Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Forest Heath
Town
Raf Lakenheath
County
Suffolk
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 12th June 1997
    Attended by: UNKNOWN
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
13244

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Current location

Junction of York Road and Norwich Road
RAF Lakenheath
York Rd
Raf Lakenheath
Forest Heath
Suffolk
England

OS Grid Ref: TL 740 810
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Slate tablet bearing the RAF Badge and depicting in the corners two Spitfires, a Blenheim and a Hurricane. Above all a model Spitfire.
Inscription
THE FEW./ THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THE AIRMEN OF MANY NATIONS WHO FLEW WITH THE RAF/ DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND SERVED IN THE HEAVENS SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE./ IN JULY 1940, HITLER'S LUFTWAFFE BEGAN AN AERIAL SIEGE OF ENGLAND AIMED AT DESTROYING THE ROYAL AIR FORCE/ IN PREPARATION FOR A CROSS CHANNEL ASSAULT BY THE GERMAN ARMY AND NAVY. OUTNUMBERED SOMETIMES FOUR/ TO ONE, EXHAUSTED PILOTS OF THE RAF MET THE AERIAL ARMADA FLYING THOUSANDS OF SORTIES, DAY AFTER DAY,/ NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, TO ENSURE GREAT BRITAIN'S VERY SURVIVAL. BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER THE RAF HAD INFLICTED/ CRIPPLING LOSSES ON THE LUFTWAFFE, DESTROYING OVER 1880 ENEMY AIRCRAFT, THEREBY FORCING HITLER TO CANCEL/ HIS INVASION PLANS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. ALTHOUGH FEWER IN NUMBER, THE RAF LOSSES WERE DISPROPORTIONATELY/ HIGHER. MORE THAN 530 AIRMEN PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, SOME EVEN RAMMING ENEMY AIRCRAFT WHEN THEIR/ OWN GUNS JAMMED OR AMMUNITION RAN OUT./ AFTER THE BATTLE, THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, IMMORTALIZED/ THOSE AIRMEN THAT FLEW DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS:/ ...IF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND ITS COMMONWEALTH LAST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, MEN WILL STILL SAY/ "THIS WAS THEIR FINEST HOUR"./ DEDICATED BY/ THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN FIGHTER ASSOCIATION/ AND THE 48TH FIGHTER WING,/ SATURDAY 12TH JUNE 1997.
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Tablet
    Measurements: height 80IN, width 52IN
    Materials: Slate
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Corporate
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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© WMR-13244

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