THE final touches are being put to a York memorial which will honour the memory of heroic French airmen based in the city during the Second World War.
Stonecarvers at York Minster are working on the commemorative piece ahead of its inauguration at the cathedral next Thursday as the centrepiece of The French in York Week, which runs from October 17 to 23.
The celebration of the courage of French airmen who flew Halifax bombers from RAF Elvington during the war is being spearheaded by the Yorkshire Air Museum, and the Minster memorial will be the first of its kind in an English cathedral.
More than 1,600 guests have been invited to next Thursday’s inauguration, including General Jean-Paul Palomeros, Chief of the French Air Force, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, his counterpart in the RAF, as well as French and British war veterans, serving personnel and their families.
The French tricolour will also be flown from the top of the Minster.
Fitting memorial
THE final touches are being put to a memorial plaque at York Minster in honour of the French airmen who flew from Elvington during the war.
We have carried the stories of some of those airmen this week. They played a vital role in York’s war effort.
It is wonderful they are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
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