Monument

Croydon Aerodrome Battle of Britain memorial

Erection date: 27/10/1991

Inscription

{On the front of the pylon, below the Royal Air Force Fighter Command crest and a Christian cross:}
In God we trust
This memorial is in tribute to all connected with Croydon and its aerodrome who gave their lives either in the air or on the ground during the Second World War,
1939 - 1945.
This memorial was unveiled by Air Marshal Sir William Wratten KBE, CB, AFC, FRAeS, RAF, on Sunday 27th October 1991.

{On the left face of the pylon below three badges:}
They gave us our freedom.

{On the back of the pylon below three badges:}
The possibility of defeat never existed.
{Way down at the bottom right:}
A.D.S. M.B.E. {Alan Savage}

{On the right face of the pylon below three badges:}
Remembered always

{On the step risers, starting at the front:}
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. W.S.C. {Winston Spencer Churchill}

Royal Artillery - Hon.Artillery Company - Queens Royal Reg. - Middlesex Reg. - Tower Hamlet Rifles - 2nd London Rifles - W.A.A F. - A.T.S. - A.T.A.

Ambulance - Fire - Police - Royal Observer Corps - Home Guard - NAAFI - Salvation Army

All civil defence units - telephone services - transport - doctors & nursing staff - post and all those who suffered.

On the second step riser, at the back:}
W. L. A. - W. V. S.

{On a plaque laid into the ground in front of the monument:}
In memory of Alan D. Savage MBE DFM, 1927 - 2007, without whose constant endeavours this memorial would never have been raised.

21 foot high and topped with a bronze eagle, this monument does not actually name the Battle of Britain but that is what is being commemorated, along with the fighter pilots and all those based at Croydon that won it. We understand the badges are those of the squadrons based here and we think (but are open to correction) that the initial spaghetti untangles as:

A.T.A. - Air Transport Auxiliary
A.T.S. - Auxiliary Territorial Service
NAAFI - Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
W.A.A F. - Womens' Auxiliary Air Force
W. L. A. - Women's Land Army
W. V. S. - Women's Voluntary Service

Buried under the monument is a time capsule containing historic items relating to the Battle of Britain and Croydon Airport.

Site: Croydon Aerodrome Battle of Britain memorial (1 memorial)

CR0, Purley Way

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Croydon Aerodrome Battle of Britain memorial

Subjects commemorated i

Battle of Britain

As part of WW2 the Germans set out to gain supremacy over the RAF in the Brit...

Read More

World War 2

Sorry, we've done no research on WW2, it's just too big a subject. But do vis...

Read More

all connected with Croydon & its aerodrome who gave their lives in WW2

Croydon aerodrome was the world's first international airport.  It was closed...

Read More

Fighter Command

Famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, fending off the German air atta...

Read More

Royal Air Force

Formed 1st April 1918 at Hotel Cecil, 80 the Strand where it had its first he...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Croydon Aerodrome Battle of Britain memorial

Created by i

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister 1940 - 45 and 1951 - 55. Born Blenheim Palace, near Woodstock,...

Read More

Alan D. Savage

MBE DFM.   RAF bomber pilot.  Designed the Croydon Aerodrome WW2 memorial and...

Read More

Air Marshal Sir William Wratten

KBE, CB, AFC, FRAeS, RAF.

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Fryatt at Liverpool Street Station

Fryatt at Liverpool Street Station

EC2, Liverpool Street Station

Prior to the restoration of the station these memorials stood elsewhere. The war memorial was originally erected in the booking hall. One...

War dead | WW1
2 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Stockwell WW1 memorial

Stockwell WW1 memorial

SW9, Stockwell Terrace

The design of this Portland stone clock tower was chosen through competition by a committee of the Royal Academy from a field of 80. The...

War dead | WW1
576 subjects commemorated, 5 creators
W. H. Hudson Memorial

W. H. Hudson Memorial

W2, Hyde Park - Meadow Wildlife

The sculpture represents Rima, the nature-spirit heroine of Hudson's book "Green Mansions". It caused quite a stir at the time, from the ...

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
11 Group Operations Room

11 Group Operations Room

UB10, RAF Uxbridge

Unveiled by Lord Dowding.

4 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
St Marks WW1 cross

St Marks WW1 cross

NW8, Hamilton Terrace

The crucifix is supported on a Tuscan column. Some sections of the list of names are so badly weather-damaged that the names there are p...

War dead | WW1
112 subjects commemorated