The sad thing about the Battle of Britain was that for many of those who had been involved in senior command positions or who had worked behind the scenes to prepare Fighter Command for battle would meet a bitter sweet finale when the fight was over. The pilots who had won the Battle were, thank Heavens, when the end came, the heroes of the day and still remain so. Churchill saw to that with his famous speeches, particularly the one about “The Few”. But the other categories of people who made a contribution which was truly vital, were less lucky and just faded from view.

The first category consisted of Dowding, Keith Park and then Brand and Saul. These were the commanders who actually fought the Battle. They had all gone within a few months of the end of the Battle. The ostensible reason was the apparent disagreement over the “Big Wing” theory led by Squadron Leader Bader of 12 Group with the support of the AOC of that group, Leigh Mallory. But there was more to it than that.

Dowding had run Fighter Command, of which he had been AOC in C, since its formation in 1936, almost as if it had been an air force within an air force. He wasn’t a man of charm and moreover he wasn’t a collegiate colleague. He was just dedicated to a single minded determination to ensure that his command went into the inevitable combat as well prepared as he could possibly make it. He was not a popular figure in the upper echelons of the Service. He had been passed over for the job of Chief of the Air Staff, that is, head of the air force. He was a loner. The top brass were longing to see his back.

Inevitably this meant that his appointees of the group commanders were, of course, totally loyal to him. With just one exception, Leigh Mallory of 12 Group, who had been jealous throughout the Battle of Keith Park, head of 11 Group covering the south of England. They were all destined to be sidelined and fairly soon to be retired. The one exception was Keith Park who had his day, once again in Malta, when he became AOC of the group operating from Luqa.

Could Churchill have saved Dowding or at least ensured that he was made a Marshall of the Royal Air Force as the King had suggested, when he retired? He would have had to run against the collective prejudice of the top brass of the RAF but yes, of course, he could and should have.

To come to the next top individuals who were also overlooked, they were those who were responsible for the five years of preparatory work before the Battle began, ensuring that Fighter Command was furnished with a modern defence system. This included, most importantly, the invention of radar. Henry Tizard was the scientist responsible for this great innovation and Watson Watt was the expert who actually invented radar. Unfortunately, there had been a huge row between Lindeman a fellow scientist and Tizard when the work on radar was just starting. Lindeman had been Churchill’s adviser. The two scientists, Tizard and Lindeman, had known each other well but the relationship had broken down between the two men. This meant that when Churchill came to power, he naturally brought Lindeman with him. That meant the end for Tizard. He moved off to become Master of Magdalene College at Oxford. The new men under Lindeman took over. The old group who had worked on the modernisation of Fighter Command were dispersed.

The third casualty was Chamberlain. He was the politician who ensured that the policy of modernising Fighter Command was adhered to by the pre-war Government. Although he got no thanks for his part in the preparation for war, he nonetheless played an important role in the first few months of Churchill’s administration. It was he, Chamberlain, who prevented Lord Halifax from getting his way and allowing talks with Hitler to take place following the fall of France. He vetoed them. He knew how unreliable any agreement with Hitler was bound to be. At least he played this important part, but certainly, like the others in this unfortunate tale, he got no thanks.

In war the honours often fall unevenly. It was certainly the case following the Battle of Britain. At least Keith Park has been honoured by a new statue in London which has been erected in his memory.