Spirit of the Few Monument facts for kids
The Kent Battle of Britain Museum, the site of the Spirit of the Few Monument
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| Coordinates | 51°06′44.3″N 1°09′09.6″E / 51.112306°N 1.152667°E |
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| Location | Kent Battle of Britain Museum, RAF Hawkinge, United Kingdom |
| Designer | Stephen Melton |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Material | Bronze |
| Opening date | 29 July 2022 |
| Dedicated to | Aircrew of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm who flew in the Battle of Britain |
The Spirit of the Few Monument is a special memorial. It is located at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum in Hawkinge, UK. This monument honors 2,938 brave aircrew members. These were pilots and crew from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm. They all took part in the important Battle of Britain during World War II.
The monument was officially revealed on July 29, 2022. It features seven bronze sculptures of RAF pilots. These sculptures look just like a famous photograph. This photo was taken on July 29, 1940. It shows pilots from No. 32 Squadron. This squadron flew from Hawkinge airfield during the Battle of Britain.
How the Monument Was Created
The idea for the Spirit of the Few Monument came about in 1990. Dave Brocklehurst, who leads the Kent Battle of Britain Museum, thought of it. The museum is at Hawkinge, which was an RAF airfield in 1940. The monument was planned to remember "The Few". This name refers to the 2,938 aircrew who fought in the Battle of Britain.
The main inspiration was a photograph from July 29, 1940. It shows seven pilots from No. 32 Squadron. They were relaxing on the grass at Hawkinge. They were in front of a Hawker Hurricane fighter plane. This was between their flying missions. The pilots in the photo were Rupert Smythe, John Proctor, Keith Gillman, Peter Brothers, Peter Gardner, Douglas Grice, and Alan Eckford. All but Keith Gillman survived the war.
Dave Brocklehurst kept his idea secret for a long time. But after an accident in May 2020, he decided to make it happen. The museum's leaders liked his idea. So, the art studio SPACER was hired to create the statues. They made seven bronze statues, one for each pilot in the photo. The project cost about £150,000. This money was raised by the museum and from donations.
Each statue is life-size. They were made from clay sculptures designed by Stephen Melton. This work took 14 months to finish. Brocklehurst guessed the photo was taken around 12:30 PM. He figured this out by looking at the shadows in the picture. One of the sculpted pilots even has a wristwatch showing this exact time.
The Big Unveiling Day
The monument was officially revealed on July 29, 2022. This was at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum. The museum is on the old grass airfield at Hawkinge. The date was special because it was 82 years after the inspiring photograph was taken.
Many people attended the event. Relatives of the seven pilots were there. Also, a group of people from No. 32 Squadron came. The famous actor David Jason was supposed to be the special guest. But he was sick with COVID-19. So, Squadron Leader Woods, who commands No. 32 Squadron, unveiled the monument instead. After the ceremony, four Hurricane planes flew over the site.
