A memorial centre is now under construction to honour the actions of the legendary Bomber Command of WW2 located in the 'home' of the BC in Lincolnshire.
The losses are mindboggling.
55,573 Aircrew lost
364,514 Sorties undertaken in WW2
http://internationalbombercommandcentre.com/
Lest We Forget
...though I suppose most of the european population already have !
Coincidence but wednesday I visited two military cemeteries, Pornic & La Baule where victims whose bodies were washed up on the nearby beaches are buried. The two sites are well maintained as per CWGC norms and both serve as a superb tribute to those who perished aboard the Lancastria.
Now off to visit the Pegasus Bridge museum for the umpteenth time...
I am not disrespectful at all. My father was evacuated drom St Nazaire because he was so far forward near the German line. He and his friends, also from Lancaster, were turned away from the Lancastria because she was so overloaded.
When I was at school my friends fathers knew all about Dunkirk, but because the sinking of the Lancastria was the greatest marine loss if life during the Second World War that Churchill ordered that it was kept secret to protect morale.
I am so far from being politicallly correct and it is wrong for you to assume that is why I dislike the city of my birth being attached to bombers.
Modern political correctness is strange at times. Being ashamed that the Lancaster bomber being linked to your town is disrespectful to the tens of thousands of young men who went through Hell to protect Great Britain. It’s so easy to look back at history from our comfortable modern lifestyle and make judgements that are worlds away from reality. I am proud that my home town was used by the American forces in the build up to D Day, my only regret being that when I was a Primary School no mention was made of the fact. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs and WW2 would not have been won without the power of Bomber Command.
Also, kennen die Deutsch? Wieso nicht? Because of the sacrifices these men made: they didn't enjoy it, many went on to become farmers and were reluctant to speak about their experiences. I met quite a few when we started the reunions and heard some amazing survival stories. It is tragic that sometimes it is necessary to use force in order to survive. Please remember that it was not us who were intent upon world domination, we were defending ourselves and a large slice of the world with the help thankfully of many Commonwealth airmen, soldiers and sailors.
My dad was actually brought home in a Lancaster after being liberated from the POW camps following his capture at Tobruk. I can assure you he was very pleased to have been a passenger on that evil 'machine of destruction'...........
Enjoy your freedom ..
Peter, he does not speak for me and Gordon, my father was one of those men.
Jane I hope you enjoy living in France which the allies managed to free from the nazi tyranny with the help of our brave airmen using machines of destruction?
the designer of the plane was a Lancastrian and named it in honour of his roots as he did with most of his other planes.
I come from Lancaster and I find it horrifying that the name if my city is attributed to a machine of destruction.
Indeed, Bomber Command had the highest attrition rate of any of the services. The courage of those young men, night after night, was unique in my opinion.I was in Duxford for the Nth time six weeks ago, picked up a very natty teeshirt with “Achtung Spitfire” on the front, I’ll wear it driving the Morgan next summer and when I bring my Tiguan in for the dodgy software to be updated. I’ve had many jaunts around Lincolnshire looking at old Bomber Command locations. One Of my favourites is the Petwood Hotel which was 617 squadron’s officer’s mess at the time of the Dams raid. I was going to stay there again tomorrow on my way to the Frence/Ireland match but ran out of time. Poor Guy Gibson’s crash site in Holland is also on my to-see list.
It was dedicated last week. The siting is important as it is in line with Lincoln Cathedral, a landmark which can be seen from the coast; the returning crews felt that they would get home when they caught sight of the spire.
This is the second memorial, the first is at Runnymede. I was in UK last week but did not know about the dedication, otherwise I would have been there. I will visit both next year (hopefully) when I go to 44(Rhodesia) Squadron Reunion in May.
Yet nothing draws crowds like a Lanc at an air show! The visit of the other flying Lanc from Canada this summer and the sight of them flying together over several weeks drew thousands. For the moment I'm still living in Bomber County close to RAF Coningsby where the BBMF are based and I can assure you that the sacrifice of those men has not been forgotten, many people from UK and abroad visit the County to absorb the history which has been preserved at many sites by many volunteers. The Bomber Command Centre has been a long time comming but it will preserve the memories for generations to come. http://internationalbombercommandcentre.com/
Why has it taken so long for a memorial.
My step son is Squadron Leader having fulfilled his boyhood dream to be in the RAF. He joined the Air Cadets as a teenager and one of his officers had been a rear gunner in a Lancaster & had survived over 100 missions! Needless to say he had a very philosophical view on life and a great sense of humour!
My husband’s grandfather was one of the 46 officers, he survived.
The museum at Tynecot (Passchendaele) is quite interesting also Jane. The whole site is 'awesome' and the sheer volume of graves says it all really..
Next week i'm in Normandy yet again for a few days to visit museums, cemeteries etc. The site of the landing beaches especially Omaha & Utah never ceases to make me very humble..
That will be interesting Jane. My cousin went to Belgium a few years ago and I have a photo of my Grandfathers gravestone. I think that even those of us who know something of that war find it difficult to understand the enormity of it all.
Chris I will be putting up a blog on our weekend which centered around the officers of the 8th Berkshire Regiment. A group photograph was taken in training on Salisbury Plain before they left for France. The families and history of each of the 46 officers has been traced and a magnificent exhibition using history, art and IT is now on display in the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres.
We had a second photograph taken with about 150 descendants. It was fantastic.
My Grandfathers brother died in WW1 at Ypres,and my father was in the Army and part of the D Day landings in WW2. My mother was in the ATS and did her bit too, and so it really does make me angry that so many people have little understanding of the sacrifices made and the debt we all owe. Sadly, I don’t think things will change any time soon…
Probably Jane, just like many other conflicts but the point is BC are now being publicly honoured for their invaluable role in WW2.
The wider point i'm making is nowadays the Bomber Command, much like other such bodies are just about forgotten by the present generation. They, like many of our generation have no idea the sacrifices made to enable us to have our present quality of life etc.