September 15Th.

[stewey]

Don't forget to give a salute, if only mentally, to those young men who spiraled across the skies, sometimes to their deaths, many years ago, and whose heroic actions resulted in September the fifteenth, 1940 being designated as the first "Battle of Britain Day".

[Peter Pedant]

Ah - thanks Stewey !

Yes I will - specifically Pat Rigby who flew out of Ringway Manchester in those days.
He survived. actually - he was thrown out of Belmont for slacking
so his father owner of Rigby and Mellor, Bury said you better turn up in overalls on Monday, ... and he started in his father's firm as an apprentice. Those were the days ! Not surprisingly - he couldnt be stopped from joining up in the war.

The one thing I remember was he said the mark XIV spitfires were better than the first generation jets - Gloster Meteors I think.

illustrating an engineering dictum that the last gasp of an exhausted technology (in the case turbo prop) is usually better than the first generationof a record breaker - (in this case Jet technology)

thank you for allowing me to remember Pat Rigby 1920-1997

[stewey]

I'm glad that this brought back fond memories, Peter.

[Sqad]

Thanks stewey....we owe them.

[marval]

Thank you, we need to remember them.

[stewey]

Didn't one of the RAF senior commanders say something akin to " We shall simply have to kill more of their young men than what they kill of ours."? Dowding perhaps.

[Sqad]

\\\\\ But the essential arithmetic is that our young men will have to shoot down their young men at the rate of four to one, if we're to keep pace at all.\\\

AiR Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding.

[boxtops]

Battle of Britain Church service here tomorrow, in the church in Dover Castle - all forces representatives will be attending. The BoB memorial along the cliffs from here at Capel-le-Ferne is worth a visit.

[excelsior-1]

a day for contemplative thought, i shall certainly do just that, thanks stewey

[nungate]

I never forget Battle of Britain Day. Very few of the "Few" still around these days. I shall wear my RAF sweetheart badge with pride tomorrow.

[nungate]

The memorial at Capel le Ferne is beautiful and poignant

[DJHawkes]

The red arrows went over here today towards Southport air show, they're going soon too.

[stewey]

Thanks, Sqad.