The Battle of Britain was fought on the other side of the world 73 years ago, but a small ceremony took place at Waipapakauri once again on Sunday, to remember the sacrifices made by those immortalised by Winston Churchill as "the few".
RNZAF Flight Lieutenant (Ret) Ted Creelman spoke of the Fighter Command pilots, some of them New Zealanders, who had flown day after day during the English summer and autumn of 1940 to repel the German Luftwaffe, and those from throughout the British Commonwealth who supported them on the ground during a "terribly stressful, terrifying period."
New Zealanders were also serving in the East at that time, while others made their contribution to the war effort at home, on farms and in factories.
The Waipapakauri Hotel, immediately adjacent to the RNZAF memorial, had played its part as a hospital, attached to the Air Fore base on the other side of the hotel, where many pilots trained for service overseas.
Sunday's service, Mr Creelman said, was an opportunity to remember all those who had put up their hands to go to war, and who had given today's generations the freedom they now enjoyed.
