Air Forces Memorial

The Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, near Egham, Surrey, England is a memorial dedicated to some 20,456 men and women from the British Empire who were lost in operations from World War II. All of those recorded have no known grave anywhere in the world and many were lost without trace. The name of each of these airmen and airwomen is engraved into the stone walls of the memorial, according to country and squadron.

The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe with sculpture by Vernon Hill. The engraved glass and painted ceilings were designed by John Hutton and the poem engraved on the gallery window was written by Paul H Scott. It was the first post-World War II building to be listed for architectural merit.

The roof of the memorial looks over the River Thames, and Runnymede Meadow the location where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215. Most of North, West and Central London can be seen from the viewpoint; monuments such as the London Eye and Windsor Castle can be seen clearly, also on a clear day the arch of Wembley Stadium is visible.

The memorial lies on Coopers Hill Lane, Englefield Green, adjacent to the Runnymede campus of Brunel University and the Kingswood accommodation of Royal Holloway, University of London. It is a Grade II* listed building.

External links

* [http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=109600&mode=1 Commonwealth War Graves Commission - official site]
* [http://www.wyrdlight.com/stories/airforcerunnymede.htm Short story and images of the memorial with additional 'pop-up' images and 'pop-up' full transcript of Scott's poem]
*IoE|470605|- Grade II*