Bomber Command memorial unveiled in ceremony

The spire is 102ft (31.09m) high - the length of the wingspan of a Lancaster Bomber

A memorial to the thousands of crewmen who served in Bomber Command during World War Two has been officially unveiled in Lincoln.

The memorial spire and walls of remembrance are the first significant development in the creation of the International Bomber Command Centre.

Lord Howe, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, cut the ribbon.

The ceremony, presented by historian Dan Snow, was attended by 300 of the remaining Bomber Command veterans.

Mr Snow said: "This is Bomber County, Lincolnshire is Aviation County. Aircraft were made here, pioneered here and flown from here during both world wars.

"Aviation is inextricably linked with Lincolnshire and it is exactly right that the memorial is here."

The spire is based on two wing fragments, tapering as they rise towards the sky

A number of flyovers by different aircraft were organised for the occasion, including the last flying Vulcan, a Blenheim bomber, two Tornados, three Hawks and the current MacRobert's Reply.

The memorial spire was designed by Stephen Palmer of Place Architecture, and is higher than the Angel of the North.

It is 102ft (31.09m) tall - the wingspan of the Avro Lancaster - and the width at the base is 16ft (5m), the overall width of a Lancaster wing.

The spire was delivered to the site and erected in seven-and-a-half hours on 10 May this year, marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day.

The walls of remembrance record the names of the 55,573 men who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command.

Tony Worth CVO, chairman of the International Bomber Command Centre Trust, said: " It has been a momentous day both in terms of having reached this milestone in the creation of International Bomber Command Centre, which has taken eight years so far, and in having, in one place, so many of the last remaining veterans."

The walls of remembrance record the names of the 55,573 men who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command