To remember one of the defining moments of the Second World War, a number of veterans gathered in Barrie on the weekend. Sunday marked the 86th commemoration of the Battle of Britain, which is remembered as the pivotal air battle during the Second World War that deterred Adolf Hitler from launching Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of England, in the fall of 1940. Major-General Richard Rohmer joined members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) association 441 wing and RCAF 16 Wing Borden at the General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre on Sunday morning. The 102-year-old veteran was a pilot in the Second World War who told of his first-hand experience. The Battle of Britain was fought between July 10 and October 21 of 1940, over the southern part of England and the English Channel. According to RCAFA 441 Chair Bill Sergeant, Canada had 112 RCAF pilots in the fray. Of those, 38 had trained locally at RCAF Station Camp Borden. Sergeant says the Battle of Britain Memorial in London lists the names of 2,937 airmen from 15 different countries who flew for Britain. Of the 544 that were killed, 23 were Canadian.
