Bomber Command Memorial

[Hugh Spencer]

Do you know that a turf cutting ceremony was held in Green Park London yesterday as a start to the construction of a memorial to the lost aircrew of Bomber Command. It has been funded by private donations, not by the Government. Roughly 50% of bomber aircrew lost their lives during operations during WW2, 55000 of them.

[Sqad]

Thanks for the information Hugh.........and about time too.

Have you seen the stain glassed window memorials in Lincoln Cathedral in memory of Bomber command?

[WELSHYORKIE]

Thoroughly deserved - but HM Gov should have paid for this - they owe those who lost their lives, and those that survived I may add, that much.

[dennisb66]

Great news,better late than never. I have seen the windows Squad,well worth a visit by anyone who can make it there.

[Sqad]

Welshy.....you being a Yorkshire lad have obviously been to Elvington just outside York, to see the Halifax and other exhibits.

[dennisb66]

Totally agree with you Welshyorkie.

[WELSHYORKIE]

I haven't been for a while Sqad but as it is only a few miles from my lads house, I will go with him next time i'm over there. Whilst stationed at Valley (where William is based) we did get to see the historic flight quite often - the sound of those engines gives me goosebumps.

[Sqad]

Welshy,....when I went it was haunting, it was a foggy day and in the control tower they were playing Vera Lynn songs and on the wall there were the aircraft that were overdue.

I went out on the balcony of the control tower and in the mist and quietness of that foggy afternoon in Yorkshire, I was sure that i could hear the drone of those Rolls Royce engines as the overdue Lancasters approached the airfield.

Eeerie and emotional.

I also took a minibus full of doctors, theatre staff and others to Scampton where i obtained permission form the base commander to be shown around.

Again one could convince oneself that one could hear the Lancasters lining up for takeoff on that May night on the way to the Dams of the Ruhr.

[paddywak]

During the war my mother worked on the land on the Lincs/Notts boarders and often she and the other girls would stand out at night watching the bomber streams going over wondering if her brother who was a navigator on Lancs was up there with them, and them in early morning her and her friends would be in working in the fields as they were,often badly damaged, coming home, they would always stop and look up as they went over and mum always said you could feel them willing the planes to make it home

[WELSHYORKIE]

Sqad - that sounds really spooky - I am definitely going next time i'm over there. I just hope I get the same buzz