On this day...... 18 August

1759: Following the naval battle the previous day, de la Clue's French fleet headed for Lagos Bay hoping that Portuguese neutrality would save them.  De la Clue's flagship Ocean and the Redoutable deliberately ran themselves aground, whilst two other ships anchored in the shelter of a Portuguese gun battery, but Boscawen ignored diplomatic niceties and pursued them inshore, capturing the two at anchor and burning the two aground.  The remaining French ships, which had scattered in the night, fled to Cadiz.

1917: On the Western Front, three Victoria Crosses were won. Company Sergeant-Major Skinner, King's Own Scottish Borderers, despite being wounded in the head, captured three enemy strongpoints with just six men, taking over sixty prisoners.  Sergeant Hobson, 1st Central Ontario Regiment, was posthumously decorated after he was killed single-handedly taking on a German attack. And Major Learmouth, Eastern Ontario Regiment, remained at his post mortally wounded, standing fully exposed on a trench parapet directing defensive operations until he collapsed.

1919: Commander Dobson led a small force of Coastal Motor Boats into the heavily defended Kronstadt naval base to attack Bolshevik shipping.  Under heavy fire, torpedo hits were scored on two Bolshevik capital ships.  Dobson and Lieutenant Steele were both awarded the Victoria Cross for their part in the action.

1940: The Luftwaffe returned to heavy attacks, particularly against Fighter Command bases at Kenley, Biggin Hill, Croydon, West Malling and Manston.  The day's events are recorded on the RAF's Battle of Britain website.

1944: During heavy fighting as German troops attempted to break out of the Falaise Pocket, Major Currie led a small Canadian battle group with particular distinction, taking a village to cut a German escape route, then holding it for 36 hours against ferocious counter-attacks.  His force was credited with the destruction of seven enemy tanks and a dozen anti-tank guns.  They inflicted several hundred casualties on the enemy, and took over a thousand prisoners.  Currie received the Victoria Cross.

2001: The C-17 Globemaster made its operational debut in RAF service, flying heavy equipment to Macedonia for the advance party of Task Force Harvest.