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Spitfires to fly over London for 70th anniversary of Winston Churchill's 'so few'
20 Aug 2010
The 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain is marked with a reading of one of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches and a fly-past over Whitehall.
Churchill's stirring "so much owed by so many to so few" address will be read at 3.52pm, exactly 70 years after the wartime prime minister delivered it in Parliament.
The ceremony outside the Churchill War Rooms in central London is being followed by a fly-past from a Spitfire and Hurricane fighter over Whitehall. Veterans from the 1940 battle will also be present.
It began on July 10 1940 and ended on October 31 that year.
More than 2,900 British, Commonwealth and Allied aircrew took part and successfully fought off the Luftwaffe.
The triumph helped wreck Hitler's plans to invade Britain and lay the foundations for Allied victory five years later.
It was celebrated in Churchill's speech of August 20, 1940, when he told MPs: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Phil Reed, director of Churchill War Rooms, said: "In this speech, Churchill epitomised his ability to capture in the most stirring way the spirit of a nation fighting for its existence, as Britain stood firm against the Nazi war machine.
"Now part of the general folklore of the battle, the speech is today considered a defining moment of the conflict and one of Churchill's most emotive and stirring pronouncements."
Reader views (13)
True heroes indeed.
Unfortunately, just as 15th September is celebrated as Battle Of Britain day, it's tempting to look around modern society and think of 16th September as "They Needn't Have Bothered" day.
- Andy, Beckenham, 23/08/2010 12:11
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Thing is Arfur, these were past glories.
The Supermarine Spitfire was, and still is an incredible piece of design. It is extremely manoevrable and precise, even by today's standards. Its pilots back in the WW2 were 18 year olds (From UK and Poland) and were very skilled and brave. They were really not much past their childhood, and they were up there, flying the Spitfire for their country. Today's single-mother/benefit kids or foul mouthed drunken chavs would have no hope of being able to do that. Britain's armed forces were respected and feared worldwide, and fought for freedom and democracy. Here, our IDF are certainly the best armed forces in the world - but they differ to the British forces in that the IDF is a defence force, whereas the British armed forces are a fighting force. It is a different strategy altogether.
I love going to airshows to see the Spitfire/Hurricane air displays, these aircraft in their full glory. If it werent for these brave and skilled people, in these wonderful machines, I would not be here today. True heroes.
- Andrew, Tel Aviv, Israel, 23/08/2010 08:46
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It says a lot about the sad state of Britain that we keep looking back to past glories.
- Arfur Towcrate, Staffycher, 22/08/2010 12:39
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Let's pray that NO modern Prime Minister has to repeat Churchill's words
- Richard Merrell, Wentworth Falls NSW, Australia, 21/08/2010 06:05
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Why was this story only run today? Would have been nice to have read this yesterday so we could go along and see it.
- Mark, London, 20/08/2010 18:15
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There is nothing like the sound of a Rolls Royce Merlin engine to make the hairs on the back of ones neck stand up.
I even took some German friends to Duxford for the airshow and they agreed the sound of a spitfire going full tilt does something to you.
- Jimbob, Kensington, 20/08/2010 16:15
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Galland (not THE Adolf Galland?) in Abbeville, you're absolutely right. The Hurricane could also take more punishment than the Spitfire and was easier to repair than its more complicated partner.
- ID, Brighton UK, 20/08/2010 16:02
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The Spitfire - a beautiful timeless aircraft that will never be forgotten. However the Hurricane does get somewhat forgotten and should be up there with the Spit, if not for looks then for it's huge success in shooting down German bombers whilst the Spits occupied the 109s.
- Galland, Abeville, 20/08/2010 14:09
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Lest we forget!
- Bleeding Heart Liberal, London, 20/08/2010 11:26
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Apart from 'over Whitehall', can we have a few more details BBC? Route? Timings?
- Don, Sheen, 20/08/2010 11:02
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"it fair brought a tear to my eye"
Dude, I lived in Leytonstone and when they had a fly past the planes would scream over my house. The Lancaster was a massive throbbing, pulsating machine, you could feel the engine noise in your chest! Fantastic, beautiful machines!
- Dr Stan Moore, Barnes, 20/08/2010 11:01
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The reason there is so much violence in the world is that the banks fund both sides of every war. The Bank of England funded Hitler's war machine, and the international banking cartel, which has robbed and looted our entire economy, is busily ramping up world war 3 even as we speak. They fund both sides of every conflict in the world. Next up: Iran.
- Conspiracy Factualist, London, 20/08/2010 10:34
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I have to say that I didn't think I was particularly patriotic until the first time I saw a Spitfire display, it fair brought a tear to my eye, although Holst's Jupiter playing may have helped the feeling.
- Bob, Cheam, 20/08/2010 10:25
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