Members of the Probus Club in front of a Battle of Britain Spitfire (Image: Richard Priestley)
A 30-strong group from the Probus Club of Audley End recently embarked on a poignant journey to Bentley Priory in Stanmore.
Once an Augustinian Friary, the home of dowager Queen Adelaide, and a girls' boarding school, the priory was bought by the Royal Air Force in 1926, becoming the operation nerve centre of the Battle of Britain in 1940.
The group toured the office of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, commander-in-chief of Fighter Command, visited the Filter Room - viewing maps used in relation to radar - and the Rotunda, which is dedicated to British and Allied airmen.
Geoff White, the organiser of the visit, said: "This was a moving experience to learn about a significant operation in the history of our country."
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