Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) gathered to commemorate the sacrifices made by Canadian and Allied forces during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. On Sunday, 15 Wing Moose Jaw marked the 86th anniversary of the Battle of Britain through its annual ceremony and with a commemorative flyby. “It was a battle over the skies of Britain ... primarily fought with the air forces,” said RCAF Lt. Col. Craig Cloete. “It was a very pivotal moment which changed the course of the war later on.” The Battle of Britain has been cemented in the public consciousness as one of the finest moments of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and as a turning point for the Allied war effort — as Nazi Germany encountered its first mayor setback of the conflict. Then Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s famous quote: “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few,” refers to the 2,353 pilots and air crew from Great Britain and an additional 574 from overseas who participated in the battle. Of those 574 — approximately 100 hailed from Canada, with 23 losing their lives during that time. Also serving as the commandant of the 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (2 CFFTS), Cloete said recognizing past air force members is important for the next generation. “I come from a long history of military serving members so it’s important, personally for me, to remember them and all those that have passed,” he said. “To reinforce to our young aviators that they’re not alone. There’s a long history and a proud history behind them, and how we train today is based on a lot of the wars and conflicts that have come before them.” Cloete added if there is one lesson that can be passed down from the Battle of Britain, it’s perseverance. “The strength, the unknowing [of] what the outcome is going to be, but still rising up to the challenge. And I see that every day with our staff and students here at 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School where they have a goal in mind, but they continually challenge,” said Cloete. New training aircraft to arrive By Monday morning, RCAF is expected to receive the first of its new training aircraft, the CT-157 Siskin II. The new aircraft will replace CT-156 Harvard II along with the CT-114 Tutor in service with the RCAF Snowbirds. Cloete said modernizing the force’s equipment helps its young aviators to advance with new technology. “This is very exciting. Having new aircraft reinvigorates our training streams, but more importantly, it provides our young students and young aviators the opportunity to learn new technologies to train on them,” he said. “That gives them the stepping stone to future technologies. We cannot remain stagnant in our training methodologies or the training or the tools that we use for training.” - With files from David Prisciak
