RAF Memorial at Runnymede

Thirty eight metres above sea level and invisible to anyone visiting the Magna Carta Rotunda, John F Kennedy Memorial or The Jurors installation down at the level of the nearby Thames is the magnificent RAF Memorial on the crest of Cooper’s Hill.

The Memorial was built to commemorate the twenty thousand four hundred and fifty six members of the air services from Britain and the wider Commonwealth who died in action but have no graves.

It was designed by Sir Edward Maufe (1883 – 1974) to create “an atmosphere of quiet and intimacy for visitors coming to remember the missing”. The memorial was officially opened by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on 17th October 1953 and was one of her earliest engagements following her Coronation on 2nd June 1953.

Not one of those service personnel will ever be forgotten. All of their names are engraved with razor sharp precision into Portland stone that is protected from the ravages of the elements by walls and windows. Their names are listed in chronological order according to the year they died and then in order of rank as is the custom and practice of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who maintain this site.

Neither will the countries that comprised the membership of the Commonwealth as it was during the conflict. Their individual coats of arms are painted on the ceilings of the corridors of names of the fallen. These colourful heraldic symbols were renovated back in 2020 so when I made my visit in 2025 the colours were as vibrant as when they were first painted in 1953.

At the northern end of the memorial, which Sir Edward Maufe’s design leads the visitor to effortlessly, is a small chapel. Above the entrance to the chapel are statues carved to represent “Justice”, “Victory” and “Courage”. They look into the centre of the memorial site rather than over to Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. A document that laid the foundations for the freedoms we have today and for which we must remember the sacrifices of those who died in subsequent wars in their defence, including World War II.

The view from the chapel is laid out behind a huge glass panel. It is interrupted biblically by an engraving of the 139th Psalm.

Beyond the words about climbing into heaven, going into hell, taking the wings of the morning, always knowing you will be there and will always hold me is the most expansive view across the Thames Valley. Windsor Castle and Eton College, towards the west, stand out proudly declaring their role in history. To the north is Slough whose industrialisation and urbanisation don’t have quite the same reason to be proud as its nearest neighbours.

Above the chapel is another two stories. The first one is an open platform. The second one accessed via a short flight of steps. They both symbolise the control of airfields whose fallen heroes are remembered below. From these two levels of the and on a clear day there is an excellent view into Heathrow Airport and towards the west of London, the London Eye, Wembley Arch, The Shard and the very high rise buildings of Canary Wharf.

The objective of Sir Edward Maufe when he designed this memorial back in the 1950’s was to create a space imbued with “quiet and intimacy”. In 2025 the memorial still holds those qualities. So much so that even the planes taking off from nearby Heathrow never appear to go directly over it. As if they were giving their respects to airmen who gave their lives to protect the freedoms we have today, including that of the skies over our country and Western Europe.