“We give thanks, as we have since 1943”

The national Battle of Britain commemorative ceremony was held September 15, 2019 in Ottawa. The commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force was the reviewing officer and keynote speaker. Here are his remarks.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome.

Thank you very much for joining us on this very special day, and thanks again to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum for hosting us once again at this wonderful venue for this Battle of Britain parade.

I want to take just a brief moment to give a quick shout-out to two veterans who have really been instrumental in the success of this event over many, many years. My sincerest thanks to Mr. Desmond Peters and Mr. Matthew Carson. Thanks again for all your support, gentlemen.

And my sincerest thanks to Captain (Navy) Krzysztof Książek, for underlining the enduring friendship between our air forces and our two nations, as embodied by the example of Canadian John Kent and the Polish airmen of 303 Squadron.

More than 100 Canadian fighter pilots flew during the Battle of Britain, and 23 made the supreme sacrifice.

They flew in RAF squadrons such as Number 242 “Canadian” Squadron, as well as the RCAF's Number 1 Fighter Squadron.

Concurrently, Canadians also served in Bomber and Coastal Commands, protecting Great Britain and taking the fight to the enemy.

Today of course, we also remember the ground crew and support personnel, both airmen and airwomen. They worked tirelessly under horrifically dangerous conditions to…