WORCESTER’S nationally recognised military historian Dilip Sarkar is going back on the road again.

After a self imposed exile of more than 12 years, the Battle of Britain expert, who was made an MBE for his efforts, is organising a national tour to remind the country just how much it owes to the fighter pilot heroes of the Second World War.

It starts with an event at the University of Worcester and will then progress into a series of lectures all over the UK.

Mr Sarkar, the author of 36 books, said: “I have not spoken publicly on the Battle of Britain or any military subject since 2006, but am now putting together an extensive diary of events nationally.

“The reason I have chosen to host the first at the University of Worcester is because I spent several very happy years there achieving a First in Modern History and think the University a terrific facility and resource for the city. Moreover, it is good to start here, in Worcester, where it all began so many years ago.”

His prolific writing career started in the mid-1980s when he was still a West Mercia police officer. He explained: “I sought out and interviewed the Few, sometimes face-to-face or through protracted correspondence leading to lasting friendships. The number of Battle of Britain Spitfire and Hurricane pilots involved is countless, but over a hundred provided accounts for my book ‘The Few’  in 2009. 

“These friendships and unprecedented level of support included those who had disappeared into obscurity in addition to the most famous ‘aces’ of them all, such as Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, the RAF’s top-scoring fighter pilot of WW2, and other personalities such as Lady Bader, widow of Sir Douglas, and Lady Dowding, daughter-in-law of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command in 1940.

“These relationships led to access to innumerable personal archives and the collation of my huge collective archive of correspondence, documents and photographs. This enabled me to produce and share original material - and led to me hosting massively popular book launches and lectures in Worcester and Malvern between 1992 and 2002, which became firm fixtures in the enthusiasts’ calendar.

People travelled from all over the world to meet personalities from the pages of history, which was exactly why I did this - to provide the public with what was a unique opportunity that was not going to last forever.

“Unfortunately the programme was cut short owing to my father’s death in 2001. After this I wound things up for a while until briefly rekindling in 2005, but wound up again in 2006 for personal reasons. Now all of the Few who attended our events are deceased and only one Spitfire pilot from the wider war who did so still remains alive.

"Indeed, only eight Battle of Britain aircrew are currently still with us. This has made me realise how unique my memories and knowledge of the Few are and I feel I have a moral obligation to share them. Recording and sharing their memories was the original objective of my work; so now enthusing and telling people about these wonderful people and their exciting adventures is the contribution I can continue to make in their absence.”

Dilip Sarkar’s University of Worcester event on Sunday, April 7 will begin with a lecture titled “‘I Knew the Few.’” He said: “This relates to the stories of a small number of the Few I knew, including Wing Commander Roger Boulding, who flew the presentation Spitfire ‘City of Worcester II’, and Flight Lieutenant Bob Poulton DFC who flew ‘The Malverns’.

“My second session, ‘The Blast of War’, explores my research into those still missing, explaining my research for ‘Arnhem 1944: The Human Tragedy of the Bridge Too Far’ and especially looking at the case of Private Gilbert Anderson, whose niece will be in the audience.

“My special guest Jim Nicolson will be talking about his uncle, Wing Commander JB Nicolson, recipient of Fighter Command’s only WW2 VC, sharing precious family photographs and documents. Hopefully we will have a Spitfire pilot in the audience too.”

For more information, go to www.ourfinesthour.net/events/