Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed, by so many, to so few.

It goes without saying that each and every one us will, at some time, have either heard this famous quote or read it.

Wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered this speech, of which this line is just an excerpt, to champion the on-going bravery of the RAF’s pilots as they engaged the German Luftwaffe in the pivotal air battle of the Second World War.

For make no mistake, had these pilots lacked the courage, skill and commitment which they unerringly displayed during every hour of this conflict, our own lives now might be very different.

Oxford would doubtless still stand, and chances are, function much the same as it does today, but the spirit and soul of every person living here would, almost inevitably, have been skewed by the evil grip of Nazism.

The fact that we live in the society we do, which, for all its current faults, is compassionate, caring and dedicated to recognising the basic human rights of each and every individual, is testament to those brave few who flew and fought with a courage almost unimaginable.

Astonisingly, some of these few still live, here in Oxfordshire, today.

We, quite simply, salute you.