A square brick-built plinth with a steel structure with the cutting of letter "A" supporting a sculpture of a dove in flight. The sculpture is on a landscape of a US 5 pointed star originally planted with grass and white flowers surrounded with blue slate. The sculpture represents the 'Square-A' which is the tail code of the 94th Bombardment Group. A 'Dove of Peace' emerges from the top of the 'A'. An explanatory plaque is nearby.

The former military airfield which was opened in 1942 is now known as "Rougham Field" but was formerly known as "Bury St Edmunds Airfield", "Rougham Airfield" and also as "USAAF Station 468". The airfield was designed to be used by United States Army Air Force Bomber Groups, and so was constructed with three long runways with tarmac and wood chip surfaces and a technical site situated close to the A45 on the southeast side of the complex; this area is now Rougham Industrial Estate. Two aircraft hangars (type T2) were erected on opposite sides of the site, one of which is still extant. Temporary dispersed accommodation (mainly Nissen huts) for up to 3000 personnel was constructed mainly to the south of the road in the direction of Rougham village and Blackthorpe. The base was used at first briefly by the 47th Bomber Group, replaced in December 1942 by the 332nd Bomber Group. They did not begin to actively fly their Marauder aircraft until 1943. The 332nd sustained heavy casualties on their second mission: this was a target in Holland from which none of those that set out returned.

In June 1943 they were replaced by 94 Bomber Group, who flew 300 missions from the base. In December of 1945, the Americans left, and the airfield was placed under Royal Air Force then War Office control. In 1948 the military disposed of the airfield; since then it has had irregular use by civil light aircraft, including air displays in the summer months. By 1978 some of the runways had been removed but some of the technical site buildings were incorporated into the industrial estate. From 1993 onwards the control tower (now a museum) and some other buildings were restored by The Rougham Tower Association.

Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, www.americanairmuseum.com 

Source of photos: exploreburystedmunds.com