Air Force Football Game Contributes $1,225,000
for
 Memorial to World War II Army Air Corps Personnel

LONDON. ENGLAND - Every hour on the hour, chimes ring out from Saint Clement Dane Church, paying homage to 16,000 U.S. Army Air Corps personnel who were killed in World War II defending America while stationed in Great Britain.

Names of those airman are on a pipe organ that cost $225,000 and purchased with the funds raised by the U. S. Air Force football teams playing for the USAF European Football Championship Dec. 2 1956 in Wembley Stadium, which had been built for the 1948 World Olympics.
The famous movie star, Dana Andrews met coaches from London “Rockets” located at South Ruslip RAF Air Force Base and offered to promote the event and “Show the Limeys, what American football is all about”

The Royal Air Force in 1956 decided to rebuild this church, which was blown to bits by the Luffwaffe Blitz in World War II, and use it as a memorial to squad members who were killed in that war. The church was rebuilt in 1958.

The RAF offered to share the church as a memorial on the understanding the 17 Air Force bases in the greater London area help raise funds. Gen. Rosco “Whip” Wilson, Commander of the Third Air Force became involved, and what in past years was a game played before 1,200 in a high school, became a “Small” Super Bowl.

Other than the gate receipt from the 40,000 attending the game, BBC - Television gave an amount equally $1,000,000 in American money for the right to televise the game to its 2.5 million subscribers.

Former Rockets Coach Jim Martin, 74 of Scottsdale, AZ, a retired journalism professor, said his mission for the rest of his life will be spent to notify 2.5 million relatives and has put a story of the 24 page game, with art on a web-site.

He wants to alert those relatives that a 2000 year old church destroyed by the German Lufwaffe’s bombing of London during WWII now serves both as a church and a memorial to both America’s and Britain’s casualties.

The Website address is  http://wwiislstmemorial.com

Jim Martin
Email: jimeve@iopener.net

Webmaster Note: Jim Martin also served with the United State Air Force during the Korean War. The effort he is making to notify the Veterans and descendants of this unique memorial is highly commendable.  He is my uncle and I am very proud of him.