The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) at Lincoln, UK, with the Walls of Names, was unveiled on 12th April 2018. It serves as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for those who died whilst serving with RAF Bomber Command during WW2.
The Memorial Spire, central to IBCC, commemorates the airmen who served in RAF Bomber Command during WW2. Of the some 125, 000 airmen who served, 55,573 died. It is now recognised as the UK’s tallest war memorial.
The Walls of Names surround the Memorial Spire in a series of panel circles framing the view of the City with a focus on the City’s ancient Cathedral, which served as a sighting point for RAF bomber crews flying from Lincolnshire during WW2. For many of the men named on the accompanying walls, the Cathedral provided their last sight of Britain. Each panel is formed from engraved sheets of Corten Weathering Steel.
The Wall consists of 271 panels with the names of the 55,573 – a loss rate of 44.4% – RAF airmen, from 45 nations, who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command during WWII. The IBCC is the only place in the world where all these losses are commemorated.
Whilst 311 Sqn was deployed in Bomber Command when based at Honnington and East Wreatham, between 29 July 1940 to 18 April 1942, 114 of its airmen were lost and are remembered on the Walls of Names.
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