The RAF Benevolent Fund is proud and privileged to be the custodian of the new Bomber Command Memorial in central London.
The memorial stands as a fitting tribute to the 55,573 Bomber Command crew who lost their lives in the Second World War.
The design of the memorial
The memorial has been built to be modern, yet classical, in Portland stone.
At its heart are the bronze sculptures of a Bomber Command aircrew.
Within the memorial, the space is open to the sky with an opening designed to allow light to fall directly onto sculptures of the aircrew.
The scale of the sculpture as a whole means that visitors will always see the profile of the sculpture against the sky above them, day and night - thus rendering that section of the sky powerfully symbolic for the memorial.
Halifax bomber
The design for the roof incorporates 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 eight crew were killed.
Three members of the crew were still at their stations when the aircraft was excavated in 1997. They were buried in Belgium with full military honours alongside the five other members of the crew.
Remembering their sacrifice
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the proud custodian of the Royal Air Force Memorial on the banks of the Thames, and we are very proud that we are now guardian for the Bomber Command Memorial.
It is our aim to preserve the memorial for future generations so that the noble sacrifice of 55,573 young Bomber Command crew who lost their lives will always be remembered.
How you can help
We receive no government funding, so we rely on you to continue our work.
Please do your bit to preserve the Bomber Command Memorial by making a donation to the RAF Benevolent Fund today.
