Next week, the Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial will host one of its most significant annual events, honoring the courage and sacrifices of Allied aircrews during World War II. On Sunday, September 1st, the Allied Air Forces Memorial Day will bring together representatives from the RAF alongside their counterparts from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and France to pay tribute to the airmen who served during the war—many of whom gave their lives. The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells, along with other dignitaries, will also be in attendance.
The day’s events will feature a parade and marches, culminating in a solemn service held in the museum’s main hangar beneath the iconic Halifax Bomber “Friday the 13th.” The service will be led by the museum’s Honorary Chaplain, the Rev. Charles ‘Taff’ Morgan, MBE. The Yorkshire Military Marching Band will lead the parade, accompanied by standard bearers from sixteen Royal British Legion and RAF Association branches.
The event is open to both museum visitors and invited guests. The parade is set to begin at 1:45 pm, followed by the service in the hangar at 2:15 pm. After the ceremony, the parade will reconvene for the “Sunset Ceremony” at the Signals Square, featuring the lowering of the RAF Ensign. This event has a long-standing history but was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed last year. The Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial is located on the site of the former RAF Elvington, an RAF Bomber Command base during WWII. The station was home to 77 Squadron and later 346 and 347 Squadrons, the latter of which were composed entirely of French personnel. For more information, visit www.yorkshireairmuseum.org
