Much has been talked about lately with the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. What did it mean to us in human cost and to us as a nation?
I have received the following article from Norman Sibbald written by an unknown American. It is not the complete article but a synopsis of the relevant points. If you wish to read the whole article I can email it to you.
The face above and facing you is the face of Brian John Edward Lane. This is the face of the Battle of Britain. Lane was not the highest scoring 'ace' with a final score of 'only' 6. The man to his left, our right is George Unwin who downed twice as many as Lane and survived the war. Lane on the other hand met his fate in combat over the North Sea in December 1942.
Lane didn't have a low score because of a lack of ability. He had leadership thrust upon him at a young age and carried his torch well. This is the face of newly promoted Squadron Leader Lane who is 23 in this picture, This is the face of battle. Very weary, very young but very determined.
The victory over southern England could not have been accomplished without the assistance of young men from many nations. Poles, Czechs, South Africans, New Zealanders, Australian, Canadians and those from Belgium, France and the USA. We were not alone.
It was another two years after the picture was taken did we enter the war, and almost two years before sending our Army Air Force to England to carry out the bombing campaign against occupied France and Germany. We talk about American victories and military might, but without Britain it never would have happened.
Contributed by Norman Sibbald
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