A service and wreath laying to commemorate the Battle of Britain took place at the Church of St Lawrence in Abbots Langley recently.
Under the direction of Wing Commander Philip Buttery, Chairman of the Abbots & Kings Langley Branch of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA), supported by The Royal British Legion and hosted by the Reverend Dr Peter Waddell, vicar of St Lawrence, the service on Sunday, September 12 was attended by a variety of respected local figures.
These included Richard Beazley MBE, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Dean Russell, MP (pictured left) for Watford, Gagan Mohindra, MP for South West Hertfordshire (right), various local council leaders and councillors, plus members of the Royal Air Force and RAF Air Cadets.
The service formed part of the national RAFA Wings Appeal, which will see RAFA members conduct street collections at Kings Langley on September 18 and Abbots Langley on September 17 and 18.
Revd Dr Peter Wadell said: “The Battle of Britain Service is an opportunity not to glory in war, but to give thanks for those who gave their lives in pursuit of the freedom we now enjoy.”
The highlight of the service was a personal reflection by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, whose father was a pilot during the Battle and despite being shot down and wounded, managed to survive action both in Britain and in the defence of Malta.
Cadet Corporal Sonali Patel of No2(F) Squadron RAF Air Cadets read High Flight – a poem written by Battle of Britain Pilot Officer, Gillespie Magee, shortly before he was killed in action on December 11, 1941.
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