A crystal-clear spring sky was the perfect backdrop for a RAAF flypast over Newcastle on Friday as part of a ceremony to commemorate the 1940 Battle of Britain.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
BAE Hawk 127 lead in fighter aircraft from No. 76 Squadron RAAF Williamtown performed the flypast 10.33am.
Meanwhile, Air Commodore Tony Grady AM Commander Air Combat Group RAAF Williamtown gave an address at the Cenotaph in Civic Park to mark the occasion.
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces.
Most of the pilots were from Britain, but 13 other nationalities were represented including Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Canada, South Africa and Czechlovakia.
Newcastle has a direct link with the Battle of Britain. Pilot Officer John Dallas Crossman, a former student at Newcastle Boys High School, served in No 46 Squadron RAF. He was shot down and killed in the skies over Southern England on September 30, 1940.
