Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne
Encyclopedia
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
. It was initiated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and opened by the Queen Mother
on July 9 1993. It is formed of a large propellor shape, with the figure of a seated pilot carved by Harry Gray sitting at the centre . 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 3000 fighter aircrew who flew in the Battle. In October 2010 HRH The Duchess of Cornwall unveiled a bust of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park by Sculptor Will Davies at the site. The Trust is currently raising money to build a new visitor centre. It will take the shape of a Spitfire wing and will be called "The Wing".
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. It is sited on the White Cliffs
White cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to , owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint...
at Capel-le-Ferne
Capel-le-Ferne
Capel-le-Ferne , the name of which derives from the phrase "Chapel in the Ferns", is a village situated near Folkestone, Kent. It has a population of approximately 2400...
, near Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, on the coast of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. It was initiated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and opened by the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
on July 9 1993. It is formed of a large propellor shape, with the figure of a seated pilot carved by Harry Gray sitting at the centre . Also on the site are replicas of a Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
and Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
and the Christopher Foxley-Norris
Christopher Foxley-Norris
Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Neil Foxley-Norris GCB, DSO, OBE, FRSA was a squadron commander during World War II and, later, the RAF's commander-in-chief in Germany.-Early life:...
Memorial Wall, on which appears the names of the almost 3000 fighter aircrew who flew in the Battle. In October 2010 HRH The Duchess of Cornwall unveiled a bust of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park by Sculptor Will Davies at the site. The Trust is currently raising money to build a new visitor centre. It will take the shape of a Spitfire wing and will be called "The Wing".