More than 5,000 wartime ground crew who kept the aircraft flying from Fairlop will be honoured at a Remembrance ceremony next week — most of them still unnamed.
The 17th Remembrance Ceremony at Fairlop Waters will begin at 10.50am on Tuesday 11 November, with the two-minute silence observed at 11am precisely.
The ceremony, organised by the Fairlop Heritage Group, is dedicated this year to the ground crew — the men and women whose service has never been formally acknowledged.
Records are incomplete, but the group estimates that more than 5,000 ground crew were stationed at Fairlop during the First and Second World Wars. Of those thousands, only five names are known.
“The remainder are unknown, but they are not forgotten,” the group said. “Today is specifically for them.”
Previous ceremonies have commemorated those who served, as well as people from specific countries — from Argentina, Australia and Bermuda to Southern Rhodesia, the United Kingdom and the United States. This year’s focus turns to the people on the ground.
It took 12 to 14 ground crew to turn a single Spitfire around after it returned from a flight. Before the aircraft could fly again, they had to refuel it, rearm it, check the instruments, radio and electrics, inspect the engine, propeller and tyres, and repair any metal skin or structural damage. They also had to service the machine guns.
At Fairlop they worked under Miskins Blister Hangers, which gave cover while the aircraft were inspected. Parts of one of those hangers survive today as part of the framework of John Bramston Primary School, and the group says it would be fitting for part of a blister hanger to be retained if a new school is built there, as a reminder of the school’s connection to RAF Station Fairlop.
In his speech to Parliament after the Battle of Britain, Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke of “The Few” — more than 2,000 pilots. He made no mention of RAF Bomber and Coastal Commands, the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force who plotted movements and operated radar, the Royal Observer Corps and anti-aircraft gunners who provided ground and air support, or the Home Guard, who together numbered several thousands. They are “The Many”.
“It has been said that without the groundcrew work of The Many, the efforts of The Few would not have been successful,” the group said.
About 600 pilots flew from Fairlop. “We should be forever grateful for the 600 pilots who flew from Fairlop for their bravery and distress, and I take absolutely nothing away from their service,” the group said, “but they could only do it because of over 5,000 ground crew who made this possible.”
The ceremony is open to the public, and it follows other Remembrance events across the capital this month, including the record crowds at the Muswell Hill Remembrance parade. A memorial stone for Kanya King is also planned at her former London school.
