Sadly, the monument hit the headlines last week
with the death of BeeGee, Robin Gibb. Robin had campaigned for a monument for
Bomber Command and was nearly as well known for this, in the UK at least, as for
his music.
With four weeks to go to the unveiling on June 28th, 2012 there is still
considerable work to be done as shown in the photographs.
The memorial stands in the north west corner of Green Park facing onto
Piccadilly and just to the east of Hyde Park Corner.
The Bomber Command website (visit
link) tells of the memorial and shows some images of what the memorial will
look like:
"The RAF Bomber Command Memorial will be a
fitting tribute to those who gave everything so that we may be free today. And
it will help generations to come to understand, in some small way, the heavy
price that was paid by those who felt that freedom was worth fighting and dying
for.
The Architect and Sculptor
Distinguished Architect Liam O'Connor has been chosen to design the memorial.
Liam O’Connor is best known for the design and construction of the Commonwealth
Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill, near Buckingham Palace.
Recognised and renowned sculptor Philip Jackson, (whose noted work includes the
HM Queen Elizabeth Memorial on The Mall in London and The Bobby Moore Memorial
at the new Wembley Stadium) is crafting a bronze sculpture within the memorial,
depicting seven Bomber Command aircrew.
The memorial and sculpture
The memorial will be built to be modern, yet classical, in Portland stone. At
its heart will be the bronze sculptures of the aircrew. Within the memorial, the
space is open to the sky with an opening designed to allow light to fall
directly onto the aircrew.
The sculpture will be set on a 1.5 metre plinth. The height of the plinth and
the scale of the sculpture as a whole means that visitors will always see the
profile of the figure against the sky above them, day and night - thus rendering
that section of the sky powerfully symbolic for the memorial.
The design for the roof, inspired by the geodetic construction used in the
Vickers Wellington bomber, will incorporate sections of aluminium recovered from
a Handley Page Halifax III bomber (LW682 from No. 426 squadron) shot down over
Belgium on the night of 12 May 1944, in which 8 crew were killed. Three members
of the crew; John Summerhayes (mid upper-gunner), Fred Roach (tail gunner) and
Wilbur Bentz (pilot) were still at their stations when the aircraft was
excavated from a swamp in Schendelbeke in 1997. They were buried with full
military honours alongside the five other members of the crew at Geraardsbergen.
Its location
One of the key reasons for the Memorial being located in the heart of London is
that the city owes its comparative safety from aerial bombardment during World
War II, to RAF Bomber Command. Their continued offensive throughout the war
ensured that the battle was fought over enemy territory and that their aircraft
production was focused with producing the fighters needed to defend the Nazi
Germany from our bombers – and not bombers with which to attack the cites of the
United Kingdom. The location is close to Buckingham Palace, where the Royal
Family remained during World War Two, and Whitehall, at the heart of government
then as now."
The Bomber Command website (visit
link) also tells of the fund raising to create this monument:
"A Memorial in London’s Green Park to honour
the 55,573 men of Bomber Command who lost their lives in World War II, is now
under construction and is due to be completed in time for a Dedication and
Unveiling on Thursday 28th June.
Due to the generosity of the general public and three major benefactors,
sufficient funds have now been committed to the building project. However,
further funds are still needed to provide an endowment to allow for the future
maintenance of the Memorial. The RAF Benevolent Fund has agreed to manage this
fund and eventually to take guardianship of the Memorial which they consider to
be part of the RAF’s heritage.
Although donations to date are sufficient for the construction of the Memorial,
and the government recently announced that it would assist our cashflow
situation by refunding £1 million of VAT upfront, fundraising continues in
earnest to raise money for the maintenance and upkeep of the Memorial. To donate
click here. In addition to the tens of thousands of contributions received from
members of the public, many honouring relatives who died whilst serving in
Bomber Command, the total necessary to start building has been reached with
generous donations from entrepreneurs John Caudwell, Lord Ashcroft and Richard
Desmond. The amount raised so far has been reached thanks to tireless
campaigning by the RAF Bomber Command Association Memorial Fundraising
Committee, headed up by pop star Jim Dooley of The Dooleys, and former President
of the Heritage Foundation, Bee Gee Robin Gibb.
Funds are also needed for the Dedication and Unveiling when veterans of World
War Two are expected to travel from all over the UK and from overseas to honour
their fallen comrades. For those interested in travelling to the event, please
note that it will be a private ticketed event with priority being given to
veterans of Bomber Command in World War Two and families of the 55,573.
The Daily Telegraph has supported the campaign from the beginning and has been
invaluable in raising funds, as has The Daily Express which ran a campaign
asking readers to help. But the support from the general public has been the
most astounding, with cheques and donations arriving at the Bomber Command
Association, many from pensioners or people on low incomes."