not a difficult choice!

Not being one to lightly attempt a change in the way we live in this, this sceptre'd isle, I would ask all who read, and of course comment upon this blog to check out my PETITION  page, and if you agree, and of course qualify as either British or as a Resident, please sign, and ask all your contacts to sign as well!

Comments

[mahons]

Mike - a worthy quest. Good luck. I am not a citizen of the UK or I'd sign on. But as a citizen of the world I applaud your efforts.

[smcgiff]

Ye may as well celebrate the day Hitler invaded the USSR. That's what saved Europe.

Besides, the Spitfire was the poster child. It was the Hurricane that saved the day.

[alison]

Signed and will cross post fwiw. Whether that is via the spitfire or whatever its a great idea to commemorate the Battle of Britain. I also like the petition the government set up.

[Right For Scotland]

Mike, Good idea. I especially like the idea of a national day on my birthday.

However I cannot sign it. We already have a "Battle of Britain" day. It is the 15th of September (the day Fighter Command marked as the day the Germans took the biggest pounding and realised the RAF could not be beaten).

On this day Air Cadets take to the streets to raise money for the "Wings" Appeal on behalf of RAFA.

What I would sign is a petition to get this day raised in the public view more often. While 11/11 [rightly] has big parades Wings day passes unmarked by the media and that is wrong.

Also SMCGIFF is wrong. Barbarossa was embarked on after BoB. If the UK had fallen the Western troops would have shored up the Eastern lot and Moscow would have fallen. The BoB gave the Allied forces an unsinkable aircraft carrier to launch the final destruction of Germany and should always be remembered as the moment civilisation triumphed.

[alison]

I thought Mikes idea was to make it a national holiday which means a day off.

[smcgiff]

'(the day Fighter Command marked as the day the Germans took the biggest pounding and realised the RAF could not be beaten)'

Wrong. It MAY be the day they decided Britain could not have been beaten. But it's pretty much accepted that the RAF were on its knees and would have lost the air battle if the Nazi’s continued – there is a difference. Luckily, Herr Hitler decided he wanted the Ruskies oil.

[Cunningham]

My unsung heroes of WWI are the Greeks.
Greece had been attacked by Italy in 1940, but the Greeks rallied and soon drove Duce's troops out and even went on to invade Italian Albania. The situation was so desperate by spring 1941 that Hitler, after postponing Sealoin, was obliged to support Duce and attack Greece and thus Yugoslavia.

The result was a disaster for the Wehrmacht. The Greeks fought on with Allied help and the campaign dragged on from April into June. when the German paratroop forces were practically wiped out in Krete. The decisive point, however, is that Hitler had planned to invade Russia in mid May, and because of Greece he was forced to postpone Barbarossa till the end of June. This delay was precisely the 6 weeks that the Germans did not have to get to Moscow before the winter set in. The arrived there in November, but by then it was already too late, and we know the rest.

[Cunningham]

= unsung heroes of WW2

[Madradin Ruad]

August 15th is the Feast of the Assumption and the AOH day.

[Alan Peakall]

If the question is one of when a related public holiday (assuming that we should have one) should be celebrated, then I think that celebrating Battle of Britain Day on the penultimate Monday in September would work well, provided that the August Bank Holiday in England and Wales were moved back into line with Scotland (first Monday in Auguest rather than the last Monday in August).

[Bernard]

Yes smcgiff, it was the Hurricane rather than the Spittie, but to call for a 'Hurricane Day' might, in the eyes of TV sports addicts, be confusing!

[mahons]

Cunningham: I had forgotten the extent of the war in Greece. I reread some related articles in light of your comment and it was very interesting. Nice work.