- Type of Memorial
- Chapel: Dedicated within church building
- WMR Reference Number
- 22910
- Description
- An elaborate American Memorial Chapel, commemorating the United States Army Air Force 386th Bomb Group's World War 2 service while stationed at Easton Lodge airfield (which was later renamed RAF Great Dunmow) from September 1943 to October 1944. The Chapel contains two stained-glass windows; the two-light "Window of Friendship and Peace" on the north wall and the three-light "Window of The Crusaders" on the west wall. Beneath each window is a floor-standing bronze plaque that explains the iconography of those windows; beneath the Crusader Window are three wall-mounted bronze plaques, bearing the dedicatory inscription and 193 names of 386th Bomb Group casualties. Also within the Chapel is a framed painting of a B-26 Marauder aircraft, two wall-mounted framed information boards (re: the airfield base and and how the Chapel came to be created in Little Easton Church), and five kneelers depicting military badges.
The three-light stained-glass 'Window of the Crusaders' on the west wall of the Chapel, commemorating the active service of the 386th Bomb Group, has a central figure of Christ with arms outstretched. He is surrounded by numerous tableaux whose iconography is fully explained in the inscription on the floor-mounted bronze plaque adjacent to that window.
The two-light stained-glass 'Window of Friendship and Peace' on the north wall of the Chapel depicts various tableaux of the 386th Bomb Group's interaction with local people while stationed at Easton Lodge Airfield, the iconography of which is fully explained in the inscription on the floor-mounted bronze plaque near that window.
Of the five kneelers within the Chapel, four depict the badges of the 386th Bomb Group Squadrons that were stationed at Easton Lodge Airfield in WW2, i.e. the 552nd, 553rd, 554th and 555th Squadrons; the fifth kneeler depicts the badge of the American Ninth Air Force.
(Within the Chapel, but not part of the war memorial, is a bronze bust of Reverend Jack Filby, former Rector of Little Easton; the associated brass plaque beneath reads: "JACK FILBY/ RECTOR/ 1975-2000/ Hon. Chaplain/ 386th Bomb Grp. USAAF/ Bronze head by/ Austin Bennett).
- Inscription
- (Dedicatory plaque): THE AMERICANS WHOSE NAMES APPEAR HERE MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ WHILE SERVING WITH THE "CRUSADERS" OF THE 386TH BOMB GROUP DURING/ WORLD WAR II. WE WHO KNEW THEM WILL REMEMBER THEM AND LET ALL WHO/ LOVE FREEDOM HONOUR THEM./ 386TH BOMB GROUP ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 1990
(Two name panels): (names)
(Explanatory floor-mounted plaque re the three-light window): THE WINDOW OF "THE CRUSADERS"/ "BUT THEY THAT WORSHIP THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH: THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES;/ THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY; AND THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT." THE BOOK OF ISAIAH, CHAPTER 40, VERSE 31./ DURING WORLD WAR II THE AMERICAN 386TH BOMB GROUP, KNOWN AS THE CRUSADERS, "MOUNTED UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES" FLYING SOME 263 MISSIONS FROM NEARBY EASTON/ LODGE AIRFIELD AGAINST NAZI TARGETS IN EUROPE. NEARLY 200 CRUSADERS WERE LOST TO ENEMY ACTION AND MANY MORE WERE WOUNDED OR TAKEN PRISONER. THIS "WINDOW/ OF THE CRUSADERS" DEPICTS SOME OF THE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF THE MEN OF THE 386TH BOMB GROUP DURING THE THIRTEEN MONTHS THEY WERE STATIONED NEAR THIS CHURCH./ THE TRIUMPH OF THE FIGHT FOR GOD AND RIGHT IS THE CENTRAL THEME OF THIS WINDOW. HIGH IN THE CENTER LANCET IS A FIGURE OF CHRIST. ABOVE HIM IN THE LEFT/ CENTER TRACERY IS THE BANNER OF VICTORY, SYMBOLIZING THE TRIUMPH OF GOOD OVER EVIL. TO ITS LEFT IS THE AMERICAN EIGHTH AIR FORCE EMBLEM AND THE AMERICAN/ DECORATION, THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. THE RIGHT CENTER TRACERY HAS A BLUNTED SWORD, THE SYMBOL OF MERCY, WITH THE SUPERIMPOSED VICTORS WREATH. TO THE/ RIGHT IS THE AMERICAN NINTH AIR FORCE EMBLEM AND THE AIR MEDAL./ THE LOWER PORTION OF THE LEFT LANCET SHOWS A GROUP OF AIRMEN IN FRONT OF A B-26 MARAUDER AIRCRAFT, PERHAPS AS THEY PREPARE FOR A MISSION. AT THE TOP OF/ THE LEFT OPENING IS A GROUP OF FIVE MARAUDERS UNDER FLAK ATTACK. THE "MISSING MAN" FORMATION REMINDS US OF THOSE WHO DID NOT RETURN. IN CONTINUATION OF/ THIS THOUGHT, THE FIGURE AT THE LEFT OF THE GROUP OF FLIERS IS AN ACTUAL PORTRAIT OF A FALLEN COMRADE./ THE LOWER CENTER OF THE WINDOW SHOWS VEHICLES AND MEN OF THE DEDICATED GROUND CREW. THE AMBULANCE REMINDS US OF THE MANY WOUNDED AIRMEN. BEHIND THEM ARE/ CROSSED RUNWAYS OF THE AIRFIELD AND THE CONTROL TOWER. AT THE FAR RIGHT AN AIRMAN STANDS WITH MAP CASE, HELMET AND LIFE VEST, READY FOR THE MISSION. FAINTLY/ SEEN BEHIND HIM ARE TWO EARLIER CRUSADERS WITH CHRISTIAN BANNERS EXPRESSING THE CONTINUITY OF THE FIGHT FOR RIGHT. AT THE TOP OF THIS LANCET, COMING IN/ FROM THE RIGHT, ARE FOUR B-26 MARAUDERS IN FLIGHT REPRESENTING THE FOUR SQUADRONS OF THE 386TH. BRITISH SPITFIRES AND AMERICAN P-47 THUNDERBOLT FIGHTER/ AIRCRAFT ESCORT THEM TOWARDS THE TARGET./ ALTHOUGH A STRONG, DYNAMIC AND DETERMINED FIGURE OF CHRIST IS FLANKED BY IMPLEMENTS OF WAR, HIS OUTSTRETCHED ARMS OVER BOTH MODERN AND ANCIENT CRUSADERS/ LINK THEM IN THE LOVE OF GOD AND THE FIGHT FOR RIGHT.
(Explanatory floor-mounted plaque re the two-light window): THE WINDOW OF FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE./ DURING WORLD WAR II, IN SEPTEMBER OF 1943, THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE'S 386TH BOMB GROUP, "THE CRUSADERS", ARRIVED WITH THEIR B-26 MARAUDER AIRCRAFT AT A/ NEWLY CONSTRUCTED AIRFIELD ON THE GROUNDS OF EASTON LODGE, JUST A FEW HUNDRED YARDS FROM THIS CHURCH. THIS "WINDOW OF FRIENDSHUP AND PEACE" RECALLS IN/ VIGNETTES AND SYMBOLS THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP OF MUTUAL SUPPORT, FRIENDSHIP, AND LASTING RESPECT THAT DEVELOPED BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AIRMEN AND THE/ PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGES OF LITTLE EASTON AND GREAT DUNMOW DURING THE THIRTEEN MONTHS THE CRUSADERS FLEW MISSIONS FROM THE NEARBY AIRFIELD./ THE LEFT LANCET SHOWS AN AMERICAN AIRMAN IN CONVERSATION WITH A BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE FLYING OFFICER SUGGESTING THE CLOSE CO-OPERATION THAT EXISTED/ BETWEEN THE TWO FORCES, BOTH IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND. ROYAL AIR FORCE SPITFIRES PROVIDED FIGHTER ESCORT AND PROTECTION FOR CRUSADER BOMBERS ON MANY/ MISSIONS. THE RIGHT OPENING DEPICTS AN AMERICAN AIRMAN WITH LOCAL VILLAGERS EXPRESSING THE CLOSE OFF-DUTY TIES WITH NEARBY COMMUNITIES. EASTON LODGE IS/ DEPICTED IN THE BACKGROUND AND IS SUPERIMPOSED UPON A GLOBE REPRESENTING THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF THE CONFLICT AND THE ENSUING PEACE./ THE LARGER LEFT TRACERY SHOWS A DOVE WITH AN OLIVE BRANCH, SYMBOLIZING THE HOLY SPIRIT AND PEACE. THE RIGHT TRACERY SHOWS AN EAGLE IN FLIGHT, A REFERENCE/ TO THE BIBLICAL THEME OF THE WEST WINDOW, "THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES." THE TWO AMERICAN MILITARY DECORATIONS DEPICTED ARE THE PURPLE HEART/ AWARDED TO THOSE WHO WERE WOUNDED IN ACTION, AND THE EUROPEAN VICTORY MEDAL./ AT THE LOWER LEFT, TWO HANDS ARE CLASPED IN FRIENDSHIP, ONE BRITISH AND ONE AMERICAN. THE OAK TREE AT THE LOWER RIGHT CALLS TO MIND THE MANY BEAUTIFUL OAKS/ ON THE GROUNDS OF EASTON LODGE THAT HAD TO BE DESTROYED IN ORDER TO CONSTRUCT THE AIRFIELD. THE OAK TREE IS ALSO A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND FORTITUDE, TWO/ VIRTUES MUCH CALLED UPON BY BOTH CIVILIANS AND FIGHTING MEN DURING THE DIFFICULT PRE-VICTORY DAYS OF WORLD WAR II.// THIS "WINDOW OF FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE" AND THE "WINDOW OF THE CRUSADERS" TO THE LEFT ARE/ DEDICATED TO THE NEARLY 200 AIRMEN OF THE AMERICAN 386TH BOMB GROUP WHO LOST THEIR LIVES/ DURING THE CONFLICT, AND TO THE ENDURING FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT THE CRUSADERS EXPERIENCED/ WHILE STATIONED HERE DURING WORLD WAR II. THESE WINDOWS WERE DEDICATED IN OCTOBER OF 1990.
