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Old 9th Feb 2012, 12:06
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PPRuNe Pop
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Yes, it has been shown here - quite a while ago now. In SOME ways it was true in others it was wrong. They did, in fact, miss the point and did not cater for blast in the way it ACTUALLY happened. They missed out badly.

Depending on the type of bomb used, incendiary, HE, butterfly, or aerial mines they each had their own power. I recall one instance a couple of hundred yards away. A HE fell on a house, which fell in on itself from the explosion while a part of each house either side was damaged - there was no loss of life.

I saw many incendiaries 'laying around' as were butterfly bombs, designed to explode as people and children picked them up - usually with severe injury to hands and face. This was indiscriminate bombing of the populace living in newly built property for the overspill of eastenders. It took some time for the penny to drop that we were NOT the target but merely the victims of bomb disposal by German crews who were happier to go home than to engage night fighters, though there was precious few of those at the time.

The blitz on London was entirely another matter. That was sheer deliberate murder at the hands of Goering and Hitler. It was that that made youngsters like me, wished like no other wish, that the RAF knocked nine skittles out of Germany, and its people got the same as we did - 10 fold, 100 fold the more the better. The RAF and our bomber boys did us proud and with no small measure they did themselves proud too. It is tough enough today to remember that ONE THIRD of BOMBER COMMAND crews were killed. Its bringing tears to my eyes just to think of it. What makes it even more gratifying is that each one of them was a VOLUNTEER. They did what they did for this country of ours and for ME.

I hope there are a lot of ME people in Green Park at the dedication of the memorial to join these wonderful and brave men. It will be sad that not ALL of them will be there - simply because this memorial is very very late in coming. BUT........it will be there for people to visit and remember the Bomber Boys long after we have gone.

God bless every single one of them.
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