Memorial Location

While it is not anticipated that there will be any significant opposition to a proposal for a memorial to the Great Escape, the location of the memorial site is critical in order that it may be accessible to the widest number of visitors who it can realistically be assumed will wish to visit it and pay their respects and will come from across the globe.

 

Although the Great Escapers were all airmen – bar one – there was no one air base, squadron, or even Command (Fighter, Bomber, Coastal, etc), in which they all served for a memorial to be linked to the Bomber Command memorial, Battle of Britain Memorial, or other such similar memorials already in existence.

 

The preferred location for the memorial is therefore within a central London park and preliminary discussions are underway in this regard. A secondary option is to locate it within one of the privately owned tunnels in central London and again, preliminary talks with the corporate owner of these tunnels have met with a very positive response.

 

Indeed, the fact the Great Escape is so international does effectively mean that any such memorial to the Great Escape needs to be in London, for its ease of travel both for British and international visitors. It remains a possible solution in the unlikely event that a London location cannot be achieved.