Ponca City in Kay County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial

Oklahoma Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 15, 2022

1. Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial

Inscription.
On behalf of the Royal Air Force Cadets and the US Army Air Force who served and trained at the Darr School of Aeronautics Number 6 British Flying Training School in Ponca City between August 1941 and April 1944. Their association registers their gratitude to the instructors, staff, and the people of Ponca City for their overwhelming hospitality which has resulted in bonds of lasting friendship.

Erected by City of Ponca City, Oklahoma & Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. A significant day of the year for for this entry is May 31.

Location. 36° 41.355′ N, 97° 6.417′ W. Memorial is in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in Kay County. It is on 5th Street south of Brett Drive, on the right when traveling south. Located within Oklahoma Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1206 S Waverly St, Ponca City OK 74601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

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the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and Cherokee Outlet.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 101 Ranch & Wild West Show Mural / Nonnamaker Building, 1929 (approx. 1½ miles away); Orville Savage Motor Company (approx. 1½ miles away); Santa Fe Depot (approx. 1.6 miles away); Arcade Hotel (approx. 1.6 miles away); Poncan Theater (approx. 1.6 miles away); Farmer's National Bank (approx. 1.7 miles away); Oklahoma Indian Nations (approx. 1.7 miles away); B. S. Barnes (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ponca City.

Also see . . . Ponca City, Oklahoma Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial. American Legion website entry (Submitted on May 14, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional commentary.
1. Thank you
Thank you to Mark Hilton for the pictures. Thanks also to whomever tends the graves. I'm a Great-Nephew of Gerald Worrall and

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 15, 2022

2. Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial

The flagpole typically is flying the RAF Ensign (flag).

have often searched for images of the gravestone, finding them for the first time today. There's a photo of Gerald himself here: FindAGrave.com. He was survived by his parents, George and Dorothy, and by his younger twin sisters, Margaret and Mary.

— Submitted March 27, 2024, by Mark Young of Bournemouth, Uk.

Memorials of RAF Cadets (3 on right) who died in 1942 during training here. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton

3. Memorials of RAF Cadets (3 on right) who died in 1942 during training here.

Charles Bradlaugh Thompson • Joseph A. Neild • Raymond Haslam • John F. Swain
The taller marker on the left was installed in memory of an RAF member, Charles Bradlaugh Thompson, who trained at Ponca City during World War II, but was not killed in training. He returned to the United States after the war, became a resident, and was interred alongside his mates upon his death.

Memorials of RAF Cadets who died in training here. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton

4. Memorials of RAF Cadets who died in training here.

Owen W. Phillips • Gerald O. G. Worrall • Harry A. Dinnage • R.D.W. (Jumbo) Eyres

The two markers on left are for RAF Cadets who died in 1943, the right two died in 1944.

Marker below the flagpole. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 15, 2022

5. Marker below the flagpole.

This mast is dedicated to the memory of John S. "Jack" Barrington who, from 1949 through the year of his death in 1999, remained unselfishly committed to the raising of the Royal Air Force ensign in an annual tribute to his comrades who, like himself, came to Ponca City from the United Kingdom that they might prepare to defend their homeland. While the ultimate sacrifice of those who are interred on either side of this mast came not in battle but in its preparation, his dedication serves as a reminder that their sacrifice was no less heroic, and this small plot of prairie ground they learned to fly above and now rest beneath, is no less hallowed.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 14, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.