Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne
| The Battle of Britain Memorial | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
 Statue of a seated pilot at the Battle of Britain Memorial | |
| For the RAF casualties of the Battle of Britain | |
| Unveiled | 9 July 1993 |
| Location | near Capel-le-Ferne |
| Designed by | Harry Gray |
The Battle of Britain Memorial is a monument to aircrew who flew in the Battle of Britain. It is sited on the White Cliffs at Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkestone, on the coast of Kent.
It was initiated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and opened by the Queen Mother on 9 July 1993. It is formed of a large propeller-shaped base, with the figure of a seated pilot carved by Harry Gray sitting at the centre. The propeller shape has led the monument to be considered a hill figure.
Also on the site are replicas of a Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire and the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall, on which appears the names of the almost 3,000 fighter aircrew who flew in the Battle.
In October 2010 HRH The Duchess of Cornwall unveiled a bust of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park by sculptor Will Davies at the site.
The new visitor centre, called The Wing and built in the shape of a Spitfire wing, was opened in 2015, and contains The Scramble Experience. It won 'Project of the Year' at the 2016 Kent Design and Development awards.[1]
- Battle of Britain Memorial
Memorial Wall
Spitfire Replica
References
- ↑ "Announcing the winners of the Kent Design and Development awards". kentdesigndevelopmentawards.co.uk. 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
External links
- Battle of Britain Memorial - homepage
- Harry Gray, Sculptor. The Carving Workshop - Cambridge, UK
- On the 70th Anniversary of the Battle, a veteran at the Memorial recalls his memories http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00cbgt6 or if viewing outside the UK: http://vimeo.com/35312839