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A Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain at Westminster Abbey

A Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday was held at Westminster Abbey on Sunday 15th September 2019. At the start of the service, the Standard of No. 1 Squadron of the RAF was borne through the Abbey church and laid on the High Altar by the Dean.

The service included an Act of Remembrance during which the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour was borne from the Grave of the Unknown Warrior to the Sacrarium by serving Royal Air Force pilots and aircrew. The Battle of Britain Roll of Honour includes written names of airmen who flew at least one authorised operational sortie. The book does includes names of eighty seven of Czechoslovak members of RAF. Czechoslovak airmen represented very important four percent of participants at the Battle of Britain and approximately the same value was their contribution to losses of the enemy. For defending Great Britain they were in the moment a significant benefit. For the first time, no veteran of the Battle was present at this years’ service.

After the ceremony the representative of the Czech Embassy in London Colonel Jiri Niedoba met family members of “The Few”: Josef Hybler´s widow Mrs. Ludmila Hybler (310 Sq) and Jaromir Strihavka´s son Alex Scott (310 Sq). The group was completed by Arnost Polak´s son John Polak. Arnost Polak was as a child transferred to UK by Sir Nicholas Winton´s train and later he joined 311 Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron.

After the reception Mrs Ludmila Hybler talked to Defence Attaché about fates of “The Czechoslovak Few” at the Battle of Britain Monument on the embankment opposite of the UK Ministry of Defence. Among other things Mrs. Hybler has a credit for list specification of “The Czechoslovak Few” in the book that is stored at the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

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A Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain