A BATTLE in the skies of Britain that marked a vital turning point for the allies in the Second World War was remembered at a special ceremony.

Scores of people - including Lord Mayor of Oxford Jean Fooks and several air cadets - yesterday attended a commemorative service at St Michael at the North Gate.

The service was held to honour the airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain - a conflict which saw the entire Royal Air Force defend the country against the attacking Luftwaffe.

It was led by Rev Bob Wilkes, who commended the fallen airmen of the battle and spoke of the lessons learned from their sacrifice.

Mrs Fooks, Oxford’s Lord Mayor, attended the service and performed a reading.

She said: “At the time of the battle people in this country felt our whole way of life and the things we valued were under threat - and people thought it was worth doing everything they could do defend that.

“Hitler thought he could bring Britain to its knees but people pulled out all the stops.

“These people went out knowing that the chances of them coming back were not great. It’s important to remember the sacrifice they made and why they made it.”

She added that the rendition of The Last Post by Stephen Cutting was the most beautiful she had heard.

Flight lieutenant Michael Levett, commanding officer of 150 (City of Oxford) Squadron Air Training Corps, attended the service will several cadets.

He emphasised the importance of passing the lessons learned from the Battle of Britain to new generations, adding: “The Battle of Britain is so significant because it changed Hitler’s plans of invasion - and because of the sacrifice of such a small group of pilots and the difference that made.

“We have an evening before the service when we talk about the battle. Quite a lot of the cadets do engage with it. For new cadets in particular it’s a real eye opener and does make them think about things.”

At the end of the service, Rev Wilkes led cadets and others from the congregation on a procession to the war memorial in St Giles’, where a wreath was laid.

Elsewhere in Oxfordshire, a military parade moved through the streets of Banbury prior to a service at St Mary’s Church, to commemorate Battle of Britain Day.

Battle of Britain Day is held each year on September 15, dedicated to the large scale aerial conflict that took place on that day in 1940.

Nazi Germany thought a fierce and large-scale bombing campaign on London could coerce the UK into negotiating a peace settlement.

The RAF deployed and successfully fought off the attacking fleet of German planes in what was the climax of the Battle of Britain.

With the home base secure, the RAF could turn its efforts to wider tasks, making a number of contributions to an allied victory.

The clash has been described as the first major military campaign to be fought entirely by air forces.