Memorial To Edmund Leonard George Betts, St John'S Cemetery

The memorial commemorates Edmund Leonard George Betts and dates to 1938. It is located in St John’s Cemetery. The memorial is a square-headed headstone made of roughly-hewn pink granite. A carved scroll on the front face bears an inscription in white lettering. A white marble sculpture of an airplane, displaying the registration letters G-AEFU, sits atop the headstone; the propellers, right-hand wing, and right-hand wheel are missing. The burial plot is enclosed by a kerb of pink granite.

Edmund Leonard George Betts, known as “Elgy”, died in a Miles Hawk Trainer airplane belonging to the Thanet Aero Club after it crashed into the sea off Cliftonville on 17 July 1938. The sculpture is a precise depiction of the aircraft in which he perished, including its registration letters. His passenger, 16-year-old Marjorie Walk, also died in the crash; her grave is located elsewhere in the cemetery.

The memorial is designated at Grade II for its sculptural interest, as the airplane sculpture uniquely commemorates Betts’ passion for flying and accurately represents the plane he died in, and for its historic interest, serving as a vivid reminder of the early years of aviation, prior to its significant role in warfare and travel.