Flight Lieutenant Richard Carew Reynell - Greenwich, London, UK
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OrientGeo
N 51° 28.405 W 000° 00.659
30U E 707575 N 5706710
A memorial to Australian Hurricane pilot Richard Carew Reynell, who lost his life close to this spot in Greenwich during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Waymark Code: WM13PG8
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/23/2021
Views: 5
This memorial takes the form of an inscribed granite boulder, positioned close to the place where Reynell’s Hurricane crashed on 7 September 1940. The memorial is placed at a location with an extensive view over London, the city Reynell died protecting. The inscription is topped by the badge of the Royal Air Force and reads as follows:
…………………………………………………….
IN MEMORY OF
FLIGHT LIEUTENANT
RICHARD CAREW REYNELL
FROM AUSTRALIA
OF NO. 43 SQUADRON
WHO LOST HIS LIFE NEAR THIS SPOT
ON 7th SEPTEMBER 1940
IN HURRICANE V7257
HE WAS 28 YEARS OLD
MEMORIAL DEDICATED ON 28th JUNE 2013
BY THE
SHOREHAM AIRCRAFT MUSEUM
SUPPORTED BY
THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF GREENWICH
………………………………………………………..
Richard Carew Reynell was born in Reynella, South Australia on 9th January 1912 and was educated at St Peters, Adelaide. His father was Carew Reynell, a prominent winemaker who died at Gallipoli in 1915 during the First World War. Richard came to England and entered Oxford University in 1929 to read Agriculture at Balliol College. He joined the University Air Squadron and was commissioned in the RAF in March 1931.
His career had been mostly as a test pilot, but with some action as a fighter pilot following the outbreak of the Second World War. On 7 September 1940 the Luftwaffe mounted a large-scale attack on London and Reynell’s squadron of 12 aircraft engaged 100 German aircraft over Kent, pursuing them to the airspace over London. His plane was shot down and whilst he bailed out, his parachute did not open and he died at the scene. He is credited with steering the doomed aircraft away from a school and a convent.
A full account of his short life is given at the linked website.
Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours:
Accessible at all hours.
Entrance fees (if it applies): 0.00
Type of memorial: Monument
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