The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust has submitted plans for a £1.5 million visitor centre at the Battle of Britain National Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne.
Trustees stress that the centre will not be a museum but will attempt to give visitors a flavour of what it was like to take to the skies over Kent in the summer and early autumn of 1940, as the Luftwaffe tried to clear the way for a German invasion. Aptly-named The Wing, it will be built in the shape of a double Spitfire wing and will use modern technology and state-of-the-art techniques to bring the experience to life.
The plans have been enthusiastically backed by surviving veterans who know that their story is in danger of fading into history with their passing. Former Hurricane pilot Bob Foster, Life Vice-President of the Trust, is particularly keen on helping young people understand how that summer changed the course of the war.
“The education centre has the potential to keep people aware of the events of 1940 and help them remember those who fought and died,” he said. “Many of us spent much of 2010 talking about the 70th anniversary, but we won’t be around forever and that’s why we need this building.”
Fund-raising is set to begin in earnest as soon as the plans are approved. To contribute, send cheques payable to ‘The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust’ to the Trust c/o PO Box 337, West Malling, ME6 9AA.