Memorial books transfer to Airmen's chapel
Title
Memorial books transfer to Airmen's chapel
Description
A newspaper cutting recording the transfer of the memorial books of 1 and 5 Group to the Airmen's chapel at Lincoln Cathedral.
Language
Type
Format
One newspaper cutting
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
NBartlettRW190905-01
Transcription
PERSO[missing letters]
THE Lord Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt. Rev. Maurice Harland, and Air Marshal Sir Aubrey Ellwood, A.O.C.-in-C., Bomber Command, took part in a very impressive ceremony in Lincoln Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon.
The occasion was the handing over of the memorial books of Nos. 1 and 5 Bomber Groups containing the names of some 21,000 men of bomber crews from the two groups who were killed in the war, to be placed in the Airmen’s Chapel of St. Michael, situated in the north transept.
The Bishop, himself a pilot of the first world war, met Sir Aubrey, accompanied by officers bearing the memorial books, at the great west door of the Cathedral.
The books, bound in blue crushed morocco, were carried through the crowded nave by two wing commanders, each with more than 50 sorties against the enemy to his credit
A great congregation of between 3,000 and 4,000, most of whom were relatives and friends of the fallen, witnessed the ceremony, and for those unable to gain admission the service was relayed by amplifiers.
After the books had been placed on tables beside the alter in the nave, the R.A.F. ensign was borne in slow time down the nave by an escort of aircrew.
In his sermon the Bishop said “It is right and proper that the names of these gallant men should be recorded, and the books containing their names be deposited in this glorious Cathedral church over which they flew, and which was their last and loveliest sight of England.
“We think of the men of the aircrews looking at it as they passed on their way to the infernos of peril and terror, and their sense of relief as they saw it again on their return, knowing they were home and safe if only for a space.”
The memorial books were handed by Sir Aubrey to the Sub-Dean of the Cathedral, Canon A.M. Cook.
The books and the furnishings of the Chapel were dedicated by the Bishop, and then, as the group of officers and airmen, who aggregated nearly 500 bomber sorties, stood to attention, trumpeters of the Central Band of the R.A.F. sounded the call of the R.A.F., the LAST Post and the Reveille.
After the service, which was broadcast, Sir Aubre Ellwood took the salute at a march past of 300 R.A.F. and W.R.A.F. personnel of Bomber Command, and Cranwell cadets.
The Vicar of Grimsby, the Ven. E. Lisle Marsden, attended the ceremony.
THE Lord Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt. Rev. Maurice Harland, and Air Marshal Sir Aubrey Ellwood, A.O.C.-in-C., Bomber Command, took part in a very impressive ceremony in Lincoln Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon.
The occasion was the handing over of the memorial books of Nos. 1 and 5 Bomber Groups containing the names of some 21,000 men of bomber crews from the two groups who were killed in the war, to be placed in the Airmen’s Chapel of St. Michael, situated in the north transept.
The Bishop, himself a pilot of the first world war, met Sir Aubrey, accompanied by officers bearing the memorial books, at the great west door of the Cathedral.
The books, bound in blue crushed morocco, were carried through the crowded nave by two wing commanders, each with more than 50 sorties against the enemy to his credit
A great congregation of between 3,000 and 4,000, most of whom were relatives and friends of the fallen, witnessed the ceremony, and for those unable to gain admission the service was relayed by amplifiers.
After the books had been placed on tables beside the alter in the nave, the R.A.F. ensign was borne in slow time down the nave by an escort of aircrew.
In his sermon the Bishop said “It is right and proper that the names of these gallant men should be recorded, and the books containing their names be deposited in this glorious Cathedral church over which they flew, and which was their last and loveliest sight of England.
“We think of the men of the aircrews looking at it as they passed on their way to the infernos of peril and terror, and their sense of relief as they saw it again on their return, knowing they were home and safe if only for a space.”
The memorial books were handed by Sir Aubrey to the Sub-Dean of the Cathedral, Canon A.M. Cook.
The books and the furnishings of the Chapel were dedicated by the Bishop, and then, as the group of officers and airmen, who aggregated nearly 500 bomber sorties, stood to attention, trumpeters of the Central Band of the R.A.F. sounded the call of the R.A.F., the LAST Post and the Reveille.
After the service, which was broadcast, Sir Aubre Ellwood took the salute at a march past of 300 R.A.F. and W.R.A.F. personnel of Bomber Command, and Cranwell cadets.
The Vicar of Grimsby, the Ven. E. Lisle Marsden, attended the ceremony.
Collection
Citation
“Memorial books transfer to Airmen's chapel,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed June 13, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/48242.