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Memorial details

Memorial type
Obelisk
District
Berwickshire
Town
near Duns
County
Borders
Country
Scotland
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Dedicated
    Date: 6 November 2001
    Attended by: Revd Godfrey Fison
  • Unveiled
    Date: 6 November 2001
    Attended by: The Duke of Kent KG
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
81062

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Current location

Site of the former RAF Charterhall
off B6460
near Duns
Berwickshire
Borders
TD10 6UJ
Scotland

OS Grid Ref: NT 755 466
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Slightly tapered granite obelisk with the lettering inscribed in gold on the front and rear faces, and an explanatory tablet in the wall behind.
Inscription
Front Face-NEAR HERE AND VERY EARLY ON 8 JANUARY 1943/FLIGHT LIEUTENANT RICHARD HOPE HILLARY RAFVR/AND SERGEANT KENNETH WILFRID YOUNG FISON RAFVR/WERE KILLED WHEN THEIR BLENHEIM V/CRASHED AT CRUNKLAW/THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THEIR MEMORY.AND TO THAT OF THE MANY OTHER OFFICERS,/NCO'S AND AIRMEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES/WHILE SERVING AT RAF CHARTERHALL/MAY 1942-MAY 1945/The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death/1 Corinthians XV. 26 Rear Face- Richard Hillary fought in the Battle of Britain/with 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron. RAF./Shot down and severely burned in 1940,/he recorded his experience in his book/The Last Enemy before returning to/flying duties in November 1942./Before the war he had stroked the Trinity College VIII/to the Head of the River at Oxford/Wilfred Fison, his radio observer, had been/awarded a hockey Blue at Clare College Cambridge/in 1927. He joined the RAFVR in December 1941./The two men had flown together/for less than two weeks. Tablet on the wall behind-This memorial, funded by members of/Trinity College and their friends,/was unveiled on 6 November 2001 by/HRH The Duke of Kent, KG/in the presence of/the Reverend Godfrey Fison/who dedicated it,/of Denise Patterson to whom/The Last Enemy is dedicated and of/Major Alexander Trotter,/Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant,/on whose land it stands./The lamp below is the last surviving/runway direction light from RAF Charterhall
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Fison, Kenneth Wilfrid Young
Hillary, Richard Hope
See details for all 2 names
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 2
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 2
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, forenames, rank, service, place of death, manner of death, date of death
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Lettering
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Gold
  • Obelisk
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
  • Tablet
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Private
Details: Trinity College members and friends
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.

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-81062

For queries, please contact [email protected].