In 1953 the church was handed into the keeping of the Air Council and a world-wide appeal was launched to rebuild St Clement Danes.

Bequests and donations from organisations and individuals poured in so that the necessary £250,000 (that’s over £4m in current funds) was raised and within two years restoration work could begin.

Re-consecrated in 1958 as a perpetual shrine of remembrance to those killed on active service and those of the Allied Air Forces who gave their lives during the Second World War, it is a living church prayed in daily and visited throughout the year by thousands seeking solace and reflection.

See photos from the celebrations surrounding the 90th Anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force in the Gallery.