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The Few

The Fewwere the airmen of theRoyal Air Force(RAF) and the aviators of theFleet Air Arm,Royal Navy(RN) who fought theBattle of Britainin theSecond World War.The term comes fromWinston Churchill's phrase "Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few."It also alludes toShakespeare's famous speech in his play,Henry V:"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers..."[1]

Dowdingwith some of "The Few"

Aircrew

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Main article:List of RAF aircrew in the Battle of Britain

Nearly 3,000 men were awarded the"Battle of Britain" clasp.As six of the seven longest surviving veterans of the battle (Squadron LeaderJohn Hart,Flight Lieutenant Archie McInnes, Flight LieutenantMaurice Mounsdon,Air Vice-MarshalJohn Thornett Lawrence,Wing CommanderPaul Farnesand Flight LieutenantWilliam Clark) died between June 2019 and May 2020 as of 8 May 2020, only one survivor of The Few is still living (Flying OfficerJohn Hemingway).[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

By one tally, British RAF aircrew numbered 2,353 (80%) of the total of 2,927 flyers involved, with 407 Britons killed from a total of 510 losses. The remainderwere not British,many coming from parts of theBritish Empire(particularlyNew Zealand,Canada,Australia,andSouth Africa), as well as exiles from many conquered European nations, particularly fromPolandandCzechoslovakia.Other countries supplying smaller numbers includedBelgium,France,Ireland(serving in the RAF as Ireland was officially neutral),Southern Rhodesiaand theUnited States.[10][11][12][13]

Legacy

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World War II poster containing the famous lines by Winston Churchill
The Battle of Britain anniversary parade at Buckingham Palace in 1943.

Winston Churchillsummed up the effect of the battle and the contribution of RAF Fighter Command, RAF Bomber Command, RAF Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm with the words, "Never in the field of human conflict wasso much owed by so many to so few".[14]Pilots who fought in the battle have been known asThe Fewever since; at times being specially commemorated on 15 September, "Battle of Britain Day".On this day in 1940, the Luftwaffe embarked on their largest bombing attack yet, forcing the engagement of the entirety of RAF 11 Group in defence of London and the South East, which resulted in a decisive British victory that proved to mark a turning point in Britain's favour.[15][16]

As of 2022, there is only one surviving member of the group still alive,John Hemingway.[17] TheHorrible Historiessong called “The Few” commemorates these airmen and women, includingSir Douglas Bader.

Memorials

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The memorial to The Few atCapel-le-Ferne,atop thewhite cliffs of Dover...
... which faces theEnglish Channel

The aircrew are remembered on theBattle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne,Kent, and their names are listed on theBattle of Britain Monument in London.The Battle of Britain Roll of Honour is held inWestminster Abbeyin theRAF Chapel,and is paraded annually during the Service of Thanksgiving and re-dedication onBattle of Britain Sunday.[18]

There is a preservedHawker Hurricanefighter aircraft known as "The Last of The Many" —a reference to the 1942 filmThe First of the FewstarringLeslie HowardasR.J. Mitchell,designer of the Spitfire—which flies as part of theBattle of Britain Memorial Flight,along with aSupermarine Spitfirethat flew in the Battle (one of five Spitfires in the Memorial Flight). As the Hurricane was the last production model of that type, it did not itself fly in the Battle.

In 2022 a sculpture, theSpirit of the Few Monument,was unveiled at theKent Battle of Britain Museum.[19]

Statistics

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The Battle of Britain was considered officially by the RAF[20]to have been fought between 10 July and 31 October 1940.

  • RAF pilots claimed to have shot down about 2,600 German aircraft, but figures compiled later suggest that Luftwaffe losses were more likely nearer 2,300.
  • Of 2,332 Allied pilots who flew fighters in the Battle, 38.90 per cent could claim some success in terms of enemy aircraft shot down.
  • The number of pilots claiming more than one victory amounted to no more than 15 per cent of the total RAF pilots involved.
  • To be proclaimed an "ace"a pilot had to have five confirmed victories. During the Battle of Britain just 188 RAF pilots achieved that distinction – eight per cent of the total involved. A further 237 of those RAF pilots claiming successes during the Battle became" aces "later in the war.
  • There were four pilots who were "ace in a day"in the Battle of Britain:Archie McKellar(British),Antoni Głowacki(Polish),Ronald Hamlyn(British) andBrian Carbury(New Zealander).

Leading aces

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The leadingacesof the Battle of Britain (between 10 July and 31 October 1940) were: [21]

Rank Pilot Nationality Squadron Aircraft Kills Notes
1 Flt LtEric Lock United Kingdom 41 Spitfire 21 Total 26 kills.MIA3 August 1941.
2 Sqn LdrArchie McKellar United Kingdom 605 Hurricane 19 Total 21 (possibly 22) three probable and three damaged. 5 Bf 109's on 7 October 1940.KIA1 November 1940.
3 SgtJames Lacey United Kingdom 501 Hurricane 18
(23 by end of November) 		Total 28 kills.
4 SgtJosef František Czechoslovakia 303 Hurricane 17 Killed 8 October 1940.
5 Fg OffBrian Carbury New Zealand 603 Spitfire 15 +1⁄2
6 Fg OffWitold Urbanowicz Poland 145and303 Hurricane 15 Total 18 (possibly 20) kills.
7 Plt OffColin Gray New Zealand 54 Spitfire 14 +1⁄2 Total 27.7 kills.
8 Plt OffBob Doe United Kingdom 234and238 Spitfire / Hurricane 14(+ 2 shared)
9 Flt LtPaterson Hughes Australia 234 Spitfire 14 +5⁄6 KIA 7 September 1940.
10 Sqn LdrMichael Crossley United Kingdom 32 Hurricane 14 Wartime total 22 victories.

Other notable Battle of Britain pilots

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The Few,a novel byAlex Kershaw,tells the stories of the men who flew in the Battle of Britain. As of 2003,a Hollywood film similarly namedThe Fewwas in preparation for release in 2008, based on the story of real-life U.S. pilotBilly Fiske,who ignored his country's neutrality rules and volunteered for the RAF. AVarietymagazine outline of the film's historical content[23]was said inThe Independentto have been described by Bill Bond, who conceived theBattle of Britain Monument in London,as "Totally wrong. The whole bloody lot."[24]

"One of the Few",a sony by British bandPink Floydfrom their albumThe Final Cut(1983), describes a war veteran's return from the battlefield, specifically a pilot from the Battle of Britain, to pursue teaching, which connects to "The Hero's Return",another song from the album which is sung from the veteran's perspective.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^"Visiting the Abbey: The Royal Air Force Chapel."Westminster Abbey.Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  2. ^"Battle of Britain war hero pilot, 100, who is one of only seven surviving members of 'The Few' is honoured with special birthday flyover by the Red Arrows".MSN.Retrieved3 February2019.
  3. ^Plain Design; Total Onion (1 February 2019)."Sad death of another of the Few".Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2020.Retrieved3 February2019.
  4. ^"Battle of Britain hero, Squadron Leader John Hart, dies aged 102".24 August 2019.Retrieved28 September2019.
  5. ^"Battle Of Britain Hero Archie McInnes Dies Hours After 100th Birthday".2 August 2019.Retrieved28 September2019.
  6. ^"Battle of Britain hero Maurice Mounsdon dies, aged 101".ITV News.9 December 2019.
  7. ^John Thornett Lawrence obituary
  8. ^Humphries, Will (28 January 2020)."Paul Farnes, last Battle of Britain ace, dies aged 101".The Times.Retrieved28 January2020.
  9. ^"Flight Lieutenant William Terence Clark DFM (11th April 1919 – 7th May 2020)"
  10. ^Bickers 1990, Appendix 24, p. 358. Note: Gives the numerical breakdown by nationalities.
  11. ^Bickers 1990, Appendix 25, pp. 359–376. Note: Gives a complete list of the Allied aircrew in the Battle.
  12. ^Wood and Dempster 1990, p. 187.
  13. ^Wood and Dempster 1990, pp. 194–203. Note: Gives a complete list of the Allied aircrew in the Battle.
  14. ^Speech to the House of Commons on 20 August 1940.
  15. ^"Battle of Britain Day".BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  16. ^"Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary"Archived15 November 2013 at theWayback Machine.The Royal British Legion.Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  17. ^Walters, Alex (18 July 2022)."Birthday wishes pour in for last known Battle of Britain pilot as he turns 103".Forces Network.Archived fromthe originalon 17 December 2022.Retrieved17 December2022.
  18. ^"Battle of Britain Memorial."battleofbritainmemorial.org.Retrieved: 7 September 2011.
  19. ^"'Spirit of The Few' Monument unveiling ".RAF News.3 August 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 2022.Retrieved1 December2022.
  20. ^Crang, Jeremy A."Identifying the 'Few': The Personalisation of a Heroic Military Elite."Archived15 September 2010 at theWayback MachineNames of the 'Few',viaUniversity of New South Wales, War & Society,Volume 24, Number 2, November 2005.
  21. ^Shores, Christopher and Clive Williams.Aces High.London: Grub Street, 1994.ISBN1-898697-00-0.
  22. ^Shute, Joe (10 July 2020)."The only surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain on being the very last of The Few".The Telegraph.Retrieved20 September2020.
  23. ^Fleming, Michael."New flight plan for Cruise."Variety,9 September 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  24. ^Moreton, Cole."Hollywood updates history of Battle of Britain: Tom Cruise won it all on his own."The Independent,11 April 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2007.

Bibliography

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  • Bickers, Richard Townshend.The Battle of Britain.New York: Salamander, 1990.ISBN0-13-083809-8.
  • Wood, Derek and Derek Dempster.The Narrow Margin.Washington: Smithsonian Institution, reprint 1990.ISBN0-87474-929-8.

Further reading

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  • McGlashan, Kenneth B. with Zupp, Owen P.Down to Earth: A Fighter Pilot Recounts His Experiences of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, D-Day and Beyond.London: Grub Street Publishing, 2007.ISBN1-904943-84-5.
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