Leader: Proud to be one of The Few

Published 26 Aug 2010 09:30 0 Comments

WINSTON Churchill’s famous words echo more loudly as the years pass.

The ‘Few’ to whom he so memorably expressed a nation’s gratitude are becoming markedly fewer, but the resonance of their achievement continues to grow.

Nigel Drever’s remarkable tale of wartime heroism and survival is a vivid illustration of the calibre of people who turned the tide of the war and on a landmark anniversary of a landmark event such as the Battle of Britain, it is right to pay the highest tribute to those who played such a vital role.

But Churchill’s words contain a wider truth.

The ‘Few’ are the pilots who protected British skies from July to October, 1940; they are also the young men patrolling the streets of Afghanistan today, and anyone who has undertaken such duty in the service of their country.

The distance of modern conflicts now prevents us from viewing them with the same perspective, but the sentiment remains.

They are few and we owe them.

Churchill’s iconic broadcast is perhaps the best ‘thank you’ on behalf of a country to its military ever written, acknowledging sacrifice, bravery and skill and uniting a nation in gratitude with a conviction and empathy that few modern politicians can match.

Nigel Drever’s equally eloquent quote to The Chronicle this week, also perfectly encapsulates the spirit which served our armed forces so well then and continues to do so now.

“I had one hell of a job and am proud to have been a part of it.”

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 26 Aug 10

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