The Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary
US Citizen Plaque Project

The tradition of remembrance has deep roots in British and Commonwealth history. The legacy of British and Commonwealth service in the USA is often overlooked, yet it is profoundly present. Soldiers, sailors and airmen, far from home, were among the casualties in conflicts that helped shape our modern world. Their graves are scattered across the US, from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, to the Florida keys. BCRP arranges annual visits to each of these graves in the months of October & November. These acts of remembrance are not just symbolic; they are deeply personal and profoundly meaningful.

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But remembrance is not confined to the past. In partnership with the RAF Gp Capt Simon Nevin OBE, UK Assistant Air & Space Attaché to the US, the BCRP has spent 2024/5, led a project to name and promote the individual US Citizens who fought in the Battle of Britain. This involved working with RAF Air Historical Branch, the Royal Canadian Air Force and various historians to research the first complete list of US citizens who fought in the Battle of Britain. Many of these brave men went on to fight in the Eagle Squadrons, but some like Flt Lt C R Davis DFC and PO W M L "Billy" Fiske III, would not survive the Battle.

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These men came from across the US nation, from the Midwest farmland, to the Industrial cities and the sunny hills of Hollywood. Some like Arthur "Art" Donohue, Eugene "Red" Tobin, Andrew Mamedoff, Phillip Leckrone and Vernon "Shorty" Keogh were well established pilots. Fiske learned to fly with the Auxiliary Air Force while John K Haviland, Alexander Zatonski and De Peyster Brown joined up and learned to fly following the outbreak of war.

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The second part of this project was to erect memorials to their valor and courage in the home states of each pilot. This mammoth undertaking has required large scale fundraising. But the result has been that men, women and children living in these states 85years later will not forget the names of Alexander Zatonski, Andrew Mamedoff, Arthur Donohue, W. "Billy" Fiske, Carl Raymond Davis, De Peyster Brown, Eugene Tobin, John K Haviland Phillip Leckrone, and Vernon Keogh. These plaques have been placed in schools, historical societies, museums and colleges. The project has will also present copies of these plaques to the US Air Force Academy and the RAF College Cranwell. This will ensure that their inspiring courageous histories will continue to be told, and they will be remembered. 

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This powerful gesture not only honors their courage but also symbolizes the enduring bond between the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

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The Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary US Citizen Plaque Project reminds us that remembrance is not a passive act. It is a living, breathing commitment to honor those who gave their lives for freedom, and to educate future generations about the cost of peace. A peace which continues to unite communities across borders and generations.

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