On the west side, within the circular beech hedge.

A tall, 3-section brick wall, curved wall on the center, bearing 26 white stone plaques. There are 8 plaques on the left-hand section (the last plaque on the bottom has blank names), 11 plaques on the center (only 1 that is in the middle has the inscription, all else is blank), and 8 plaques on the last section (4 plaques on the bottom are blank). All plaques are inscribed in English. The plaques on the left and right-hand sections list names while the plaque on the middle section contains the commemoration message.

The 65^th Fighter Wing and its subordinate units transferred to England and were assigned to VIII Fighter Command in June 1943 and began flying combat missions. "Subordinate units escorted bombers, flew counter-air patrols, and dive-bombing missions. They attacked airdromes, marshaling yards, missile sites, industrial areas, ordnance depots, oil refineries, trains, and highways. During Big Week [in late] February 1944, the 65th participated in the assaults against the German Air Force and the German aircraft industry. Its units supported the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 1944); the Allied ground troops during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 through January 1945); the Allied airborne attack on the Netherlands (Operation Market Garden, September 1944); the defense of the Remagen bridgehead against German air attacks (March 1945); and the airborne attack across the Rhine (March 1945).

Groups:

• 4th Fighter Group, c. 7 August 1943 – c. 31 May 1945
• 56th Fighter Group, c. 7 August 1943 – c. 31 May 1945
• 78th Fighter Group, c. 24 July 1943 – c. 18 August 1943
• 355th Fighter Group, c. 18 August 1943 – c. 31 May 1945
• 356th Fighter Group, c. 31 October 1943 – c. 8 August 1944
• 361st Fighter Group, c. 8 August 1944 – c. 24 December 1944; c. 10 April 1945 – c. 31 May 1945
• 479th Fighter Group, 31 May 1944 – 31 May 1945

Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, en.wikipedia.org

Source of images: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, www.picturesofengland.com

Commemoration Plaque (center section):

IN HONOURED MEMORY OF

THE OFFICERS AND MEN

OF THE 65TH FIGHTER WING OF THE

UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE

AND THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE

BOROUGH OF SAFFRON WALDEN

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN

THE DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

1939 -1945

Plaques on the left section (left to right, from top to bottom):

(First Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

STANLEY M. ANDERSON

HARVIS J. ARNOLD

WILLIAM D. BATES

ROBERT A. BOOCK

JAMES H. BRANDENBURG

GERALD C. CHAPMAN

JOHN L. CHILDS

ROBERT P. CLAUS

LEON J. COLE, JR.

ROBERT J. COOPER

KERMIT O. DAHLEN

LEO DAILEY

ALBERT J. DAVIS

HARRY L. DAVIS

CARMENO J. DELNERO

DONALD R. EMERSON

CLEMENS A. FEIDLER

ROBERT G. FISCHER

EDWARD P. FREEBURGER

CECIL E. GARBEY

JOSEPH GOETZ

CHESTER P. GRIMM

FREDERICK D. HALL

FERRIS S. HARRIS

GLENN A. HERTER

DEAN J. HILL

(Second Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

ROBERT D. HOBERT

RALPH K. HOFER

ROBERT H. HOMUTH

WILLIAM W. HUNT

EARL F. HUSTWIT

PAUL S. IDEN

HARRY E. JENNINGS

FRANK C. JONES, JR.

WILLIAM P. KELLY

LLOYD G. KINGHAM

MARK H. KOLTER

JOSEPH L. LANG

DALE B. LEAF

RALPH E. LEWIS

GEORGE H. LOGAN, JR.

JOHN F. LUTZ

LELAND L. MAC FARLAND

BERNARD L. MC GRATTAN

RICHARD D. MCMINN

FREDERICK D. MERRITT

IVAN R. MOON

CONRAD J. NETTING

HARRY B. NOON

RUFUS L. PATTERSON

RICHARD I. REED

ROBERT H. RICHARDS

(Third Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

BERNARD J. ROSENSON

RALPH W. SAUNDERS

JAMES F. SCOTT

ANTHONY J. SEAMAN

FRANK T. SIBBETT

KENNETH B. SMITH

WALTER SMITH, JR.

WILLIAM B. SMITH

WINSLOW M. SOBANSKI

ROBERT LEE STALLINGS

JOSEPH W. SULLIVAN

ROBERT S. TUSSEY

HERBERT VANDER VATE, JR.

NICHOLAS W. VOZZY

ROBERT W. WHITE

GORDON H. WHITLOW

WARD K. WORTMAN

BURT C. WYMAN

(Fourth Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

NON BATTLE DEATH

RALPH G. BOYCE

JAMES T. BYRD, JR.

VINCENT R. CASTLE

ROBERT B. CASWELL

ROBERT D. FRASER

HAROLD H. FREDERICK

GARRETT C. KING

PETER G. LEHMAN

JOHN P. MC NABB

CHARLES Y. MEAD

JOHN MITCHELLWEIS

ESTANISLADE M. PEREZ

JAP A. POWELL

MORTON R. SAVAGE

HOMER C. SMITH

FRANK J. SMOLINSKY

ROBERT S. SPRAGUE

RICHARD L. TANNEHILL

ALVIN O. WALLACE

DARNABY H. WILLHOIT

ROBERT C. HUNTER, JR.

ROBERT L. KACKERBACK

WILLIAM D. RIEDEL

MALTA L. STEPP, JR.

MYRON P. ZECKER

(Fifth Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

CARL R. ALFRED

CHARLES F. ANDERSON

WILLIAM H. BAKER, JR.

GEORGE W. BARNES

H. THOMAS BIEL

STEPHEN R. BOREN

FRANK R. BOYLES

EDWARD G. BRETTELL (R.A.F.)

ROBERT C. BUCHOLZ

LEROY A. CARPENTER, JR.

JOHN T. CONLEY

WILLIAM A. COX

ROBERT O. DAVIS

VICTOR J. FRANCE

(Sixth Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

FRANK D. GALLION

FLOYD F. HENRY

C. G. HOWARD

CHARLES D. HEWES

HENRY A. KAUL

MICHAEL G. MCPHARLIN

GENE P. NEVILLE

LEONARD R. PIERCE

HERMAN S. RASMUSSEN

HAROLD L. ROSS, JR.

LEONARD T. RYERSON

PAUL G. SANTOS

ALBERT L. SCHLEGEL

ROBERT H. SEIFERT

(Seventh Plaque)

DEBDEN

4TH FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

ARTHUR J. SENEGAL

THOMAS S. SHARP

ERNEST K. SKILTON

JOHN T. SLATER

DENNIS D. SMITH

EDWARD J. STEPPE, JR.

GEORGE K. VILLINGER

LEONARD R. WERNER

EDWARD D. WHALEN

DONALD E. SMITH

Plaques on the left section (left to right, upper plaques):

(First Plaque)

479TH

FIGHTER GROUP

KILLED IN ACTION

WILLIAM D. CLARKE

HEINZ W. DETLEFSEN

JAMES E. FLEMING, JR.

THOMAS T. GALLOWAY

FRANK GRDENICH

ELMER HARTMAN

LELAND K. HORNE

RAYMOND E. KING

HAROLD F. KRAUSS, JR.

WARD A. KUENTZEL

LEROY LUTZ

JAY C. MALONE

DONALD B. MCCLURE

WILLIAM B. MC KAY

WALTER A. NEUMANN

QUENTIN S. PAVLOCK

ROBERT N. PIGG

CHARLES F. SCHOEN, JR.

LEWIS C. SMITH

JAMES E. SPILLANE, JR.

MARION W. STEELE

DONALD H. STOTT

(Second Plaque)

479TH

FIGHTER GROUP

NON BATTLE DEATH

IVAN A. ERVIN

EVERETT P. FORD

DEWEY H. HOLLIS

NORBERT W. ROCK

THURMAN E. SANDS

ANTHONY J. SCORDINE

HOWARD M. SPRY

ROBERT H. TEETER

HILTON O. THOMPSON

WILLIAM R. WALKER

ROBERT G. YOUNG

OTHERS

(non-American names)