Project Progress News

The Monument has been unveiled and can now be seen in its full glory

January 2008 - A Look Back at 2007

January 2007 - A Look Back at 2006

September 2005 - Visiting the site
Details of how to get to the London monument have been added

September 2005 - The full story of the unveiling
70 surviving Battle of Britain pilots see the monument unveiled by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall on the 18th September

September 2005 - Description of the scenes on the monument
Photos of the scenes on the main panels with detailed descriptions by the sculptor, Paul Day

September 2005 - List of major donors released
List includes Governments, Charitable Trusts and Companies, and Private Individuals

August 2005 - The Sculptors Vision
Paul Day discusses the vision and ideas behind the Monument

August 2005 - Latest pictures from the site
New photographs taken on 31st August

August 2005 - Jimmy Savile makes a donation
Sir Jimmy, who has made a significant contribution to the Monument Fund, visits the site.

August 2005 - Bronzes Arrive at Embankment site
Main bronze castings tranported from Hampshire foundry to the London site

July 2005 - Foundry visit - 'Scramble' unveiled
Scramble seen for the first time - Vera Lynn & Lord Tebbit amongst visitors

July 2005 - New Airmen's Stories Added
Two new stories added with information supplied by relatives

July 2005 - Sculptures from original Hurricane
Superb sculptures made from metal recovered from the famous Ray Holmes crash in London

July 2005 - Site Construction Progress - New Pictures
The plinths are complete and the work is going well

July 2005 - Pilots Signing in Croydon Raises Funds
Pilots raise £4,000 at Croydon Airport signing event

July 2005 - Day Trip to Belgium
A reunion in Belgium organised by the Historical Society

July 2005 - New First Day Covers Launched
News about first day covers celebrating the monument - some signed by surviving pilots.

June 2005 - New Airmen's Stories Added
New stories added with information supplied by relatives of listed airmen

May 2005 - Work on 'Scramble' starts at foundry
Detailed work has started on the 'Scramble' part of the Monument and the scupltor, Paul Day, visits to check on progress.

April 2005 - New Pilot name Added
At the 11th hour another pilot name has been uncovered. The name was discovered just in time for him to be added to the monument bronze plaques.  It did cause some nervous moments at the Foundry where the castings are taking place.

April 2005 - Richard Darre speech added to History section
The plans the Germans had for the British population had they won the Battle.

March 2005 - Existing structure dismantled
Work has started on removing the existing granite structure to prepare the supporting plinth

March 2005 - Fundraising takes off in Canada
Campaign by Canadian friends of the Battle of Britain Historical Society

February 2005 - Monument unveiling date announced
The date for the unveiling of the Monument has been set for 18th September 2005 - click on the link above for more details.

February 2005 - Monument construction begins
Construction has started at the site in London - click on the link above for more details and pictures.

December 2004 - Queen presented with maquette

December 2004 - Sculptor inspects casting progress

December 2004 - Interview - how the scupltor designs the monument

November 2004 - Monument Fund nears its target

November 2004 - Heroes gather to see Monument progress

October 2004 - Contribution from the Czech Republic

October 2004 - Update on Donations
The committee is delighted to announce major progress in fundraising. We have now received over £1.3 million, all of which has come from donations from the public. The new target is £1.65 million. Committee chairman, Lord Tebbit commented "Costs have risen slightly as they tend to do on such projects but at least it's not as bad as the Scottish Parliament. We would like to thank all the supporters who have donated so far". Please see our donations page for details of how you can contribute to the project.

October 2004 - Article in 'The Times' newspaper
Article by Peter Davies about Czech and Slovak combatants who fought in the Battle of Britain.

October 2004 - New Celebratory Poster
A superb poster to celebrate the Battle of Britain London Monument by artist Philip Castle is now available.

September 2004 - What the Monument means to the foundry
Interview with Chris Boverhoff - Foundry Director for Morris Singer Ltd. What the foundry does to produce the final bronze casting - latest pictures of the casting process.

August 2004 - Latest photos from the Sculptor's studio
These are the full size designs for the main "scramble"centre piece of the sculpture and will be over 2m (6 feet) high when completed. Click to see enlargeable images

July 2004 - How the list of "The Few" was compiled
Background from Edward McManus of the Battle of Britain Historical Society. Click for full story

June 2004 - 'West End at War' event
We participated successfully in the "West End at War" event in Leicester Square (London) held over the weekend of 12/13 June 2004. Click for more details

June 2004 - Complete Pilots list now live on site
In addition to the British Airman added during May, the final list of names of the pilots from the 14 other participating countries have now been added . Click for details

May 2004 - British Pilots list now live on site
The list of 2,936 airmen to be included on the panels of the Monument has now been finalised. Click for Alphabetic Listing

April 2004 - Unveiling Plans
Plans for the unveiling ceremony in 2005 are now being drawn up, including contact with Buckingham Palace for Royal family involvement.

April 2004 - Progress photos from the Sculptor's studio
New pictures are now available showing progress on the design in the Sculptor's studio. Click for enlargeable images

April 2004 - Talking to the Sculptor
Interview with Paul Day, the Monument's Sculptor. Click for full details

January 2004 - Planning Consent Given
In 2003, final applications were made to Westminster City Council for listed building and planning permission. The site lies within the Whitehall Conservation Area. The application was a complex matter led by our architects and helped in its final stages by Westminster Councillor and committee member Dr Nemeth. In January 2004, we were granted permission. It was noted that in its submission to the Council, English Heritage expressed praise for the design overall and high quality of materials. Certainly, this monument will be a piece of major public art in the Capital.
The budget includes a sum for the maintenance in perpetuity of the monument by the Westminster City Council.

January 2004 - Update from Paul Day in France
Images of work in progress on the second relief. Click for photos

2003 ­ Organising Committee
Regular meetings were held in London in 2003 of the Battle of Britain Committee. Meetings were also held between the Chairman and Deputy Chairman and individual members with expertise and experience in specific subjects and also with our professional advisers.

June 2003 - Key meetings
During June, meetings were held with Ambassadors and High Commissioners whose aircrew flew with the RAF in the Battle of Britain. The maquettes and reliefs were on display at the RAC in Pall Mall and publicised in their members magazine. These were followed by meetings with other organisations and individuals in order to raise more funds for the project. The press launch helped to boost donations far and wide and many moving letters were received from relatives and friends, all of whom were responded to.

2003 - Architects plans
During the year, the architects produced detailed project programmes. Flowing from these the Committee determined the date for the unveiling ceremony as during 2005. Sadly, the surviving aircrew members are being depleted as many are in the mid 80's and 90's.

February 2003 - Press launch
In February 2003 a very successful press launch was held in the RAF Club in Piccadilly, London.