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Having read the story I feel that a few issues are misrepresented. The Hawkinge Funday is an annual event like any other Village Fete, it is a day for the local families to get together, share activities and meet others from their village. This year due to the 40th anniversary of the film 'Battle of Britain' (partly filmed in Hawkinge) it was decided to give a theme to this annual event and thereby hopefully attracting the interest of the younger generations. I live in Hawkinge myself and have been very dissapointed that, when Spitfires and Hurricanes do a fly over, kids don't even look up anymore, likewise you do not see many teenagers visiting the fantastically informative Battle of Britain museum. I feel therefore that this is a great way for young families and young people to actually learn something about what happened in the exact place where the funday is held during that fateful summer.

To say for people to go and visit the Battle of Britain Memorial is, in the real world, not something many youths will ever do out of themselves.

Although the title 'funday could perhaps have been better chosen, let's not forget the aim of this day and be positive about this event and try to ignite a spark of interest in this subject amongst our youth, rather than have this kind of negative outlook, for kids it needs to be fun to be interesting, this is why they like to build model aircraft kits, and have colour charts with war planes, war flight simulators etc, could these all be classed as disrespectful as well?

As a last point, it would always be nice for those who will financially gain from this event to show their respect, perhaps by donating to the local Battle of Britain charity, the Kent Battle of Britain museum.

Dear Editor,

I'm disappointed by Bob M's comments about the Fun Day, and they merit a reply to clarify a few facts.

The annual Fun Day has been successfully run since 2004 by the Community Events Group which I chair. Although we get some funding and administrative support from the Hawkinge Partnership, we operate independently.

The Battle of Britain theme (BOB) has been adopted for this year's event as 2008 is the 40th anniversary of the making of the film of that name, and our chosen date of 13 September is very close to the official BOB day on the 15th.

Our intention is to celebrate and commemorate Hawkinge's part in that epic and decisive battle.

Previous Fun Days have included Inflatable attractions for the younger visitors, and refreshments and food for all. That is quite normal for such an event. However, the local Parish Council and Partnership attended, as did youth, sports, special interest and religious groups.

The term "Fun Day" is generic - it was called that in 2004 and the name has stuck, It could equally be called a gala, fête, summer day or a host of other names, but we've stayed with the "brand" that everyone knows.

To promote the BOB theme and to encourage education about the period, we plan to invite aeronautical museums, the British Legion, the RAF association, the RAF careers unit, the Land Army, the Air Training Corps. There is no better way to engage and educate young people than to put them face to face with serving or former servicemen and women. I've explained our aims to a former RAF pilot who co-wrote "The Narrow Margin", the book on which the BOB film was based, and he's keen to help. We also hope to arrange a flypast of some of the magnificent aircraft of the period. Last year the Army Cadets attended and provided activities and a display which were extremely popular with everyone. What better way to learn about what the army does.

Yes, we can encourage people to visit the BOB Memorial, but they can do that any day. I've taken my own children there, as well as to Commonwealth cemeteries in Flanders and France. A poignant visit was to the cemetery in Evreux where a member of my family is buried. He died in a Lancaster in 1944 just one month before his 21st birthday. It was a privilege to research his history and meet a member of his former crew. I do understand service, sacrifice, loss and gratitude.

I'm disappointed that our aims and efforts have been misrepresented so badly by Bob M. The presence of so many people at the Fun Day is a perfect opportunity to educate them as well as to entertain. I'm not going to continue the debate in this web site. If Bob would like to clarify any further points with me he can contact me through the Partnership Office. Alternatively he can come and help the Group - our next meeting is at 1900 on Wednesday 27 February at the Partnership

Yours faithfully,

Chris Johnson

Sir

It is disingenuous of the Hawkinge Partnership to justify their use of the term “Fun Day”, in the context of the Battle of Britain, as a generic brand name and therefore appropriate and acceptable.

It is not.

In the House of Commons on 20th August 1940 Winston Churchill concluded a speech in tribute to the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain with the immortal words “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. "

Spitfire Pilot Howard Perry Hill made his own way from New Zealand as a teenager in 1939 to fight with the Royal Air Force. He was shot down and killed near West Hougham on September 20th 1940. He was just 20 years of age. He is buried at Hawkinge Cemetery Plot O. Row 1. Grave 30.

And now 68 years later Hawkinge Partnership plans to commemorate this historical milestone with a “Fun Day”.

Not in my name.

BobM