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TV5995 : Bomber Command memorial and Peace PathTV5995 : Southward view of the World War Two Bomber Command memorialTV5995 : Bomber Command memorial and Peace Path near Beachy Head Ordnance Survey National Grid: TV5995
While the Battle of Britain was fought out in the skies of southern England, for many in Bomber Command, Beachy Head would have been their last sight of England because it was the main exit point for RAF Bomber Command crews heading for occupied Europe. Today, Beachy Head is a place of peace with monuments and memorials marking the memory of those now departed. The name ‘Peace Path’ which leads to and from the memorial is symbolic of the spirit of the place and the accessibility of the commemoration plaque is an aspect of its place in the collective memory. The inscription on the memorial reads as follows:
WORLD WAR II 1939 TO 1945

In tribute to the 110,000 aircrew of the
Royal Air Force Bomber Command
55,573 gave their lives in the cause of freedom
11,006 became prisoners of war
They volunteered and came in their thousands
from the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth
and the occupied countries of Europe to fight
and defeat a great tyranny

For many, Beachy Head would have been their
last sight of England


Remember them
The idea for the memorial came from Joseph Williams, a Bomber Command veteran. The six- tonne, granite memorial was flown in by an RAF Chinook helicopter and erected in June, 2012. Another Bomber Command memorial was unveiled in London two days later on the 28th June by Her Majesty the Queen. Controversial, ethical issues about bombing may go some way to explain why it has taken so long to build these memorials.
Andrew Diack, B.A.