St Peter
Friesthorpe, Lincolnshire
Memorial, stained glass window and stone cross, in memory of five sons from this hamlet, who all died in The Great War.
The 14th century tower had the shingled broach spire added in 1890, when the rest of the church was rebuilt in the Decorated style by well known Durham architect Charles Hodgson Fowler. The total cost was £2490 5s 10d!
Fragments of the 14th century church are still to be found in the fabric of the church.
The clock was placed in the church to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. There are also some ancient bells in the tower.
We have a display of memorabilia in the church which commemorates the connection between the village and the airfield. The church is approached along the path of friendship with red and white block edging one side and red, white and blue brick edging the other side, to signify the links between this nation and Poland. The porch gates also refer to this connection, with an impression of a runway, joined hands and the insignia for both the RAF and the PAF.
There is a beautiful memorial window in the church with a ribbon flowing between two lancets and the words ‘for our and your freedom’ in both English and Polish as well as the two air force logos. There have been several services of commemoration in the past which Polish veterans and their families have attended in the church. The adjacent primary school has a large mural depicting the ‘Manna air drop of food to the starving Germans at the end of the War.