RAF Monument, Plymouth
The Royal Air Force and Allied Air Forces Monument on Plymouth Hoe is erected in memoriam of the brave men and women who served in the Allied Air Forces during the period of 1939-45, both in the air and on the ground, including those of the British Army Air Corps, Fleet Air Arm and the Air Transport Auxilliary.
The monument's main body 鈥� a two-stepped base and surmounting square plinth 鈥� is made out of granite, and is topped with a 6-foot tall bronze statue of the Unknown Airman, sculpted by Mrs. Pamela Taylor. Three tablets with dedicatory inscriptions are set into the seaward face of the plinth, and one more tablet is at the foot of the steps. The Airman in flying kit is depicted gazing out to sea, holding his parachute in his right hand.
It was the inspiration of Mr. Jim Davis, a former rear gunner on the Lancaster during the Second World War. He and the wartime commander of the Pathfinder Force of Bomber Command, Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett, fought for over nine years to have this monument erected on the Hoe. The ashes of Don Bennett are buried right here, at the base.
RAF Monument is the only international air memorial in the world. Many of the airmen and -women to whom it is dedicated were from the countries which were not directly involved in WWII hostilities. Nationals from as far afield as the Caribbean islands, Iceland and Southern Ireland (Eire) served within the RAF.
The monument was unveiled on September 3rd 1989, marking the 50th Anniversary of the declaration of the Second World War. Among the several hundred veterans who paraded that day were representatives of 17 countries, including the USA, the USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The monument's main body 鈥� a two-stepped base and surmounting square plinth 鈥� is made out of granite, and is topped with a 6-foot tall bronze statue of the Unknown Airman, sculpted by Mrs. Pamela Taylor. Three tablets with dedicatory inscriptions are set into the seaward face of the plinth, and one more tablet is at the foot of the steps. The Airman in flying kit is depicted gazing out to sea, holding his parachute in his right hand.
It was the inspiration of Mr. Jim Davis, a former rear gunner on the Lancaster during the Second World War. He and the wartime commander of the Pathfinder Force of Bomber Command, Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett, fought for over nine years to have this monument erected on the Hoe. The ashes of Don Bennett are buried right here, at the base.
RAF Monument is the only international air memorial in the world. Many of the airmen and -women to whom it is dedicated were from the countries which were not directly involved in WWII hostilities. Nationals from as far afield as the Caribbean islands, Iceland and Southern Ireland (Eire) served within the RAF.
The monument was unveiled on September 3rd 1989, marking the 50th Anniversary of the declaration of the Second World War. Among the several hundred veterans who paraded that day were representatives of 17 countries, including the USA, the USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
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RAF Monument on Map
Sight Name: RAF Monument
Sight Location: Plymouth, England (See walking tours in Plymouth)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Plymouth, England (See walking tours in Plymouth)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Plymouth, England
Create Your Own Walk in Plymouth
Creating your own self-guided walk in Plymouth is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Plymouth Hoe Walking Tour
Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south-facing open public space in Plymouth with commanding views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and further afield into Cornwall. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word hoh, which means a sloping ridge shaped like an inverted foot and heel.
This part of town has always been a meeting place, where people would come regularly... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.7 Km or 0.4 Miles
This part of town has always been a meeting place, where people would come regularly... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.7 Km or 0.4 Miles
Plymouth Introduction Walking Tour
Plymouth's early history began in the Bronze Age when the first settlement emerged at Mount Batten. It is mentioned in Ptolemy's Geographia as a maritime outpost exporting bronze mirrors.
The settlement was a major port in the southwest of England in Roman times. It was surpassed as a port in the ninth century by the nearby wealthier village of Sutton, later called Plymouth.
... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
The settlement was a major port in the southwest of England in Roman times. It was surpassed as a port in the ninth century by the nearby wealthier village of Sutton, later called Plymouth.
... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Pilgrim Fathers Trail
Back in the early 17th century, a group of English Puritans 鈥� nowadays reverently referred to as the Pilgrim Fathers 鈥� fled religious persecution in their homeland and established a colony in North America that later became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims embarked on their perilous journey across the Atlantic from Plymouth, England in 1620 aboard a ship called the Mayflower,... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.5 Km or 0.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.5 Km or 0.3 Miles