ROYAL AIR FORCE MEMORIAL
by
Philip Ward-
Location: At Whitehall Steps in an opening in the Embankment wall, opposite the
Ministry of Defence building.
Sculptor: William Reid Dick
Architect: Sir Reginald Blomfield
Founder: Parlanti
Materials: The eagle and globe are in bronze, the eagle itself gilded, the globe darkly
patinated. The pylon is in Portland stone.
Dimensions:
Unveiled: 13 July 1923
Inscriptions: The motto of the RAF, PER ARDUA AD ASTRA is inscribed around
the frieze of the pylon
on the side of the pylon facing the Embankment -
MEMORY OF/ ALL RANKS OF THE/ ROYAL NAVAL AIR/ SERVICE ROYAL/
FLYING CORPS/ ROYAL AIR FORCE/ AND THOSE/ AIR FORCES FROM/
EVERY PART OF THE/ BRITISH EMPIRE/ WHO GAVE THEIR / LIVES IN
WINNING/ VICTORY FOR/ THEIR KING/ AND COUNTRY/ 1914-
YOU ON EAGLES/ WINGS AND BROUGHT/ YOU UNTO/ MYSELF
on the lower base, facing the Embankment -
REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE / MEN AND WOMEN OF THE/ AIR FORCES OF
EVERY PART OF/ THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND EMPIRE/ WHO
GAVE THEIR LIVES/ 1939-
on the pylon on the side facing the river -
1939/1945
on the base of the zodiacal globe, on the east side -
This is the official memorial of the RAF, and of its constituent services. It consists of a
tapering pylon of rectangular plan, whose longest axis runs parallel to the river bank. Its
side faces are framed by pilaster strips, and it stands on two step-
two further levels of base. In the panels on the two broader faces of the pylon, the RAF
insignia appear above the inscriptions. Above the pylon is an altar-
in relief on all fours sides. A further, buttressed socle takes the memorial up to its
climax, an eagle, standing on a zodiacal globe, with wings raised as if about to take
flight over the river.
The first RAF Memorial Committee was set up in February 1919, to respond to the
suggestion of Maj.Gen.J.M.Salmond that the force should have its own chapel in
London.1 Various sites, such as Aldwych, St. James's Square and Pall Mall were
suggested, and the architects Edwin Lutyens and W.D.Caroe were considered.2 When
the cost of acquiring a central London site was found to be prohibitive, the alternative of
adopting an existing church was looked at, the chief candidate being the Grosvenor
Chapel in South Audley Street.3 By April, some consideration was also being given to
an "ordinary memorial", to be set up on a central London site, though the appropriate
action to take on this was complicated by current proposals to erect a National
Memorial. It was felt that the RAF's own memorial should form part of this.4 On the 30
June 1919, a new RAF Memorial Committee held its first meeting, and the Secretary
was asked to find out about the plans for the National Memorial, and see whether
"arrangements can be made for members of the Royal Air Force Memorial Committee
to attend the meetings".5 The new committee initiated a consultative process, inviting
officers and other ranks to express their preferences about how the bulk of the money
raised should be spent. They were not asked about the War Memorial itself, since this
was seen as only a minor item of expenditure. The ballot indicated that an
overwhelming majority were in favour of using the money to raise a home for orphans
of RAF personnel. The idea of a chapel found very few supporters.6 After this
experiment had been tried, it was still proposed to dedicate £10,000 to the erection of an
RAF War Memorial. Since the National Memorial showed no signs of materialising, it
was now suggested that this should be in either St Paul's or Westminster Abbey, and
that another memorial should be placed on the Rock at Edinburgh. Some
recommendations were also made about the make-
Memorial Committee, with Prince Albert (the future George VI) as patron, and
influential gentlemen as vice-
This was the body which finally launched the appeal in the pages of the Times, on 21
Jan. 1920, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard taking the leading role and Lord
Hugh Cecil in the chair. Further details as to the objectives of the committee were given
in an article in the Times of the 21 April. The sum looked for was £40,000, but not all
of this was to be spent on the memorial itself. Other objectives were the creation of
boarding schools for the children of airmen, the provision of bursaries for the children
of officers, and treatment and assistance for the disabled. The Memorial Committee first
made application to the Dean of Westminster for permission to raise a memorial cross
on the lawn between Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church.8 When this was
refused, an approach was made to the LCC for the site at Whitehall Steps on the
Victoria Embankment. This application was made on 23 Feb. 1921, and permission was
granted by the LCC on 22 Nov., on the condition that the Department of Woods and
Forests also agreed to the site.9
Shortly before the Council reached its decision, the executive committee for the
memorial had given its general approval to Reginald Blomfield's designs.10 The pylon
form which he proposed had already been used by him for war memorials for Torquay
and Luton, on each occasion crowned with a different feature. The form had recently
been given perfected minimal treatment by Lutyens in his Cenotaph for Whitehall,
nearby. Blomfield found Whitehall Steps "a beautiful site", but one which imposed
limitations. The need to leave free access space around the memorial limited the
dimensions of the base, and this in turn, determined the height to which the pylon could
be carried without injuring its proportions. The required height could only be achieved,
he claimed, by the addition of the eagle and globe. The architect himself was
responsible for the choice of William Reid Dick for the sculptural element of the
memorial, and he claimed that Reid Dick "had caught exactly the idea that I was out
for".11 The original drawings and the models, which were shown at the Royal Academy
in 1922, show that the first intention was to have the eagle facing in towards the
Embankment and away from the river.12 Blomfield seems to have decided at a late hour
that the Eagle would look better taking off over the river. Reid Dick's inventive input
was clearly very limited. One of Blomfield's drawings for the memorial, now in the
R.I.B.A. Drawing Collection (Victoria and Albert Museum, London), is a very detailed
close-
handwriting, on a painting or illustration by the ornithological artist, Archibald
Thorbum. A tiny bi-
Reid Dick had to do was to work out the three dimensional rendition of this image.
There was some resistance in the committee to the gilding of the eagle. On this point,
Blomfield received support from Lord Hugh Cecil, who insisted that, as the artist, he
might be supposed to know what was best. In the end, Cecil was able to communicate to
Blomfield the general satisfaction of the committee with his achievement. "The
impression made by the memorial", he wrote, "has exactly that air of dignity and beauty
which is to be desired".14
The unveiling was performed on the 16 July 1923 by the Prince of Wales. There were
speeches by Sir Hugh Trenchard, Lord Hugh Cecil, and one on behalf of the civilian
subscribers to the memorial from Viscount Cowdray. Perhaps the most moving and
historically interesting words were those spoken by the Prince himself. He referred to
the way in which those commemorated had "played their part in the war, braving with
high spirit the unknown dangers of warfare in a new element and dying to give us the
final victory", and to the tradition which their exploits and undoubted courage had
established for "the new service", and for "our cloud armies of the future".15
Lord Trenchard unveiled the additional inscriptions for those who died in World War II
on Battle of Britain Sunday, 15 Sept. 1946.16 Since then, on this same anniversary, the
Chief of Air Staff places a wreath at the memorial on his way to the Thanksgiving
Service in Westminster Abbey. On Remembrance Day, a very large wreath in the shape
of a pilot's brevet is attached to the memorial at dawn.
1 PRO Air 2-
and Minutes of Meeting, 1 Feb. 1919.
2 PRO Air 2-
L.Earie, 20 Feb. 1919.
3 PRO Air 2-
4 PRO Work 2-
Committee to the Air Council, 9 April 1919.
5 PRO Air 2-
6 PRO Air 2-
7 Ibid
8 Information from the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund web-
Force Memorial.
9 LMA LCC, Minutes of Proceedings, 15 April and 22 Nov. 1921.
10 Times. 15 Oct. 1921.
11 Blomfield, R, Memoirs of an Architect, London 1932, p. 184.
12 Architect, 7 July 1922 -
Drawings in the R.I.B.A. Drawings Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London,
PA 248/12(1) and (4).
13 R.I.B.A. Drawings Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, PA 248/12 (3).
14 Blomfield, R., op. and loc. cit..
15 Times, 17 July 1923, and Flight, 19 July 1923.
16 Times, 16 Sept. 1946.
WORDS ON THE SIDE OF THE MEMORIAL FACING THE EMBANKMENT
PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
IN MEMORY OF
ALL RANKS OF THE
ROYAL NAVAL AIR
SERVICE ROYAL
FLYING CORPS
ROYAL AIR FORCE
AND THOSE
AIR FORCES FROM
EVERY PART OF THE
BRITISH EMPIRE
WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES IN WINNING
VICTORY FOR
THEIR KING
AND COUNTRY
1914-
I BARE YOU ON EAGLES
WINGS AND BROUGHT
YOU UNTO
MYSELF
On the lower base
THIS INSCRIPTION IS ADDED
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE
MEN AND WOMEN OF THE
AIR FORCES OF EVERY PART OF
THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND EMPIRE
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
1939-
WORDS ON THE SIDE OF THE MEMORIAL FACING THE RIVER
1914
1918
IN
PERPETUAL
MEMORY
1939
1945
