The town at Capel-le-Ferne itself bears considerable historical provenance, playing host to airships during World War One before an Army gun battery was constructed on the site in 1941. With many personnel stationed underground in a similar vein to the sprawling complex built into the cliffs at Dover Castle, Capel-le-Ferne saw naval pattern 8-inch guns installed in batteries 40 feet deep, protected against Luftwaffe raids by concrete walls up to eight feet thick. The Army vacated the site in the early 1950s and the batteries were de-constructed, leaving little in the way of evidence to the casual eye that they were ever housed there, though the battery mounds remain as part of the site itself, offering fine raised views of the memorial and the coastline.
Some years previously, a young Geoffrey Page (who retired as a Wing Commander, DSO OBE DFC), serving with 56 Squadron flying Hawker Hurricanes, was engaged in aerial combat with the Luftwaffe over the South of England on a daily basis. On 12 August 1940 - the day before 'Adler Tag' (Eagle Day), Herman Goring's planned destruction of the Royal Air Force on the ground - Page and his Squadron intercepted formations of Dornier 17 bombers, escorted by Messerschmitt Bf-109s. Page's Hurricane was badly damaged and he bailed out of the burning aircraft into the South Channel, North of Margate. While he was rescued in short order, Page suffered severe burns that kept him out of service for two years before he eventually returned to active RAF service, flying Spitfires.
Post-war, Page, inspired by the haunting memories of his combat during the Battle of Britain, was determined to create a permanent, national memorial to the Battle - a plan that saw him form the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and leasing the grassy cliff-top site at Capel-le-Ferne with intent to place his memorial in this wonderful location. Page's dream became a reality in July 1993, when Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother officially opened the national Battle of Britain memorial.
The site overlooks Folkestone to the West, offering a stunning panoramic view of the town and harbour, with the coastal nuclear power station at Dungeness visible on the horizon on clear days. To the East, you can see Dover Castle standing proud, presiding over the English countryside, an intimidating sight to any invader. Indeed, Capel-le-Ferne seems to be one of the few locations that offers an unrestricted view from East to West that encompasses both Dover Castle and Folkestone; very apt, given the prominence of these coastal towns in "Hellfire Corner" during the Battle of Britain, and the vital part they would have played in the defence of the United Kingdom in 1940, had Hitler's invasion plans come to fruition.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust approached sculptor Harry Gray with an open brief to interpret and design the base and centrepiece of the Capel-le-Ferne memorial. The final design, selected from a short list of three figures, sees a young pilot in a seated pose, carved out of Bixhead blue stone, gazing out to sea in quiet contemplation and solitude, a theme carefully carried over to the rest of the site by landscape architect Jamie Buchanan, with understatement and dignity being the key in an era where architecture is often boisterous and overt.
The real power of the memorial lies in its simplicity. The seated figure and its base, which bears the Squadron insignia of each unit that fought in the Battle of Britain, is the natural centrepiece of the memorial, sitting at the axis of three propeller blades, initially carved into the cliff chalk in the classic early Spitfire and Hurricane configuration before later being replaced by white bricks for longevity. It's an impressive sight from the ground, particularly when you stand on the raised turf looking down the centre of one of the propeller blades towards the centrepiece; but from the air, it is simply stunning, with the huge 38 metre long blades visible for miles, fulfilling Wing Commander Page's wish for a permanent reminder of the sacrifices of the immortal 'Few'.
Tucked under the perimeter trees, out of sight to those standing within the main circle of the memorial, are two fine facsimiles of those classic British fighters, the Spitfire and Hurricane. The former wears the marking of YT-J, serial number R6675, an aircraft flown by the legendary Spitfire test pilot, Flying Officer Jeffery Quill OBE AFC, during his time with 65 Squadron at RAF Hornchurch in August 1940. The Hurricane replica, US-X, represents the 56 Squadron Hurricane, flying out of RAF North Weald in Essex, that the 20-year old Pilot Officer Geoffrey Page was downed in on 12 August 1940 - a very fitting choice for the scheme, given Page's involvement in bringing the memorial to life.
I've visited the memorial at Capel-le-Ferne at least twice a year since 2005, often during the Spring or Autumn months when my weekends are free from airshows and the like. My most recent trip to Kent was in mid-October, a time of year that often yields beautiful Autumnal light and dramatic cloud scapes. I certainly wasn't disappointed, for shortly after my arrival at the memorial, the driving showers that were passing quickly over the Kent coast subsided, leaving just a few short minutes of cool October sun, bathing the memorial in a serene gold as foreboding clouds rolled overhead. You can wait hours to experience the perfect combination of location, weather and light in this country, yet Capel-le-Ferne had seemingly offered it to me without quarrel the moment foot met grass.
I suppose you could say there's something about Capel-le-Ferne that just evokes reflection. The site is separated from the main Folkestone to Dover road only by a row of trees, yet you wouldn't know it - the memorial lies absolutely still at all times, a few acres of solace from the frenetic modern world that we live in, on which visitors can pay their respects quietly and privately on any day of the year, at any time.
I mentioned earlier the contemplative expression and pose that the stone airman sits in; one wonders, is he waiting for his fallen friends to return? Is he fighting his own battle, lost in his own internal struggle as his mind processes the things he has seen, the things he has done. Or maybe it is symbolic of those final moments of calm, under the innocent blue, before man enters machine and heads off into the unknown over the expanse of the English Channel and beyond, the rolling green fields of the French coast. Rarely does a sculpture ask so many questions of the feeling behind the stone, offer so many explanations, yet remain so veiled and personal: it is our choice to take what we want from the memorial.
GAR wants to interact with its readers so if you have a question for the author or a comment to make on this feature, please click on the button below. The best comments will appear right here on GAR.2010-12-13 - Bill Simpson
Outstanding work.
2010-11-22 - Bob Jenkins
Fantastic article. Wonderful use of words and superb photography. Well done.
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