Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne

From Wikishire
Revision as of 12:46, 24 December 2019 by RB (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The Battle of Britain Memorial
Centrepiece: the pilot

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.

The memorial was initiated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on 9 July 1993. It is formed of a large propeller-shaped base carved into the ground, with the figure of a seated pilot (sculpted 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, 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'.

Pictures

The Memorial
Memorial Wall
Spitfire replica

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne)

References


Hill figures

Battle of Britain MemorialCerne Abbas GiantFirle CornFolkestone White HorseLenham CrossLong Man of WilmingtonMormond Hill Horse & StagOsmington White HorseRed Horse of TysoeWhipsnade White LionWhiteleaf CrossWye CrownUffington White Horse