St Clement Danes, Central Church of the Royal Air Force

St Clement Danes was originally a church on the shoreline of the Thames (the Strand) adopted by the Danish settlers who had converted to Christianity and permitted by King Alfred the Great to return to life in London. The present church was built by Sir Christopher Wren and the tower and spire by Joshua Marshall and James Gibbs respectively. The church was gutted by the fire of a German incendiary bomb in 1941 and after the war was adopted by the Royal Air Force as its Central Church. They raised funds for the restoration by Anthony Lloyd in 1955 which was completed in 1958. It serves as a memorial to over 150,000 personnel who died in service with the RAF in the Second World War and Books of Remembrance set in alcoves list their names. The stone floor leading to the altar has over 1,000 badges of RAF squadrons and units, hand-carved from Welsh slate. Many of Wren’s interior features were copied but the ornate Grinling Gibbons pulpit had been removed for its protection before the Blitz and later reinstated. The dark-stained galleried interior is in keeping with Wren's original. Dr Samuel Johnson, 17091784, was a regular member of the congregation of St Clement Danes. At the west end, the RAF badge is surrounded by the badges of allied nations. Carved pews bear the names of commanders of the RAF. Outside the church stand bronze statues of Lord Dowding, who led Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, and Sir Arthur Harris, Marshal of the RAF.