Airborne Memorials in South Kesteven
St Vincent's Church, Caythorpe
St Vincent’s Church in Caythorpe has a range of memorial plaques, artefacts, displays, two stunning stained glass windows and its 'Arnhem Aisle'.
The village was home to men of the 1st Airborne Divisional Signals in 1944 and the Church has since become a memorial to all members of the Royal Signals in the Airborne Forces.
The Church is open for visitors – and reflection – every day.
St Vincent's Church, Caythorpe
Airborne Signallers' stained-glass window in St Vincent's Church, Caythorpe. (Brian Riley)
Arnhem Aisle in St Vincent's Church, Caythorpe
The 'Airborne Tulip Memorials' project aims to plant maroon tulips as vibrant, living memorials at sites associated with British Airborne Forces. St Vincent's Church, Caythorpe, is one of their memorial sites.
Major Jerry remembered along with decorated aircrew
Remembering Fallen American Airmen
American airmen killed in a tragic wartime mid-air collision a week before Christmas 1944 are commemorated by a memorial at Sudbrook Moor Golf Club.
The men were flying in a B-24 and C-109 aircraft when they collided above Carlton Scroop, just north of Grantham. The tragedy also mortally wounded a Dalmatian dog - a squadron mascot on board one of the aircraft.
The memorial lists those who died in the crash, with mention of the dalmatian dog, Major Jerry. It is accessible to the public, and so is the café at the Club.
Click here to read more about the story of the crash:
RAF Barkston Heath commemorates Airborne presence
A 2.5 tonne memorial at RAF Barkston Heath - crafted from local Ancaster stone - commemorates the British and American Airborne forces that were based at or flew from the station during World War II. It features a bronze sundial where the bearings to Normandy, Arnhem and Norway are marked out, destinations for the Airborne troops who flew from here. The memorial was unveiled from beneath a parachute canopy at a ceremony on 31 May 2014, in the presence of both veteran and serving military personnel.
NOTE: RAF Barkston Heath is an active RAF airfield with no public access.
In the nearby village of Barkston, an information board was unveiled in the porch of St Nicholas Church in 2023. It tells the story of the airfield's wartime history and the Airborne forces based in the local area.
Memorial at RAF Barkston Heath. (© David Jones, IWM WMR-88533)
In July 2023, an information board provided by South Kesteven District Council was unveiled in the porch of St Nicholas' Church in Barkston village. It describes the World War II history of RAF Barkston Heath and the Airborne connections in the local area.
Memorial to Allied Airborne Forces at Aslackby Church.
Aslackby Community remembers Airborne Forces based near RAF Folkingham
A stone tablet and plinth memorial in Aslackby village cemetery commemorates the role of British and American parachute and glider-borne troops, pilots and aircrew that operated in the area, including from nearby RAF Folkingham airfield, during World War II.
It’s in the centre of the 14th century Church of St James cemetery, just near the entrance gate and can be easily seen.
The memorial was established by Aslackby and Laughton Parish Council, supported by South Kesteven District Council and various military associations, whose details are listed on the memorial.
The memorial was originally dedicated in July 1994. Supporting military associations were the Bourne Branch of the British Legion, United States members of the 29th and 47th Troop Carrier Squadron Associations and comrades who served in World War II.
2nd Parachute Battalion commemorated in Stoke Rochford
The men of the 2nd Battalion are commemorated in memorials in the Church of St Andrew and St Mary, Stoke Rochford. Stoke Rochford Hall was used as the Battalion Headquarters before Operation MARKET GARDEN in 1944.
Memorial to the 2nd Parachute Battalion in the Church of St Andrew and Saint Mary, Stoke Rochford. (Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Roll of Honour of the 2nd Parachute Battalion in St Mary and St Andrew Church, Stoke Rochford. (© Morris Felton IWM WMR-59716)
Flags fly at Saltby airfield to commemorate wartime Airborne Forces
In 1944, Saltby was home to the 314th Troop Carrier Group of the US IX Troop Carrier Command. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, its aircraft flew paratroopers of the US 82nd Airborne Division, including Brigadier General James Gavin, to Normandy. During Operation MARKET GARDEN, they dropped British and Polish and paratroopers into battle at Arnhem, including Lieutenant Colonel John Frost - whose men held the bridge at Arnhem - and Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski, commander of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade.
Commemorative services and events are regularly held at the memorial, which is on a public footpath close to the main runway and the Buckminster Gliding Club. The memorial comprises three large rocks, the one in the centre inscribed with a dedication, the outer two carrying inscribed images of a Handley Page Hampden and a C-47 aircraft. Next to the memorial is an interpretation board with further information about the airfield's role during World War II.
A Service of Remembrance at Saltby airfield memorial to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in June 2024.
Saltby airfield memorial stones. (Brian Riley)
Close-up of a memorial stone at Saltby, with an engraving of a British Hampden bomber. (Brian Riley)
Close-up of a memorial stone at Saltby, with an engraving of an American C-47 troop-carrying aircraft. (Brian Riley)
Plaque in the west wall of the nave in the Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, Bourne, commemorating the World War II presence of the 1st Parachute Battalion in the Bourne area. (David Winn)
1st Parachute Battalion commemorated in Bourne
The presence of the 1st Parachute Battalion in the area during World War II is commemorated by a plaque on the west wall of the nave of the Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul in Bourne.
Polish forces remembered at Easton-on-the-Hill
Although Easton-on-the-Hill is just outside South Kesteven, its memorial relates to Polish Airborne Forces in the area, including those in South Kesteven.
Easton’s original memorial was built by Polish paratroopers on the site of their old barracks off Park Walk. It fell into disrepair and plans to renovate it were halted by damage from a falling tree in 2021.
Polish organisations helped the Parish Council to fund a new memorial, which contains a salvaged stone ball and rubble from the original site.
The new structure on Spring Hill was dedicated on 23 September 2023, the 82nd anniversary of the formation of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade.
Polish Airborne Memorial at Easton-on-the-Hill.
Polish Airborne Memorial at Easton-on-the-Hill.