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Telephone: (020) 7091 7091
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Email: information@spuc.org.uk
War hero commemorated in pro-life essay prize
Westminster, 14 September, 2000--School and college students will win cash prizes in an essay competition in memory of a distinguished Second World War RAF fighter-pilot and pro-life activist.
The Robin McNair Prize
is jointly sponsored by the SPUC Educational Research Trust and the
family of the late Squadron Leader McNair, and is open to pupils in
years 11, 12 and 13 (aged 15 to 18).
The first, second and third prizes will be £250, £150 and £100
respectively and the winners' schools or colleges will also receive a
similar sum. Prizes will be awarded at the Houses of Parliament next
summer and winners will be given lunch and tea in parliament. Judges
will include Rt Hon John Gummer, MP for Suffolk Coastal and former
secretary of state for the environment, Mr Jonathan Evans, MEP for
Wales, and the Marchioness of Salisbury.
Entrants will be asked to write an essay of between 1,000 and 1,500 words on one of the following subjects:
- Robin McNair believed fighting for justice for unborn children was as important as fighting for justice in the Second World War. Do you agree?
- Every unborn child has a right to life. Discuss.
- Some people say that a woman's right to choose to have an abortion over-rides her unborn baby's right to life. Discuss.
Squadron Leader Robin McNair completed nearly 500 missions with the RAF, including:
- operations during the Battle of Britain
- night-fighter flights during the blitz
- attacks on enemy bases and rocket sites
- the Dieppe raid
- D-day
He was also among the leaders of the Death and Glory operations, in which Typhoon fighters carried bombs across the English Channel.
Robin McNair, who rose quickly from aircraftsman to squadron
leader, was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was then
appointed one of the youngest acting wing commanders in the Second
World War. He upheld the memory of those who lost their lives on both
sides and, when hostilities ended, Squadron Leader McNair spent many
years helping refugees on the continent.
Soon after abortion was made legal in Britain, Robin McNair
joined the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and
fought for the most defenceless members of society. He was chairman of
SPUC's Ealing, London, branch.
John Smeaton, national director of SPUC, said: "We are pleased
and honoured to be associated with the memory of one of the 20th
century's most courageous and compassionate defenders of human dignity
and freedom."
Information and an entry form are available at www.spuc.org.uk/mcnair and can be obtained by writing to the Robin McNair Award, SPUC Educational Research Trust, 5 St Matthew Street, London, SW1P 2JT, or by emailing mcnair@spuc.org.uk or faxing (020) 7222 0630 or telephoning (020) 7222 5845. The closing date for entries is 31 January 2001.
