By Gregor White

Copyright inverness-courier

The 85th anniversary of a key conflict in World War II and the sacrifices made in it were commemorated in Inverness this morning.

Members of the Inverness branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland (RBLS) hosted a service of remembrance at the city’s Cavell Gardens war memorial to pay tribute to those who fought in the Battle of Britain between July and October 1940.

The fight in the air was crucial in repelling the Nazi threat to Britain in the relatively early days of the war.

RBLS Inverness chairman Bart Lucas was delighted with the turnout despite poor weather.

And with the 80th anniversary of the battle being marked in relatively low key fashion due to Covid restrictions in place at the time he felt it was even more important to mark the 85th anniversary.

“We did actually have a service for the 80th anniversary but it wasn’t quite the same because of social distancing and so on we had to observe at the time,” he said.

“Inverness might not have played a central role in the Battle of Britain itself but there was an RAF station here at the time and it’s important to remember the work they all did.

“I’m a former RAF man myself, so it’s especially important to me!”

Several retired RAF Wing Commanders and other ranks attended the ceremony.

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