An insult to The Few: Defence cuts could ground the Battle of Britain flight

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 14th January 2010 | Ian Drury

[naturalman1975]

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight faces the axe as the Ministry of Defence attempts to close a £6billion hole in its finances.

Senior RAF sources have warned that the flight could be cut on 'cost grounds' as the MoD is forced to make drastic savings in the next defence review.

This year is the Battle of Britain's 70th anniversary and yesterday MPs and veterans' groups described the threat to the flight as a 'crying shame' and an insult to the fighter pilots - 'The Few' - who defended Britain against the German Luftwaffe.

Every year hundreds of thousands of Britons watch the flypasts held around the country.

The displays include one of the world's two working Lancaster bombers, as well as Spitfires and Hurricanes - the two principal British fighter types involved in the Battle of Britain.

An RAF Wing Commander said: 'Under the defence review now being conducted, the display teams could be cut. This is part of a cost benefit analysis going on in all MoD departments.

'If the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was to continue to operate as it currently does, it is feared it would need to attract private finance.'

The MoD has already made clear that the BBMF would not be allowed to be funded by private sponsorship or donations. Based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, it costs the RAF up to £3million a year to run.

[naturalman1975]

They never seem to figure into these analyses, the impact such things can have on recruiting. For many years, Britain had the Royal Tournament each year, a huge military tattoo and pageant. About twelve years ago, following a Strategic Defence Review, it was cut on financial grounds.

I know a dozen men personally who decided to join British and Commonwealth forces based on what they saw at the Royal Tournament. For me, the Field Gun race was a highlight - I urge people to check it out at youtube. It is one of the greatest things you will ever see.

[rbg81]

Britian will dismantle its armed forces to it can afford to pay benefits to hordes of unproductive Muslim immigrants and their children. Those same immigrants will use the opportunity to implement Sharia and plot Jihad. Even Monty Python couldn’t make this stuff up.

[Doogle]

....having spent three years (70-72) stationed at RAF Welford, Berks, I too enjoyed watch the military tattoo...I think one of those years, a guy lost a finger participating in the field gun race....it is entertaining.....and the people really get behind it.

[buccaneer81]

Britain is following Helen Clark’s lead...sad.

[wally_bert]

That was really something to watch.

[MediaMole]

Don’t understand why they wouldn’t allow it to be sponsored or paid for with donations.

[max americana]

>>The MoD has already made clear that the BBMF would not be allowed to be funded by private sponsorship or donations.

Are these people living in a bizarro world?

[naturalman1975]

Neither do I - a number of companies already sponsor it - BAE Systems and Spitfire Communications for a start (in my view, a very clever deal given their company name). I’m not sure why things are different.