Ponca City, Oklahoma Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial

The Royal Air Force Memorial consists of 8 gray granite, vertical RAF grave markers, of the same style, and aligned side-by-side facing 5th Street (west). A flagpole, flying the RAF Ensign (Flag), is anchored in a concrete base, with a larger, flat gray granite slab mounted on the same concrete base. Another smaller gray granite slab, is placed immediately beside (south of) the flagpole, and mounted on a separate concrete base. The combination flagpole and larger granite slab display, and the smaller granite slab are situated on-line, in front (west) of the RAF markers, between the markers and 5th Street. Seven (7) identical gray granite markers, centered on the flagpole, identify the final resting place of those members of the RAF who were killed in the course of their training, while stationed in Ponca City. Each marker displays the Badge of the RAF, the service number of the individual, their name, date of death, a religious (cross) symbol, and a brief epitaph at the bottom. The markers are displayed vertically and embedded in a continuous run of concrete, and bordered on the front (west) by a shallow trench filled with smooth river rocks. The 7 individuals are honored each year on Memorial Day with a special ceremony. The taller 8th marker is on the same line as the other markers but is distinctly separate, on the north (viewing left) end of the line of markers. It was installed in memory of an RAF member 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. At the base of the flagpole, on one side of the larger (thicker) flat granite slab, is etched the Badge of the RAF. On the other side, on a bronze dedicatory plaque, is inscribed: “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.” Immediately to the viewing right (south) of the flagpole is a smaller, flat gray granite slab with the Badge of the RAF etched on one side, and with a commemorative inscription on the other, which reads: “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.” In addition to the annual Memorial Day celebration, another unique commemorative ceremony is held at the RAF Memorial to recognize fallen allies from other nations who fought beside the United States in our wars and conflicts. The Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride (AMRR) is an annual motorcycle event usually held at the beginning of July. Bikers from across the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada, and New Zealand participated in the 2017 AMRR. It featured one global ride, conducted in four separate Nations. Its riders are united in remembrance of fallen heroes from allied forces, past and present, who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while in service to their nations. The US has a total of four ride-routes, with two rides taking place in Oklahoma: one to the RAF Memorial at the IOOF (Odd Fellows) Cemetery in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and the other to the RAF Memorial at the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Cemetery in Miami, Oklahoma. These rides are open to all bikers. (Note: Ponca City is a city in Kay and Osage Counties, in north-central Oklahoma, some 18 miles south of the Kansas border, with a population of some 24,527 (2016). It is the largest city in Kay County and is situated on the Arkansas River. The city was named after the Ponca Indian Tribe, which had been removed from Nebraska and resettled on allotted lands in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) from 1877-1880. The city’s economic development has been largely dependent on the boom and bust periods of the petroleum industry. It was a refining center for many years and the home of Marland Oil Company, and headquarters for Continental Oil Company (Conoco).) (Note: The Badge of the Royal Air Force features an eagle superimposed on a circlet which is surmounted by the Imperial Crown. On the circlet is the motto: PER ARDUA AD ASTRA (Through Adversity To The Stars).) (Note: The Darr School of Aeronautics in Ponca City, Oklahoma was also identified as British Flying Training School Number 6. It was one of seven such Training Schools in the United States. Both primary and advanced types of flight training were conducted. The U.S. Army Air Forces unit on the airfield was the 323rd Flying Training Detachment. The School existed for 33 months and trained 1,113 British and 125 American combat pilots.)