About Battle of Britain Monument
The Battle of Britain Monument on the Victoria Embankment is a spectacular, 25-metre wide monument created by sculptor Paul Day. It was unveiled by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in September 2005 on the 65th anniversary of one of the most famous battles in history.
Funded in the main by private donations, the project was conceived by Bill Bond, founder of the Battle of Britain Historical Society and the containing structure previously served as a smoke outlet for steam-powered underground trains.
The 25-metre wide monument was purposely built ‘at people level’ so passers-by could interact with it and a series of friezes depict scenes from the battle as well as topics of both military and civilian life at that time. All airmen credited with flying combat missions during the battle are inscribed on bronze plaques and across the bottom reads one of Churchill’s most famous quotes; ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’
The stunningly detailed bronze centrepiece is entitled ‘Scramble’ and depicts the rush of pilots to get to their planes to intercept enemy aircraft intent on destroying London and it was cast at the Morris Singer Foundry, the same foundry where Landseer’s lions that sit at the base of Nelson’s Column were cast.
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