In early 1982, the 20th. Fighter Historical Group - consisting of David Knight, Ray Corby, Bill Sharpe and Martin Payne met with Bernard Howard to discuss the 40th. Anniversary of the arrival of the 20th. Fighter Group of the US 8th. Air Force and the Agenda was to formulate ideas to commemorate this event.

The usual tour of the old airfield, visits to Stamford and the local villages were raised and I mooted a "Memorial" somewhere on the airfield.

Due to the remoteness of the old control tower from the King's Cliffe to Wallsford Road - the tower was eliminated (other groups have restored their tower) - something in the church? With the best will in the world a tablet in the church would not be a suitable memorial and I was asked to come up with some suggestions. Bernard Howard also was given the remit to find a "suitable site" and all credit to him, the site chosen is perfect.

At that time I was in almost weekly contact with Royal Frey and I submitted some rough sketches to him. On the phone he was most enthusiastic because he too believed we should include the RAF and Commonwealth air arms.

Dave, Ray and I organised slide shows and went around the country (and into Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and to our Friends of the Eighth (FOTE) meetings plugging our cause). We never charged an entrance fee but were amazed when, after we had asked for a "collection", the amounts of money people were putting into the bucket.

Bernard and his team organised dances (big band stuff) and these were so well subscribed by the people just turning up that very soon it was TICKET ONLY.

At the dances there were raffles and auctions (at one particular auction for an authentic mounted model of a P-38 made of actual metal from a crashed P-38 and molded - the sum raised was 148 pounds because the lower bidders threw their money in anyway and the guy who made the models had a nice little income from subsequent models).

My design - after many changes and modifications was submitted to the "Board" and accepted and < a href= "index-2.html">Jack Ilfrey through Bernard Howard submitted the plans to a monument mason over in Stamford and we were underway. I had a wooden model commissioned by a King's Cliffe carpenter and paid 20pounds for the finished article and from that point the model went with us whenever we had a slide show or dance.

The model of the memorial commissioned by Bill Sharpe.
Sharpe donated this model to the Mighty 8th.AF Heritage Museum in Savannah, GA and it will reside
in the library there along with a special plaque describing it.

The memorial stands on two layers of support - under this is a hardcore drawn from original runway concrete from the airfield.

The first layer represents natural flight from whence man took his ideas. The secondlayer is manned flight which would lie dormant without the solid support of the organization of the squadrons and those who do all of the tasks ans chores which keep us pilots in the air.

On each side of this support is an emblem which represents these people.

You will note the "panels" are oblique with points to the North, SOuth, East and West. This represents from wench came the support personnel. Originally the "panels" were designed to face the four points of the compass but we realized that the "inner two" would be difficault to see - hence the diamond effect.

On top of each block is a boom of a P-38 thrusting skywards guided into flight by the left winf of a P-51 and the right wing of a Spitfire. Again,this is the fianl article. Originally the RAF were on the left and the USAQAF on the right. You Americans have to be different. No insignia on top of the right wing - so, on the left you go.

Linking this edifice is the dedication panel made of solid black marnle and inscribed in gold.

Unusual? Yes! Unique? Absolutely.

This memorial cements our special relationship - LONG MAY IT LAST!

RETURN TO THE 20TH.



For information on the King's Cliffe Memorial and it's surrounding area click above.

(Information courtesy of Bill and Rose Sharpe)

Unless otherwise noted, all content � copyright The Art of Syd Edwards 1998-1999. All rights reserved and reproduction is prohibited.

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