General Chat

Thank you Ann. I was lucky that my mother married again when I was 4. My Stepfather was a wonderful husband, and fantastic father to me. Unfortunately I remained an only child, but I've always been very grateful for how things worked out for both of us.

Magpie <3 <3 <3

Thank you Lavender, that was a really heart warming post and much appreciated. I hope you have a nice day- what's left of it!

Thank you for sharing about the father you never even got to meet, magpie..

Unbelievably brave young men..

I've tears for you and all those who suffered a loss <3 How lovely that the graves are tended with love and respect <3

My father was one of those 55.000 young men who died in Bomber Command, just before I was born, so the death of of this elderly hero is of great interest to me. As you can imagine I am somewhat sensitive to the suggestion that these incredibly brave young men are guilty of war crimes. My father lies, along with his companions, in a small Protestant grave yard, where the local population both young and old including children still tend these graves with respect and deep gratitude, have welcomed me and my family with open arms, and simply can't understand the negative attitude that has and still does prevail towards Bomber Command in some quarters in this country, as indeed neither can I.

A great many young men flying with Bomber Command died during training accidents in the UK and Canada. In the case of 617 sqdn the men were already highly experienced flyers.

Flying straight and level at very low altitude (so low the altimeter could not be used) was always going to be a big big ask even worse when the attack locations are added in. Ask anybody who has flown even a bit about flying at 60-100ft ... they will shudder and go grey around the gills. Then ask them how they would feel doing this at night above a Scottish loch hemmed in by mountains, frozen cold while all the while being shot at. Brave barely scratches the surface.

It has become fashionable to say that Bomber Command in general and 617 sqdn in particular made no difference to the war effort and may even have been guilty of war crimes including the breaching of the dams. That over 50 000 men died for nothing.

In a word, nuts.

"Après moi le Deluge"

I <3RAF

brave men - many of whom died during the testing of the bomb

My cousin's father-in-law (dec'd) was one of the "Dam busters" a Kiwi. After the war he got a job with BOAC and stayed with them until he retired. He was very unassuming and easily the best person I ever met and a real expert at running barbies.

Another flew with the SOE 138 Sqdn from Tempsford but he didn't come back from a sortie in 1943. Many years later I learned to fly from a school only a few miles away.

recommended:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Boys-Fighting-Back-1940-1945/dp/0007192150

As we are all familiar with him here in NZ. After his war years he was a Mayor in a place here for about 20 years. More recently he was in the news he was about to put his medals to auction to gain money for the upkeep of the memorial at Greenpark... Lord Ashcroft intervened and paid for the maintenance of the historical statue and the medals are now with one of our museums.

He has always been a rather reluctant hero, not into all the hoohah. Just one of us.

We have to be grateful that people like Les came to aid Britain in her moment of need and were prepared to give their lives to keep Britain free. However the media look at I hope enough people realise what they all did and remember with respect and gratitude.

RIP Les Munro. <3

As its the Silly Season, they might make something of it. No doubt it will be an excuse to air The Dam Busters again.

I see that the last of the so-called Dambuster pilots has died. It will be interesting to see how the various news services play that one out.