It was 85 years ago this month that the skies above southern England roared with the thunder of engines and the sharp crack of anti-aircraft fire. The Battle of Britain had commenced. In the midst of this calamitous time, Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons and famously said, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

There are no surviving pilots from the Battle of Britain, the last pilot John “Paddy” Hemingway passed away this year at 105-years-old. These heroes were truly extraordinary individuals. The passage of time now across many decades presents a challenge when aiming to ensure the shine of their valour. We stand as the keepers of their luster of courage and sacrifice. When Churchill spoke of the “few” he was more focused on the pilots, but he would have also been very aware that those who contributed were not those in the air. The “few” also included every watcher on the cliffs, every technician at radar stations, every soul determined to stand unyielding.

As Spitfires and Hurricanes surged upward to meet the enemy, pilots felt the weight of history pressing on their shoulders. We often hear individuals today use the expression that we live in challenging times. We certainly do face many troubles and challenges. As we look back to the perilous times faced by the WWII generation, our times seem less daunting. Saying that is not to diminish that which distresses our communities and ails the world. However, with the historic backdrop of 85 years since the Battle of Britain, we can pause on a peaceful summer day, raise our glasses, sing a song, bow our heads in honour of those heroic stewards and caretakers of us – their posterity.

Cornwall played a critical role in the Battle of Britain. Cornwall’s early-warning radar stations and fighter command posts were staffed tirelessly by operators and spotters. Their roles in assessing the formations and sizes of incoming enemy aircraft were hugely important in formulating a strategic air defense. And many of the pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain were from outside the United Kingdom, coming from across the Commonwealth and occupied Europe, including Poland, New Zealand, Canada, and Czechoslovakia, further highlighting the global nature of the fight against Nazism.

On this 85th Anniversary, may we honour those brave individuals who held off the Luftwaffe, preventing a planned German invasion of Britain. They fought not just to preserve Britain's spirit, but the soul of global freedom. The world owes much to all those pilots who took to the air and those who stood watch over the skies and coastal cliffs. Had Britain lost the battle for the air in 1940, the world would have felt even more deeply the scars and loss from this horrific war.

May we take a quiet moment during this end of summer to remember the valour of those heroes of the Battle of Britain. These few, these valiant few, fought for and won our peace – and have many times over earned our reverence and deep gratitude.