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Westminster Abbey has held a memorial service marking 80 years since the Battle of Britain, the site’s first major event since the closure.
The battle, fought entirely in midair, was a dramatic turning point in World War II.
The abbey has held a service of thanksgiving on the Sunday of the Battle of Britain every year since 1944.
A post-service flypast was carried out, with a Hurricane and three Spitfires flying over central London.
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This year’s memorial service had significantly lower attendance and social distancing.
Fewer than 100 guests attended the service, which typically draws around 2,000 people.
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Among them were Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who gave a lecture at the service, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer and Royal Air Force Marshal Lord Stirrup, representing the Prince of Wales.
Air Chief of Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, also gave a reading.
The guests wore masks, but those who gave the readings could remove them before doing so.
Each chair was placed two meters apart to allow for social distancing, with protective plastic screens separating the north and south transepts of the abbey.
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The prime minister removed his mask before giving a reading.
In his speech, Chief Chaplain, Venerable Deputy Air Marshal John Ellis, honored NHS staff and key workers in the “fight against an invisible army”, drawing comparisons between the Battle of Britain and the coronavirus pandemic. .
He said: “Once again sacrifices have been made, often silent, often humble, unnoticed by many.
“Although they are markedly different events, each of them has two things that are very important to our humanity: service and courage. We have seen selfless dedication to a greater cause.”
A statement from the organizers said Sunday morning’s service was “reduced in stature but not in spirit.”
The last major service to take place at the venue was the Commonwealth Day service held on March 9, two weeks before the UK went into lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The service, which remembered the 1,497 pilots and crew members who died, was led by the Dean of Westminster Abbey, Dr. David Hoyle.
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Although the battle took place between July and October 1940, September 15 is the Battle of Britain Day, the date of a decisive RAF victory.
The RAF defended the skies over southern England, while Hitler’s Luftwaffe carried out daily raids before a planned invasion.
Some 1,120 Luftwaffe planes were sent to attack London, but were repulsed by 630 RAF fighters, and two days later Hitler postponed his plans to invade Britain.
Commemorations have been limited this year due to coronavirus restrictions, but a variety of tributes were held across the UK, including special exhibits from the Imperial War Museum.
