1 (Fighter) Squadron has helped to launch a commemorative set of six stamps by Royal Mail in order to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
The Battle of Britain was a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the war, with 1 (Fighter) Squadron making a significant contribution. The battle began in July 1940 with German attacks on convoys and ports, designed to prime Britain for a Nazi invasion.The RAF’s fighter command had only 715 aircraft against the Luftwaffe’s 2,250, but its ferocious response forced Hitler to abandon his invasion plans that September.
The efforts of the pilots who flew during the Battle of Britain led then-prime minister Winston Churchill to famously remark: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Royal Mail is also marking the campaign’s anniversary by postmarking all mail stamped from today until Saturday with the phrase “75th anniversary Battle of Britain”.
Wing Commander Michael 'Sooty’ Sutton, Officer Commanding 1 (Fighter) Squadron, met local postman Ross Farquhar at RAF Lossiemouth yesterday to mark the launch of the stamps. He said:
“It is always a humbling experience and source of great pride to look back and recognise the sacrifice of my predecessors on 1 (Fighter) Squadron, as well as all the men and women who took part in the Battle of Britain 75 years ago. The images used by Royal Mail for their commemorative stamps can only allude to the impressive efforts by the Royal Air Force in Britain’s darkest hour.”
It follows an anniversary flypast by a Typhoon from 1(F) squadron over Buckingham Palace on Sunday.
The six stamps feature images from the summer and autumn of 1940, as well as a variety of service personnel.
The stamps are on sale from today at post office branches or online at www.royalmail.com/battleofbritain.
Source: RAF
Photo: RAF
Editor: Chester Myers
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