A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM!
There now follows a non-political report:-
Never was so much owed, by so many, by so few – Sir Winston Churchill.
The British nation in this country are luckier than most other nations on this round globe of water and earth, because of the steady culture that it has followed since, possibly say when homo sapiens were born with knowledge and how to use it. It hasn’t been flawless with so many wars to contend with and with knowledge being used wrongly there have been many crimes that persons thought with a little bit of “Know how!” they could give their device a little tweak here and there to further their riches beyond anyone else.
No one realising the consequences that have been caused by their tweaking!
Apart from all this how many persons realise the significance of yesterday and today and why shouldn’t we be celebrating our freedom, instead of trying to cause more friction than is really necessary with the usual Goliath’s starting wars and the outcome of words from the mouths of babies “Nobody Wins!” The whole Country having been flattened by bombs on both sides doesn’t sound like victory to me.
A service of thanksgiving to commemorate those who fought in that battle, mainly over the skies of southern England, took place on Sunday September 15th 2025 at the Emmanuel Church in Upperton Road, Eastbourne, at 2pm. The service was attended by mayor of Eastbourne and borough and county councillors had also been invited.
Cadets from Eastbourne’s 54 Squadron RAFAC paraded before the service. A number of service standards were paraded and members of the Combined Services Association had also attended.
Royal Air Force Association president Graham Marsden said, it was nice that members of the public were able to attend.
Without the sacrifice of those who fought in the skies above us at that time, we would not have been able to retain the freedoms we now enjoy with perhaps little thought about how they could so easily have been lost.
“It is very important we recognise that response to the call to duty on our behalf. It is also important to take this opportunity to think about the many young military personnel who continue to make sacrifices for our country.”
I understand the motto of the 54 Eastbourne Sqn Air Cadets is:-
(Royal Air Force the next generation)
I was one of those little persons who with others stood in our much damaged road and houses that witnessed the battle. The reason for this being the location of our road and other roads were slap bang in the middle of three major airfields. So every night was an air raid and sometimes a lot more, somebody reported at least sixteen times. I think that was the night that mother and I gave up at number five and stayed in bed.
In the year 2000 I wrote a prose of how most nights turned out with a descriptive narration of how it was for a little person!
A SUMMER’S WAR 1939 – 1945
I remember those far off days when summer was a distant haze of excitement with a mixture of heat, dust and debris, when time seemed to stand still and shadows lengthened to impossible reaches, well into the night zones. Suddenly, a banshee wail of noise would split the quietness of a summer’s eve and storms of thundering engines would drone monotonously across the skies filling the child like minds of many with terror and falling objects would take the pleasure out of living, the discomfort of a night’s vigil conquering sleep, the bright lights would spin down on wings of silk and the cacophony of noise echoing round and round like an endless spinning top, both from the ground and in the air and the flashing brilliance of lights shining up and the red spurts of flame returning to earth with a cruel fascination that beckons the eye and inner souls to give in to an unseen enemy.
A noise, straight and clear, resounding a warm victory, the worst is over for a while as daylight filters through and a different landscape appears on the scene. The noise of the night is still churning in your mind as the sun peeps at you with hope and sincerity and you feel safe and refreshed that you have survived yet another of many ordeals to come and the warmth of the sun gives you renewed strength and you just carry on with life.
Gregory Gower © 2000
Anyone who would like to contact me regarding this article please write to theUKnewspaper.co.uk online newspaper The Viewpaper Thank you.
