Eagle Squadron Memorial

The Eagle Squadron Memorial is a tribute to the Eagle Squadrons of the Second World War, created in 1985 and featuring a sculpture by Elisabeth Frink.

The memorial is made of pale sandstone and includes a bronze eagle sculpture. It takes the form of an obelisk with a tapering top, topped by an eagle in flight. The eagle is roughly moulded with a deeply textured surface, has oversized feet, and its head is painted white, making it identifiable as the American bald eagle.

The square shaft of the memorial has incised lettering on each side. The north-facing front displays a stylised emblem of a spread eagle, similar to that on the Great Seal of the United States, holding arrows in its left claw and an olive branch in its right. The inscription reads: ‘EAGLE SQUADRONS / THIS MEMORIAL IS TO THE / MEMORY OF THE 244 AMERICAN / AND 16 BRITISH FIGHTER PILOTS / AND OTHER PERSONNEL WHO / SERVED IN THE THREE ROYAL / AIR FORCE EAGLE SQUADRONS / PRIOR TO THE PARTICIPATION OF / THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR / THEY SERVED WITH VALOR / FOUNDED BY CHARLES F SWEENY, JUNE 1940 / ERECTED THROUGH THE GENEROSITY / OF THE / HEARST CORPORATION OF AMERICA / IN THE NAME OF / WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST / PUBLISHER’.

The other sides of the memorial commemorate the three squadrons: Squadron 133 on the east features an emblem of a spread eagle on a bed of stars with the motto ‘LET US TO THE BATTLE’; Squadron 121 on the south has a carved crest showing a Native American and the motto ‘FOR LIBERTY’; and Squadron 71 on the west displays a carved spread eagle crest with the motto ‘FIRST FROM THE EYRIES’. The names, ranks, and decorations of the 289 individuals, including 71 who died, are listed by regiment and surname.