The centrepiece of the International Bomber Command Centre is the Spire Memorial and Walls. The Spire stands on a hill above the city of Lincoln and is aligned so that you can see Lincoln Cathedral through its heart. Made of weathering steel, it is 102ft high, the height of a Lancaster bomber's wing, and as wide at the base as a Lancaster wing. It represents not only a wing but also a church steeple. Air crew returning from raids used to navigate by church spires, as the blackout and other measures made it difficult to know exactly where they were.
The surrounding walls are laser cut with the names of almost 58,000 men and women who lost their lives serving or supporting Bomber Command during the Second World War. (Women did not fly as aircrew but some were ground crew or, for example, scientists who were killed on test flights.) Of the 125,000 aircrew who served, 72% were killed, seriously injured or taken prisoner of war. More than 44% were killed, with an average age of just 23 years. The centre really helps one to grasp the scale of the sacrifices made but also the key role Bomber Command played in the outcome of the war.
There is a great deal more information on the website HERE.
Very sobering statistics. But a memorial will do that. Thanks for reminding me of how fragile our freedoms are and that we depend upon others for this life.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing place.
ReplyDeleteAn impressive and fitting memorial.
ReplyDeleteA war memorial with the names of those who served and lost is a fine way to remember that specific individual people were involved. The Vietnam memorial in Washington also uses names on a simple surface as a way of remembering the soldiers. This memorial and the Vietnam memorial are quite striking . . . and sobering.
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