Ted Barris - Journalist, Author, Broadcaster
Talk Title: The Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour
January 9, 2025
Ted Barris is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster. His writing has regularly appeared in the national press and in magazines as diverse as Air Force, esprit de corps, and Zoomer. He has also worked as host /contributor for CBC Radio network programs, NPR in the U.S., and TV Ontario.
He taught journalism at Toronto’s Centennial College for 18 years. Barris is the author of 22 best-selling non-fiction books, many of which describe Canadian contributions in the First and Second World Wars including D-Day, Vimy, the Great Escape, Dam Busters, the Battle of the Atlantic, and – the latest -- The Battle of Britain.
Ted has received many awards for his work. In December 2022, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada “for advancing our understanding of Canadian military history as an acclaimed historical author, journalist and broadcaster.”
Ted will be speaking to us on his latest book, “The Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour.” This ferocious aerial battle was launched in the summer of 1940 and continued for 113 days as the German Luftwaffe sought to destroy the Royal Air Force, gain air superiority, and invade the British Isles. Fighter pilots from Britain, Canada and other Commonwealth countries scrambled from U.K. airfields day after day in Hurricane and Spitfire fighter aircraft to thwart Hitler’s plan. They won, but paid dearly. For their contribution, in Churchill’s words, “never was so much owed by so many to so few.’’
In his book, Ted tells the history of the battle through the unknown stories of Canadian airmen, ground crew, as well as engineers, aeronautical designers, medical officers, and civilians who answered the call and turned back the very real threat of Nazi invasion.