Tribute to flying aces to be aired

THEY were Edinburgh's heroes of the Battle of Britain.

Originally founded as a group of wealthy amateur pilots and students, they would go on to become the RAF's top fighter squadron, claiming more Luftwaffe kills than anyone else.

But while the bravery and skill of 603 Squadron has been well documented over the years, there is one honour which has so far evaded them - their own theme tune.

That is set to be rectified this weekend with the premiere of Scramble 603, a musical tribute on the 70th anniversary of their finest hour.

With the outbreak of war, the squadron, which had been formed as part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1925, was put into full-time service, with new pilots joining the band of amateurs.

They quickly established themselves as a fighting force, becoming the first to shoot down a German bomber in British airspace, when Patrick "Patsy" Gifford downed a Junkers Ju-88 in the Firth of Forth on October 16, 1939.

The squadron, whose motto was the Doric words "Gin ye Daur" ("If you dare"), flew Spitfires nicknamed after their home city - Portobello, Auld Reekie and Corstorphine - and would bring down a further 18 enemy planes before being transferred to RAF Hornchurch for the rest of the war.

The new piece of music will be performed for the first time on Sunday as part of an anniversary concert which traces the history of the RAF through music, words and images.

The premiere will be played by the Phoenix Wind Band, whose musical director William Phillips commissioned it from Fred Frayling Kelly, (pictured below right) founder and leader of the Leith Community Concert Band, and a former Napier University music lecturer.

Mr Frayling Kelly, 74, who served with the Territorial Army during the 1950s and 1960s, said he had tried to recreate the sound of battle within the piece.

He was able to draw on his own recollections of the sounds of the Battle of Britain, which he heard as a five-year-old boy.

Mr Phillips said he had been delighted when he first heard the piece: "Myself and my assistant conductor had this idea over a year ago that we should do something special for the 70th anniversary and we thought 'Why don't we get a special march for the 603?'.

"It's a very descriptive piece, it's in 6/8 time, which is the rhythm that horses gallop, and of course they're the cavalry of the skies, the Air Force.

"When I first heard it, I thought it was terrific and so did the members of the band. You can imagine a squadron of bombers making their way through the skies and the sound of the Spitfires on the upper woodwind, climbing and diving.

"Then the final bit is more relaxed, where they head back for base, and includes the tune of Within a Mile of Edinburgh Town, which Turnhouse Airfield was."

Sunday's concert will be held in aid of The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

It will also include established favourites such as Those Magnificent Men and The Dambusters March. A commentary tracing the history of the RAF will be read, with images projected for the audience.

The Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary Concert - Music to Lift a Nation's Wings, will take place at the Queen's Hall at 7pm on Sunday, October 12.

For more information visit www.thequeenshall.net or call 0131-668 2019.