Battle of Britain and Blitz spirit remembered at St Paul's service
The courage and sacrifice of those who fought off the Nazis to win the Battle of Britain was remembered today.
On the 70th anniversary of the day the first German bombs fell on London, 2,500 people packed into St Paul's Cathedral to remember the Blitz spirit.
The service remembered all those who contributed during the Battle of Britain with former pilots and other military personnel standing alongside firefighters, nurses and ambulance workers from the era.
The Duke of Kent and the Lord Mayor of London, Nick Anstee, were among the dignitaries who joined the remembrance event at the cathedral which survived the Blitz and became a symbol of British defiance.
The Duke took the royal salute outside the cathedral after the service as air cadets and current servicemen and women joined veterans for a parade.
Onlookers packed the streets to watch while office workers crowded by windows to catch a glimpse of the Dakota, Spitfire and Lancaster aircraft which flew overhead.
A Spitfire aircraft also stood at the bottom of the cathedral steps.
The Duke, who holds the rank of Honorary Air Chief Marshal in the RAF, wore military uniform for the event.
It was June 18, 1940 when then prime minister Winston Churchill warned the nation: "The Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
Four days later France surrendered to Germany and the following month the German air force tried to gain superiority over the RAF with a view to Nazi forces invading Britain.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
On the 70th anniversary of the day the first German bombs fell on London, 2,500 people packed into St Paul's Cathedral to remember the Blitz spirit.
The service remembered all those who contributed during the Battle of Britain with former pilots and other military personnel standing alongside firefighters, nurses and ambulance workers from the era.
The Duke of Kent and the Lord Mayor of London, Nick Anstee, were among the dignitaries who joined the remembrance event at the cathedral which survived the Blitz and became a symbol of British defiance.
The Duke took the royal salute outside the cathedral after the service as air cadets and current servicemen and women joined veterans for a parade.
Onlookers packed the streets to watch while office workers crowded by windows to catch a glimpse of the Dakota, Spitfire and Lancaster aircraft which flew overhead.
A Spitfire aircraft also stood at the bottom of the cathedral steps.
The Duke, who holds the rank of Honorary Air Chief Marshal in the RAF, wore military uniform for the event.
It was June 18, 1940 when then prime minister Winston Churchill warned the nation: "The Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
Four days later France surrendered to Germany and the following month the German air force tried to gain superiority over the RAF with a view to Nazi forces invading Britain.