| Historical Information: |
The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede
commemorates by name over 20,000 airmen who were lost in the Second
World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North
and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They came from all
parts of the Commonwealth and some were from countries in continental
Europe which had been over-run but whose airmen continued to fight in
the ranks of the Royal Air Force. The memorial, designed by Sir Edward
Maufe, is in the form of a cloister with the names of the dead, grouped
by year, inscribed on the Hadene stone reveals and mullions of the
narrow windows. On the cloister ceilings are emblazoned the arms of the
Commonwealth countries. The cloisters have curved wings, terminating in
two look-outs, one facing towards Windsor Castle and the other towards
Heathrow Airport. The structure is in Portland stone with roofs of
Westmorland green slate. |