Battle of Britian - what?

[Fifties Fanatic]

This is a telling and dispiriting item.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10989709

[Xplumberlives]

Thankfully THEY were THERE when their country needed them!

[Fifties Fanatic]

Absolutely right!

[Mayfly]

.......... makes me feel very humble!!!

[Fifties Fanatic]

Amongst the plethora of books has anyone read Pedro Hanbury's biog? Highly recommended.

[Thumper]

It's a sad truth. Every year I change my Facebook and avatar picture on all forums to mark the BoB Memorial Day and I was inundated with people asking me why I had "a picture of a big plane with flowers coming out of it and what does Lest We Forget mean". As a kid I was well informed about the BoB both by my parents and in school. Also in the small village in Lincs that I lived in we had street parties for both BoB and VE Day, nothing like that ever happened when we moved down to Sussex. I don't have kids myself so I don't know if schools these days are educating children about the BoB anymore but it does shock me to see so many of my friends unaware of it and when I try to tell them the importance of rememberance they shrug it off.

I have not read that book FF but I will go and look for it on Amazon now, thanks for the tip

[Fifties Fanatic]

Fortunately my grandson of 7 has learned a bit at school but it is covered in more detail when he starts the new year in September. However, thanks to his grandparents, he is immersed in it and he is off with us to Duxford in a couple of weeks.

If you find it and buy it I hope you will not be disappointed.

[Thumper]

Purchased!! Hope thats the right one, look forward to reading it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pedro-Fighter-Osgood-Villiers-Hanbury/dp/190650265X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282214240&sr=8-1

[Fifties Fanatic]

That's the one - let me know what you think.

[Xplumberlives]

Pedro: The Life and Death of Fighter Ace Osgood Villiers Hanbury, DFC and Bar

With a name like that I think he was born to be commisioned!!
Not surprising that he got nicknamed Pedro!!

[Fifties Fanatic]

If you get a chance to read the book you'll find out why.................

[Howslo]

It's a sad truth. Every year I change my Facebook and avatar picture on all forums to mark the BoB Memorial Day and I was inundated with people asking me why I had "a picture of a big plane with flowers coming out of it and what does Lest We Forget mean". As a kid I was well informed about the BoB both by my parents and in school. Also in the small village in Lincs that I lived in we had street parties for both BoB and VE Day, nothing like that ever happened when we moved down to Sussex. I don't have kids myself so I don't know if schools these days are educating children about the BoB anymore but it does shock me to see so many of my friends unaware of it and when I try to tell them the importance of rememberance they shrug it off.

I have not read that book FF but I will go and look for it on Amazon now, thanks for the tip

WW2 is on the syllabus now, but iirc it is based more around life on the home front. That's certainly what my daughter seemed to be taught.

I'd have loved to have had WW2 on the syllabus when I was a school. Far more interesting than than the stuff I was taught. Then again, I suppose when I was at school in the '70s and '80s it was too recent to have been considered 'history'.

[Yorkie]

Why is the lanc not flying today ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11026119

[Mayfly]

I suspect because it didn't play a direct part in the BoB

[Hihonyr8811]

It's a sad truth. Every year I change my Facebook and avatar picture on all forums to mark the BoB Memorial Day and I was inundated with people asking me why I had "a picture of a big plane with flowers coming out of it and what does Lest We Forget mean".

Same here, this year for D-day I put my status as 6/6/44
And this is what one of my closest friends said.

My friend - Thats 34 years from today :-D. XXx

Me - Or 66 years ago lol xxx

My friend - Ah. why what happens when your 66?xx

Me - It's the aniversary of D-day June 6th, 1944.

Although I suppose it was a bit cryptic

[Thumper]

Why is the lanc not flying today ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11026119

From that BBC report

In addition to the fly-past over Whitehall on Friday, during the day the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster planes will also tour key Battle of Britain fighter bases across south-east England.

There she is!

[Mayfly]

the lanc was only down to go to Bournemouth on the BBMF schedule

Taken from the BBMF website.

A former Battle of Britain Station Overflight tour by BBMF - Spitfire P7350, the oldest airworthy Spitfire and the only Spitfire still flying to have actually fought in the Battle of Britain and Hurricane LF363, the last Hurricane to enter service with the RAF will join in formation with Spitfire AB910, which flew over 143 operational missions in WWII and Hurricane R4118, the only Hurricane from the Battle of Britain still flying. The aircraft will tour key Battle of Britain fighter bases

However the 2 Hurricanes have taken off according to the Mode S site

[Mayfly]

Well it appears from another forum things must have changed possibly because of the weather forecast, but some of the BBMF fighters spent the night at North Weald.

[Delhud]

I hope we never forget that time
Its just as important as Remembrance day
Those pilots were incredible and saved the UK
at a time when the rest of the world had given us up
I am I regret to say old enough to remember the B of B as a kid
and have a scar to prove it ( picking up very hot shrapnel --not to be recommended )


Delhud

[IcH]

We covered WW2 for a term in primary school (would have been about 15 years ago now) but as has been previously mentioned the main focus was on the blitz and the home front and the BoB only got a passing mention. We did get a day trip to Duxford though which was good . I think that schools should make more of an effort to include it more in history lessons though, given that the outcome was so vital to our country and our lives today.

[10680]

It's a sad truth. Every year I change my Facebook and avatar picture on all forums to mark the BoB Memorial Day and I was inundated with people asking me why I had "a picture of a big plane with flowers coming out of it and what does Lest We Forget mean". As a kid I was well informed about the BoB both by my parents and in school. Also in the small village in Lincs that I lived in we had street parties for both BoB and VE Day, nothing like that ever happened when we moved down to Sussex. I don't have kids myself so I don't know if schools these days are educating children about the BoB anymore but it does shock me to see so many of my friends unaware of it and when I try to tell them the importance of rememberance they shrug it off.

I have not read that book FF but I will go and look for it on Amazon now, thanks for the tip

WW2 is on the syllabus now, but iirc it is based more around life on the home front. That's certainly what my daughter seemed to be taught.

I'd have loved to have had WW2 on the syllabus when I was a school. Far more interesting than than the stuff I was taught. Then again, I suppose when I was at school in the '70s and '80s it was too recent to have been considered 'history'.

ne


When I looked at a GCSE History book a couple of years ago WWII was covered by 'imagine what it would be like to be a woman in a factory'

[Olicat]

was that it?

[Fifties Fanatic]

Considering the state of our education system I am not the least bit surprised. Without any statistical analysis I have found French, German and Danish youngsters more knowledgeable about our history than our youngsters. It's appalling.