WINSTON Churchill called it the battle upon which depends the survival of Christian civilisation, adding if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour,'

Now the last of the few who took part in the Battle of Britain between July and October 1940 are in their neediest hour and members of the York branch of the Royal Air Force Association are urging residents to dig deep and help out our airmen and women as the country marks the battle's 75th anniversary.

It's part of the city's annual Wings Appeal and organiser Maureen Smith says she hopes they can beat the £5,200 raised last year.

We certainly hope so. All of us owe a huge debt to people who were prepared sacrifice their lives in order for us to live free from tyranny. They died before most of us were born but that is no reason for them to stray far from our memories.

It would be impossible to hope to repay that debt, but in giving generously to this year's Wings Appeal at least we can help fund welfare and support to their colleagues and successors who fought on our behalf during and since the Second World War.

As Churchill said: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Please, in this especially poignant year, do all you can to help.