PASSION & EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE
Following a Master of Philosophy thesis on ‘The Battle of Britain: Myth and Reality’, Dr Anthony Medhurst completed a PhD at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge with a thesis entitled ‘RAF Publicity and Public Relations, 1939-1945’.
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Anthony’s passion for the Battle of Britain began as a schoolboy after reading Richard Hillary’s classic account, ‘The Last Enemy’. Anthony wanted to learn more about the men who flew with Richard Hillary in 603, and other squadrons. ‘Battle of Britain Tours’ will bring their experiences to life by re-visiting the historic sights, sounds and locations of this period.
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All the sites that we will visit have been carefully selected either because of their significance during the Battle of Britain, or how we remember and commemorate the Few subsequently.
A LITTLE NOTE...
Dr Anthony Medhurst
After returning home to Kent from University one Summer, my best friend Grip and I, took off for an impromtu drive through the East Kent countryside and coast. We explored the hidden wartime sites along the White cliffs of Dover; had a drink in the bar of ‘The Jackdaw’ pub where Christopher Plummer had met the irresistible Suzannah York in the film, ‘The Battle of Britain’; visited the remains of the fighter station at Hawkinge and the museum where we learned the stories of the fighter pilots - who were only the same age as us – but who had fought, and often given their lives, to save our country from invasion during the long, hot summer of 1940. Not unlike them, we ended the day with a pint of real ale in one of the historic pubs of Canterbury.
The beauty of the landscape, the nostalgia of the period, and the inspiration of bravery, comradeship and sacrifice of the Few made an indelible impression on us both. Little was I to realise at the time that this unforgettable experience would be the inspiration behind ‘The Battle of Britain Tours’....
