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Queen unveils RAF Bomber Command memorial | Queen unveils RAF Bomber Command memorial |
(39 minutes later) | |
A £6m memorial to the 55,573 airmen of Bomber Command who died during World War II has been unveiled by the Queen. | A £6m memorial to the 55,573 airmen of Bomber Command who died during World War II has been unveiled by the Queen. |
At the ceremony in London's Green Park, Chief of the Air Staff Sir Stephen Dalton said Bomber Command's "service and raw courage" had been recognised. | |
Some 6,000 veterans and families of the deceased watched a Lancaster bomber drop thousands of poppies in a flypast. | |
Criticism of large-scale area bombing by the RAF near the end of WWII had stalled plans for a memorial for years. | |
Veterans from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other countries who served alongside the British crew also attended the ceremony. | Veterans from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other countries who served alongside the British crew also attended the ceremony. |
Thousands of Bomber Command veterans and their families watched the dedication service on a big screen in a "salute area" of Green Park, a short walk away from the memorial. | |
There was applause as the Queen pulled away a covering to unveil Philip Jackson's bronze sculpture of seven Lancaster bomber airmen. | |
Getting their first view of the finished memorial, veterans described it as "impressive" and "moving". Shortly they will get their own chance to visit the site. | |
Ahead of that, they awaited the arrival of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall who are due to meet veterans. | |
The salute area event was organised by the RAF Benevolent Fund which will look after maintenance of the memorial and is now seeking to raise £1.5m to help cover costs. | |
Amanda Brierley, 42, from Lancashire, had come to honour the memory of her grandfather Arthur Davies, a former rear gunner who died 15 years ago. | |
"I'm here because he would have been here," she said. "He did think a memorial was missing." | |
Air Chief Marshal Dalton said: "Many of those who gave us our freedom, and to whom this memorial is dedicated, cannot join us physically, but their spirit is certainly here. | Air Chief Marshal Dalton said: "Many of those who gave us our freedom, and to whom this memorial is dedicated, cannot join us physically, but their spirit is certainly here. |
"They will now know that this country and the Commonwealth have shown them and the remaining veterans that their service and their raw courage has been recognised. | |
"For their bravery and sacrifice which helped to give us our freedom, we will never forget them." | |
Doug Radcliffe, secretary of the Bomber Command Association, read an extract from the WWI poem "For the Fallen". | Doug Radcliffe, secretary of the Bomber Command Association, read an extract from the WWI poem "For the Fallen". |
The repetition of the final words, "We will remember them," by all gathered at the ceremony, was followed by a trumpeter playing the "Last Post" while veterans and current service personnel saluted. | |
The memorial, designed by Liam O'Connor and built in Portland stone, features a bronze 9ft-high sculpture of seven aircrew. | The memorial, designed by Liam O'Connor and built in Portland stone, features a bronze 9ft-high sculpture of seven aircrew. |
Sculptor Philip Jackson said his work portrayed the men after they had returned from a mission: "I chose the moment when they get off the aircraft and they've dumped all their heavy kit on to the ground." | Sculptor Philip Jackson said his work portrayed the men after they had returned from a mission: "I chose the moment when they get off the aircraft and they've dumped all their heavy kit on to the ground." |
The memorial also has a roof made of aluminium reclaimed from a Handley Page Halifax III bomber shot down over Belgium in May 1944. | The memorial also has a roof made of aluminium reclaimed from a Handley Page Halifax III bomber shot down over Belgium in May 1944. |
An inscription says it "also commemorates those of all nations who lost their lives in the bombing of 1939-1945". | An inscription says it "also commemorates those of all nations who lost their lives in the bombing of 1939-1945". |
Five-year campaign | |
Pilot Alan Biffen, 87, said: "I am so glad that at long last Bomber Command is being remembered not only for what it achieved but also for the lives of the young men who never came back. | Pilot Alan Biffen, 87, said: "I am so glad that at long last Bomber Command is being remembered not only for what it achieved but also for the lives of the young men who never came back. |
"Many of them were boys. I myself added a year to my age at 16 so that I could join the air force." | "Many of them were boys. I myself added a year to my age at 16 so that I could join the air force." |
Almost half of the 125,000 men of Bomber Command died, many killed by night fighters and anti-aircraft fire in raids over occupied Europe. | Almost half of the 125,000 men of Bomber Command died, many killed by night fighters and anti-aircraft fire in raids over occupied Europe. |
The ceremony is the culmination of a five-year campaign, spearheaded by the late Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb. | The ceremony is the culmination of a five-year campaign, spearheaded by the late Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb. |
The Bomber Command Memorial Appeal secured funding from public donations and private donors John Caudwell, Lord Ashcroft and Richard Desmond. | The Bomber Command Memorial Appeal secured funding from public donations and private donors John Caudwell, Lord Ashcroft and Richard Desmond. |
There were no campaign medals for Bomber Command after the war and no mention of it in Prime Minister Winston Churchill's victory speech. | There were no campaign medals for Bomber Command after the war and no mention of it in Prime Minister Winston Churchill's victory speech. |
It was criticised by some for raids on Dresden in the closing months of the war, causing fire-storms which killed about 25,000 civilians in the destruction of the city centre. | It was criticised by some for raids on Dresden in the closing months of the war, causing fire-storms which killed about 25,000 civilians in the destruction of the city centre. |
Speaking at Green Park ahead of the dedication ceremony, Bomber Command veteran Cecil Hayley agreed the memorial was about reconciliation as well as remembrance. | Speaking at Green Park ahead of the dedication ceremony, Bomber Command veteran Cecil Hayley agreed the memorial was about reconciliation as well as remembrance. |
"I sometimes look back in horror to think what I was required to do. But it was what we were trying to do... it was part of the task of finishing the war and I console myself that this is what we had to do." | |
Bomber Command Association chairman Malcolm White said it was clear that the memorial's message included a sense of reconciliation. | Bomber Command Association chairman Malcolm White said it was clear that the memorial's message included a sense of reconciliation. |
"That's why it's writ large on the wall, 'We remember those of all countries who died in 39-45,'" he said. | "That's why it's writ large on the wall, 'We remember those of all countries who died in 39-45,'" he said. |
He said he had been in touch with the mayor of Dresden and spoken to media in the German city as part of the project. | He said he had been in touch with the mayor of Dresden and spoken to media in the German city as part of the project. |
The RAF Benevolent Fund will take over guardianship of the memorial. | The RAF Benevolent Fund will take over guardianship of the memorial. |
A special programme about today's ceremony, Bomber Command: A Tribute, is being shown at 17:00 BST on BBC Two on Thursday. | A special programme about today's ceremony, Bomber Command: A Tribute, is being shown at 17:00 BST on BBC Two on Thursday. |