The Royal Air Force Memorial is a military
memorial on the
Victoria Embankment
Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...
in central London, dedicated to the memory of the casualties of the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(and, by extension, all subsequent conflicts). Unveiled in 1923, it became a Grade II
listed structure
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in 1958, and was upgraded to Grade II* in 2018. It is considered to be the official memorial of the RAF and related services.
It is sited at Whitehall Steps, near
Cleopatra's Needle, between the north-bank ends of
Charing Cross Bridge and
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side.
The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the ...
, and directly to the east of the main
Ministry of Defence building on
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...
. The
Fleet Air Arm Memorial
The Fleet Air Arm Memorial, sometimes known as ''Daedalus'', is a war memorial in London, commemorating the service of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Fleet Air Arm from their establishments in 1914 and 1924 respectively, in the First World ...
and the
Battle of Britain Monument are nearby.
Background
A committee to erect an RAF memorial was first established in February 1919, and relaunched in January 1920, led by Lord
Hugh Cecil
Hugh Cecil Saunders (14 December 1889 – March 1974 Brighton) was an English photographer of the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, who practised under the professional name of Hugh Cecil.
Born in Kingston upon Thames to Frederick Atkinson Saunders and ...
and Air Chief Marshal Sir
Hugh Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, (3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956) was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force. He has been described as the "Father of the ...
. Funds to erect a memorial were raised by the RAF Memorial Fund subsequently known as the
RAF Benevolent Fund
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (RAF Benevolent Fund or RAFBF) is the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF – regardless of rank – as wel ...
. The memorial was designed by
Sir Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.
Early life and career
Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in Devon, w ...
.
The memorial was unveiled on 16 July 1923 by the Prince of Wales (later
Edward VIII). The
Chief of the Air Staff traditionally places a wreath at the memorial on
Battle of Britain Day
Battle of Britain Day, 15 September 1940, is the day on which a large-scale aerial battle in the Battle of Britain took place.Mason 1969, p. 386.Price 1990, p. 128.
In June 1940, the '' Wehrmacht'' had conquered most of Western Europe and Sc ...
, 15 September, each year.
Description
The memorial comprises a tapering
Portland stone pylon topped by zodiacal globe bearing a gilded eagle, taken from the RAF's badge, with raised wings, facing east towards the River Thames and nominally towards France. The eagle was sculpted by
William Reid Dick
Sir William Reid Dick, (13 January 1878 – 1 October 1961) was a Scottish sculptor known for his innovative stylisation of form in his monument sculptures and simplicity in his portraits. He became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1921, a ...
and cast by the
Parlanti Foundry. Blomfield used similar pylons for
Torquay War Memorial and
Luton War Memorial, topped by different devices.
The pylon bears inscriptions on the sides facing the Embankment to the west and to the river to the east. Further inscriptions were added after the Second World War, unveiled by Trenchard on 15 September 1946.
Inscriptions
Around the top of the pylon, each face bears alternately the words and , from the motto of the RAF, "''Per ardua ad astra''", this was initially the Royal Flying Corps motto when created in 1912. On the west side of the pylon facing the Embankment, the words "''Per Ardua''" are picked out in gold, and lower down there is the RAF insignia, and a dedication: , and a quotation from
Exodus, chapter 19: . Further down, on the base, is another inscription . The side facing the river bears the RAF insignia again and the inscription: . Thus, the monument was not initially created purely for the RAF, but for all 'Air Services' that served during World War One.
See also
*
Grade II* listed war memorials in England
There are 137 Grade II* listed war memorials in England, out of over 4,000 listed war memorials. In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a building or structure of special historical or architectural importance; listing offers the building ...
Other Royal Air Force Memorials
*
Royal Air Force Memorial,
Albany, Georgia
Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia m ...
*
South African Air Force Memorial, Swartkop,
Tshwane
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
Other RAF memorials
*
Air Forces Memorial
The Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, in Englefield Green, near Egham, Surrey, England is a memorial dedicated to some 20,456 men and women from air forces of the British Empire who were lost in air and other operations during World Wa ...
*
RAF Bomber Command Memorial
The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial in The Green Park, London, commemorating the crews of RAF Bomber Command who embarked on missions during the Second World War. The memorial, on the south side of Piccadilly, facing Hyde ...
References
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (RAFBF)Royal Air Force Memorial by Philip Ward-Jackson Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
*
Imperial War MuseumsLondon Remembers
{{coord, 51, 30, 14.35, N, 0, 7, 23.25, W, type:landmark, display=title
1923 establishments in England
1923 sculptures
Sculptures of birds
British military memorials and cemeteries
Buildings and structures completed in 1923
Grade II* listed statues in the City of Westminster
Grade II* listed monuments and memorials
Military memorials in London
Outdoor sculptures in London
Reginald Blomfield buildings
Royal Air Force memorials
Stone sculptures in the United Kingdom
Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster
World War I memorials in England
World War II memorials in England
Victoria Embankment