LONDON MONUMENT – EVENTS IN 2010

2 February 2010 - Flight Lieutenant Raymond Alan Kellow passes away - later Squadron Leader, Kellow flew with 213 Squadron during the Battle.

16 February 2010 - Sergeant John Keatings passes away - later Flight Sergeant, Keatings was a gunner with 219 Squadron during the Battle and, having enlisted in 1935, was responsible for training the other gunners on the squadron.

21 February 2010 - Pilot Officer Robert Francis Thomas Doe passes away - later Wing Commander, Doe, known to all as Bob, ended the war with a DSO (India) plus DFC and Bar. To see his obituary in the Daily Telegraph click here. 2010, the 70th anniversary of the Battle, is so far proving a dreadful year with the loss already of three distinguished airmen.

13 April 2010 - Flying Officer Basil Gerald Stapleton passes away - from South Africa and known to all by his nickname 'Stapme', he flew with 603 Squadron during the Battle. To see his obituary in the Daily Telegraph click here.

10 May 2010 - Pilot Officer Jocelyn George Power Millard passes away - He flew with 1 and 242 Squadrons in the Battle and was a stalwart at post-war reunions.

16 May 2010 - Sergeant Raymond Frederick Sellers passes away - later Flight Lieutenant, Sellers served with 111 and 46 Squadrons and was an instructor from January 1941 to the end of the war, perhaps only marginally less dangerous than combat.

25 May 2010 - Pilot Officer Ludwik Martel passes away - from Poland, he was the youngest Battle airmen from that country. He settled in England after the war.

26 July 2010 - a ceremony was held at the monument to mark the addition of Squadron Leader Ogilvy’s name to the monument (for the story of his omission click here). Thanks to a fortuitous space just one name away from his rightful place and the generosity of the company FM Conway it was possible to add his name by a new process that did not involve the re-casting of the whole plaque.

Councillor Robert Davis, Westminster City Council's Deputy Leader, made a welcoming speech flanked by Ogilvy's daughters Susan and Anne and said “It is important that we recognise the huge contribution that all those who fought in World War II made in helping to defend Britain from the Nazis. We are honoured to be able to pay tribute to a forgotten hero who was one of the many exceptional people whose sacrifice ensured that good triumphed over evil during our country’s darkest days". Susan, from Oxfordshire, replied: “I am grateful that my father’s name has been added and that he will be honoured along with all those other young men who fought for their country. My father went on to become a squadron leader and although he never talked about the war it is right that his name appears on the memorial and it is something for our family to be proud of".

The managing director of leading maintenance and services firm FM Conway, Michael Conway, whose company paid for the addition of Squadron Leader Ogilvy's name, said: “As Winston Churchill put it, so much was owed by so many to so few and it was therefore right that we offered our assistance in adding Charles’s name to the monument”.

The RAF was represented by Air Commodore Gordon Bruce.

A reception was held at the RAF Club in Piccadilly after the unveiling.

(Above (L to R): Susan Ogilvy, Cllr. Davis, Anne Ogilvy)

(Above (L to R): Martin Low, Westminster's Commissioner of Transportation, Susan Ogilvy, Cllr Robert Davis, Bernard Hodgkinson (Operations Director Structures & Maintenance, FM Conway))

Especial thanks are also due to Andrew Foster and Emma Germain of Westminster City Council.

15 September 2010 - A permanent statue of AVM Keith Park is unveiled in London - see

www.sirkeithpark.com