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The Few were the airmen of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the aviators of the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy (RN) who fought the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. The term comes from Winston Churchill's phrase "Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few." It also alludes to Shakespeare's famous speech in his play, Henry V: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers..."<ref>"Visiting the Abbey: The Royal Air Force Chapel." Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 13 May 2012.</ref>

AircrewEdit

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Nearly 3,000 men were awarded the "Battle of Britain" clasp. Six of the seven longest surviving veterans of the battle (Squadron Leader John Hart, Flight Lieutenant Archie McInnes, Flight Lieutenant Maurice Mounsdon, Air Vice-Marshal John Thornett Lawrence, Wing Commander Paul Farnes and Flight Lieutenant William Clark) died between June 2019 and May 2020 as of 8 May 2020. The last survivor of The Few, Group Captain John Hemingway, died on 17 March 2025, aged 105.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Royal Air Force called it "the end of an era".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

By one tally, British RAF aircrew numbered 2,353 (80%) of the total of 2,927 flyers involved, with 407 Britons killed from a total of 510 losses. The remainder were not British, many coming from parts of the British Empire (particularly New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and South Africa), as well as exiles from many conquered European nations, particularly from Poland and Czechoslovakia. Other countries supplying smaller numbers included Belgium, France, Ireland (serving in the RAF as Ireland was officially neutral), Southern Rhodesia and the United States.<ref>Bickers 1990, Appendix 24, p. 358. Note: Gives the numerical breakdown by nationalities.</ref><ref>Bickers 1990, Appendix 25, pp. 359–376. Note: Gives a complete list of the Allied aircrew in the Battle.</ref><ref>Wood and Dempster 1990, p. 187.</ref><ref>Wood and Dempster 1990, pp. 194–203. Note: Gives a complete list of the Allied aircrew in the Battle.</ref>

LegacyEdit

File:Never was so much owed by so many to so few.jpg
World War II poster containing the famous lines by Winston Churchill
File:Battle of Britain Anniversary, 1943 - RAF Parade at Buckingham Palace Art.IWMARTLD3911.jpg
The Battle of Britain anniversary parade at Buckingham Palace in 1943.

Winston Churchill summed up the effect of the battle and the contribution of RAF Fighter Command, RAF Bomber Command, RAF Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm with the words, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".<ref>Speech to the House of Commons on 20 August 1940.</ref> Pilots who fought in the battle have been known as The Few ever since; at times being specially commemorated on 15 September, "Battle of Britain Day". On this day in 1940, the Luftwaffe embarked on their largest bombing attack yet, forcing the engagement of the entirety of RAF 11 Group in defence of London and the South East, which resulted in a decisive British victory that proved to mark a turning point in Britain's favour.<ref>"Battle of Britain Day". BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.</ref><ref>"Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary" Template:Webarchive. The Royal British Legion. Retrieved 18 March 2015.</ref>

MemorialsEdit

The aircrew are remembered on the Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, and their names are listed on the Battle of Britain Monument in London. The Battle of Britain Roll of Honour is held in Westminster Abbey in the RAF Chapel, and is paraded annually during the Service of Thanksgiving and re-dedication on Battle of Britain SundayTemplate:Broken anchor.<ref>"Battle of Britain Memorial." battleofbritainmemorial.org . Retrieved: 7 September 2011.</ref>

There is a preserved Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft known as "The Last of The Many"—a reference to the 1942 film The First of the Few starring Leslie Howard as R.J. Mitchell, designer of the Spitfire—which flies as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, along with a Supermarine Spitfire that flew in the Battle (one of five Spitfires in the Memorial Flight). As the Hurricane was the last production model of that type, it did not itself fly in the Battle.

In 2022 a sculpture, the Spirit of the Few Monument, was unveiled at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum.<ref name="Spirit2022">Template:Cite news</ref>

StatisticsEdit

The Battle of Britain was considered officially by the RAF<ref>Crang, Jeremy A. "Identifying the 'Few': The Personalisation of a Heroic Military Elite." Template:Webarchive Names of the 'Few', via University of New South Wales, War & Society, Volume 24, Number 2, November 2005.</ref> to have been fought between 10 July and 31 October 1940.

  • RAF pilots claimed to have shot down about 2,600 German aircraft, but figures compiled later suggest that Luftwaffe losses were more likely nearer 2,300.
  • Of 2,332 Allied pilots who flew fighters in the Battle, 38.90 per cent could claim some success in terms of enemy aircraft shot down.
  • The number of pilots claiming more than one victory amounted to no more than 15 per cent of the total RAF pilots involved.
  • To be proclaimed an "ace" a pilot had to have at least five confirmed victories. During the Battle of Britain just 188 RAF pilots achieved that distinction – eight per cent of the total involved. A further 237 of those RAF pilots claiming successes during the Battle became "aces" later in the war.
  • There were four pilots who were "ace in a day" in the Battle of Britain: Archie McKellar (British), Antoni Głowacki (Polish), Ronald Hamlyn (British) and Brian Carbury (New Zealander).

Leading acesEdit

The leading aces of the Battle of Britain (between 10 July and 31 October 1940) were: <ref>Shores, Christopher and Clive Williams. Aces High. London: Grub Street, 1994. Template:ISBN.</ref>

Rank Pilot Nationality Squadron Aircraft Kills Notes
1 Flt Lt Eric Lock Template:Flagicon United Kingdom 41 Spitfire Template:Nowrap Total 26 kills. MIA 3 August 1941.
2 Sqn Ldr Archie McKellar Template:Flagicon United Kingdom 605 Hurricane 19 Total 21 (possibly 22) three probable and three damaged. 5 Bf 109's on 7 October 1940. KIA 1 November 1940.
3 Sgt James Lacey Template:Flagicon United Kingdom 501 Hurricane Template:Nowrap Total 28 kills.
4 Sgt Josef František Template:Flagicon Czechoslovakia 303 Hurricane 17 Killed 8 October 1940.
5 Fg Off Brian Carbury Template:Flagicon New Zealand 603 Spitfire 15 + Template:Frac
6 Template:Nowrap Template:Flagicon Poland 145 and 303 Hurricane 15 Total 18 (possibly 20) kills.
7 Plt Off Colin Gray Template:Flagicon New Zealand 54 Spitfire 14 + Template:Frac Total 27.7 kills.
8 Plt Off Bob Doe Template:Flagicon United Kingdom 234 and 238 SpitfireTemplate:\Hurricane 14 (+ 2 shared)
9 Flt Lt Paterson Hughes Template:Flagicon Australia 234 Spitfire 14 + Template:Frac KIA 7 September 1940.
10 Template:Nowrap Template:Flagicon United Kingdom 32 Hurricane 14 Wartime total 22 victories.

Other notable Battle of Britain pilotsEdit

In popular cultureEdit

Template:Trivia The Few, a novel by Alex Kershaw, tells the stories of the men who flew in the Battle of Britain. Template:As of, a Hollywood film similarly named The Few was in preparation for release in 2008, based on the story of real-life U.S. pilot Billy Fiske, who ignored his country's neutrality rules and volunteered for the RAF. A Variety magazine outline of the film's historical content<ref>Fleming, Michael. "New flight plan for Cruise." Variety, 9 September 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2007.</ref> was said in The Independent to have been described by Bill Bond, who conceived the Battle of Britain Monument in London, as "Totally wrong. The whole bloody lot."<ref>Moreton, Cole. "Hollywood updates history of Battle of Britain: Tom Cruise won it all on his own." The Independent, 11 April 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2007.</ref>

"One of the Few", a sony by British band Pink Floyd from their album The Final Cut (1983), describes a war veteran's return from the battlefield, specifically a pilot from the Battle of Britain, to pursue teaching, which connects to "The Hero's Return", another song from the album which is sung from the veteran's perspective. The Horrible Histories song called “The Few” commemorates the airmen and women, including Sir Douglas Bader.

ReferencesEdit

NotesEdit

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BibliographyEdit

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  • Bickers, Richard Townshend. The Battle of Britain. New York: Salamander, 1990. Template:ISBN.
  • Wood, Derek and Derek Dempster. The Narrow Margin. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, reprint 1990. Template:ISBN.

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Further readingEdit

  • McGlashan, Kenneth B. with Zupp, Owen P. Down to Earth: A Fighter Pilot Recounts His Experiences of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, D-Day and Beyond. London: Grub Street Publishing, 2007. Template:ISBN.

External linksEdit

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