With September very much being the Battle of Britain month, Gini Carlin from BFBS Gibraltar has put together five short pieces involving personnel from RAF Gibraltar past and present, speaking about their roles in the present day (and thirty years ago) RAF and the roles they would have been doing during the Battle of Britain.

Squadron Leader Richard Kinniburgh is the Executive Officer at RAF Gibraltar but harks back to his 1940 persona, the Officer that made sure the pilots had what they needed to complete the mission. Retired Sgt Derek Booth, who served in the RAF in Gib in the 80s as the Command photographer, talks about his role equipping mosquitoes and Spitfire reconnaissance aircraft. Flt Lt Avril Webb, the Air Safety Manager at RAF Gib becomes Flight Officer Avril Webb a radio operator of the Women’s Auxiliary Airforce, while Flt Lt Dave Ayton, OC Engineering Wing in Gib, tells of the problems of fatigue and worries of losing the Battle of Britain as an aircraft engineer. Chief Technician Simon Thorley, a weapons technician in today’s RAF, becomes a 1940s armourer, making sure bombers and fighters are loaded up quickly and turned around to do their job, and tells of the pain of seeing brothers in arms flying off and never flying back again.

A nostalgic look back to the heritage of today’s Royal Air Force, especially in Gibraltar, in “Their Finest Hour”.

This podcast includes:

A wing and a prayer – Sqn Ldr Richard Kinniburgh

They can’t black out the moon – Rtd Sgt Derek Booth

I fell in love with an airman – Flt Lt Avril Webb

The Victory Roll – Flt Lt Dave Ayton

Praise the Lord (and pass the ammunition) – Chief Technician Simon Thorley