The History of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association: Commemorating the Few

221 Pages·2014·3.91 MB·English

by  Simpson

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
Pen & Sword Aviation
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright © Geoff Simpson 2015
ISBN: 978 1 78159 387 5
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 47385 231 0
PRC ISBN: 978 1 47385 237 2
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Contents
Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales
Introduction
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 Definition Of The Battle
Chapter 2 The Route to The Clasp
Chapter 3 The Battle of Britain Fighter Association
Chapter 4 Westminster Abbey and the Roll of Honour
Chapter 5 Remembering The Few
Chapter 6 They Have Shaped the BBFA
Appendix I: The 1943 Casualty List
Appendix II: Those Attending the 20th Anniversary Reunion
Bibliography
‘Of all the British combatants of the Second World War, the ‘few’ have attained
a unique and legendary place in the historiography of the war.’
Dr Jeremy A. Crang, writing in War & Society, November 2005
‘The object of giving medals, stars and ribbons is to give pride and pleasure to
those who have deserved them. At the same time a distinction is something which
everybody does not possess. If all have it, it is of less value. There must,
therefore, be heartburnings and disappointments on the border line. A medal
glitters, but it also casts a shadow. The task of drawing up regulations for such
awards is one which does not admit of a perfect solution. It is not possible to
satisfy everybody without running the risk of satisfying nobody. All that is
possible is to give the greatest satisfaction to the greatest number and to hurt the
feelings of the fewest. But that is a most difficult task and it is easy to err on one
side or the other. One must be careful in the first place to avoid profusion. The
tendency to expand, shall I say inflate, dilute the currency through generous
motives, is very strong.’
Winston Churchill, as Prime Minister, addressing the House of Commons, 22
March 1944
Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales
A Message from the Chairman of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association
Over many years the Battle of Britain Fighter Association has brought together
those who flew in Fighter Command in the summer and autumn of 1940. The
camaraderie which we have always enjoyed continues. Now our key task is to
ensure that what was achieved 75 years ago by so many men and women in all
three services, as well as civilians, is remembered long into the future.
Commemoration of those deeds began in the early years of the war and has
continued ever since.
From that time there was also much discussion on whether Allied airmen who
took part in the battle should be given a symbol to wear and, if so, what form it
should take. Alongside that discussion was one about who should be entitled to
wear such a symbol. The announcement of the Battle of Britain Clasp to the
1939–1945 Star was made in 1945, yet even to this day the research continues
into some ‘doubtful cases’ amongst Fighter Command airmen who were or were
not awarded the clasp.
I am, therefore, delighted that Geoff Simpson has made a new contribution to
Battle of Britain literature by exploring the history of the Fighter Association,
alongside a consideration of the award of the clasp and the commemoration of
the battle.
Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC AE
Chairman Battle of Britain Fighter Association
Sadly Bob Foster died on 30 July 2014. His widow Kaethe has asked that his
message should still appear.
A Message from the Chief of the Air Staff
The Battle of Britain is recognised as both a key moment in British history and
one of the proudest episodes in the history of the Royal Air Force. It was a time
when all the home commands of the Service played their part in ensuring that
this country did not suffer foreign invasion.
Three quarters of a century after this great event it is right that a record should
be made of the way in which it is commemorated. I believe that it is essential too
that future generations continue to remember the Battle of Britain.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford KCB CBE ADC
Chief of the Air Staff
Introduction
T
he Battle of Britain has become one of the most famous, celebrated,
recorded and analysed events in British history. There is so much we
know about the events of 1940, a year which was certainly a fulcrum in that
history, yet there is also much still to be learned.
Though the official definition of the battle was not established until after the
war in Europe had ended, commemoration of what was seen as a victory by the
Royal Air Force had begun well before that. The desire to establish the names of
the men who had flown on the British side in the battle was established very
early and so was the concept of an emblem for the participants to wear.
Those participants were rarely conscious at the time that they were fighting
something called ‘The Battle of Britain’ and they certainly did not realise on 10
July or 31 October 1940 that a significant moment was passing. Such is the
nature of arbitrary definitions.
Members of ‘The Few’, as Winston Churchill had caused them to be named,
met in comradeship after the war. Eventually, in 1958, they formally came
together and established the Battle of Britain Fighter Association. There was
then a gap of thirty-five years, remarkable as it may seem now, before a National
Memorial to The Few was established at Capel-le-Ferne on the Kentish cliffs
outside Folkestone.
Celebrity came suddenly to the men of Fighter Command. At the time of the
evacuation from the Channel ports in the spring of 1940, the RAF was accused
of doing too little to help the Army. The charge was without foundation, but it
was believed by many of those on the beaches and harbour-sides waiting for
rescue and by many waiting at home in fear of invasion.
With the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ achieved, the aerial fighting developed over the
English Channel, then moved inland. Now the people of south-east England in
particular could see Fighter Command in action and bear witness to the heroism
that was being displayed. Now stories began to abound of women kissing airmen
in the street, drinks being bought for them and taxi drivers refusing to accept
their money.
The contrast was a stark one so there is sometimes some cynicism in the
attitude of ‘The Few’ to their fame. It manifests itself not least when they make
the standard reply to questions about how they felt on 20 August 1940 when the
Prime Minister made the speech that created ‘The Few’. Ask them how they felt
then and they very often think back to: ‘Never in the field of human conflict was
so much owed by so many to so few,’ and make the response: ‘Oh, we thought
he was talking about our mess bills’.
For the rest of their lives the survivors were marked out by their service over
less than four months in the first full year of the war. No doubt that has often
been a source of pleasure to them, though the attention can also be irksome.
Brian Kingcome, a Spitfire pilot in the battle, apparently remarked that if the
fuss continued he would take to wearing his medals on his pyjamas.
Over many years it has been an enormous privilege to come to know many of
the men who flew in the Battle of Britain. To be given the full co-operation of
the Battle of Britain Fighter Association in the writing of this book, including
access to its archives, was a much appreciated and added honour.
Geoff Simpson
21 August 2014