Never was so much owed by so many to so few...

In September 1940 the Battle of Britain against Nazi Germany was at its height in the skies above southern England. Aircrew who had escaped occupied Europe joined the RAF with many others from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and all parts of what was then the British Empire.

In India, ordinary people collected much needed funds to finance the building of Spitfires to join the battle and in tribute, many RAF squadrons were named after Indian cities. But of all the nations that joined the RAF, it was Polish pilots who in particular distinguished themselves, losing more lives proportionate to their numbers than any single other nationality in the Battle. United for freedom, against fascism.

Philosophy Football have produced a commemorative shirt (above) to honour the Polish contribution, listing the Poles who gave their lives to join the 'few', with the symbol of the Polish airforce they carried on their Spitfires and Hurricanes, and the words 'For Freedom'. Wear it with pride, against fascism then and now.

Philosophy Football

‘My turban saved me in World War 2’

Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji was one of a few Indian ace flyers in the RAF and as the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain approaches, 91 year old Pujji has revealed how his turban had saved his life.

The young Sikh fighter was forced to crash land his fighter aircraft near the White Cliffs of Dover after a dogfight. After a dangerous crash landing and with serious head injuries, the young pilot was pulled from the wreckage of his Hurricane fighter plane. Sqdn Ldr Pujji gave his account of what happened and how his religious symbol saved him:

“The padding of my turban saved me, it was full of blood. I was taken to the hospital but after seven days I was back to flying again. In the fight a German bullet smashed into my dashboard and all my instruments were gone. Oil was pouring out of the engine and covered the windscreen. I asked for directions back to the nearest landing strip as I could see the Channel beneath me and it looked so cold – I really didn’t want to bail out.

“I could see the White Cliffs and I thought I would make it and then the landing strip appeared with fire engines around it. But as I put my landing gear down the fire took hold of the plane – there was blood pouring from my head but that six feet of wound cloth which makes up my turban saved me from worse impact injuries. People say you claim this as you are a religious man but I really think it was the case.”

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji explained that he signed up to the RAF after seeing an advert in an Indian newspaper titled: ‘Pilots needed for Royal Air Force.’ When he had learnt to fly in 1937 he became one of just eight pilots from the Empire colony good enough to fight. Mohinder Singh Pujji has also recently campaigned against the BNP and Nick Griffin for using the Iconic Spitfire as symbol; Pujji was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery.

The Sikh Times

Excalibur - what's new in the world of crap?

Excalibur - rubbish for all occasions

If there is one thing that the BNP can be relied upon for, it is that it embraces the grotesque in the guise of patriotism, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the catalogue of disasters that is the Excalibur stock list.

For some strange reason (possibly to do with the recent full moon), I found myself perusing the delightful 'What's New' section at the Excalibur site. It was rather like stepping into Harrods - everything was gaudy, overpriced and on many levels deeply offensive. Yet there is a compulsion to go on looking and a feeling akin to that you had when you were a kid and you picked at a scab on your knee. You know it's going to hurt, it's certainly not going to get any better and yet the lure of mingled pain and revulsion is irresistable.

Bizarrely, I expected Excalibur to have made some small concessions to the possibility that non-whites may have suffered a complete mental collapse and joined up after the recent rule change that finally allows them to become members of the party that has been slagging them off and lying about them for years. I was disappointed (though not entirely unexpectedly). The white mug is still there, as is the 'Golly Collection'. And the interminable (and terminally boring) tomes by Arthur Kemp, proving over and over again that the white man is superior in every way to anyone anywhere of any other colour ever, so there.

The white man - in the form of the third-rate market-stall trader Arthur Kemp - is certainly superior in stocking cheap crap for his gullible bargain-hunting customers to waste their hard-earned readies on. Here's an example, and I make no apologies to the companies who produce this rubbish (which, I'm told, are Chinese).

Tudor Educational Colouring Postcards A set of 4 colouring postcards with Tudor images on the front and a postcard design on the reverse with educational information. Each pack is supplied with 6 [very short] pencils.

There's far worse. Last year's Red, White and Blue, the BNP's annual piss-up and golly-burning weekend, was a disaster for the party. Even though it was the tenth RWB and was much publicised in party bulletins, it was poorly attended and, we're told, lost a great deal of money. It was also met by a massive demonstration by anti-fascists. Thus, the party is still trying to flog off all the T-shirts and badges it couldn't find buyers for at the RWB, nearly a year later. Free badge or not - it's still shite.

Special Offer: RWB 2009 T-Shirt and Badge
£10 Size Small Buy both official RWB 2009 T-Shirt and Badge together for just £10 postage and packaging included.

Naturally, the What's New section of Excalibur has books about Spitfires, Vikings, the evils of multi-culturalism - and an idea they nicked from us and our Yearbook - Headline: The Best of BNP News. Cheeky buggers. But tat and tackiness win the day, and this little delight should win a prize for the ghastliest piece of merchandise seen this year.

Union Jack Tie A smart tie containing a pattern made up of Union flags. Eyecatching.

Eye-watering, certainly. The worst is, however, reserved for last. In the interests of, no doubt, welcoming non-whites into the party, the BNP greets them with what can only be construed as a not so subtle warning should Nick Griffin ever become Queen.

Queen Elizabeth I's Blackamoore Expulsion Order It is not widely known that between 1596 and 1601, Queen Elizabeth I ordered the expulsion of all non-indigenous Third World people, whom she called "blackamoores" from Britain. Now, for the first time ever, Excalibur is proud to exclusively offer reproductions of the original expulsion orders...Both original handwritten orders have been reproduced in full on fine quality thick paper, suitable for framing or display.

Why? Why would anyone be 'proud' to offer a reproduction of an expulsion order for blacks, even if it is four hundred years old? Only a complete moron would want to have such a thing framed and hanging in his home and only a party that is unrepentantly and blatantly racist to the core would ever dream of selling such garbage.

What's new in Excalibur's world of crap? Not a lot really - but it certainly is all crap.

Spitfire is not BNP's to use, says Sikh pilot who fought the Nazis

One of the last surviving Indian Second World War fighter pilots has launched an attack on the BNP after it used images of a Spitfire in its campaign.

Mohinder Singh Pujji hit out at the far-Right party, and urged all British ethnic minorities not to shun the forces. The 92-year-old RAF Squadron Leader flew a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain and also met Sir Winston Churchill. He was one of only 18 Indian pilots in the RAF in the war, and the only Sikh to fly wearing his turban.

Sqn Ldr Pujji said he was outraged at the way the BNP has used imagery from the war: "The BNP are wrong to use the Spitfire as representative of their party. They forget people from different backgrounds helped in the Second World War. I am proof of this - I was flying a Spitfire. I also met Winston Churchill. Even in those days, there were ethnic minorities fighting for the British. I would recommend the armed forces for young people, regardless of race."

Sqn Ldr Pujji was born in Shimla, India, and volunteered for the RAF in 1940 after qualifying as a pilot in 1937.He was shot down twice and flew missions in North Africa and Burma, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he flew commercial airlines, settling in Newham before moving to Gravesend. He was made a freeman of Newham in 2005.

Last week BNP leader Nick Griffin announced his intention to contest the Barking constituency, in Newham's neighbouring borough, at the election.

London Evening Standard

Outrage as BNP hijacks South Wales VE Day photograph

Former residents of a South Wales street have hit out at the BNP for “hijacking” a picture of their VE Day party

Family members were shocked to see the photograph of the event in Cromwell Street, Merthyr Tydfil, used as a backdrop by the far-right party at an event in Manchester. They have now called on BNP leader Nick Griffin to apologise for using the image and to stop using the picture in publicity.

It is not the first time the BNP has been attacked for using a wartime image. It was previously accused of attempting to “hijack” the reputation of the military by using images of Spitfires and caused outrage by claiming that Winston Churchill would join the British National Party if he were alive today.

The Cromwell Street image appeared in the background when BNP leader Mr Griffin addressed a media conference at a Manchester pub in June, days after he was elected as MEP for the North West of England. The 1945 picture had been superimposed on a backdrop for Mr Griffin, and emblazoned with BNP and VE DAY. It wasn’t until after the picture was printed in a national newspaper that people in Merthyr became aware of its use by the party.

Irate former headteacher and ex-serviceman Lyn Perkins was reading the article when he spotted what he thought was a familiar face in the foreground. As he took a closer look he also recognised the street. Mr Perkins, now 82, had enlisted in the Navy, aged 17, two months before the war ended.

“I suppose there are many people in this photograph still alive and there must be lots of people who, like me, would be incensed that the photograph was used in support of the BNP,” he said. “I was looking at it and thought ‘Good gracious. I’m sure I know that girl’ and that’s what made me look at it more closely. I would think most of the people in that photograph would not want to be associated with the BNP. I certainly think there should be an apology from Nick Griffin.”

When Malcolm Sweet, 66, who was at the party as a small boy, saw the representation for the first time he said: “I think it’s a total disgrace that the BNP has done this. I certainly don’t agree with Nick Griffin’s politics. My mother and father are also in the picture but are obscured by him. I’d like to know where they got this.”

Alan George’s mother Phyllis can be seen on the extreme left and sister Brenda is second from left on the left-hand bench.

“I’ve seen the picture used before but I really don’t like this,” said Mr George, 64, who runs an Old Merthyr picture archive website. “I’m pretty much disgusted. I don’t like anything the BNP do or represent. I think an apology is in order. They should not use it as part of any campaign and should withdraw it.”

And sister Brenda Prosser, 68, said: “I find it offensive. The BNP has now hijacked our street party. I don’t particularly like the idea of being associated even in this way with the BNP. I don’t like their politics.”

But BNP spokesman John Walker defended the use and was adamant the BNP would not apologise for using it.

“This was a grainy black and white photo, which was only partly visible because it was used with logos over it,” he said. “It was a representation of the wartime theme that we used to great effect as part of our European election campaign which we called The Battle for Britain Campaign. The BNP was not even in existence when these photographs were taken. So how could there be any suggestion that these people could be associated? How could anyone infer that from a photo taken in 1945?

“Do people expect the BNP to have to try to trace every single person in a grainy old photograph from 1945? It’s a ridiculous proposition and people should just see this for what it was. It was a representation of the wartime spirit . It doesn’t imply any of these people would support the BNP 70 years later. Most of the people must be dead to be honest, all the adults would be. At the end of the day we are not going to stop using it and not going to apologise. We just see this as another pathetic attack against the BNP.”

Wales Online

BNP Euro election leaflet amended

Click on image to see it full-size

After being caught out this week the BNP have seemingly issued an amended Euro election leaflet. The new leaflet still has the same images but the text is a lot more accurate and clearer for the British public to understand.

Thanks to Tideswellman for the link. :-)

BNP use POLISH plane in campaign poster despite plans to ban East European migrants

British National Party chairman Nick Griffin speaks at a fundraiser with the
campaign poster featuring the Polish squadron plane in the background

The British National Party was ridiculed last night for fronting its anti-immigration campaign with a picture of a Polish Spitfire.

Its poster for the European elections, for which its manifesto includes a ban on Eastern European migrant workers, shows the Second World War plane above the slogan ‘Battle for Britain’. But Air Force history experts have identified that the aircraft was actually flown by the RAF’s 303 Squadron – made up of expatriate Poles rescued from France shortly before Nazi occupation.

BNP party chiefs defended their use of the image and insisted they knew all about
the background. But John Hemming, MP for Yardley, Birmingham, ridiculed this claim. He also condemned the far-Right party for using the image of Polish heroism in a campaign that includes stemming immigration from Poland.

He said: ‘The BNP often get confused and this happens because they haven’t done their research. This is just another example of them getting it wrong. They have a policy to send Polish people back to Poland – yet they are fronting their latest campaign using this plane. It is absurd to make claims about Englishness and Britishness fronted by this image. It’s obvious they just picked an image at random and they are really clutching at straws if they say this was deliberate.’

The 303 Squadron was the most effective Polish squadron during the Second World War. During the Battle of Britain Polish pilots shot down 203 Luftwaffe aircraft which stood for 12 per cent of total German losses in the battle.

A Royal Air Force museum spokesman said: ‘The Spitfire in the poster can be identified as belonging to 303 Squadron of the Polish Air Force by the code letters ‘RF’ painted in front of the RAF roundel. 303 Squadron operated Spitfires from Northolt, Kirton- in-Lindsey, Coltishall and other RAF stations in the UK between 1941 and 1945 after flying Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain.’

BNP spokesman Simon Darby said: ‘The 2009 election campaign poster features a spitfire plane and represents the Battle of Britain. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Polish squadron plane at all. It’s a symbol of Britain’s struggle at the moment. Using that plane doesn’t go against our policies. It’s not a question of disliking the Polish people – it’s just a question of economics.’

The poster is being used by the BNP to promote its election campaign in general and specifically a series of black tie dinner events with leader Nick Griffin as the speaker. In 1998 he was found guilty of inciting race hatred at Harrow Crown Court for denying that the Holocaust took place.

The campaign has already seen the threat of legal action from Dame Vera Lynn over their use of her song White Cliffs of Dover on a BNP album of Second World War songs.

Daily Mail