Bomber Command National Memorial

[Reds Groupy]

Sign the petition for a National Memorial for those of Bomber Command who gave their lives for us.http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bomberboys

[S'land]

Already signed.

There was a very good thread on this subject in the Military Aviation section last year.

[Groundloop]

There is a statue of Bomber Harris outside St Clement's Dane and Rolls of Honour inside the Church.

[411A]

Bomber Harris should have (maybe he was, don't know) been given the highest military award available, as the actions of his airplanes/crews certainly shortened WWII by a very long time.
Same for the USAF 8th AirForce.

Curtis LeMay certainly earned his stars in the Pacific theatre, and he was entitled to every one of 'em.

[Hugh Spencer]

There is a move afoot to campaign, I know once again, for a Bomber Command Memorial to include all the names of casualties of WW2. It could be something like the Vietnam memorial in the USA. Why couldn't it be in 'Bomber County'? Considering the immensity of the percentage losses they never have been fully commemorated and even not appreciated by politicians therefore not by the general public. The public seem to reflect the mood of the government instead of rising to their feet and protesting about the long-standing neglect and dishonour to the Command.

[om15]

411A,
I believe that Bomber Harris was so angry at the lack of a specific award for the bomber crews at the end of the war that he refused any awards for himself. Other serving officers of his seniority were awarded peerages, however he did accept a knighthood as this was the gift of the King.
The bombing campaign was supported by Churchill until around the time of the Dresden raid, however at the closing stages of the war Churchill distanced himself from Harris and Bomber Command.

One good thing to note is the amount of well researched books being published these days, the books by John Nichols telling the stories of the individual people and the well researched " Bomber Boys" recently published, at least this is keeping the memory of the crews alive, the fortitude with which the crews faced the hardship and terrible losses might not have been properly acknowledged by the authorities, but these authors are ensuring that it is not forgotten.

Best regards,
om15

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

As good as ''Bomber boys'', is ''Tail end Charlies'', by Jon Nichol & Tony Renell, which talks about how Harris & Bomber command crews were hung out to dry/forgotten/vilified ( take your pick ) for their efforts after the invasion

[windriver]

The slurs on Bomber Command are a disgrace..

One also has to ask what would have happened if Bomber Command hadn't been prepared or able to deal with the V1/V2 threat and disrupt communications so effectively in support of the Normandy Landing.... etc etc

It's also worth reminding those that criticise Harris that he was "simply" following orders....