Giving Thanks Seventy Years After the Battle of Britain
The contribution and suffering of people during the Battle of Britain was remembered at St Paul’s Church Langleybury on Sunday 19th September in the Royal Air Force Associations Regional Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication.
It is seventy years since the Battle of Britain and St Paul’s Church’s regular congregation welcomed several guests to the service including three MPs, representatives of four Councils, two parish councils and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant as well as members of the Royal Air Force Association from Abbots Langley and Kings Langley, which includes several veterans and the Herts and Bucks Wing of the Air Training Corps. The last World War 2 RAF veteran among the St Paul’s regular congregation died two years ago.
Among St Paul’s Church Members taking part serving uniformed officers and a husband and wife team – the Hales.
Squadron Leader Rob Hale is a serving RAF officer, based at HQ AIR command at High Wycombe where he is responsible for providing logistic support to operations overseas, principally Afghanistan. Speaking about the service he said: “The courage and self-sacrifice of our forebears serves as a constant reminder that the RAF’s foremost duty remains control of the air. The threat to the UK may have changed in character, and the ongoing mission in Afghanistan takes a very different form from the air battles over Kent and Sussex 70 years ago, but the objective remains the same: to secure the peace.”
Mrs Helen Hale is a employed by NATO at the UK Headquarters, currently conducting operation Ocean Shield, NATO’s contribution to international efforts to combat piracy off the Horn of Africa. She said “The Battle of Britain parade at Langleybury Church is an opportunity to reflect on events during my time serving in the Royal Air Force and bring together a community to commemorate past events and think about the armed forces currently employed in operations.”
The Revd Ysmena Pentelow, Parish Priest of St Paul’s, said:
“St Paul’s Church is proud to host this annual service of thanksgiving and commemoration of the Battle of Britain. In this 70th anniversary year it is particularly special to pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice shown by those who took part in the Battle of Britain, and to keep alive the stories, values and lessons for our own and for future generations.”
Children were not forgotten in the events and a group of four to ten year olds substituted their usual Sunday activities with stories about the Battle of Britain and had a chance to meet the parading veterans before the service.
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