The Royal Mint - Honouring those who fought for control of the skies 75 years ago.
75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain CoinsIn the summer of 1940 Britain faced the threat of invasion. It would fall to brave young pilots and their crews to protect the country's defences - the Battle of Britain had begun. It was their finest hour - who can imagine the world today if they had failed in their task? Now, 75 years later, we honour the few with a commemorative 50p, the only official United Kingdom coin to be struck for this anniversary.
In 1940 France had fallen, and crossing the English Channel to continue the domination of Europe was the objective of Hitler's 'Operation Sea lion'. For Hitler to succeed Britain's defences would have to be weakened. Fighters and bombers took to the air on both sides, winning the aerial battle above Britain would be a key victory to secure.
The pilots had an average age of 21. They flew aircraft like the Spitfire and the Hurricane with skill and determination. Many pilots and their crews were lost in the Battle of Britain, but the Royal Air Force ultimately prevailed, turning Hitler's sights from our shores. We would live in a very different Britain today had they not succeeded. You can explore the stories of the Battle of Britain in the colourful display pack that houses the commemorative UK 50p struck to honour the 75th anniversary of this important battle. It is the only official coin to be released, and with its design showing airmen scrambling to their planes, not heeding the danger looming above, it truly echoes the spirit of the summer of 1940.
Designer InspirationGary Breeze is a sculptor working in stone and wood with major commissions found throughout the United Kingdom, including the Bali Bombing Memorial at Horse Guards Road, London and the Christ Church Cloister fountain in Oxford. Other notable work can be seen at the Scottish Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Chatsworth Gardens and The Victoria and Albert Museum as well as many universities and schools.
Gary continues to exhibit widely and was awarded the first Jerwood Contemporary Makers prize in 2008. That same year he won the prestigious Leverhulme Trust award for an artist residency at the University of Southampton department of Archaeology. This is his first coin for
The Royal Mint.
In some ways the Battle of Britain appeals to our innate joy at winning against tremendous odds. I wanted to celebrate that in one sense. But I think that remembering the cost of war is more relevant today. I spent a good deal of time concentrating on the machines at first, but the aircraft didn't say enough about the sacrifice of life or the meaning of the Battle today. My workshop consists of a small design team, which includes my brother Lee Breeze - he thought of the idea of focusing on the people rather than the machines of war.
My original design incorporated the quotation from Churchill - "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". The Few seemed like a great point of focus for this, and the scrambling airmen, running with enthusiasm to their potential deaths to protect us is an evocative image.
Coming towards the men is a swarm of aircraft. I've always recalled my Grandfather talking of the skies being dark because there were so many bombers. I believe he was in fact talking about our own planes flying out, but I wanted to illustrate that threat and sense of danger.
I would like people to be reminded of the selfless sacrifice of the Few. The airmen run away from us. They don't walk slowly to their fate, and we may never see them again."
Posted 07/08/2015 11:46 am
