RAF Benevolent Fund hosts Bomber Command Memorial Service 2026
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On Sunday 28 June, the RAF Benevolent Fund held its annual Bomber Command Memorial Service at the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London.
The service served as a powerful and moving tribute to the 55,573 Bomber Command airmen from the UK and around the world who lost their lives during the Second World War.
As guardians of the Bomber Command Memorial, the Fund held the annual service which was attended by Bomber Command veterans, supporters of the Fund and Memorial, and representatives from the Commonwealth and Allied nations involved in Bomber Command.
Bomber Command veteran John Dow served in the RAF from 1956 to 1962, supporting operations as a radar specialist on Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft. Despite challenging conditions, he played a vital role in maintaining critical systems. John is now part of a weekly Telephone Friendship Group organised by the Fund, helping him rediscover a sense of camaraderie with other people who served in the RAF.
Veterans laid wreaths at the memorial, paying respect to the lives lost in the Second World War.
The service was led by Rev Jonathan Stewart, Station Chaplain at RAF High Wycombe and included readings and prayers, along with a minute’s silence and the laying of wreaths in remembrance of all who were lost. The service marked the fourteenth anniversary of the Memorial’s unveiling.
A Douglas Dakota from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) flew over the Memorial three times, with the Chief of Air Staff in the aircraft.
Air-Vice Marshal Chris Elliot, Chief Executive of the Fund, said: “We are proud and deeply privileged to once again host the Bomber Command Memorial Service, honouring the 55,573 crew who gave their lives during the Second World War. As guardians of the Memorial, we are committed to ensuring their courage, sacrifice, and the enduring impact on their families, is never forgotten.”
You can continue to honour the memory of those who have bravely gone before by supporting the Fund's Bomber Command Remembrance Fund, to help the veterans they served alongside, and the serving personnel who follow in their footsteps, going through difficult times today.