IT’s one of the most famous quotes in British history.

In just 17 words, Sir Winston Churchill laid bare the sacrifice made by airmen – “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the utterance of those lines in a speech delivered at the height of the Battle Of Britain.

In 14 weeks during the summer of 1940, the British and Allied pilots in the RAF fought off the onslaught of the Luftwaffe in what was to become the turning point of the Second World War. The lives of hundreds of young airmen were snuffed out.

Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, and is buried nearby in St Martin’s Church, Bladon, was Britain’s most noted statesman.

Prime Minister from 1940-45 and again from 1951-55, Churchill was an outstanding orator, politician, historian, writer and artist.

Last night John Forster, archivist at Blenheim Palace, paid tribute to a “brilliant man” who also received a Nobel Prize for literature.

He said: “Churchill was a master orator and wrote all his own speeches. Many of the original scripts are still in existence and when you look at them they are almost written like poetry, line by line. Although they may look simple, they were entirely thought out and full of rhetorical devices.”

The entire speech, made to the House of Commons, is seven paragraphs long.

Mr Forster said the reason why so many people remember this particular line, which comes in the fifth paragraph, is because of the rhythm.

He said: “It is the combination of rhythm and words, and the repetition of structure. If he had said these words in any other way, they would have been nowhere near as memorable.

“But because of its stark simplicity, is its incredibly powerful.

“Churchill’s father was a master orator when he was an MP, and we know his son learned an awful lot from him.”

The speech is said to have been inspired by a visit to the operations room at RAF Uxbridge on August 16 – just three months after becoming Prime Minister following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. It is believed it was there where he first uttered the ‘never in the field of human conflict’ line to one of his aides.

Mr Forster added: “Churchill was a brilliant man. His legacy continues because of the occasion of his appointment, because he was a great victor and that he was a colourful character, known for his trademark cigar and V sign.”

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, in London, will commemorate the speech by reading it aloud from its plaza in Whitehall dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk

  • A parade from Broad Street to St Mary’s Church in Banbury will mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain on Sunday, September 19, at 10.30am.