Newfoundland Airmen’s Memorial

Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador
Type
Other

The Memorial Wall of the 125th Newfoundland Squadron of the Royal Air Force was constructed by surviving squadron members in 1996 in memory of all Newfoundland Airmen who lost their lives while serving with the Allied Air Forces in the Second World War. The monument consists of seven black granite stelia, (left to right):

  • Stele 1: The Airmen's Prayer with the Royal Canadian Air Force crest engraved at the top. Stelia 2, 3, 5 and 6 list the names of 87 Airmen and one Airwoman who lost their lives during the Second World War. Each are engraved with four well-known aircraft of the Second World War.
  • Stele 2: Sunderland Flying Boat representing coastal command.
  • Stele 3: Super marine Spitfire representing fighter command.
  • Stele 4: The figure of an Airman in full flying kit, topped by the crest of the 125 (Newfoundland) Squadron Royal Air Force.
  • Stele 5: Mosquito of 125 Squadron representing night fighter and various other commands.
  • Stele 6: Avro Lancaster, a bomber used by the 125th Newfoundland Squadron.
  • Stele 7: The poem "High Flight", topped by the Royal Air Force crest.

The base inscription is from a poem by Ena Constance Barrett, of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, a Second World War Bride.

The 125th Newfoundland Squadron were night fighters, flying De Havilland Mosquitoes over the English Channel. The group responsible for the memorial was headed by Royal Cooper, one of the founding members of the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. Father Ray Cole also assisted with the memorial. It was to be located outdoors, but the group decided to place it within the museum, which was being planned at more or less the same time, until a suitable outdoors location was chosen. The North Atlantic Aviation Museum was built in 1995, opened in 1996 and the memorial was placed along the back wall with a Book of Remembrance inside a glass enclosed case that sat on a pedestal in front of the memorial.

Around 2004, an additional name was added to the inscription. At the time of the original engraving, the group knew they might not have found all the aviators who had died in the Second World War, so a space was purposely left at the end. A visitor stated that his relative’s name should be on the memorial. People had said this before, but for whatever reason (not an Aviator, not a Newfoundlander, etc.) this usually came to nothing. The manager of the museum did some research and the name did belong on the memorial. When the inscriber looked for a place, it so happened that the new name fit alphabetically at the bottom of the 3rd list - Rowsell, Triffie Pearl.

In 2015, the memorial was moved to its current location and rededicated on July 23, 2015.

Inscription

[stele 1/stèle 1]

AIRMAN'S PRAYER
PILOT DIVINE, AND LORD OF ALL ON GHT;
THINE ARE THE STARRY QUADRANTS OF THE SKY.
LEAD US, WHOSE WINGS FOR FREEDOMS SAKE
NOW SOAR;
INTO OUR HEARTS THY FAITH AND COURAGE POUT.
OH HEAR OUR PRAYER!
SET THEE OUR COURSE, WHOSE TRUST IS LAID
ON THEE;
OH THOU WHO CHARTEST ALL ETERNITY.
THROUGH CLOUD AND SUNSHINE, THROUGH THE
DARKEST NIGHT;
GUIDE THOU OUR WINGS WHO BATTLE FOR THE RIGHT.
OH HEAR OUR PRAYER!
FATHER AND FRIEND, IN WHOSE ALMIGHTY NAME;
WE DEDICATE OUR LIVES TO FREEDOMS FLAME.
BLESS NOW OUR WINGS AS ON THROUGH SPACE
WE WEND
BELSS US WHO TO THY CARE OUR SOULS COMMEND.
OH HEAR OUR PRAYER!
G.L. CREED

[stele 2/stèle 2]

ANDERSON, ALASTAIR MACDONAL
ARMSTRONG, ALBERT WINSTON
ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL FRANCIS
AYRE, GEORGE DESMOND
BALCOM, MAURICE EDWARD
BAIRD, DAVID MUNROE
BANIKHIN, LAWRENCE
BARTLETT, JOHN ALEXANDER
BARRETT, JOHN HAMILTON
BATES, MICHAEL JOSEPH
BATES, WILLIAM DAVID
BATTEN, HAROLD ROYSTON
BATTEN, HERBERT GILBERT
BEESO, WALTER EDWARD
BLACKMORE, LESTER JOHN
BOWN, GERALD MACNESS
BOYER JOHN SINCLAIR
BRACE, ALEXANDER ALBERT
BRETT, JOHN
BROWN, ARTHUR
BROWN, REGINALS WISEMAN DFC, MiD
BUCKINGHAM, JOHN ALEXANDER
BUGDEN, ARTHUR WILBERT
BUGDEN ERIC THEODORE
BURRY, LLOYD GEORGE
BUTLER, ROY
BUTT, GRAHAM
BUTT, WALTER ROBERT
BYRNE, KENNETH EDWARD
CAMPBELL, COLIN DAVID
CANTWELL, GERARD JOSEPH
CARNELL, BASIL
CARTER, REGINALD GORDON
CHAFFEY, HECTORE CLAYTON
CHANCEY, WALLACE WILBUR
CHAULK, ARTILLUS
CLARKE, HERBERT BOND
CLARKE, WALLACE STEPHEN
CLARKE, THOMAS EZRA
COCHRANCE, WILLIAM JOHN
COLLINS, WILLIAM BRADLEY
COOK, RAYMOND KEITH
COOK, JOHN LEO
COX, HORATIO LESLIE
CRAMM, REGINALD HARRISON
CRUMMEY, CYRIL BERTRAM
CRUMMEY, JAMES GLADSTONE
CUFF, ROLAND WALTER
CULLETON, JOHN DAVID

[stele 3/stèle 3]

CURRIE, ALFRED JAMES
DAVIS, CHARLES WILLIAM
DAWE, HAROLD EDGAR
DELANEY, THOMAS JOSEPH
DOWNEY, BERNARD
DUFFY, THOMAS
DUMARESQUE, JOHN
DWYER, ERIC
EARLE, ARTHUR EDWARD
EASON, GRANVILLE MUNDON
EPSTEIN, MANDEL MAX
EVANS, KEVIN JOHN
FALK, FREDERICK HAROLD
FAREWELL, FRANK
FARRELL, EDWARD JOSEPH
FINN, JAMES JOSEPH
FINN, ROBERT CYRIL DFM
FITZGIBBON, JOSEPH FRANCIS
FITZPATRICK, ROBERT JOSEPH
FOLLETT, ALBERT
FRENCH, GERARD FRANCIS
FRENCH, VICTOR RAYMOND
FROUDE, BAXTER
FUDGE, HOWARD PHILIP
GALLANT, THOMAS CYRIL
GIBBONS, ANTHONY JAMES
GILL, MAXWELL HARRY
GOODYEAR, HEDLEY CHARLES
GOODYEAR, SANDY KENDELL
GORDON, NELSON LESLIE
GOVER, HENRY PATRICK
GRANT, DOUGLAS MUNROE
GREEN, THOMAS PATRICK
GRIFFIN, JOHN JOSEPH
GRUCHY, ALBERT
BRUCHY, PHILIP
HALL, PAUL JOHN
HAMLYN, ALEXANDER GORDON
HARNETT, NEIL WILLOUGHBY
HARRIS, JOHN ALFRED
HAYWARD, RALPH EUGENE
HOLLET, LLOYD RUSSELL
HOOKEY, JOSEPH PATRICK
HOUSE, EDWIN ARTHUR
HOWLEY RICHARD ALEXANER
HOWSE, WILLIAM PALMER
ISAACS, JAMES EARL
JEANS, DONALD TEMPLEMAN
JOHNSON, OTTO ADOLPH
JOHSTON, CLIFTON HARTMAN

[stele 4/stèle 4]

1939 - 1945
TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN PERPETUAL
REMEMBRANCE OF THESE LISTED HEREON,
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY
125 (NFLD.) SQUADRON RAF AND
ALLIED AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION AND
SUBSCRIBED BY A GRATEFUL PUBLIC

[stele 5/stèle 5]

KELLOWAY, CHESLEY ALBERT
KERR, DAVID SIMPSON
KING, ERNEST LESLIE
KING, ROBERT FOWLOW
LACEY, DAVID BRENDAN
LARNER, ARTHUR LESLIE
LEARNING, HAROLD LEWIS
LEGGE, LIONEL EDGAR
LOCKE, WILLIAM JOHN
LUTHER, WALLACE CLIFFORD
MACNAUGHTON, WILLIAM GORDON
MAHER, JOSEPH FRANCIS
MATTHEWS, LLOYD CHESLEY
MATTHES, ROBERT FRANCIS
MCDONALD, GEORGE
MCRAE, JOHN RODERICK
MIFFLIN, FREDERICK MANUEL DFC
MOORE, ALEXANDER
MOORE, WILLIAM ENGLISH
MOORES, JAMES
MORRIS, DAVID GORDON
MORRIS, RALPH CALASANCTIS
MUNRO, ALEXANDER MILTON
MURPHY, MYLES ALPHONSUS
NEARY, HENRY FRANCIS
NEIL, DAVID LLEWELLYN
NEVILLE, KEVIN FENTIN
NEWBURY, ROBERT OWEN
NEWELL, ISAAC CHARLES
NORMORE, ERIC STANLEY
NORTHCOTT, DAVID GEORGE
NOSEWORTHY, BERTRAM
OAKLEY, JAMES FRANCIS
O'KEEFE, RALPH
O'QUINN, ARTHUR
OGILVIE, CHARLES
OLDERSHAW, JOHN LEIVERS
PARSON, CLARENCE WALTER
PENNEY, FINTON TERENCE
PIKE, WILLAIM EARLE
PUMPHREY, GERALD MATTHEW
REID, FREDERICK JOHN
RIDEOUT, EUGENE EDWIN
RIDEOUT, HARRY ALFRED
ROBERTS, ERNEST WILSON
ROBERTSON, CLARENCE EDWARD
ROBERTSON, MAXWELL GEORGE
ROBERTSON, GEORGE MACKLIN
ROBERTSON, GERALD WILFRED
ROCKWOOD, GERALD WILFRED
ROWSELL, ARTHUR DOUGLAS
ROWSELL, TRIFFIE PEARL

[stele 6/stèle 6]

ROWSELL, HARRY
RUSSELL, GERALD ALOYSIUS
SAINT, ALEXANDER DUNCAN
SAMSON, ARTHUR JAMES DFC
SCAMMELL, BERNAR THOMAS DFM
SCLANDERS, KILPATRICK MACLURE
SEWARD, SOLOMON
SHALLOW, AUGUSTUS ARTHUR
SHARPE, WILLIAM JOHN
SHIRLEY, ALFRED WILSON
SMALL, CYRIL
SMITH, FRANCIS JOSEPH
SMITH, HERBERT BLATCH
SNOW, ERIC AUGUSTUS
STANFIELD, ELEAZER
STEWART, CHARLES HENRY
STICK, JAMES ROBIN
STOWE, BERNARD
STUCKLESS, JOSEPH GUY
SWEETAPPLE, WALTER ELIJAH
SWYERS, JAMES
SYMMONDS, GORDON ARTHUR
TAYLOR, ADRIAN RALPH
TAYLOR, CYRIL GARFIELD
TAYLOR, NEIL CLIFTON
TEMPLEMAN, PHILIP FRANCIS
THISTLE, LAWRENCE BRUCE
THORBURN, JOSEPH BONAVENTURE
TIBBO, CARL ROBERT
TOMS, ROBERT MACPHERSON
TRASK, CLARENCE
TRASK, DONALD ROY
TULK, HAYWARD SELBY
VATHER, WALTER CYRIL DFC MiD
WAREHAM, HAROLD BAXTER
WHEELER, CLARENCE EDMUND
WILLIAMS, HERBERT MARMADUKE
WOODMAN ELIZABETH GENEVIEVE

[stele 7/stèle 7]

HIGH FLIGHT
OH, I HAVE SLIPPED THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH,
AND DANCED THE SKIES ON LAUGHTER-SILVERED WINGS;
SUNWARD I'VE CLIMBED AND JOINED THE
TUMBLING MIRTH
OF SUN-SPLIT CLOUDS - AND DONE A HUNDRED THINGS
YOU HAVE NOT DREAMED OF - WHEELED AND SOARED
AND SWUNG
HIGH IN THE SUNLIT SILENCE. HOVERING THERE,
I'VE CHASED THE SHOUTING WIND ALONG AND FLUNG
MY EAGER CRAFT THROUGH FOOTLESS HALLS OF AIR.
UP, UP THE LONG, DELIRIOUS, BURNING BLUE
I'VE TOPPED THE WIND-SWEPT HEIGHTS WITH
EASY GRACE,
WHERE NEVER LARK, OR EVEN EAGLE, FLEW;
AND, WHILE WITH SILENT, LIFTING MIND I'VE TROD
THE HIGH UNTRESPASSED SANCTITY OF SPACE,
PUT OUT MY HAND AND TOUCHED THE FACE OF GOD.
JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE RCAF

[base/bas] 

THE SUN GONE DOWN
A CROSS OF WHITE
FORGET THEM NOT

Location
Newfoundland Airmen’s Memorial

Airport Boulevard and Lindbergh Road
Gander
Newfoundland & Labrador
GPS Coordinates
Lat. 48.9591067
Long. -54.6153404

Newfoundland Airmen’s Memorial

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