Brave Battle of Britain heroes to be honoured in Trafford

The brave servicemen and women who fought in the Battle of Britain during World War 2 are to be honoured at a special commemorative anniversary event in Trafford.

Trafford Council is to host the event to mark the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Sale Town Hall at 10:30am on Sunday September 19. The event will be attended by the Mayor of Trafford, Cllr Laurence Walsh, and other civic dignitaries from across the borough.

The Battle of Britain took place in the summer and autumn of 1940 between Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Luftwaffe, Germany’s air force, and was the first battle in history fought solely in the air. Germany planned to gain air superiority in preparation for an invasion of Great Britain but were defeated by our brave Hurricane and Spitfire pilots forcing Hitler to abandon his plans. Both sides suffered heavy losses – 544 British pilots were killed and 2,500 Luftwaffe airmen lost their lives.

Following the service at Sale Town Hall, a bugler will play the last post and there will be a two minute’s silence at 11am to remember those who fought in the battle. Young Trafford cadets will also stage a commemorative march to pay their own tributes.

Trafford Council was forced to scale back last year’s event due to the Covid 19 pandemic and the need to social distance and reduce the number of people gathering at events. But, thankfully, this year’s service is back to full capacity and the public are invited to gather at the Town Hall to watch and pay their own tributes.

Cllr Judith Lloyd, Trafford Council’s Armed Forces Champion, said:

“It will be a massive honour to again pay tribute to all those who bravely fought in the Battle of Britain. The battle was a turning point in World War II - if the RAF had not held off the Luftwaffe, Hitler would have moved forward with his Operation Sea Lion invasion of the British Isles.

We can never underestimate how important this victory was for all of our freedoms. We will never forget those who fought so hard.”

The Council’s Armed Forces Lead, Sue Wright, who helped organise the service, said:

“It is an honour to be able to commemorate those very brave pilots who took to the sky with no thought of their own safety during this fierce battle. Their bravery won us the freedoms we enjoy today.”