617 day
Loved the post ... pure nostalgia and such celebration is always something the Brits do so well.
Just as an aside, as a B206 pilot in 1993, I was tasked to take Richard Todd to the Derwent water for the fiftieth anniversary. The Lanc did its mesmeric dambuster run, Merlins howling ... followed by a 617 Tornado scorching down the valley in full reheat!
I met three of the original 617 guys on the parapet and as has already been said, you'll never meet a more modest group of aircrew. The highlight for me, apart from the Reds flyover, was doing a low level pass for Mr Todd to simulate the WW2 bombing run. Watching the BBC programme this year, I particularly noticed the smallish crowd. For the 93 event, it was estimated that 300,000 spectators had flocked to the best viewing points overlooking the valley. Have a piccy of the approaching dam wall with a few hundred feet to run if anyone wants a copy.
Richard Todd is a great guy too ... he smokes a lot and on the drive from Redhill Aerodrome to the Hawthe at Crawley where he was appearing, he just had to pop in to a local shop to renew his pack of Players. A charming, thoughtful guy, and I have to use the phrase ... 'they don't come like that any more.'
Hope it all happens again in 2018. But I'll be 86 if the good Lord allows.
DRK