A large bronze memorial plaque commemorating the 135 heroic men and women who served at RAF Stanton Harcourt in WWII was unveiled by Group Captain Emily Flynn, Station Commander of RAF Brize Norton, on Thursday 1st July 2021.
Measuring nearly two metres high, the plaque will be permanently mounted to a former Water Tower, located at Hayfield Green – the residential redevelopment of the West Oxfordshire airfield. The plaque has been designed and produced by Derbyshire military memorial specialists Leander Architectural, following many months of research by housebuilder Hayfield, Stanton Harcourt Parish Council, and the RAF Air Historical Branch, based in Middlesex.
In May 1940, George Wimpey & Co and British Runways Ltd commence construction to create RAF Stanton Harcourt. In only four months – with a fatal enemy attack part-way through – the brave team of construction workers had completed three tarmac runways, a range of associated buildings and structures, together with vital anti-aircraft defences. The RAF base is notable for having been a departure point for Winston Churchill for the pivotal Casablanca Conference in January 1943. Prior to that – in July 1941 – the Stanton Harcourt airfield was also a starting point for a bomber raid on the German battleship Scharnhorst.
A large time capsule filled with the work of children from Stanton Harcourt C of E Primary School was buried at Hayfield Green by Group Captain Emily Flynn immediately following the unveiling of the memorial. The contents of the time capsule depict what life is like in Stanton Harcourt in the present day.
“RAF Stanton Harcourt opened to flying on 3rd September 1940 when a fleet of Whitley aircraft arrived at the newly created base, having previously been detached to Jurby in the Isle of Man. For the four years that followed, this site played a vital role in supporting the efforts of nearby RAF Abindgon.
“I am delighted that representatives from the local community are able to come together in a socially distanced fashion to see this permanent memorial unveiled. The men and women who served at RAF Stanton Harcourt will never be forgotten and we are all indebted to their heroic contribution to WWII.”
Group Captain Emily Flynn
Station Commander RAF Brize Norton
