In a hundred years from now, I’ll still be twenty one

“The pain has stopped, for I am dead,

My time on earth is done.

But in a hundred years from now

I’ll still be twenty-one.

My brief, sweet life is over

My eyes no longer see,

No summer walks, no Christmas trees,

No pretty girls for me.

I’ve got the chop, I’ve had it.

My nightly ops are done.

Yet in a hundred years from now

I’ll still be twenty-one”

R W Gilbert. Requiem For An Air Gunner

This project explores the intangible landscape of death, for hidden in the sweeping folds & sinews of the familiar East Anglian landscape, are places where aircrews met sudden, violent & tragic ends. During World War Two, a vast number of aircraft crashed due to accidents, combat damage and mechanical failure. Many of these sites and the stories of loss are virtually unknown. The scale of deaths runs into many hundreds.

With kind permission from the American Memorial Library in Norwich, the project will incorporate the poignant personal letters of United States Army Airforce navigator, 1st Lt Rodney Barton Ives who was killed in one such crash in Norfolk.

The project began in early 2023 and is ongoing. The completed project will incorporate all crew names and details.