My Grand Parents lived in Blenheim Road, Ramsey Hunts, adjacent to RAF Upwood. We would hear the Merlins run up - probably on Mag: tests - all day long. Go to the bottom of the road and stand at the airfield perimeter to watch the fueling and arming.
We saw the uniformed crews in and out of the George Hotel in Ramsey.
My home was about 7 miles in a straight line, north of the airfield, I would lie in bed and listen to maximum loaded Lancaster's very low and clawing for height, one every few minutes, the windows rattled, the house shook.
The civilian population knew nothing of the losses, it was 'bad for civilian moral', in effect, half of those chaps climbing over my home never came back...we did not know this. WE KNOW NOW!
Heroes to a man.