A CENTURY of bravery was remembered at the Trowbridge War Memorial on Sunday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force.

Members from the local RAF group, the Royal British Legion, the 2196 Squadron and dozens of others gathered at 4pm for a gathering to pay tribute to the men and women who served in the United Kingdom’s aerial warfare force.

Chairman of the Trowbridge and West Wiltshire branch of the RAF Association, Mike Sale, and Reverend Jane Palmer gave speeches at the service too.

“The RAF has played a huge part in our country’s proud history so it was lovely to celebrate that history, along with many others all over the UK,” said Mr Sale.

“I served in the RAF for 31 years and I feel honoured to be part of that legacy. It was great to see people come out and recognise what the RAF did for us all.

“The speeches from all were very good. I hope that young people today realise just how important the RAF have been. Certainly there was a great deal of coverage over the weekend to celebrate that.

“It was an honour to be there on Sunday.”

There are more than 100 members of the local RAF branch and around 35 of them meet every month at Lovemead House.

Mayor Deborah Halik also said on the day: “On behalf of the people of Trowbridge, I’d like to pay tribute to the men and women of the RAF, to whom we owe a great deal, if not our lives. Trowbridge has a long association with the RAF.”

She added: “Here in Trowbridge we have the cadets, 2196 Squadron and the Royal Airforce Association, both of whom are a credit to our county town. We also used to be home to Spitfire factories from 1940 to the 1950’s.”