THE wartime story of Pembroke Dock’s flying boat station is reflected in two remarkable stained glass windows, both now displayed within the town’s Heritage Centre.

How Pembroke Dock came to have two memorial windows, remembering personnel from the RAF Station who died during the war, has just been told in aviation author John Evans’ new book, entitled Webfooters’ Windows. (‘Webfooter’ is a nickname given to those involved in flying boat operations.)

In October 1945, within weeks of the end of World War II, Royal Air Force Pembroke Dock became the first RAF station in the country to dedicate a memorial in memory of its personnel who were lost in six years of conflict. That memorial - a magnificent stained glass window - was dedicated at the RAF Church, now the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre.

With the imminent closure of RAF Pembroke Dock, the window was transferred to Plymouth in 1958 and then in 1994 went on permanent view at the RAF Museum in London.

A replica window was commissioned, unveiled in 1995, and was displayed for the next 27 years at Pembroke Dock Library. In recent years it was transferred to the Heritage Centre.

Last year, exactly 80 years after its dedication, the original window returned to the town, on loan from the RAF Museum, and is now a central exhibit in the Heritage Centre.

For many years John Evans has researched flying boat history and the remarkable story of RAF Station Pembroke Dock. He was heavily involved in campaigns to bring about the original window’s return and the creation of the replica.

Webfooters’ Windows is John’s 12th book. He charts the campaigns, the locations, the personalities and the stories - spanning 80 years - behind these unique memorials.

“Webfooters’ Windows” is available from local bookshops, from the author on 07974 471316 / e-mail [email protected] and from Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre’s online shop www.pdht.org .