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All the United Kingdom England Lytham Lytham St Annes Spitfire Memorial
AO Edited

Lytham St Annes Spitfire Memorial

During World War II, locals rallied together to buy this plane to support the war effort.

Lytham, England

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The Lytham St. Annes Spitfire.   Dark Nebula Deluxe / Atlas Obscura User
The Lytham St. Annes Spitfire.   Dark Nebula Deluxe / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the early part of World War II, many local communities in the United Kingdom collected funds to purchase planes for the war effort. The planes were called Presentation Aircraft.

In February 1942, the English town of Lytham St Annes, just south of Blackpool, funded one of these aircraft, a Submarine Spitfire with the designation W3644.

A man with connections to the area piloted the Spitfire. However, the aircraft and the pilot were lost in the English Channel just a few months later, in June 1942.

In 2009, John Coombes, the then-leader of the local Council, was looking through town hall records when he found a photograph of the community-funded Spitfire.

Inspired by the plane and its tragic end, Coombes helped form a volunteer organization called the Lytham St Annes Spitfire Display Team. The team collected funds for a memorial commemorating Royal Air Force personnel based in Blackpool and the Spitfire funded by Lytham St Annes locals.

After raising over £80,000, the memorial was built in 2012 at Fairhaven Lake, a recreational lake near the community’s shoreline.

Formally named the Lytham St Annes RAF Fighter, Bomber & Coastal Command Memorial, the memorial consists of a full-scale replica of the Spitfire Lytham St Annes funded.

The plane is mounted several meters above the ground on a pole, giving the appearance that the fighter is just about to fly over the lake. Several plaques around the base of the memorial describe the history of the Royal Air Force in the area and the history of the aircraft.

The Spitfire Display Team also established the Spitfire Visitor Centre at the Blackpool Airport, which had been a major Royal Air Force facility during World War II.  Both the center and the memorial at Fairhaven Lake serve as reminders of how the war was a major part of local history.

Related Tags

Local History War History War Memorial Memorials World War Ii Airports Airplanes Aircraft

Know Before You Go

The Lytham St Annes Spitfire stands at the west end of Fairhaven Lake, which lies halfway between the communities of Lytham and St Annes. Visitors can take the train to Andsell & Fairhaven Station or take one of several buses from Blackpool.  There's also parking just west of the lake.

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Dark Nebula Deluxe

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  • rbenn250

Published

March 31, 2025

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Sources
  • https://new.fylde.gov.uk/resident/parks-and-gardens/fairhaven-lake-and-gardens/
  • https://www.showtownblackpool.co.uk/things-to-discover/hangar-42-lytham-st-annes-spitfire-visitor-centre
  • https://www.visitlytham.info/about/seafront/spitfire-memorial/
  • https://spitfirevisitorcentre.co.uk/about
  • https://www.visitstannes.info/about/seafront/spitfire-memorial/
Lytham St Annes Spitfire Memorial
211 Inner Promenade
Lytham, England, FY8 1EQ
United Kingdom
53.738882, -3.006789
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Nearby Places

Old Lifeboat House

Lytham, England

miles away

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Spitfire Visitor Centre

Blackpool, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lytham

Lytham

England

Places 3

Nearby Places

Old Lifeboat House

Lytham, England

miles away

Lytham Mussel Tanks

Lytham, England

miles away

Spitfire Visitor Centre

Blackpool, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lytham

Lytham

England

Places 3

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