Royal Air Force Memorial, War memorial on Victoria Embankment, London, England.
The Royal Air Force Memorial is a war memorial on Victoria Embankment in London, featuring a Portland stone pylon topped with a gilded bronze eagle facing eastward toward the River Thames. The monument incorporates bronze elements that symbolize aviation and honor those who served.
The memorial was unveiled in 1923 to commemorate Royal Air Force members who died during World War I and later World War II. The site documents the service and sacrifice from both conflicts.
The site displays inscriptions honoring personnel from across the British Empire who served in aerial combat. Visitors can read the names and words inscribed to remember those who fell.
The memorial sits at the intersection of Victoria Embankment and Horse Guards Avenue, near Westminster Underground station and the Ministry of Defence building. The site is freely accessible and offers space for quiet reflection beside the river.
The gilded bronze eagle atop the structure was sculpted by William Reid Dick and cast at the Parlanti Foundry, drawing from designs by ornithologist Archibald Thorburn. The artwork combines craftsmanship with scientific accuracy in depicting the bird.
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