THE MEMORIAL OF THE FAFL IN GREAT BRITAIN

In June 1940, France put an end to the collapse of its armies. It chose the armistice. This surrender marked the beginning of a human adventure without equal in our history — that of Frenchmen who chose to remain free. In order to continue the fight, they joined England.

For the fortunate ones, the choice of commitment was made under the uniform of the air force. Licensed pilots, Air Force volunteers, simple graduates, craftsmen, workers — this youth joined Great Britain to serve. The United Kingdom did not have the structures needed to receive them; improvisation was required. Within a few weeks, the first pilots were trained and went to join British squadrons. They served from the Battle of Britain onwards. A hundred others, still in training, followed the highly selective RAF path with an overwhelming challenge: to earn, through merit and courage, their pilot's wings.

This book retraces the history of these young airmen, committed to the liberation of France and among the first of the FAFL. It is written in the light of the testimonies of the last survivors of this adventure. To illustrate it, several hundred photographs drawn from albums stored in trunks, insignia, logbooks, and military papers and archives were found. They illuminate these previously unpublished pages. The journey of the first volunteers was not without losses. Many of them fell in the very first weeks. This book is dedicated to them.

More than 400 photographs and documents, most of them previously unpublished, from family archives.