Councillors and staff at Wokingham Borough Council commemorated the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Britain on 15 September, by raising the RAF Ensign at Shute End.
The flag was flown in tribute to the men and women, from all corners of the globe, who risked their lives flying as well as supporting the crews on the ground during the Second World War.
By September 1940 the Luftwaffe was convinced the RAF was on its last legs and believed one final flurry of destructive raids planned for the 15th – a knockout blow - would see the RAF's few remaining fighters destroyed leaving the coast clear for the Nazi leadership’s invasion of Britain.
But the RAF proved them wrong by mounting a strong defence, despite its depleted numbers, resulting in large losses for the Germans on that day leading to the invasion being indefinitely postponed on 17 September 1940.
The RAF Benevolent Fund carried out a survey this summer which found that 44% of those asked didn't know about The Battle of Britain.
Marking any anniversary is a great way of educating people about historical events but this particular event is a pivotal part of British history and, indeed, world history.
While we remember the sacrifices made by the pilots of fighter command who were drawn from all social backgrounds and all corners of the world, we also honour the others who made victory possible.
The pilots, who Winston Churchill famously referred to as, ‘the few’ were the spearhead but the rest of the spear was made up of ground crews, radar operators, WAAF map plotters, tanker drivers, flying instructors, communications engineers, aircraft workers, telephonists, runway repair crews, NAAFI tea ladies and airfield defence teams.
The Battle was won by the team, and today is about thanking and paying tribute to every single one of them.