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| Replica of A Mark I Spitfire |
Five hundred and forty four, RAF fighter pilots, were killed during the Battle of Britain and this weekend in the UK there has been a flypast over Buckingham Palace, London to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle.
War isn't something that I want to celebrate however, I want to commemorate the men who lost their lives. These men helped change the outcome of World War II and who knows what would have happened if they hadn't taken to the air to protect British shores.
Close to where I live there was a fighter base manned by the, 58 Operational Unit, whose duties included protecting the Forth Bridge and Rosyth Dockyards, used by the Royal Navy. The airfield belonging to RAF Grangemouth, Central Scotland, closed in 1955 and the BP Refinery dominates the landscape there now. But the loss of these magnificent men will never be forgotten and they are remembered by the siting of a replica Mark I, Spitfire on the now industrial area.
I helped a friend who was a pilot in WWII write a book about his experiences. Those guys deserve honors for everything they did.
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