Battle of Britain: Red Arrows delight Cardiff residents with display over city

ITV Wales Correspondent Richard Morgan attended the launch of the City Hall Battle of Britain exhibition

The Red Arrows treated Cardiff to a flypast to pay tribute to the vital role played by Wales in the Battle of Britain.

The colourful display was seen over the capital city on Thursday morning, with many people taking to social media to share their delight at seeing the Royal Air Force planes.

It's to mark the launch of a City Hall exhibition, which will tell the story of Battle of Britain fighter aces and commanders from Wales who defended these islands from Nazi attack and the Welsh airfields which trained fighter pilots.

Many schoolchildren were lucky to take their class outdoors to enjoy the view.

The exhibition at City Hall will feature pilots like Sgt Glyn Griffiths - a former gas engineer from Llandudno who shot down seven enemy aircraft.

It will highlight the role played by Welsh squadron commanders such as Edward Graham from Ebbw Vale who bravely led his flight of six fighters to attack more than 50 enemy aircraft.

The important job of bases such as RAF Hawarden in training Spitfire pilots for the battle will be highlighted as will the role of the RAF's only fighter airfield in Wales - Pembrey in Carmarthenshire.

It will tell also of the 17 Welsh pilots who were killed in action during the battle and of the terrible price paid by Welsh cities like Swansea where hundreds were killed in German bombing raids.

Originally scheduled to be held for the 80th anniversary of the Battle in 2020, the event was postponed due to coronavirus and is being held a year later in the week of Battle of Britain Day. That day – 15 September – is seen as the decisive day in 1940 when Nazi aircraft losses were so high that they knew they could not defeat the RAF and proceed with an invasion of Britain.