There's a funny thing... I have met a handful of ex-WWII aircrew through my line of work (doctor). Just a random sample, which is something you never get on the telly.
One talked about flying with real enthusiasm and had flown for the rest of his life. Another talked about the P51 as 'my plane' but I got the impression he didn't particularly want to talk about the war, so I left it at that. He had told me he'd never flown again though. Another spoke fondly of Tiger Moths... but didn't volunteer anything about his time in bombers and again I didn't push. I was surprised at the diffidence with which many of them talked about their experiences. But of course, on reflection, honourable men don't enjoy killing other men or sending young men on their own side to their deaths. I think it's fair to say that none of them seemed to fetishize military hardware in the way people those of us never involved in the conflict sometimes seem to.
I'm sure those of you from an older generation will have met more of these men than I have, but I feel very privileged to have done so. They saved us from a very bleak future, as did many of their generation who fought in less glamorous ways. It's something that I think about most days.
In 15 years time, few if any of them will still be alive. My son is unlikely to meet any, ever. Eventually WWII and the holocaust will fade into history and the shadow they cast will be no greater than that of Genghis Khan, or Napoleon.
Whilst I will mourn them and remain glad to have heard a fraction of their stories, I will be pleased. Even now, WWII casts such a shadow that it's hard to travel anywhere in Europe and not be acutely aware of how the war continues to affect our daily lives and politics. Ultimately, only time will heal these rifts completely. And by then, we'll have other concerns.
When this day comes, the spitfire will be nothing more than a very nice aeroplane. And there's nothing wrong in that.