Event Details
Speaker: John Chalmers
How the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Navy successfully defended Britain in aerial combat in 1940.
The Battle of Britain was an aerial combat from July to October in 1940 when the German Luftwaffe attacked England in an attempt to bring it to its knees prior to invasion, the first major military campaign fought in the air. But airborne defence by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Navy successfully defended Britain, prompting Winston Churchill to declare, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” in recognition of air crew who gave their all in the battle. In Canada, Battle of Britain Day is the third Sunday in September, in close proximity to our September 26 meeting. Even though that famous conflict took place across the Atlantic, it had its effects here in Edmonton.
John Chalmers is a retired educator with B.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Alberta, and has been a widely published writer and photographer all his adult life. Many of his articles have appeared in the newsletters of the Edmonton and District Historical Society and the Historical Society of Alberta. In retirement, John served ten years as Historian for Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame and is often called upon to present talks on aspects of Canadian aviation history.
Free presentation – donations accepted.
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