Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris -- St Clement Danes, Westminster, London, UK
N 51° 30.789 W 000° 06.873
30U E 700210 N 5710839
The statue of Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris outside of St Clement Danes Church in Westminster
Waymark Code: WMT5FC
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/29/2016
Views: 3
St. Clement Danes Church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London, and destroyed by German bombing during the Blitz of London in 1940.
After the church was rebuilt in the late 1950s, it was designated the central church of the Royal Air Force.
Two statues of prominent RAF officers stand in the front churchyard of St. Clement Danes Church. This waymarked statue of of Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, the commander-in-chief of the RAF during WWII.
Air Chief Marshal Harris has been controversial for many decades, owing to his role in implementing a 1942 War Cabinet decision authorizing "area bombing" of German cities in order that 'the civilian population around the target areas must be made to feel the weight of the war.'
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"Harris was tasked with implementing Churchill's policy and supported the development of tactics and technology to perform the task more effectively. Harris assisted British Chief of the Air Staff Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Portal in carrying out the United Kingdom's most devastating attacks against the German infrastructure and population, including the Bombing of Dresden. . . . Harris's continued preference for area bombing over precision targeting remains controversial, partly because many senior Allied air commanders thought it less effective and partly for the large number of civilian casualties and destruction this strategy caused in Continental Europe."
The statue is made of bronze and stands on a plinth of grey Portland Stone decorated with an RAF emblem with words engraved as follows:
"MARSHAL OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
SIR ARTHUR HARRIS BT
GCE OBE AEC
1892-1984
Commander in Chief
Bomber Command
Royal Air Force
1912-1945"
. Harris appears to be about life size. Harris is dressed in his RAF uniform, and appears to be standing in a relaxed yet disciplined position, perhaps review of his troops or watching RAF bombers take off on a mission."