Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Barnet
Town
Hendon
County
Greater London
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 23 March 1989
    Attended by: Former Service Personnel
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
53104

Support IWM

Donate with Just Giving

Any gift we receive makes a vital contribution to our ongoing work, from conserving our collection to supporting our public programme.

Make a Donation
Current location

On display in historic hangar H5
RAF Museum London
Grahame Park Way
Hendon
Barnet
Greater London
NW9 5LL
England

OS Grid Ref: TQ 22020 90320
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
An eagle, with wings outspread, on top of a wooden frame containing a memorial panel. In the center of the panel is the badge of the Royal Air Force Ex-Prisoner of War Association. Around the panel are the names of the fifty escapees who were re-captured and met their death on orders of Hitler and the German High Command. The flags and emblems of their countries are also displayed.
Inscription
LOOK AT THIS FRIEND/ TAKE THE FREEDOM/ THEY STROVE TO GIVE YOU/ AND BE IN THEIR DEBT
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Birkland, Henry
Bretell, Edward Gordon
Bull, Leslie George
Bushell, Roger Joyce
Casey, Michael James
Catanach, James
Christensen, Arnold George
Cochran, Dennis Herbert
Cross, Ian Kingston Pembroke
Espelid, Halldor
See details for all 50 names
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 50
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 50
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname,rank
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plaque
    Measurements: depth 40mm, height 400mm, width 600mm
    Materials: Wood
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Other
Reference
  • The Times 24 March 1989 Memorial initiated by RAF PoW camps association. The project took three years to complete and the plaque was unveiled by SL Jimmy James, a participant in the escape.

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-53104

For queries, please contact [email protected].