"NEVER IN THE field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." This most famous of comments has gone down in history: it was how Winston Churchill summed up the effect of the Battle of Britain and the contribution of Fighter Command during the Second World War. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (the battle fought in the skies over Britain between the 10th July and 31 October 1940, referred to by the Royal Air Force as "the most important event in Royal Air Force history") events and exhibitions are planned around the country.

Winston Churchill during Battle of Britain

In London, the Churchill War Rooms hosts a reading from his famous speech about The Few at precisely 3.52pm on Friday 20 August, the time it was originally delivered by Britain's wartime prime minister, in 1940. The speech will be read out on the plaza outside the war rooms, timed to dovetail with a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and Hurricane fly-past over Whitehall. From 17 August to 31 August there'll be a full-size accurate replica Spitfire, dressed in Battle of Britain camouflage, on view to the public outside the front entrance to the museum. The Cabinet War Rooms were created in 1938 as the underground storage areas of the Office of Works Building in Whitehall. They became the central shelter for Churchill and his Chiefs of Staff for the whole war.

Observer in London during Battle of Britain

On 4 and 5 September, at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, the Battle of Britain Airshow will be an evocative commemoration of the aerial battle. The show remembers the pilots and aircaft of this conflict, including pilots that came from across the globe to join Britain's fight. There'll be squadrons of Battle of Britain fighters alongside modern-day military aircraft, and the Red Arrows will display on both days. Meanwhile, running to December IWM Duxford is staging a photographic exhibition on life at RAF Duxford during the Battle of Britain. It shows the men and women at work at play, and bring you face to face with some of the heroic characters who flew from Duxford to win the battle in the skies.

On 11 and 12th September, the Royal Air Force Museum London, the site of Battle of Britain station RAF Hendon, will transport itself back to September 1940 with a spectacular free weekend of activities that commemorates the Battle of Britain. This open-air living history festival will feature, on the hour, every hour, a powerful and emotive sound and light show 'Our Finest Hour' which explains the contribution that the Royal Air Force made to the defence of the London during the campaign and the Blitz.

Polish 303 Squadron pilots

Further information at www.iwm.org.uk; www.rafmuseum.org and at the RAF's website for events around the country: www.raf.mod.uk.

**MILITARY TIMES**

And go to the website for our new sister magazine, Military Times, which is running Battle of Britain month with a host of fascinating features. And watch out for the first issue of the magazine itself, which will be available 2 September. http://www.military-times.co.uk/category/articles/battle-of-britain