RAF Chapel

At the eastern end of Westminster Abbey in the magnificent Lady Chapel built by King Henry VII is the RAF Chapel dedicated to the men of the Royal Air Force who died in the Battle of Britain between July and October 1940.

This chapel received damage from bombs which fell during the Battle of Britain in 1940 and a hole made in the stonework has been preserved and covered with glass. The Tudor glass in the window had also been blown out at the same time. The Dean of Westminster was approached early in 1943 by Mr. N. Viner-Brady who suggested the idea of a memorial to The Few and Dean Labilliere chose this small chapel as one suitable for the purpose. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Trenchard and Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding headed a committee to raise funds for the furnishing of this chapel and for a stained glass window, which was unveiled by King George VI on 10 July 1947. Later the ashes of Trenchard and Dowding were interred there.

Subsequently, the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour was placed in the chapel. It contains the names of the 1,497 pilots and aircrew killed or mortally wounded during the Battle of Britain. Illuminated by calligrapher Daisy Alcock, the original work was paid for by Captain Bruce Ingram. It is paraded annually during the Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday. Originally escorted by 12 Battle of Britain veterans, today the Roll of Honour Escort comprises Battle of Britain Veterans and serving Royal Air Force Junior Officers from an extant operational Squadron that fought in the Battle of Britain.

Also buried in the RAF chapel are notable leaders of the RAF, including Lord Trenchard and Air Chief Marshal Dowding, as well as "Bomber" Harris, the man who led RAF Bomber Command during much of the Second World War.

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