The first battle in history to be fought solely in the air lasted for over three months during World War 2 between July 10 and October 31, 1940. Dubbed the Battle of Britain, pilots and support crews on both sides, Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, took to the skies and battled for control of airspace over Great Britain, Germany and the English Channel.

Almost 3,000 pilots fought for Fighter Command, flying at least one operational sortie during the battle. They are known as The Few, the name coming from Winston Churchill's wartime speech on 20 August 1940 during which he referred to the ongoing efforts of the Royal Air Force crews by stating, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Among them were several Bradfieldians. Commemorating the 85th anniversary of the end of the battle, readers may find a piece written back in 2020 interesting.

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