British Modern Military History Society • Meeting: April 2021

Meeting: I Knew The Few

Speaker: Dilip Sarkar MBE

Wednesday 14th April 2021; 7:30 pm

Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote, RG8 0QY

The British Modern Military History Society will this month be hosting a presentation given by broadcaster, historian and author Dilip Sarkar on:-

I Knew The Few

In the wake of the Battle of Britain’s 80th Anniversary’s wake, Dilip will present present ‘I Knew The Few’, which is the stories of some of the many pilots he knew, uniquely illustrated from their own photographic collections. The show is never the same twice, and in 2020 Dilip will have two more books out, ‘Battle of Britain 1940: The Finest Hour’s Human Cost’, endorsed by the Battle of Britain Fighter Association and Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and ‘Letters From The Few: Unique Memories of the Battle of Britain’, endorsed by Bentley Priory Museum.

The former concerns casualties, the latter survivors, so the presentation will be based around the two.

I Knew The Few

Sadly, the Few are fading away, as time marches on – but fortunately Dilip’s knowledge, archive and published record enables him to ‘Speak for the Few’ – whom, of course, he knew.

Over the years, he has spoken at such prestigious venues as Oxford University, the RAF and Imperial War Museums, and the National Memorial Arboretum.

Dilip’s uniquely close relationship with the Few over many years, and the depth of his research, enables this passionate, dynamic and gifted speaker to inspire with his illustrated presentations on a host of subjects associated with the Battle of Britain – especially the ‘human’ stories of the pilots who fought and won that epic, crucial, aerial battle for survival.

Dilip’s presentation, uniquely illustrated with photographs from the Few’s personal albums, is an absolute must for all of our members, enthusiasts and anyone even remotely interested in learning more about I Knew The Few.

Biographical notes – Dilip Sarkar MBE

Dilip’s boundless passion is sharing these stories with the wider world, to which end throughout the 1990s, he organised numerous high-profile book launches and symposiums, attended by a host of the Few and wartime personalities – providing the man in the street the unprecedented opportunity to meet names from the pages of history. This unprecedented approach was recognised in 2003, when Dilip was made an MBE for ‘services to aviation history’.

Elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society in 2006, Dilip has First Class Honours in Modern History from University Worcester, and is also a retired police officer whose work is renowned for being evidence-based – often challenging long-accepted myths.

Our Finest Hour has been launched to organise and promote Dilip’s inspirational presentations on his passion.

As Battle of Britain fighter ‘ace’ Wing Commander George Unwin DSO DFM famously said, ‘If you want to know anything about the Battle of Britain and the Few, don’t ask us, ask Dilip!’

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