Victoria Embankment towards Westminster. In the shadow of the MoD buildings at Whitehall, a memorial has been erected to honour those who fought in the Battle. The centre piece is a series of spectacular bronze sculptures featuring not just the pilots, but many of the different groups of people who supported them and gave them the tools and the information they needed to win the aerial battle – the observer corps, the (predominately female) aircraft factory workers, anti-aircraft gunners, engineers, fighter controllers etc.

Without all of these people, the battle simply could not have been won, and the monument reflects that very nicely – however, pride of place is of course given to the pilots. On one side, a group of pilots are bursting out as if running to their aircraft to answer a call to scramble. On the other is a very dramatic depiction of a pilot’s face in flying helmet and mask, seemingly surrounded by the chaos of air warfare. It is powerful stuff, and certainly projects much more of the human story of the Battle than many more conventional memorials.

Moving away from the river, I headed past government buildings and the Cenotaph to Trafalgar Square, where I unexpectedly came across a tribute to a personality who is very relevant to the Battle. The famous “fourth plinth” in Trafalgar Square has been occupied by a variety of installations over the last couple of years, some of them it has to be said rather controversial. At the time of my visit though, I’m fairly sure no-one would find a reason to argue with the occupant of the site.

Famously, Air Vice Marshall Keith Park was the commander of 11 Gp RAF during the Battle of Britain. As 11 Gp was responsible for air defence of South East England, its squadrons were to bear the brunt of the fighting. A popular and effective leader, Park was instrumental in the success of Fighter Command in the Battle, and certainly deserved to have his statue displayed in such a prominent place. Although the statue has now been removed from Trafalgar Square, a permanent memorial was recently unveiled in Waterloo Place, close to New Zealand House, a fitting tribute to this distinguished Kiwi officer.

A short bus ride took me away from the hustle and bustle of tourists in the square to a quieter corner of the City of London. The church of St Clement Danes has been adopted as the RAF’s church and is a very peaceful and tranquil location at the east end of the Strand. Outside, two statues face each other, statues of the best known leaders in the history of the RAF.

Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding of Bentley Priory was the commander-in-chief of Fighter Command from its foundation in 1936 until November 1940. During that time, he was responsible for preparing the units in his command for the forthcoming war with Germany, and then for the conduct of the Battle of Britain. It was down to his vision that Fighter Command was equipped with not only the aircraft, but also the command and control structure that enabled it to fight so effectively in the Battle.

Accompanying Dowding is another wartime RAF leader, arguably better known and certainly much more controversial, but equally well respected by those in his command. Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Harris would later orchestrate Bomber Command’s assault on Germany, elements of which remain divisive to this day. However, were it not for Dowding and Park, Fighter Command’s pilots and all those who supported the war effort, the war would have been all but lost as summer turned to autumn in 1940.

I finished my day of pilgrimage with a brief visit to another of London’s attractions – the Science Museum in South Kensington. I’ve visited the Science Museum on several occasions and it’s a really fun place to go. The aviation gallery at the very top of the building is slightly incongruous with the rest of the building though. While most of the displays in the museum take the form of brightly lit, interactive exhibitions of technology and scientific progress, the aviation gallery seems to have stood still for at least the last 40 years. This is no bad thing!

The reason for my visit today was to see two further aircraft with Battle of Britain connections – the museum’s Spitfire Mk Ia and Hurricane Mk I. Of these, the Hurricane can claim to have served during the Battle, in fact it was damaged in an engagement with a Messerschmitt Bf109 and crash landed at Croydon on 18th August 1940. The Spitfire was damaged in a training accident in July 1940 so missed out on the height of the Battle, but still represents the prevalent version of RJ Mitchell’s classic fighter in those days.

So, after a day spent searching for signs that the Battle of Britain is still remembered and commemorated amidst the chaos of modern London, I felt that I had enjoyed a few moments of quiet contemplation at several of the places I visited. In particular, St Clement Danes Church feels like a real refuge from the city and the Embankment memorial is a truly fitting monument to those who gave so much.

The presence of these places in London ensures that future generations will be reminded of the momentous events of 1940, when a small number of RAF pilots were supported by the entire nation and, by winning the Battle of Britain, gave the first indication that the forces of Nazi Germany could be beaten, and ensured the survival this country. Go and see them, you won’t be disappointed!

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