70th Anniversay of the Battle of Britain City of London Tribute

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to our City of London Salute on 7th September and helped to make it such a huge success, it was a truly memorable day. Thousands of people were at St Paul's Cathedral on September 7th for a special City of London Salute in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. A service of remembrance at St Paul's Cathedral was followed by a march through the streets of London by WWII veterans. As well as military personnel from the time, this also included a variety of civilians, for example, London transport workers, ambulance men, fire fighters and nurses , all those who helped ensure the safety and security of the City at the time. They were joined by current members of the serving RAF and the march was followed by a royal salute taken by the Duke of

Kent and a flypast by a Dakota, Spitfire and Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.The salute paid tribute to all those who contributed to the well being of the City of London during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.
The event’s Project Director was Bob Hounslow (the RAF Association?s Director of Membership and Areas). He said: ?This event recognises the contribution by all of those involved in support of th e Battle of Britain. The date chosen was specific as it represents the start of the concentrated bombing of the City of London that became known as the Blitz. Accordingly, guests to this occasion included not only those who fought in the Battle of Britain but those supporting RAF personnel and many of those people who fought the cause from within City of London eg fire fighters, transport workers, the police force, ambulance and nursing staff. We have had tremendous support from the Lord Mayor and the City of London and all of the staff at St Paul?s Cathedral. We are greatly indebted to HRH The Duke of Kent for agreeing to take the salute with the Lord Mayor during our parade. Special thanks go to the Chief of the Air Staff for allocating the BBMF to this event and for his support by enabling many serving personnel to help make this such a special occasion. Without the help of all of these people the City of London Salute would not have been possible.
?The membership of the RAF Association asked back in 2008 for a suitably prestigious event to be held in the 70th anniversary year of the Battle of Britain and I firmly believe the plans we have in place will meet their request in a truly befitting manner. I must also pay respect to the team of people within the RAF Association who have worked so hard to make this whole occasion happen.
Lastly and most importantly, we must pay tribute those people who we are remembering on 7th September by holding this City of London Salute, because without their bravery and sacrifice we would not have the freedom we enjoy today