Remembering wartime heroes (From York Press)

Remembering wartime heroes

8:04am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

AN RAF charity is preparing to take its annual appeal on to the streets of York this weekend.

Members of The Royal Air Forces Association will be collecting for ithe Wings Appeal in city centre streets such as Parliament Street, Coney Street and the Coppergate Centre between 10am and 4pm on Saturday.

They will then resume their collecting at the railway station next Monday and Tuesday, said branch spokesman Ray Kidd.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, members will attend a Battle of Britain memorial service at the Minster, starting at 11.30am.

Mr Kidd said the Battle of Britain had been one of the defining moments of this nation’s history.

“Each September, the RAFA Battle of Britain Wings Appeal commemorates the heroic sacrifices made not only by the young men of Fighter Command who withstood the German onslaught during those summer months in 1940, but also of all members of the RAF who died in the air and on the ground.”

Mr Kidd said the association’s York branch was formed in 1946 and, as a registered charity, it provided comradeship and welfare support for serving and ex-serving RAF personnel and their dependants.

Road closures will be put in place on several streets in the centre of York on Saturday as the city’s Freedom Parade takes place.

Cars will be prevented from using Duncombe Place, Blake Street, Davygate, Parliament Street, High Ousegate, Spurriergate, Coney Street, St Helen’s Square, Deangate and St Sampson’s Square between 7am and 1pm on Saturday.

The parade will see the commander and crew of HMS York exercise their Freedom of the City for the final time.