Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests,

This year marks 80 years since the Battle of Britain and 75 years since the end of the Second World War.  We come together this year, under very different circumstances, to commemorate those who went before us and particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

During the Battle of Britain, the United Kingdom was the target of sustained air attacks by the Luftwaffe – the most intense period of this has become known as ‘The  Blitz’.  It has been described as the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. 

Winston Churchill’s oft-quoted speech has become part of the seminal history of the Battle of Britain but it is still worth taking the time to really understand the meaning behind his words: ‘Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few’.

The Few were representatives of the United Kingdom and all those who stood with us, shoulder to shoulder, in our darkest days.  20% of those who took part in the Battle of Britain were from outside the United Kingdom.  Among the 13 different nationalities who joined us, 112 airmen were Canadian, of whom 47 gave their lives. 

The phrase, the Few, is, as you know, taken from Sir Winston Churchill’s speech, but it also alludes to Henry V’s speech in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers’.  And that’s indeed what they were – brothers.

Today, the names of these Allied and Commonwealth airmen are inscribed in a memorial book which rests in the Battle of Britain chapel in Westminster Abbey.  In the chapel is a stained glass window, which contains the badges of the fighter squadrons which operated during the battle and the flags of the nations to which the pilots and aircrew belonged.  It is a fitting and thought-provoking memorial to those who lost their lives

These pilots, included some who, such as the Polish contingent, had fled their own countries because of the German invasion.  The No 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, for example, had the highest ratio of enemy aircraft destroyed relative to their own losses.  I’d also like to acknowledge that Poland sustained the heaviest losses ofter the United Kingdom’s. 

We owe all of those who stood by us a debt of gratitude, which we will never forget.  We would not be standing here today had it not been for the outstanding bravery of so many men and women at a time that really called on the deepest reserves of human strength.

In the last year, six of the last seven survivors of the Battle of Britain have passed away.  Now, 80 years later, only one of the Few remains with us, Flying Officer John Hemingway.  Although Flying Officer Hemingway was originally from Ireland, he lived in Canada for many years, before returning to Ireland.   

Although the numbers of those who can share their experiences of that time have dwindled, we must never forget.  And that’s why I am particularly honoured to have been asked to make these remarks in a year that has been very trying for many of us.  It would have been easy to have foregone this year’s commemoration but I am very pleased that you have found a way to go ahead.  Modern life may present us with unprecedented challenges but we must never forget what the past can teach us. 

If these times have reminded us of anything, it’s of the need to focus on what’s important, pay tribute where it is due, and respect and honour each other.  There are a number of plaques in the garden which do precisely that and I am delighted that today we will add a plaque commemorating the Czechoslovak Air Force. 

I am pleased that we have been able to come together today to respect and honour those that came before us and who, again in the words of Churchill, really did have ‘their finest hour’.

Canada and the UK have been the closest of friends and have stood together in the most trying times.  Today, as we face new challenges, that friendship continues to endure.  Together we will continue to stand strong and be a force for good.

On behalf of the British High Commission in Ottawa, and Her Majesty’s Government, I would like to thank all those nations who stood by us, and particularly those represented here today.  Our debt to you will never be forgotten.