These young people are not even thinking about a good time. I am sure they have good times, but this is not one of them. They are standing to attention with a discipline they have chosen. It takes focus, inner strength, physical stamina and a resilient spirit to do this.
They stood there for well over an hour. They didn’t scratch, or take a sip from a water bottle. They did not acknowledge in any way my attempt to photograph them up close. There was nothing about their seeking attention. They were caught up in a cause that is bigger than their own needs and higher in value than living to have a good time.
It is not a boastful thing they are doing. It is a different focus from study, from playing sport, from working on a phone or computer. This requires a lot of practise and commitment to the task at hand.
In silence they are standing to attention as part of a military ritual of remembrance of the Battle of Britain. They are standing to attention for the peace that is so hard to achieve, a peace that is so much more than the absence of war. They stand to attention for a way of life based on freedom, a quality of life that espouses the value of the human being and requires a love and respect of others.
These young people are all members of the 37th Squad of the Thames Air Training Corp Cadets.
There are some other young people present about whom you might question – are they having a good time? They are the brass band members – all uniformed up and holding their instrument. I am not sure how they would answer that question. They sit still among adult members and at attention ready to play is their task. None of the songs they play are on the charts. However, each young person plays with reverence and with care. What they do has taken many hours, even years, of practise.
At what point does the thing you do out of duty or just having a go at, become something you love and grow to understand and I dare say, enjoy?
I say well done to them. We need this in our society. We need to cherish this quality and encourage everyone of these young people and trust them with the future. It belongs to them.
Some say that the remembrance services such as this one for the Battle of Britain and on Anzac Day are a glorification of war.
That is a shallow observation and a denial of what war costs, where it comes from and a denial of history.
Peace can never be just the absence of conflict or war. Peace and true freedom are partners, requiring diligence, wisdom, sacrifice and a love and respect for others. Freedom requires the spirit of serving humanity and community.
The Battle of Britain commemorations are generally held as near to 10 September as possible. Approximately 300 people came to the Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield Thames commemoration, including a large number of Air Training Corps cadets, the Kerepehi Brass Band, our Thames Coromandel Mayor, Peter Revell, Hauraki Mayor, Toby Adams, our MP, Scott Simpson, Thames Community Board Chair, Adrian Catran, Royal New Zealand Airforce WGCDR, Bradley Scott, and international guests, British Royal Navy Commander, Michael Proudman and Honourable Polish Consul Boguslaw Nowak. It was hosted by local resident, Geoff Furkert who is instrumental in establishing the Sir Keith Park Memorial statue and airplane and in organising the Battle of Britain commemorations.
The Battle of Britain sounds like a far-off and far away historic event. It is. But Thames is not. it is the gateway town to the Coromandel and the home of one of the most strategic leaders in New Zealand’s history, our history. The Battle of Britain is remembered by all those countries involved (15 countries)every year on the nearest day to 10 September. 127 NZ pilots flew and some pilots were refugees from countries invaded by Hitler. This momentous battle occurred 86 years ago in the early stages of World War Two in England. The Nazi Luftwaffe attacks on the city of London and other parts of England were striking at the jugular of British existence. Hitler had planned invasion by their navy and army once his Luftwaffe had victory over the skies of England and had caused sufficient carnage to render London defenceless. The English Channel had become a mere hop for the Nazi invasion.
There was a small team (Airforce and Ground Defence), leading the defence of Britain, urgently devising a strategy to overcome this well-resourced German Airforce which was ruthlessly attacking the British homeland and winning many an air battle against the lesser resourced British Airforce. London was particularly suffering. Pilots from New Zealand and Australia had signed up with the British Airforce.
One of this small team, though not the most senior, was a quiet and unassuming officer and pilot by the name of Keith Park. His strategic attack and defence plan and his outstanding leadership by example, was to put a stop to Nazi victory over the skies of London.
Keith was a New Zealander from Thames. He was the Commander in Chief of 11 Group, the most important Group in Fighter Command. This group had to not only protect the southern coastline of Britain and Southeast England from enemy attack, but to unreservedly, protect London.
His ability to think and effect a plan in terms of overcoming the enemy, gave the British Airforce force fighters victory and saved Britain from a loss that was critical for the whole War. It set a platform for optimism and the determination to gain overall eventual victory over the Nazi onslaught.
The freedom fought and won in the Battle of Britain is directly connected to the freedom we experience today. It is directly related to these young people standing to attention – not having a good time but experiencing a very important time. Essentially the Battle of Britain restored the hope for and commitment to freedom that is the framework for our society. However faulty it is, the freedom we take for granted in New Zealand is related to the actions and leadership of Sir Keith Park.
