Under
sunshine uncharacteristic of the British summer so far, the Bomber Command
Memorial was dedicated in London’s Green Park on June 28. Around 7,000 veterans
from the Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, USA and Caribbean and their families
attended the ceremony. This included thirty-two New Zealand veterans, flown to the UK
on a 40 Squadron RNZAF Boeing 757.
The
memorial commemorates the 55,573 members of Bomber Command killed on operations
during World War II. Around 6,000 New Zealanders served with Bomber Command,
and 1,851 did not return home, a loss rate of thirty per cent. Canada’s losses were
around fifty-eight per cent of the personnel sent. Speaking at the dedication,
Sir Stephen Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff pointed out that the wartime
casualties were greater than the strength of today’s RAF. He singled out the
stories of Canadian Andrew Mynarski, who was posthumously awarded the VC for
attempting to save a fellow crewmember and Briton James Flint, whose George
Cross came about in similar circumstances, but who was able to attend the
dedication.
Queen
Elizabeth II unveiled the centerpiece of the Memorial, a sculpture of a typical
seven-man heavy bomber crew, depicted as if having just returned from a raid
over Occupied Europe. Princes Phillip, Charles, Andrew and Edward were also in
their roles as honorary RAF Marshals and Air Commodores, but there were
thankfully no politicians or celebrities. One of the latter who did much to
make the memorial possible was sadly missed, however. Bee Gees singer Robin
Gibb, president of the Heritage Foundation which had raised much of the £6
million cost of the Memorial, died on May 20.
The
Memorial was a long time coming. Although Sir Winston Churchill’s quote of
September 1940: “The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide
our means of victory” is inscribed on the west side of the Memorial, the
destruction of Dresden, attacked on his direct order, and other German cities
dampened his enthusiasm for bombing. Bomber Command was not mentioned in
Churchill’s 1945 victory speech and he refused Bomber Command chief Sir Arthur
Harris’ request for a campaign medal. It has taken nearly 70 years to get a
national memorial built, by which time the surviving veterans have mostly
entered their 90s.
One
of the younger ones, Aucklander Ron Mayhill, 88, who served with 75 (NZ) Squadron at
Mepal said: ”I think we now have a broader and more balanced view of what we
did. We were there to win the war and I think Bomber Command did more than its
fair share”.
The
Memorial itself, in sight of the New Zealand War Memorial on Hyde Park Corner,
was designed by architect Liam O’Connor in classical style and is largely made
of Portland stone. The 9 ft high bronze figures that comprise the centerpiece
were sculpted by Phillip Jackson and are accurate down to the last detail of
parachute buckle and microphone lead, although they wear no badges of rank.
Aluminium
from Halifax LW682 of 426 Squadron RCAF which was shot down over Holland in
1944 forms part of the roof, which is braced inside in a pattern inspired by
the Geodetic construction of the Vickers Wellington. Above the heads of the
figures it is open to the sky. On the park side of the memorial is a bronze
wreath sculpted by an Australian veteran, Colin Dudley DFC, who was a Halifax
navigator on No. 578 Squadron.
One
of many real wreaths laid at the feet of the statue commemorated brothers John
and George Mee from Becks, Central Otago, both Lancaster pilots who died over
Germany in March and April 1944 aged 25 and 26, respectively. A note with it
read in part: “As with their comrades they did not seek glory, they asked for
no collateral for their lives, they demanded no privileges, no power or
influence as they flew steadily into the valley of death”.
Five
Tornado GR.4s, today’s counterpart of the World War II ‘heavy’ made a flyover,
followed by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster, marked as
‘Phantom of the Ruhr’ of 100 Squadron. Aboard was Ron Clark, 90, pilot of the
original Phantom, who last flew a Lancaster on VJ Day, 1945. Today he was in
charge of the release of poppies over the ceremony, one for every Bomber
Command airman lost. Arriving in the London control zone, the Lanc’s navigator
Squadron Leader Russ Russell checked in with London ATC: "10 POB (people
on board) with 55,573 souls."
This also appears in the July 2012 issue of NZ Aviation News:
http://www.aviationnews.co.nz/july12news1.html
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