| RAF Bomber Command Memorial | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
 Sculpture within the memorial | |
 | |
| For the 55,573 aircrew of RAF Bomber Command who died during the Second World War | |
| Unveiled | 28 June 2012; 13 years ago (2012-06-28) |
| Location | |
| Designed by | Liam O'Connor (memorial) Philip Jackson (sculpture) |
Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it | |
TheRoyal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial inGreen Park, London, commemorating the crews ofRAF Bomber Command who embarked on missions during theSecond World War.[1] The memorial, on the south side ofPiccadilly, facingHyde Park Corner, was built to mark the sacrifice of 55,573 aircrew from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Czechoslovakia and other allied countries,[2] as well as civilians of all nations killed during raids.[3]
Queen Elizabeth II unveiled the memorial on 28 June 2012, in the year ofher Diamond Jubilee.[4]
FollowingWorld War II the legacy of Bomber Command proved controversial, with both legal and ethical arguments highlighting the indiscriminate nature of strategic bombing. During World War II, many military strategists ofair power believed that air forces could win major victories by attacking industrial and politicalinfrastructure, rather than purely military targets. Strategic bombing often involved bombing areas inhabited bycivilians, and some campaigns were deliberately designed to target civilian populations in order toterrorize them or to weaken theirmorale. AlthoughInternational law at the outset of World War II did not specifically forbid the aerial bombardment of cities, the scale of the destruction and of civilian casualties proved to be a distasteful memory of the conflict. The controversy meant that an official memorial to the aircrews was not erected until nearly 70 years after the war.
An appeal was made for£5.6 million (equivalent to £8.4 million in 2023) to build the memorial, and funding came from donations made by the public. MusiciansRobin Gibb (The Bee Gees) and Jim Dooley (The Dooleys) became key figures behind the appeal, working to raise funds and have the memorial built.[5]
Liam O'Connor designed the memorial, built ofPortland stone, which features a bronze 9-foot (2.7 m) sculpture of seven aircrew, designed by the sculptorPhilip Jackson to look as though they have just returned from a bombing mission and left their aircraft.[4]
Aluminium from aRoyal Canadian Air ForceHandley Page Halifax ofNo. 426 Squadron that had crashed in Schendelbeke in Belgium in May 1944 was used to build the roof of the memorial, which was designed to evoke the geodetic structure of theVickers Wellington. The Halifax, LW682 OW/M, had been removed from a swamp in 1997 with three of the crew found still at their posts. They were buried with full military honours inGeraardsbergen and the remains of the aircraft were sent to Canada. Some of the metal was used for the restoration of a Halifax inTrenton, Ontario, and the rest was melted down by theBomber Command Museum of Canada inNanton, Alberta. The Museum providedingots for the memorial to commemorate the 10,659 Canadians out of a total of 55,573 Bomber Command aircrew killed during the war.[6][7] Furthermore, some of this aluminium was supplied to theInternational Bomber Command Centre, which opened inLincoln, England in 2018, and forms the rear plate of its "Additions Panel".
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On both walls inside the monument there are inscriptions that read:
THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THE 55,573 AIRMEN/ FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM, BRITISH COMMONWEALTH/ & ALLIED NATIONS WHO SERVED IN/ RAF BOMBER COMMAND & LOST THEIR LIVES OVER/ THE COURSE OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR[8]
and, on the opposite wall:
THE FIGHTERS ARE OUR SALVATION BUT THE/ BOMBERS ALONE PROVIDE THE MEANS OF VICTORY/ WINSTON CHURCHILL SEPTEMBER 1940[8]
The inside face of thearchitrave to the rear of the statues carries the inscription:
THIS MEMORIAL ALSO COMMEMORATES THOSE OF ALL NATIONS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE BOMBING OF 1939–1945[8]
The large plinth carrying the statues bears the inscription:
HM QUEEN ELIZABETH II/ UNVEILED THIS MEMORIAL/ 28 JUNE/ IN THE YEAR OF HER DIAMOND JUBILEE/ 2012[8]
The rear face has a quotation fromPericles's Funeral Oration:[9]
FREEDOM IS THE SURE POSSESSION OF THOSE ALONE WHO/ HAVE THE COURAGE TO DEFEND IT/ PERICLES[8]
Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the memorial on 28 June 2012, unveiling the bronze sculpture. The ceremony was attended by 6,000 veterans and family members of those killed,[4] and theAvro Lancaster of theBattle of Britain Memorial Flight droppedred poppy petals over Green Park.[10]
In May 2013 the memorial was vandalised. The word "Islam" was spray-painted on the memorial and on the nearbyAnimals in War Memorial in Hyde Park.[11]
In March 2015,Les Munro,Royal New Zealand Air Force squadron leader and one of the last surviving members of theDambusters Raid, intended to sell his war medals and flight logbook at auction to raise funds for the upkeep of the memorial. The auction was cancelled afterMichael Ashcroft donated £75,000 (equivalent to £105,000 in 2023) to theRoyal Air Force Benevolent Fund towards the upkeep, with a furtherNZ$19,500 donated by theMuseum of Transport and Technology inAuckland, New Zealand, to whom Munro then offered his medals for display.[12] Munro, aged 96, died that August.[13]
51°30′12″N0°8′56″W / 51.50333°N 0.14889°W /51.50333; -0.14889
