They were a small band of dedicated pilots to whom the country owed so much; the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary who braved the odds to deliver badly needed planes to the RAF during the Battle of Britain.

But relatives of the women, who went on the become the first female pilots to get their Royal Air Force wings as a result of the hours they flew during World War II, say they have been largely forgotten.

Now they say more recognition should be given to Bennedetta Willis, Jackie Moggridge, Joan Hughes, Freydis Leaf and Jean Bird - known to their supporters as ‘the famous five’ - during Tuesday’s 100th anniversary commemoration of the founding of the RAF.

As part of the celebrations a parade will make its way along the Mall to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will present a new Queen's Colour to the Royal Air Force.

That will be followed by a fly past of up to 100 aircraft, representing the RAF’s history.