MOVING CEREMONY FOR LOCAL VETERANS
A ceremony was held at Mary Stevens Park Cenotaph recently, to mark Battle of Britain Day. The annual commemoration honours members of the RAF and allied Air Forces who, in the summer of 1940, defended the skies over Britain from enemy fighters and bombers.
Each year the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) in Stourbridge marks Battle of Britain Day with fundraising activities and an exhibition in the library about the work of the association, which helps RAF veterans and their families, as well as information about the Battle of Britain itself.
At the end of a long fundraising week, RAFA veterans held their annual ceremony in Mary Stevens Park cenotaph, where local MP, Lynda Waltho was in attendance.
Speaking about Battle of Britain Day, Lynda Waltho MP said: “We can never forget the sacrifice that so many service personnel made in the Second World War, or indeed any conflict our forces are involved in.
“The Royal Air Forces Association does wonderful work in supporting RAF veterans of all generations and their families. More than that though, their annual commemoration provides service veterans and their families the chance to remember the role they played in defending the country and the colleagues they lost in doing so.
RAFA provides help and advice, assistance, comradeship and, when required, welfare and care for the whole RAF family and is supported largely from public donations.
Lynda concluded: “Veterans of the Battle of Britain held back the tide of Nazi invasion in 1940. It’s fitting that we continue to mark their sacrifice to this day. The moving ceremony in Mary Stevens Park is a fitting tribute to all service veterans and I hope it continues for many years to come.”
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