You are correct. The 71 squadrons which were credited with taking part in the Battle, and whose aircrews received the Battle of Britain clasp flew the following types:

Hurricane
Spitfire
Blenheim
Beaufighter
Defiant
Gladiator (and Sea Gladiator)
Whirlwind
Grumman Martlet
Fairey Fulmar

No mention of the Fairey Battle.

I once owned a Battle of Britain medal group to a Blenheim Air Gunner of Coastal Command. He was credited with one kill, an Me 109 - no mean feat for a Blenheim I would have thought.

To add further embarrassment, this letter was posted in the DT from Sqn Ldr Kornicki's son...

Journey to remember

SIR – My father, Franciszek Kornicki, was surprised by the support for him in the RAF Museum poll to choose a representative – not the “greatest” – Spitfire pilot (report, September 22).

But he was gravely embarrassed that you should credit him with 17 kills while serving in 303 Sqn during the Battle of Britain, and describe him as the top-scoring Battle of Britain pilot. You appear to have confused him with the Czech pilot in 303 Sqn, Sgt František, who did achieve this distinction before being killed.

My father is not in fact credited with any victories, then or later. He served as a Pilot Officer in 303 Sqn briefly towards the end of the Battle of Britain period, converting on to Hurricanes, but he has always rigorously rebutted any suggestion that he thus qualified as a Battle of Britain pilot – well aware of the distinction of those who endured that conflict and achieved so much.

Fighting in Poland, escaping through Romania, fighting in France, and escaping again to continue the struggle in Britain is the story of so many in the Polish Air Force.

My father’s role in that was commonplace; but as the only surviving Polish Squadron Commander, his importance now is as a witness and a representative of that remarkable wartime journey. That is distinction enough.

Richard Kornicki
Chairman, Polish Air Force Memorial Committee

Oops

Oops, as you rightly say

After that revelation, the only thing the RAF Museum can realistically do is scrap the whole thing and try and put the embarrassing affair behind it.

I bet they don't.

There's something very Blairite, very false, about this "people's" vote nonsense.

What it actually proves is that democracy is a lousy determinant of what actually happened in History.

I suspect that if you were to stop a hundred people at random in a British street a very high proportion, certainly a majority, would say that Spitfires won the battle/war. Very few would know that actually Hurricanes shot down more enemy aircraft than Spitfires ever did in the BoB.

I still think we should have a life-sized cardboard cutout of Section Officer Harvey though. :E

Do you mean to say you do not have our own life-size cardboard cut-out of the delectable?

My version is the one showing suspenders.

I thought almost all of us took advantage of the kind offer posted in this forum a few years back. I think I remember who made the offert ............. any ideas?

As from today, it is possible to post your view on this issue on the RAF Museum Hendon website - www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london - where they have just announced the result of their Peoples' Spitfire Pilot poll. Look in What's going on? - News

Haraka won his bet.

The entire thing was an absurd charade.

Very Blairite actually, and therefore not at all fitting for a celebration of what became called the Battle of Britain in the celebrity cult.

A bloody disgrace, actually. A sham of which the perpetrators ought to be ashamed.

Such a pity, because the Spitfire is a really beautiful aeroplane and really is worthy of celebration, not falsity and Blairite crap.

Shouldn't we also recognise Miss Shilling's orifice as the People's Orifice?

Not sure how they'll make a cardboard cutout of that though.

Well I've posted my two penn'orth on the museum website. I wonder if it will get approved for publication and I also wonder if we can get 250,000 PPRuNers to post their dissent! 250 would be good enough.

I have a photo that I cannot manage to upload that I took at the weekend (doh). I thought of this thread when I saw it.
At the Remembrance Arboretum there is a memorial to the Guinea Pig Club - no Spitfire there !

TT,

Mine was the first post, at 1715. By 1745, the Museum had removed it! It wasn't offensive in any way, but reflected the views held here. Quelle surprise!

Yeah, I doubt there will be any provision to exercise 'alternative views' on the matter.

I've posted and am informed that the post is in a moderation queue. Odds of it being published? Nil, I would say.

Just clicked on again and it still says "Comments 0 - be the first to comment". A glitch in the system, possibly, or maybe they've not had any comments that they deem suitable for publication!

I would post, but I refuse to give them the satisfaction of binning it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We should remember that this populist and low-brow stunt will have greatly promoted the status of the Curator of the RAFM. :*

OAP

Has anyone tried posting on the website that they think its a great idea?

Totally agree.

We are sometimes reminded to be careful what we say on here as it is open to anyone and journalists may report on it. So come on journos, can't one of you who is lurking here pick up on this one and publish a story about what a lot of tripe we think the whole thing is?

Can't see The Torygraph running it though!

Personally, I think we should be prepared to overlook the gamesmanship that has been played in this poll. It does reflect the help that the Brits/Allies got from other countries volunteers,the welcome they received and the great sacrificies they ALL made.
It almost makes the Brits out to be truly non racist Europeans. I'm not sure how that fits into the current narrative....
p.s I don't doubt that the addition of the Poles taught us a thing or two about fighting a ruthless enemy. I can only imagine how seriously they took the opportunity to fight the Germans compared to the jovial, almost casual way the Brits have been portrayed as fighting in the Battle of Britain.