Manchester Airport unveils new memorial
Manchester Airport has unveiled a new memorial to a WWII RAF squadron based on the airport site, which will be central to the airport’s Armistice Day commemorations this morning.
Image courtesy MAG
The memorial, which comprises a 1:4 scale Spitfire over a circular flowerbed filled with poppies, pays tribute to the 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron of the Royal Air Force, which was formed at RAF Ringway, the wartime name for Manchester Airport.
The squadron saw action as a reconnaissance and tactical bomber unit and remained operational until 1957. Its fleet included the De Havilland Mosquito, the North American Mustang, and the iconic Supermarine Spitfire – the inspiration for the new memorial.
The model aircraft that forms part of the memorial is adorned with a 613 Squadron emblem and a recognition code (RAT) used on aircraft flown from RAF Ringway.
The unveiling of the memorial comes in the year that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and aims to preserve the memory of the role that RAF Ringway – and the City of Manchester more broadly – played in the Allied victory.
It will form the centrepiece of the airport’s Armistice Day commemorations this morning.