I served for 39 years in the Royal Navy and left as a General Service, Weapon Engineering, Captain, after joining as an Artificer Apprentice in the mid 1970s. My family and I have lived in the Daedalus area since the early 1980s. I am member of the Lee-on-the-Solent and Stubbington Branch of the Royal Naval Association (RNA).
The Daedalus site has continued to be commercially developed since 1996 when the Royal Naval Air Station and associated establishment closed. We are at the point now where the history and legacy of the airfield will be potentially lost. This would be an especially significant loss to not just the thousands of serving personnel, families, veterans who live in the area, but also the thousands of visitors and tourist who come to Lee from all over the world.
I gained the support of my RNA branch to run a small team project from April 2024, to install the Daedalus Commemorative Stone (DCS) in a prominent position at Solent Airport, for all to see for generations to come.
About the project
The project included gaining local council and community support (inc. full planning permission and contract raising), design of a suitable stone and most importantly, fundraising. The cost of the project was £9K and RNRMC provided one third of this money. RNRMC recognised the requirement for the DCS and were very generous; without this contribution the project could well have failed. Although RNRMC support was financial, their involvement certainly helped in encouraging other benefactors and underpinned the involvement of the service.
Project outcomes
The outcomes of the project included:
- Paying respect to the sacrifice made by serving and civilian personnel at the site
- Educating future generations and visitors on the history and role of the Royal Navy
- Encouraging interest in careers in the Royal Navy
- Engendering a sense of pride in serving and veteran personnel, plus also amounts their families
- Providing positive public communications on the RN through media coverage (ie. newspapers and ITV Meridian feature)
The DCS is installed in pride of place in the front and centre of the Public Viewing Area at Solent Airport. The DCS receives hundreds of visitors every week and the inscription is read by everyone at least once. Many visitors take photographs of just the DCS, or with their families, or with the aircraft as a backdrop. Everyone has had nothing but pride and praise for this important new public feature.
Richard Hobbs
