Memorial Focus of Battle Service
The Croydon Airport Battle of Britain memorial on the Purley Way will again be at the centre of this year's commemorations for the famous World War II battle which saved Britain from invasion by Nazi forces in the autumn of 1940.
This year's service has been organised by Alan Savage MBE, a retired RAF bomber pilot who was instrumental in arranging the erection of the memorial which he designed.
Over the years, Alan, his wife Elizabeth, and a small team of helpers have raised over £59,000 for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF Association and the Royal British Legion.
This year, being the 62nd anniversary of the Battle of Britain, they have set an ambitious target of lifting this total to £62,000.
Fund-raising for the building of the memorial began in 1990, the 50th anniversary year of the Battle of Britain.
The appeal met with considerable support from the public and local companies, with more than £70,000 being raised.
Work began on the foundations of the monument on March 16, 1991 when a specially made time capsule, containing historic items relating to he Battle of Britain and Croydon Airport, was buried by the Rt. Hon. Bernard Weatherill, MP for Croydon North East and Speaker of the House of Commons.
Seven months later, on the morning of October 27, 1991, the black granite memorial was unveiled by Air Marshall Sir William Wratten.
A large crowd of over 2,000 witnessed the event, including a contingent of Chelsea Pensioners, the guns and crew of the Royal Artillery and the Band of the Royal School of Music at Kneller Hall.
The memorial has quickly become a well-known landmark on the Purley Way.
The bronze eagle that sits on top the 21 foot high column overlooks the site of Croydon Airport. It was from here that seven RAF.
squadrons took part in Battle of Britain, all of whose crests adorn three sides of the monument.
The badge of RAF Fighter Command is displayed on the face of the memorial below which is a large white cross and the dedication and details of the unveiling.
The inscription is completed with the famous extract from the speech by the Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in which he paid tribute to the gallant airmen who successfully fought the Luftwaffe in the skies over southern England that autumn and prevented the planned German invasion going ahead.
Written along the edge of the central step on the base of the monument are Churchill's 17 memorable words: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
The Annual Battle of Britain Poppy Planting Service will be held at 11am on Saturday, October 26 at the Purley Way Battle of Britain Memorial. All are welcome to attend.