They are the last remaining heroes of the glorious Few, whose daring and bravery saved Britain from Nazi tyranny.
Of the dwindling band of men, who were part of the near 3,000-strong aircrew who served with the RAF Fighter Command between July 10 and October 31 1940, just eight surviving members of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association remain.
Many of the men were still teenagers or in their early 20s when they repelled Hitler’s Luftwaffe in what may be the most important battle this country has ever fought.
There are just eight surviving members of the glorious Few, the RAF servicemen who fought in the Battle of Britain and saved the country from Nazi invasion
Nearly 3,000 aircrew served with the RAF Fighter Command between July 10 and October 31 1940. Many were teenagers when they climbed into the cockpit and at the time the average life expectancy for British pilots was just four weeks
Heroes: Battle of Britain pilots posed for a photo with Prince Charles at Clarence House in London. Left back: Sqn Ldr Tony Iveson, Wg Cdr Dick Summers, Luiz Flower, Wg Cdr Bob Foster, Prince of Wales, Sqn Ldr Wellum, Flt Lt Ronald Smyth, Flt Lt William Walker. Front, Fg Off Ken Wilkinson, Wg Cdr TNeil, Flt Lt Owen Burns, Sqn Ldr Graham Leggett, Wg Cdr Terry Kane, Flt Lt Richard Jones, Sqn Ldr Nigel Rose. Today, only Sqn Ldr Wellum and Wg Cdr T Neil are with us
The men took to the skies in Spitfires, Hurricanes, Blenheims, Beaufighters and Defiants in the summer of 1940 to fend off the Nazis. They shot down plane after plane to hold off an invasion and provide a platform for the Allies to win the war
Flight Lieutenant Maurice Hewlett Mounsdon (left, while serving in the RAF) and Wing Commander Thomas Francis Neil (right) are among eight of the brave Few still with us today
Flight Lieutenant William Terence Clark (left) and Wing Commander Paul Caswell Farnes (right) fought in the Battle of Britain and are still alive today
The average life expectancy for British pilots at the time of the battle was just four weeks.
Three of the pilots, Flight Flight Lieutenant Ron Smyth, 96, Squadron Leader Stuart Nigel Rose, 99, and Flight Lieutenant Philip Anthony Loweth, 96, have died in the last two months.
Hurricane pilot Mr Loweth, of Exeter, died on September 7.
Mr Rose passed away on September 10 and was laid to rest in his home town of Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
To mark his burial a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performed three flypasts over St Eignon Church.
Mr Smyth, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, died at his home in Shrewsbury on October 26.
This leaves just eight men left, according to the Association, which represents RAF veterans.
Their website lists Flight Lieutenant William Terence Clark, Wing Commander John Francis Durham Elkington, Wing Commander Paul Caswell Farnes, Squadron Leader J. S. Hart, Flight Lieutenant William Robert Kent Hughes, Flight Lieutenant Maurice Hewlett Mounsdon, Wing Commander Thomas Francis Neil and Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum as the last heroes still with us today.
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum, pictured here speaking to Prince Charles following a service to mark the 77th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, is one of eight members of the Few still alive today
Three of the pilots, Flight Flight Lieutenant Ron Smyth, 96, Squadron Leader Stuart Nigel Rose, 99, and Flight Lieutenant Philip Anthony Loweth, 96, have died in the last two months
Flight Flight Lieutenant Ron Smyth, 96, (pictured left aged 85 and right while serving in the RAF) who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, died at his home in Shrewsbury on October 26
Squadron Leader Stuart Nigel Rose, 99, passed away on September 10 and was laid to rest in Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire. To mark his burial a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performed three flypasts over St Eignon Church
During the Battle, Sir Winston Churchill said: ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’
The men took to the skies in Spitfires, Hurricanes, Blenheims, Beaufighters and Defiants in the summer of 1940 to fend off the Nazis.
They shot down plane after plane to hold off an invasion and provide a platform for the Allies to win the war.
Survivors were awarded the Battle of Britain clasp.
During the Battle, Sir Winston Churchill said: ‘The gratitude of every home in our island, in our empire, and indeed throughout the world, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion.
‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’
When the Battle of Britain was over, 544 RAF pilots and aircrew had made the ultimate sacrifice.
John Pulver, managing director of the Battle of Britain Historical Society, told the Sunday Express: ‘It is very sad that these heroes are dying out and taking their stories and memories with them.
‘They gave so much for us all.
‘They turned the tide of the war and what they did was up there with great British victories, such as the Battle of Waterloo.’