Our Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain

Regional departure by coach then travel to Kent. We visit the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne, seeing the memorials, replica aircraft and visitor’s centre, setting the scene for the tour. We then see one of the few remaining Battle of Britain Luftwaffe graves left in Kent at Lenham before proceeding to our hotel in Maidstone for a two-night stay.

Key Visits

Battle of Britain Memorial Battle of Britain Memorial Lenham Cemetery

Today we have a full day looking at the Battle of Britain in Kent. We start at the Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge, a former RAF base where much of the 1960s film about the battle was filmed; the museum has many of the aircraft used in the film plus an incredible collection of memorabilia. We then visit RAF graves in the nearby cemetery at Hawkinge and have lunchtime in Canterbury.

In the afternoon we travel across Kent to former RAF Manston where we see the Spitfire and Hurricane Museum, as well as graves in the nearby cemetery.

Key Visits

Hawkinge Cemetery RAF Hawkinge Memorial Hawkinge Battle of Britain Museum Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Museum Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Museum

We depart our hotel and travel to the Runnymede Memorial in West London. This important memorial to the Missing commemorates over 20,000 service personnel from SOE Agents to Bomber Crew to many of ‘The Few’ who died in the Battle of Britain. From here we return to Kent and visit Biggin Hill. Known as ‘Biggin on the Bump’ this was an important Battle of Britain airfield and here we have time to see the memorials and the Heritage Centre. We then continue for our crossing to France and onwards to our hotel in De Panne on the Belgian coast.

Key Visits

Runnymede Memorial Biggin Hill Airfield Memorial

On our final day we are in France where we link the story of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation at Dunkirk, to the Battle of Britain. We see the evacuation beaches and Dunkirk Mole, Dunkirk War Cemetery and Dunkirk Museum, as well as look at the story of RAF pilots shot down during the Battle of Britain who crashed in the channel or in France.

Key Visits

Dunkirk Dunkirk War Cemetery & Memorial Dunkirk

Return home.