Memorial details

Memorial type
Serviceman / Servicewoman
District
Thanet
Town
Manston
County
Kent
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Maker
MR PAUL SETON (Sculptor)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 18th July 1997
    Attended by: HM QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
29020

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Current location

Outside Museum building
Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum
Manston Road
Manston
Thanet
Kent
CT12 5DF
England

OS Grid Ref: TR 33337 66580
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
A cast metal figure of an air crew member in flying gear carrying an air crew bag. Figure standing on a four panelled stone plinth on a stone base.
Inscription
First panel: IN MEMORY OF THE BRITISH/ AND ALLIED AIRCREW WHO/ DIED IN TIMES OF CONFLICT/ OVER THANET Second panel: "AIRCREW"/ FIGHTER TRAIL ETCHED WHITE ON BLUE,/ BOMBER CAPTAIN, SEAPLANE CREW./ LIKE GODS, THESE MEN, THOUGH WROUGHT AS WE,/ ARE BRUSHED WITH IMMORTALITY./ THEIR YOUTH NOT LOST TO AGE AS YEARS GO BY,/BUT GRANDLY, IN A MOMENT, SOARING HIGH,/ THROUGH CONQUERED SKY./ HAROLD BALFOUR Third panel: THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY/ HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH/ THE QUEEN MOTHER/ 18TH JULY 1997 Fourth panel: FOR JOHNNY/ DO NOT DESPAIR/ FOR JOHNNY-HEAD-IN-AIR;/ HE SLEEPS AS SOUND/ AS JOHNNY UNDERGROUND,/ FETCH OUT NO SHROUD/ FOR JOHNNY-IN-THE-CLOUD;/ AND KEEP YOUR TEARS/ FOR HIM IN AFTER TEARS,/ BETTER BY FAR/ FOR JOHNNY-THE-BRIGHT-STAR,/ TO KEEP YOUR HEAD/ AND SEE HIS CHILDREN FED./ JOHN PUDNEY.
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: no
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Figure
    Measurements: height 1800 mm, width 600 mm
    Materials: Metal
  • Plinth
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone - Portland
Listing information
Condition
History
2002: STONE MASON REDEFINED THE LETTERING
Costs

Memorial: £15000

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Public
Responsibility
SPITFIRE AND HURRICANE MEMORIAL BUILDING TRUST

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.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-29020

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