The Battle of Britain

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Thank you for giving me the chance to speak, Sir Desmond. I thank the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for allowing us all to sow into this debate, and boy did he set the right tone for it. Every one of us respects him for that—well done to him. I am pleased to see the hon. and gallant Minister in his place. He understands the issues that we talk about because he has lived them, and I very much look forward to his response to our contributions on a subject that we all love. It is a pleasure to see the shadow Minister, the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), in his place; we see his passion for this subject in every intervention he makes on it. I thank the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. and gallant Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire)—she has served as well—in advance for her contribution, too.

Members will be aware—I am always very proud to say this—that I served in the Territorial Army, the Royal Artillery and the Ulster Defence Regiment for some 14 and a half years as a part-time soldier, both in an anti-terrorism role and at the time of the iron curtain. I believe that gives me a small understanding of what service means, and I regard it with great honour. Having seen the impact of service on so many of my comrades over the years, it is with that personal view that I approach discussions concerning our veterans. The Minister encapsulates—I am not giving him a big head—the thing that I want for our veterans and, I think, that we all want for our veterans. We thank him for standing by them, as he always does.

I am aware that, as time moves on and values change, a shifting narrative of the wars and the actions that we took is appearing. The acts of courage and valour that we once held as a gold standard are increasingly being seen by some as acts of shame, and that concerns me greatly. Today, we sometimes look on those acts through a distorted modern lens that could never accurately portray the reality of war in the 1900s, or of the RAF during the second world war, which this debate is all about. I believe that the greatest commemoration of the battle of Britain is the education of our children to accurately reflect that war and the lessons learned, and I will try to focus on that.

We must ensure that every cycle of children who go through school receives more than simply an hour-long lesson on a battle fought back in the 1900s, as our young people now categorise anything that is over 20 years old. As a pensioner—indeed, well by a pensioner— I listen to my grandchildren and children, and they perhaps do not always see the sacrifices made over the years. Children must be taught the reasons the war was fought and the bravery of those who boarded the ships on D-day, those on the planes at the battle of Britain, which everyone has spoken about, and those behind the intelligence gathering that allowed men of influence to make decisions that they knew would sacrifice the lives of thousands to save the lives of millions. The hon. Member for Honiton and Sidmouth (Richard Foord) referred to Winston Churchill’s words:

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

As we all know, Winston Churchill was an incredible capturer of the English language and was able to say things with words that were so effective and helped the nation.

While I absolutely support the hon. Member for Tewkesbury in his wish to recognise the battle of Britain as one of the most important battles of the 20th century, it is my firm belief that true commemoration has to be much more than that. There has to be a determination to ensure that true history is not skewed or changed, but honoured in our education systems. The battle of Britain is certainly worthy of that honour.

Northern Ireland more than played her part in that battle, and I want to give a couple of examples of the role of the RAF in Northern Ireland. In my constituency of Strangford, the RAF was stationed at Ards airport and at Ballyhalbert airport, where the Polish squadron was based. About 10 years ago, a memorial was made at the Ards war memorial in Ards town for the Polish pilots. Some of them came and died in their battles, but some came and stayed. I always say that when any young men such as those pilots come to Northern Ireland and meet a Northern Irish girl, she is always special. More often than not, they do not go home; they stay in Northern Ireland. We happen to have that talent, I believe, among us menfolk. I am a one-woman man, by the way—I make that very clear. My wife has been very good for me over the years and has settled me down a bit, and I thank her for making that be the case. Without her I would not be half the man I am.

The tradition of RAF service in my constituency has also been carried through by the air cadets. In Regent House school in Newtownards, we have one of the largest detachments of air cadets. I am always minded— I attended a memorial service just before Easter—that 1,000 people or thereabouts were killed when the Luftwaffe attacked shipbuilding and aerospace sites during the Belfast blitz. I do not know why, but the Luftwaffe came down and bombed Newtownards as well, and 13 young Irish Fusiliers were killed. It is sometimes good to remember that the battles were not only in London, or in the north-east, Scotland and Wales, but in Northern Ireland, when the Luftwaffe went straight across to Northern Ireland, but our men and women of course served in uniform, and conscription was never needed there.

Northern Ireland has a proud aviation history, and it hosted military airfields such as RAF Sydenham. Those facilities were used by various squadrons, including those of the United States air force and of Polish forces. Again, that is a reminder that the horrors of war did not stop at Dover, but carried right on over. Northern Ireland produced vital fighter pilots for the battle of Britain, with at least some 28 serving. Notable among them was Brendan Finucane, one of the Irish pilots who fought for Britain. We sometimes need to be reminded that the Irish nation also contributed to the war against Nazism. The Republic of Ireland stayed neutral during the war, but there were many who fought, and today many serve in uniform in the Northern Irish regiments and those here on the mainland as well.

Belfast was a major industrial centre and made significant contributions to the allied war effort by producing naval ships, aircraft and munitions, which made it a target for the Luftwaffe during the Belfast blitz. Northern Ireland hosted the crucial No. 9 Group RAF headquarters at RAF Barton Hall. It was established in September 1940 to control fighter operations in north-west England and Northern Ireland, including bases such as RAF Limavady and RAF Ballykelly, which were vital for protecting Atlantic convoys. Churchill said that Northern Ireland’s contribution in the war was of such significance because we helped the convoys coming over from the United States and had our Air Force there to respond.

The naval historian John Hewitt made clear the role of Northern Ireland in our victory in the second world war when he stated very clearly:

“If we hadn’t won the Battle of Britain the Nazis would have invaded England and there’s no doubt about it. We would not have the freedom that we have today and Northern Ireland’s fighter pilots played a key role.”

However, I am not convinced that schools throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are explaining this history, and I believe we need to do that as the ultimate tribute to and commemoration of the battle of Britain. We need to once again instil a pride in our armed forces, whose courage and loyalty is the stuff of legends and worthy of our honour and regard.

I congratulate the hon. Member for Tewkesbury, and indeed every Member who has spoken or intervened, on what has been an incredible debate and one of those debates that has inspired us. I look to the Minister to bring to the Cabinet the determination we have, and which I know he has, to teach such commemoration and allow our children to once again have that pride in being British. I love telling people that I am British because I am proud to be British. We stood alone and faced a threat of terror and oppression, and the blood that ran through the veins of the people in those days still runs through each of ours. We must honour that and honour them in living memory.