A memorial to the thousands of crewmen who served in Bomber Command during World War Two has been officially unveiled in Lincoln.
The memorial spire and walls of remembrance are the first significant development in the creation of the International Bomber Command Centre.
Lord Howe, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, cut the ribbon.
The ceremony, presented by historian Dan Snow, was attended by 300 of the remaining Bomber Command veterans.
The memorial spire was designed by Stephen Palmer of Place Architecture, and is higher than the Angel of the North.
It is 102ft (31.09m) tall - the wingspan of the Avro Lancaster - and the width at the base is 16ft (5m), the overall width of a Lancaster wing.
Bomber Command memorial unveiled in ceremony
2 October 2015
BBC News
The spire is 102ft (31.09m) high - the length of the wingspan of a Lancaster Bomber
A memorial to the thousands of crewmen who served in Bomber Command during World War Two has been officially unveiled in Lincoln.
The memorial spire and walls of remembrance are the first significant development in the creation of the International Bomber Command Centre.
Lord Howe, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, cut the ribbon.
The ceremony, presented by historian Dan Snow, was attended by 300 of the remaining Bomber Command veterans.
Mr Snow said: "This is Bomber County, Lincolnshire is Aviation County. Aircraft were made here, pioneered here and flown from here during both world wars.
"Aviation is inextricably linked with Lincolnshire and it is exactly right that the memorial is here."
Lincoln has been chosen as the site for the new International Bomber Command Centre as Lincoln Cathedral, the tallest building in the world from 1300 until 1549 when its central spire collapsed, provided a landmark for crews both leaving and returning from missions and, for those who failed to return, the Cathedral was often their last image of home
The spire is based on two wing fragments, tapering as they rise towards the sky
A number of flyovers by different aircraft were organised for the occasion, including the last flying Vulcan, a Blenheim bomber, two Tornados, three Hawks and the current MacRobert's Reply - a Short Stirling bomber.
The memorial spire was designed by Stephen Palmer of Place Architecture, and is higher than the Angel of the North.
It is 102ft (31.09m) tall - the wingspan of the Avro Lancaster - and the width at the base is 16ft (5m), the overall width of a Lancaster wing.
The spire was delivered to the site and erected in seven-and-a-half hours on 10 May this year, marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day.
The walls of remembrance record the names of the 55,573 men who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command.
Tony Worth CVO, chairman of the International Bomber Command Centre Trust, said: " It has been a momentous day both in terms of having reached this milestone in the creation of International Bomber Command Centre, which has taken eight years so far, and in having, in one place, so many of the last remaining veterans."
The walls of remembrance record the names of the 55,573 men who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command
Bomber Command
125,000
Aircrew served in Bomber Command in World War Two
364,514 operational sorties flown
55,573 aircrew killed in action
25,611 killed flying from Lincolnshire
70% of aircrew were killed, taken prisoner or injured International Bomber Command Centre
Getty Images
The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC)
The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) is being created to provide a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command.
The Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Trust, in partnership with the University of Lincoln, aims to open the Centre in 2016.
Lincoln has been chosen for the site as it provides a central point for all 27 bases that earned Lincolnshire the title of ‘Bomber County’. Lincoln Cathedral provided a landmark for crews both leaving and returning from missions and, for those who failed to return, the Cathedral was often their last image of home. Lincolnshire housed over a third of all the WW2 Bomber Command Stations making it the ideal home for this commemoration of the bravery of the men of Bomber Command.
The IBCC will provide the most comprehensive record of Bomber Command in the world and will ensure that generations to come can learn of their vital role in protecting the freedom we enjoy today.
International Bomber Command Centre
Bomber Command memorial unveiled in ceremony - BBC News
The memorial spire and walls of remembrance are the first significant development in the creation of the International Bomber Command Centre.
Lord Howe, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, cut the ribbon.
The ceremony, presented by historian Dan Snow, was attended by 300 of the remaining Bomber Command veterans.
The memorial spire was designed by Stephen Palmer of Place Architecture, and is higher than the Angel of the North.
It is 102ft (31.09m) tall - the wingspan of the Avro Lancaster - and the width at the base is 16ft (5m), the overall width of a Lancaster wing.
Bomber Command memorial unveiled in ceremony
2 October 2015
BBC News
The spire is 102ft (31.09m) high - the length of the wingspan of a Lancaster Bomber
A memorial to the thousands of crewmen who served in Bomber Command during World War Two has been officially unveiled in Lincoln.
The memorial spire and walls of remembrance are the first significant development in the creation of the International Bomber Command Centre.
Lord Howe, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, cut the ribbon.
The ceremony, presented by historian Dan Snow, was attended by 300 of the remaining Bomber Command veterans.
Mr Snow said: "This is Bomber County, Lincolnshire is Aviation County. Aircraft were made here, pioneered here and flown from here during both world wars.
"Aviation is inextricably linked with Lincolnshire and it is exactly right that the memorial is here."
Lincoln has been chosen as the site for the new International Bomber Command Centre as Lincoln Cathedral, the tallest building in the world from 1300 until 1549 when its central spire collapsed, provided a landmark for crews both leaving and returning from missions and, for those who failed to return, the Cathedral was often their last image of home
The spire is based on two wing fragments, tapering as they rise towards the sky
A number of flyovers by different aircraft were organised for the occasion, including the last flying Vulcan, a Blenheim bomber, two Tornados, three Hawks and the current MacRobert's Reply - a Short Stirling bomber.
The memorial spire was designed by Stephen Palmer of Place Architecture, and is higher than the Angel of the North.
It is 102ft (31.09m) tall - the wingspan of the Avro Lancaster - and the width at the base is 16ft (5m), the overall width of a Lancaster wing.
The spire was delivered to the site and erected in seven-and-a-half hours on 10 May this year, marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day.
The walls of remembrance record the names of the 55,573 men who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command.
Tony Worth CVO, chairman of the International Bomber Command Centre Trust, said: " It has been a momentous day both in terms of having reached this milestone in the creation of International Bomber Command Centre, which has taken eight years so far, and in having, in one place, so many of the last remaining veterans."
The walls of remembrance record the names of the 55,573 men who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command
Bomber Command
125,000
Aircrew served in Bomber Command in World War Two
364,514 operational sorties flown
55,573 aircrew killed in action
25,611 killed flying from Lincolnshire
70% of aircrew were killed, taken prisoner or injured International Bomber Command Centre
Getty Images
The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC)
The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) is being created to provide a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command.
The Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Trust, in partnership with the University of Lincoln, aims to open the Centre in 2016.
Lincoln has been chosen for the site as it provides a central point for all 27 bases that earned Lincolnshire the title of ‘Bomber County’. Lincoln Cathedral provided a landmark for crews both leaving and returning from missions and, for those who failed to return, the Cathedral was often their last image of home. Lincolnshire housed over a third of all the WW2 Bomber Command Stations making it the ideal home for this commemoration of the bravery of the men of Bomber Command.
The IBCC will provide the most comprehensive record of Bomber Command in the world and will ensure that generations to come can learn of their vital role in protecting the freedom we enjoy today.
International Bomber Command Centre
Bomber Command memorial unveiled in ceremony - BBC News