Remembering those
who didn’t come back

All Bomber Command aircrews were volunteers. Around 10,000 airmen were made prisoners of war. They were relatively lucky, for the chances of getting out of a crashing bomber were slim - the g-forces caused by aircraft spinning earthwards out of control trapped many airmen inside. Laden with bombs and fuel, bombers were also prone to explode instantly when hit by anti-aircraft fire.

In total, 55,000 members of Bomber Command lost their lives. Most were very young - the average age of aircrew was 22 years old. They are remembered at the memorial at Runnymede and by the statue of Bomber Harris outside the RAF church of St Clement Dane’s in the Strand, London. They sacrificed their futures to help free Europe from Nazism.