The Memorial

The Mendlesham memorials

The original bronze plaque, sited close to the airfield, was stolen in 2010. Following extensive discussion a project was developed to create a new, more accessible, memorial in Mendlesham. The new memorial is in the churchyard of St Mary's The Virgin in Mendlesham. It was dedicated on the 9th November 2014.

There is an account of the dedication here. The memorial is included in the Imperial War Museum's site.

The original memorial, which was cast in bronze but vandalised and stolen in 2010.

Original bronze memorial

Image: Adrian Cable / CC BY-SA 2.0

the replacement memorial, carved in stone and demonstrating how similar it is to the original memorial.

The new memorial

Image: © Francis Mullan (WMR-75176)

Mark Bury in his workshop

Mark Bury was chosen by Mendlesham to carve, in slate, the memorial to the USAF 34th Bomb Group for their action in the Second World War. This video shows him in his workshop part of the way through the slate carving.

Images by kind permission of Mark Bury.

A resin mould or cast on a wooden plinth in the exhibition, showing the face and right arm of the airman in the memorials. However, it is not an exact likeness and its origin is uncertain.

A small mystery

During 2024 the artefact shown here was found in an old storage unit in Mendlesham. It is made of a fibre-glass type material and bears a strong likelness to both the original and the new memorials. However, it is not exactly the same as either (for example, the hand holding the laurel is the other way around, and the facial expression is different).

Neither the architect nor the stone-mason have any knowledge of this, and it was not part of the design process for the new memorial. However, it is so clearly linked to both memorials that we must be missing a part of the story somewhere.

If you have any insights please do let us know via the Contact the MAA page.

The replacement carving for the memorial at a very early stage of its development, showing only the outline of the canopy and the position of the airman's arm.

The replacement carving for the memorial at an early stage of its development, showing only the outline of the canopy and the outline of the airman and his arm.

The replacement carving for the memorial during its development, showing the emerging features of the pilot's face.

The replacement carving for the memorial during its development, showing the pilot's hand holding the laurel.

The replacement carving for the memorial during its development. Mark Bury is shown carving an area of the pilot's sleeve.

The replacement carving for the memorial during its development. The carving is shown in full, with areas of text being added.

The replacement carving for the memorial following completion. The carving is shown resting on a trolley in preparation for leaving the workshop to be transported to Mendlesham.

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