RAF Chapel
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At the eastern end of Westminster Abbey in the Lady Chapel built by King Henry VII is the RAF Chapel dedicated to the men of the Royal Air Force who died in the Battle of Britain between July and October 1940.
History
What is now the RAF Chapel was the original burial site of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in 1658. Cromwell was disinterred in 1661, after the Stuart Restoration, when his corpse was ritually hung from the gallows at Tyburn, where it was finally buried.[1]
The chapel received extensive bomb damage during the
Subsequently, the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour was placed in the chapel. It contains the names of the 1,497 pilots and aircrew killed or mortally wounded during the Battle of Britain. Illuminated by calligrapher Daisy Alcock, the original work was paid for by Captain Bruce Ingram. It is paraded annually during the Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday.
The ashes of Trenchard (1956) and Dowding (1970) were interred in the chapel. Notable RAF officers buried elsewhere are commemorated by memorials, e.g. "Bomber" Harris,[2] the man who led RAF Bomber Command during much of the Second World War.
A tradition has grown that the remaining Battle of Britain veterans and their families hold their own, private service in the chapel prior to the Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday.
Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication
The annual service on Battle of Britain Sunday is held in Westminster Abbey on the Sunday on or following Battle of Britain Day (15 September), and has taken place annually since 1943; the first service took place in St Paul's Cathedral and since has taken place in the Abbey.[3]
The format of the service has not changed since 1943. The
The service is a ticket-only event, arranged by the Royal Air Force Ceremonial Office. Notices are placed in The Times and The Daily Telegraph newspapers in June. Applications can be made in writing to SO3 RAF Ceremonial Events at RAF Northolt by former Battle of Britain aircrew, relatives of Battle of Britain aircrew now deceased (either during the war or since), past or present members of the RAF or its reserve forces and members of the public.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Westminster Abbey Burials – Famous People Buried Among Kings At Westminster Abbey".
- ^ "Sir Arthur Harris | Westminster Abbey".
- ^ "The Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday". 20 September 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ "THEY WILL REMEMBER THE FEW". Middlesex County Times. 10 September 1960. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
The Fighter Command ensign is to be carried by Wing Commander R. F. T. Doe, D.S.O., D.F.C.. a Battle of Britain pilot, who will wear the Moneypenny Sword, presented by the widow of Squadron Leader J. B. S. Moneypenny, who was killed in action in 1940. NOTE: Here is the article - unfortunately the reporter spells Squadron Leader Monypenny's last name incorrectly - the article, along with many references on the internet, spell his last name as 'Moneypenny' when, in fact, there is no 'e'.