physics

Royal Air Force Memorial

Royal Air Force Memorial is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Royal Air Force Memorial rather than just read about it. In short: The Royal Air Force Memorial is a military memorial on the Victoria Embankment in central London, dedicated to the memory of the casualties of the Royal Air Force in World War I and, by extension, all subsequent conflicts. Unveiled in 1923, it became a Grade II listed structure in 1958, and was upgraded to Grade II* in 2018.

Key takeaways

Royal Air Force Memorial belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Royal Air Force Memorial to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Royal Air Force Memorial from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Royal Air Force Memorial is a military memorial on the Victoria Embankment in central London, dedicated to the memory of the casualties of the Royal Air Force in World War I and, by extension, all subsequent conflicts. Unveiled in 1923, it became a Grade II listed structure in 1958, and was upgraded to Grade II* in 2018. It is considered to be the official memorial of the RAF and related services. It is sited at Whitehall Steps, near Cleopatra's Needle, between the north-bank ends of Charing Cross Bridge and Westminster Bridge, and directly to the east of the main Ministry of Defence building on Whitehall. The Fleet Air Arm Memorial and the Battle of Britain Monument are nearby.

Background A committee to erect an RAF memorial was first established in February 1919, and relaunched in January 1920, led by Lord Hugh Cecil and Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard. Funds to erect a memorial were raised by the RAF Memorial Fund subsequently known as the RAF Benevolent Fund. The memorial was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield. The memorial was unveiled on 16 July 1923 by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII). The Chief of the Air Staff traditionally places a wreath at the memorial on Battle of Britain Day, 15 September, each year.

Description The memorial comprises a tapering Portland stone pylon topped by zodiacal globe bearing a gilded eagle, taken from the RAF's badge, with raised wings, facing east towards the River Thames and nominally towards France. The eagle was sculpted by William Reid Dick and cast by the Parlanti Foundry. Blomfield used similar pylons for Torquay War Memorial and Luton War Memorial, topped by different devices. The pylon bears inscriptions on the sides facing the Embankment to the west and to the river to the east. Further inscriptions were added after the Second World War, unveiled by Trenchard on 15 September 1946.

Inscriptions

Around the top of the pylon, each face bears alternately the words PER ARDUA and AD ASTRA, from the motto of the RAF, "Per ardua ad astra", which was initially the Royal Flying Corps motto when created in 1912. On the west side of the pylon facing the Embankment, the words "Per Ardua" are picked out in gold, and lower down there is the RAF insignia, and a dedication: IN MEMORY OF/ ALL RANKS OF THE/ ROYAL NAVAL AIR/ SERVICE ROYAL/ FLYING CORPS/ ROYAL AIR FORCE/ AND THOSE/ AIR FORCES FROM/ EVERY PART OF THE/ BRITISH EMPIRE/ WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN WINNING/ VICTORY FOR/ THEIR KING/ AND COUNTRY/ 1914–1918", and a quotation from Exodus, chapter 19: I BARE YOU ON EAGLES/ WINGS AND BROUGHT/ YOU UNTO/ MYSELF. Further down, on the base, is another inscription THIS INSCRIPTION IS ADDED/ IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE/ MEN AND WOMEN OF THE/ AIR FORCES OF EVERY PART OF/ THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND EMPIRE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ 1939–1945. The side facing the river bears the RAF insignia again and the inscription: 1914/ 1918/ IN/ PERPETUAL/ MEMORY/ 1939–1945. Thus, the monument was not initially created purely for the RAF, but for all 'Air Services' that served during World War One.

See also Grade II* listed war memorials in England

Other Royal Air Force Memorials Royal Air Force Memorial, Albany, Georgia South African Air Force Memorial, Swartkop, Tshwane

Other RAF memorials Air Forces Memorial RAF Bomber Command Memorial

References

Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (RAFBF) Royal Air Force Memorial by Philip Ward-Jackson, Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1066171)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 February 2015. Imperial War Museums London Remembers

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Royal Air Force Memorial

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Royal Air Force Memorial claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Royal Air Force Memorial before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Royal Air Force Memorial ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Royal Air Force Memorial

In research: Royal Air Force Memorial appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Royal Air Force Memorial in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Royal Air Force Memorial is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 establishments in England, 1923 sculptures, Animal sculptures in London, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Royal Air Force Memorial outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Royal Air Force Memorial in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Royal Air Force Memorial means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Royal Air Force Memorial out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Royal Air Force Memorial in simple terms?

Why does Royal Air Force Memorial matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Royal Air Force Memorial?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Royal Air Force Memorial.