This dramatic granite sculpture pays tribute to the airmen of the Royal Air Force who took part in one of the Second World War's most decisive campaigns; the Battle of Britain.

Fought in the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940, the battle was the first major defeat for the Germans and resulted in the cancellation of Operation Sealion, their planned invasion of England.

Whilst the Battle was fought between the pilots of the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force, which included one pilot from as far afield as Jamaica, it also heralded the start of the Blitz, the bombing of civilian targets in London, after a German plane accidentally bombed the city in search of military targets.

The monument itself, which was unveiled on 18 September 2005, the 65th anniversary of the Battle, makes clever use of an old smoke outlet for underground trains when they were powered by steam engines.

If you look on the outside of the monument, you can see the names of all the RAF airmen who took part in the Battle.
Known as 'The Few', many of them were actually present at the unveiling ceremony and were a powerful reminder of Churchill's words dedicated to the men who helped turn the tide of war: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".