Norwich City Council will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a short memorial and wreath-laying service on Monday 14 September.
The event will take place in the morning, where a small number of representatives from key organisations will meet at the war memorial across the road from City Hall to remember the extraordinary contribution made by the pilots who defended the country that day. The RAF ensign flag will also be raised throughout the week as a further demonstration of our appreciation and respect.
Although other days during the battle saw fiercer fighting and heavier losses, September 15, 1940 is the only day when two large daylight raids were made on London.
German intelligence indicated that RAF Fighter Command was on the brink of collapse and it was believed that the raids would provide the knockout blow needed to gain the air superiority sought by Germany’s Luftwaffe.
Instead, the raids were convincingly met by the massed fighters of the RAF. The Luftwaffe lost 60 aircraft and morale was badly shaken.
Regrettably, the continued uncertainty regarding social distancing due to Covid-19 means a larger public event is untenable at this stage. A recording of the event will be uploaded to the council’s YouTube page at midday following the service.
We respectfully request that members of the public do not attend the service, to preserve the Covid-security of the event. Please be assured that we will look to allow members of the public to attend future events if circumstances allow.
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