A towering new sculpture commemorating World War II history is currently under construction near the M62 motorway in Cheshire, England, and will stand taller than the famous Angel of the North when completed. The "Bolt of Lightning" memorial, measuring 22.5 meters (74 feet) in height, will exceed the 20-meter height of the iconic Angel of the North sculpture located beside the A1 highway in Gateshead.

The impressive structure is being built as the centerpiece of the Mountpark roundabout at the Omega South business park on Skyline Drive in Burtonwood, Warrington. The memorial serves as a tribute to the former RAF Burtonwood airbase, which played a crucial role during World War II when it was operated by the United States military forces. The sculpture depicts a US Lockheed P-38F Lightning fighter aircraft positioned atop two curved beams that represent the aircraft's vapor trails.

Renowned sculptor Peter Naylor designed the memorial, bringing his extensive experience in creating public war memorials throughout the United Kingdom to this significant project. According to planning documents, the sculpture shows "a Lockheed P-38F Lightning fighter aircraft rising to the sky after a dive, leaving trails behind it." The trails formed by the aircraft engines, referred to as 'swooshes,' are supported by four independent columns mounted on a large plinth that forms the base of the entire structure.

The memorial will feature an elaborate nighttime lighting system designed to enhance its visual impact and create a dramatic presence after dark. Planning documents detail that "a lighting scheme has been devised that adds drama and dynamism to the sculpture at night by animating its physical shape and adding a lifelike quality to the sculpture." The illumination system incorporates narrow beam spotlights positioned at the top of the sculpture's swooshes and on top of the aircraft's tail, creating a gradient effect that washes across the surfaces of the two swooshes while keeping the base in darkness to create the illusion of the plane floating above it.

RAF Burtonwood holds significant historical importance, having opened in 1940 during World War II. Initially operated by the Royal Air Force until 1942, the facility was then transferred to the United States Army Air Forces and became the largest European airfield for American operations during the conflict. The base served the US Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth, and Fifteenth Air Forces, with nearly 20,000 military personnel stationed there by the war's end. After being returned to the RAF in 1946, Burtonwood remained strategically important to American forces throughout the Cold War period.

Warrington Borough Council granted planning approval for the memorial in April 2024, and construction work is currently underway. While no specific completion date has been announced, road closures are scheduled for several dates in September to accommodate the construction work. The airbase site closed permanently in 1991, and much of the original infrastructure has since been demolished to make way for modern developments including Gulliver's World theme park and the Omega business parks, which now straddle the M62 motorway. The RAF Burtonwood heritage center continues to preserve the site's military history and is currently located within the theme park grounds.