Today I'm back from a wonderful skiing week in Swedish Åre. Everybody enjoyed rich snow cover of over 1 meter, temperatures just below freezing and good weather; could one ask for a better winter holidays? I return to my usual updates with a review of recent press:

• A gala performance is to be staged later this year in order to raise funds to pay for the upkeep of the Battle of Britain memorial on the top of the cliffs at Capel le Ferne. The Battle of Britain Memorial concert will take place in London Palladium on September 7th, 68 years to the day after the Luftwaffe launched its first mass attack on London.
  
  Battle of Britain Memorial concert [kentnews.co.uk]
  
  
• A simple stone memorial has been unveiled in a field in Kent to mark the place where a Battle of Britain New Zealand Spitfire pilot Flt Ltn Jimmy Paterson crashed in 1940.
  
  Battle of Britain pilot honoured [BBC News]
  
  
• Ex-ATA women comment on the recently received special merit award
  
  Spitfire heroine's joy over medal [BBC News]
  Recognition for Spitfire heroines [The Cornishman]
  Honour for WWII Spitfire pilots [BBC News]
  
  
• An interesting bureaucratic incident suggests pending US embargo on Spitfire exports :)
  
  Spitfire downed [New Zealand Herald]
  
  
• An interesting replica Spitfire built by members of the Ripon branch of the Royal British Legion has found a new home at RAF Leeming.
  
  Replica of flying legend finds a home with RAF squadron [Northallerton Times]
  
  
• Another interesting Spitfire restoration project in New Zealand is Brendon Deere's Spitfire ZK-SPT/PV270, here in the report of TV3:
  
  Pilot's nephew works to restore Spitfire [TV3 News]
  
  

Labels: history, warbirds