HONOURING THE FEW

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2020 :: RMTnews 24 The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent, perched on top of the White Cliffs of Dover just east of Folkstone, is dedicated to those who fought in the battle during this country’s darkest hour. The Memorial is built on a former World War Two coastal battery overlooking the Channel. The idea for a National Memorial to The Few came from one of their number. Wing Commander Geoffrey Page had been a 20-year-old Hurricane pilot with 56 Squadron in the Battle of Britain. On August 12 1940, Pilot Officer Page was shot down and bailed out into the sea with terrible burns. He went on to become a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club for RAF personnel treated at the Queen Victoria Hospital by the team of plastic surgeons led by Archie McIndoe. Determination and courage ensured that Geoffrey returned to operational flying, becoming a wing leader. He was awarded the DFC and bar and at the time he received the DSO in 1944 he was credited with having destroyed 15 enemy aircraft. A crash late in the war seriously T H E D E F E AT O F F A S C I S M - 7 5 Y E A R S HONOURING THE The National Battle of Britain Memorial in Kent honours those who fought fascism in the air