Battle of Britain Memorial

A striking monument commemorating the crews and those who fell during the Battle of Britain. It can be found on the white cliffs of Capel le Ferne between Dover and Folkestone. From the air, it looks like a large three-bladed propeller.

Within the memorial area, in addition to the large monument, there are also replicas of aircraft, a wall of names, a number of smaller memorials and works of art. In the visitor centre “The Wing”, built in the shape of the wings of a Spitfire, you can visit a small exhibition and the “Scramble Experience”.

Some of the highlights of the memorial are:

The monument:
The sculpture in the centre of the site was created by Harry Gray of the Carving Workshop in Cambridge and depicts a seated pilot looking out over the sea. The figure wears an Irvin jacket for a reason: by concealing the pilot's uniform, both his nationality and rank are concealed. Is this a British officer with half a dozen enemy aircraft shot down to his credit, or a non-commissioned officer gunner from another country? Both played their part, and the monument reflects that fact. The same reasoning underlies the fact that the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall does not reveal any rank or decoration. (text Battle of Britain Memorial)
The statue is surrounded by the insignia of all the Allied squadrons and other units that took part in the Battle of Britain.

The Wall of Names:
The wall bears the names of all the aircrew who died or survived and who flew at least one mission with a recognised Royal Air Force unit during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The wall is named after the late Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris, a Hurricane fighter pilot in 1940.

The Beaverbrook Wall:
A second wall bears Churchill's famous words: ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ Since these words were spoken during a speech to the House of Commons in August 1940, the pilots who fought during the Battle of Britain have been known as “The Few”.

Replica:
Near a stainless steel artwork of a crashed Stuka stand replicas of a Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 US-X and a Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1 YT-J.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze (1, 2, 3, 6, 8), Corine Nieuwschepen (4, 5, 7)