Description

878/0/10106 MANSTON ROAD
24-JAN-11 Memorial to Edmund Leonard George Bett
s, St John's Cemetery

II
Headstone, 1938, pink granite, white marble.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial takes the form of a square-headed headstone of pink rough-hewn granite. A scroll carved into the front face provides a smooth surface which bears the inscription in white letters. Resting on top of the headstone is a white marble sculpture of an airplane with the registration letters G-AEFU carved into its body. The propellers and right hand wing and wheel of the plane have broken off and are missing. The burial plot is surrounded by a kerb of pink granite.

HISTORY: Edmund Leonard George Betts, "Elgy", was killed whilst flying a Miles Hawk Trainer airplane belonging to the Thanet Aero Club. Having taken off from Ramsgate Airport on 17 July 1938, the plane crashed into the sea off Cliftonville. Both the 19 year-old Edmund and his passenger, 16 year-old Marjorie Walk, were killed. Marjorie's body was eventually recovered off Deal; her grave is elsewhere in the cemetery with her parents'. The sculpture of the airplane on Edmund Betts' headstone is an accurate representation of the plane in which he died, including its registration letters.

Aviation was in its infancy during the First World War, but by the Second World War it played a major part in Allied success. It was during the interwar period that aeronautical technology saw many great advances. The mono-winged Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes, developed in the 1930s, have since become iconic symbols of the Second World War.

SOURCES:
St John's Cemetery Margate 1856-2006, 150th Anniversary Commemoration (2006) booklet produced by The Friends of Margate Cemetery

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The memorial to Edmund Betts, St John's Cemetery, Margate, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Sculptural interest: the sculpture of the airplane is unusual in that it both pays tribute to Edmund Betts' love of flying, as well as being an accurate representation of the plane in which he died.
* Historic interest: the memorial is an unusual and vivid reminder of an important period in the history of aviation, before it revolutionised modern warfare and international travel.

Reasons for Listing

Yes list at Grade II.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675206

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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