Fly-past celebrates Battle of Britain

A fly-past by Second World War fighter aircraft led the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Britain yesterday.

A Spitfire and a Hurricane flew above Westminster Abbey to commemorate one of the pivotal battles in British military history. Earlier, veterans joined royalty and politicians at a thanksgiving service in the abbey. Prince William, fresh from graduating as a helicopter pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force, attended the service with his father, the Prince of Wales, and stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

The ceremony marked the anniversary of the 1940 battle in which RAF pilots from many allied nations repelled the Luftwaffe's bid for air superiority, making an invasion of Britain impossible.

Sir Stephen Dalton, the Chief of the Air Staff, said winning the Battle of Britain was vital to the overall outcome of the war.

Speaking before the service, he said: "The importance of today is to recognise the veterans who are still here and all those who gave their lives to ensure that the freedom of this country was assured.

"Unless we had control of the skies over Britain, we could not build up the forces ready to liberate Europe later on."