Flashback 1989: Battle of Britain

October 20, 2010

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the famed "Battle of Britain" fought in the sky over Southern England between early July and the end of October 1940. The memory of that event has for years been celebrated on what we call "Battle Of Britain Sunday", always the third Sunday in September. Here's how our news coverage of that day of commemoration looked 21 years ago. It was, of course, the Battle of Britain that gave rise the now famous speech by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 70 years ago: 'Never, in the field of human conflict, has so much been owed by so many to so few". It was, of course, in reference to the enormous debt owed by the British, and allies in general, to the relatively small number of air force pilots and crew members who successfully defended britain during that intense conflict, on which many feel hinged the ultimate outcome of World War 2. Polish war ace Jan Falkowski, whom we saw at the end of that report, and who recorded 9 kills during the battle before being shot down to become a german prisoner of war, was decorated by his country with a silver cross, the cross of valour and the distinguished flying cross. As a resident of Peterborough, where he spent final quarter century of his life, he would publish his memoirs entitled : "With The Wind In My Face". Wing Commander Falkowski passed away on july 27th 2001.