05/07/2026
The Lytham St Annes Spitfire Memorial.
In 1941, local residents raised £6,500 to fund a WWII presentation aircraft, a frontline Supermarine Spitfire (serial W3644) named "Lytham St Annes".
The fighter was assigned to RAF 19 Squadron and piloted by 20-year-old local Sergeant Alan Lever-Ridings. On June 23, 1942, Alan took off from RAF Hutton Cranswick to es**rt bombers over France.
On the return flight, he broke away to coordinate the rescue of a downed squadron mate. After running critically low on fuel, contact with his aircraft was lost at 10:40 AM off the Devon coast. Neither he nor the plane was ever recovered.
The history remained largely unpublicized until an archived photograph was discovered in 2009. The volunteer Lytham St Annes Spitfire Display Team subsequently raised over £80,000 to construct a permanent tribute.
Unveiled at Fairhaven Lake on August 19, 2012, in the presence of the pilot's family, the memorial features a full-scale replica of W3644 mounted on a steel plinth in a banking flight pose. It serves as an educational tool and interactive Roll of Honour for all local aircrews lost during World War II.
