The Royal Air Force Memorial, Whitehall Stairs

The memorial stands at the head of Whitehall stairs which form part of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s Victoria Embankment scheme of 1864-1870 (Grade II-listed). Outside the Ministry of Defence (Grade I-listed), it is in close proximity to the Grade II-listed statues of General Gordon and Lord Trenchard, and a number of the Embankment’s Grade II-listed Catenary lamp standards.

The memorial is constructed in Portland stone and consists of a tall pylon on a stepped base with a deep cornice, surmounted by an upswept two-tier pedestal bearing a gilded bronze eagle with wings upstretched. The eagle, looking across the river towards France, is perched on a bronze globe encircled by a gilded band with the signs of the zodiac. The faces of the pedestal are carved with laurel wreaths and garlands.

Around the top of the pylon the faces are inscribed alternately PER ARDUA and AD ASTRA (the RAF motto, meaning ‘through adversity to the stars’). The east and west faces have vertical, slightly raised panels carved at the top with the original RAF badge approved by the Air Council in 1918.

Below the badge, the west face is inscribed IN MEMORY OF/ ALL RANKS OF THE/ ROYAL NAVAL AIR/ SERVICE ROYAL/ FLYING CORPS/ ROYAL AIR FORCE/ AND THOSE/ AIR FORCES FROM/ EVERY PART OF THE/ BRITISH EMPIRE/ WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN WINNING/ VICTORY FOR/ THEIR KING/ AND COUNTRY/ 1914 – 1918, and a quotation from Exodus 19:4 reading I BARE YOU ON EAGLES/ WINGS AND BROUGHT/ YOU UNTO/ MYSELF.

The base is inscribed THIS INSCRIPTION IS ADDED/ IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE/ MEN AND WOMEN OF THE/ AIR FORCES OF EVERY PART OF/ THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND EMPIRE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ 1939 – 1945.

The east face, overlooking the river, is inscribed 1914/ 1918/ IN/ PERPETUAL / MEMORY/ 1939/ 1945.