This year’s Battle of Britain commemorative dinner at Halton House Officers’ Mess (HHOM) took place over the weekend, with guest speaker Squadron Leader (ret’d) ‘Garry’ Garrett, a Berlin Airlift Pilot.
Image by: RAF Halton Photographic Section
The evening began with a sunset ceremony provided by Initial Force Protection Training flight led by their flight commander Flight Lieutenant Clark. The parade was marched to the back of HHOM with accompaniment from the Pipes and Drums band. As the Station Commander, Group Captain James Brayshaw, and Sqn Ldr Garrett took their spot on the patio, the gathered mess members and guests could hear a rumble in the distance as a Hurricane, provided by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, made its way over the top of the parade and awed guests.
Through the dinner, there were speeches by Winston Churchill actor and the guest speaker and station personnel said good bye to the Station Commander as he headed into his last week as Commanding Officer at RAF Halton.
Image by: RAF Halton Photographic Section
The night was an opportunity to commemorate what is a great historical moment in, not only the Royal Air Force, but in Britain. Each year it is important to recognise the sacrifices made in 1940 and continue to teach future generations about such an event.
