Background to the Monument

The initial idea for the monument came from the Battle of Britain Historical Society who felt it was important to recognise one of the key battles of World War II. If we had lost that battle there was a good chance that we would have lost the war. The Society believed that such a tremendous achievement had not been properly recognised and wanted to address the lack of awareness of the battle and its importance amongst subsequent generations.

We are extremely grateful to Westminster Council who donated a superb site on the Victoria Embankment. The location is on the north side of the river Thames between the RAF Memorial and Westminster bridge.

The site is based on an existing panelled granite structure 25 metres long. This structure was originally designed as a smoke outlet for underground trains when they were powered by steam engines and had been filled up and blocked for many years.

A walkway was cut obliquely through the middle of the existing structure and bronze reliefs, depicting aspects of the Battle in the air and the back-up on the ground, are positioned along either side. Bronze plaques holding in raised relief the names and ranks of the airmen who took part in the battle are mounted around the outside of the monument, the airmen’s names being grouped under their respective countries.

Read about the sculptor’s original vision for the monument