It is difficult now to imagine Great Britain’s predicament in the summer of 1940. France had fallen, most of Europe was occupied, and only by the ‘the miracle of Dunkirk’ had the BEF been saved. Britain stood alone, invasion seemed imminent, and the Royal Air Force only had a strength of 640 fighters against the Luftwaffe’s 2600 bombers and fighters. In the summer skies over SE England, a deadly duel was now taking place, watched below from the fields and villages: the sounds of the distinctive Merlin engine, cannon fire, aircraft diving – sometimes in flames, and the hoped-for sign of a parachute. Stakes were high - defeat in the air would surely lead to a sea and land invasion of the British Isles.

At the height of the battle, Winston Churchill judged the national mood when he said ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day’. By September 1940, the Luftwaffe had been defeated and Hitler’s invasion plans were postponed. The Battle of Britain had been won, mostly by British fighter pilots, but there were also American, Australian, Belgian, Canadian, Czech, New Zealander, Polish and South African pilots who fought in the Battle.

In this 70th anniversary year of The Battle of Britain, we salute the brave fighter pilots and tireless ground crews, we visit the airfields, defences, gun sites, radar stations, and the Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries. We begin our tour at the RAF Museum at Hendon, and visit Bentley Priory, where HQ Fighter Command was based and from where Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding directed the battle. On our journey to the south coast, we discuss the wider strategic issues, the role of the senior commanders, and the tactics employed by the Fighter Wings.

The highlight of our tour will be Memorial Day at the National Memorial to The Few at Capel-Le-Ferne, near ‘Hellfire Corner’, and where all RAF Battle of Britain aircrew are remembered, particularly the 544 who lost their lives during the Battle. As this is the 70th anniversary, the Memorial Day will be a particularly poignant event, and we can expect many veterans of the Battle - The Few – to be there. As in previous years, The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight are expected to mark the occasion with a flypast.

The tour will be led by John Grimwood who served for many years in the Royal Air Force, and who has a considerable knowledge of the Battle of Britain and aviation history.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Friday): Depart Victoria Coach Station at 09:00, for the RAF Museum and the Battle of Britain Hall. Following lunch, we visit Bentley Priory, including Air Chief Marshal Dowding’s office. We travel on to Dover for a 3 night stay in our hotel.
Day 2: ‘The Stone Radar’ on the cliffs at Capel. Chain Home Radar at Swingate Down. Lunch break in Ramsgate. Air Sea Rescue. The RAF Manston History Museum and the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum. Dover CWGC cemetery. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3: After beackfast, we will hear a lecture on the Battle of Britain followed by an optional walk of Dover Seafront Memorials and visit Dover Museum. Early lunch break. Battle of Britain Memorial Day at Capel-le-Ferne. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: The Fighter Command plot at Hawkinge CWGC cemetery. Kent Battle of Britain Museum and the Officers’ Mess at Hawkinge. Lunch break in Folkestone and the RAF Memorial on the Leas. Memorial Chapel at RAF Biggin Hill. Return to London Victoria by 17:30 approx.