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Runnymede Air Forces Memorial

d. 1953

Click to remember them. Lest we forget.

Photograph at the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial war grave
Photograph via Wikipedia (Air Forces Memorial, CC BY-SA).

The Air Forces Memorial, also known as the Runnymede Memorial, stands in Englefield Green, close to Egham in Surrey, England. This significant memorial honours over 20,000 men and women from the British Empire's air forces who perished during air and other operations in World War II. These individuals have no known grave and many were lost without a trace. Their names are meticulously carved into the memorial's stone walls, organised by their country of origin and their squadron, creating a lasting tribute to their sacrifice.

This memorial dates from the era of the Second World War, a global conflict that spanned from 1939 to 1945, involving the Allied and Axis powers. This period was marked by immense loss and devastation, with tens of millions of lives claimed by warfare, famine, disease, and systematic atrocities. The war began in Europe with Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939, leading to declarations of war by the United Kingdom and France. The air operations commemorated at Runnymede were a critical part of the Allied effort during this widespread conflict.

The memorial is situated on Cooper's Hill Lane in Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey, with the postcode TW20 0LB. Visitors will find the site dedicated to remembrance, where the names of those commemorated are engraved into the stone. The setting encourages quiet contemplation and offers a place for reflection on the profound losses sustained during wartime.

The Air Forces Memorial stands in Englefield Green as a poignant tribute to the airmen and airwomen of the British Empire who perished during the Second World War. Some 20,456 individuals are remembered here, their names inscribed on the stone walls, organised by country and squadron. These are the brave souls who have no known resting place, many lost without a trace during air and other operations. Their sacrifices are honoured at this significant site near Egham in Surrey, ensuring their memory endures.

Original summary by TributeLegacy, informed by public sources.

Second World War

Photographs

Photograph of Runnymede Air Forces Memorial

Images via Wikimedia Commons - click to view licensing & full resolution.

Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Geographic data via OpenStreetMap.

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Data sources

Location records are drawn from open, licence-clean datasets, kept here with attribution and gratitude to the people who maintain them.

  • Open Plaques, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). See openplaques.org.
  • Wikidata, available under the CC0 1.0 Universal dedication.
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
  • Historic England, National Heritage List for England, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. War memorial records are drawn from open community datasets (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NHLE) - never from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is excluded.

Editorial descriptions, photography and tribute links are original TributeLegacy work, layered on top of the open data.

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