Letter: Many Remembered The Few At Selsey Bill On Battle Of Britain Day

Published on: 20 Sep, 2015
Updated on: 22 Sep, 2015

A Spitfire (in front) and Hurricane the two fighters most associated with the Battle of Britain. The less famous Hurricane was credited with more kills during the battle than the Spitfire.

From Harry Eve

The commemoration of the anniversary of the pivotal day in the Battle of Britain on Tuesday, September 15, included a fitting spectacle to help us remember the sacrifice of The Few.

Seventy-five years ago the tide was turned in the fight that enabled us to enjoy freedom and democracy now.

A profile shot of the Supermarine Spitfire, famous for the elegance of its design by R J Mitchell who died in his Southampton Home in 1937, three years before the Battle of Britain.

Not having a ticket for the event at Goodwood, I looked at the flight route maps and it was obvious that Selsey Bill was the place to be. Two and half hours should give me plenty of time to drive down, find a place to park, a cosy corner in a pub for lunch, and a quiet spot on the coast to watch from.

At twelve o’clock I was still stuck on the A27, at a standstill, and some drivers were parking up in a deeply-flooded lay-by to see if they could spot any fighters approaching. It wasn’t quite what I had in mind for a day out but I had been listening to the local radio station and knew that the first take-off had been delayed until 2pm due to adverse weather.

Selsey was packed with cars and motorbikes trying to park as close as possible to the Bill – but I headed straight to a distant beach car park where there was plenty of space and it cost me just £1.10 to park all day. As I walked back into Selsey, tired and hungry, I found that the pubs and cafes were packed and there was a long queue at the chippy. Fortunately for me the local convenience store wasn’t very busy and still had some sandwiches.

A juvenile herring gull seemed determined to take part showing tha nature is not bad at designing “aircraft” too!

I joined hundreds of other spectators packed together on a playing field near the Bill. It seemed like a good spot as there was a professional looking film crew on the ground and a helicopter just out to sea – presumably for official filming. One particular gull hovered close by (juvenile herring gull?) as if waiting for something – probably chips rather than Spitfires.

Soon after 2pm the only sighting had been of four fighters glimpsed between rooftops and heading east over the Downs. For members of the Royal Observer Corps, searching the horizon for incoming enemy aircraft must have been a daily experience for hours on end.

Here they are!

Then we spotted another four heading east in the distance. But these early sightings must have been flypasts at Goodwood before eight fighters formed a group and the sound of Merlin engines came roaring towards us over the village. Wing Commander Tom Neil, 95, who flew many combat missions in the Battle of Britain, was a passenger in one of the two-seater Spitfires. I think he was in the Spitfire on the right in this photo.

There are many different variants of Spitfire and Hurricane to spot – it’s not unlike birdwatching!

In all about 30 aircraft flew over or near the Bill, turning at this point to take up their particular route. Among them was a restored Bristol Blenheim bomber – probably the only one now able to fly.

A Bristol Blenheim escorted by three Spitfires.

There must have been a few spectators who could remember something of the real events but, for all of us, it was a moving way to commemorate the anniversary.

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