| Rolls-Royce Battle of Britain Memorial Window | |
| Country: | England |
| Commemorates: | Pilots of the Royal Air Force who fought in the Battle of Britain |
| Unveiled: | 1949 |
| Location: | Derby |
| Designer: | Hugh Ray Easton |
| Inscription: | This window commemorates the pilots of the Royal Air Force who in the Battle of Britain turned the work of our hands into the salvation of our country. |
The Rolls-Royce Battle of Britain Memorial Window, is a stained glass window designed by Hugh Ray Easton, to commemorate the pilots of the Royal Air Force who fought in the Battle of Britain and the contribution of Rolls-Royce engineering to their victory. It was unveiled on 11 January 1949 in Rolls-Royce's Nightingale Road factory in Osmaston, Derby.
During the Second World War, between 1939 and 1945, Merlin engines which powered Hurricanes, Spitfires and Lancaster bombers, were built by Rolls-Royce at their factory in Derby.[1] The window was commissioned by managing director of Rolls-Royce, Ernest Hives, 1st Baron Hives, later chairman of the company. It cost £3,145.
The Rolls-Royce Battle of Britain Memorial Window is a stained glass window designed by Hugh Ray Easton, to commemorate the pilots of the Royal Air Force who fought in the Battle of Britain.[2] [1] [3]
It depicts an image of a Royal Air Force fighter pilot at the centre, below which is an inscription. The young pilot is wearing a full fighter pilot outfit, complete with flying boots and a helmet which he holds in his hand. He is standing and looking over the Derby factory which made the engines required for his "survival and victory".[1] Below the pilot are also the blades of a propeller, behind which are the smokestacks of the factory. Above and behind the pilot is an eagle with outstretched wings, which is framed by the sun.[1] [4] The window is 6.5 metres tall, 4.5 metres wide and since 2015 is lit up with 5,184 LEDs.[2] [5]
The inscription reads:
This window commemorates the pilots of the Royal Air Force who in the Battle of Britain turned the work of our hands into the salvation of our country.[2]
The window was unveiled on 11 January 1949 in the Marble Hall of Rolls-Royce's Nightingale Road factory in Osmaston, Derby, by Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, and dedicated by Alfred Rawlinson, the then Bishop of Derby,[2] from when it remained on display.[6] [7]
During the first month of viewing, covering successive Sundays, an estimated 50,000 people lined up to see the window.[2] It was accompanied by a souvenir booklet.[8]
From 1949 until 2007, the window was located in the main foyer of Rolls-Royce's Nightingale Road factory in Derby, on the north wall, on the route up to the first floor.[2] [9]
The window was later transferred to the Rolls-Royce Learning and Development Centre in Derby where it remains on display.[2]
The window was re-dedicated on 31 October 2015, on the 75th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Britain, in a service given by John Davies, Dean of Derby.[5]