Scampton - It's all quiet tonight!

[Grob Driver]

Well, I’m not really sure why I’m posting this… Not really a topic for debate, just one mans views (mine!)... feel free to join in though!

I’ve just been for a very long walk around RAF Scampton… I walked down the perimeter fence, past ops, and just sat there… Thinking. Can you imagine… 60 years ago toady… Right now as I write this post 133 men were in the skies… “The Dambusters”. 56 of those didn’t come back to Scampton in the morning. It’s 12:20 (just past midnight!) now so I guess if it were 60 years ago, n i g g e r would have already died, and been buried. It’s eerily quiet down there tonight… just the odd lorry driving down the A15. But imagine the activity 60 years ago…. 76 Merlin’s! I bet the sound was amazing. I know, I’m waffling, but I’ll be quite honest, the whole thing brought a bit of a lump to my throat. I was just thinking though how marvellous it would have been if the BBMF had parked their Lancaster on the pan here and started her up at 11:30 this evening. I’ll certainly be there tomorrow at 5:15 to see her fly over!

Grob Driver

[wub]

Nice post GD. I've been lucky enough to have visited Scampton, walked across and flown over the Mohne Dam and stayed at the Petwood Hotel, so I feel connected and I thought of them too. :sad:

[Jack Davidson]

It crossed my mind too at about 01.00 this morning while standing out side in the garden. I think that if you have ever worn blues and have a love of airforce history you can not fail to think about it!!

[Dr Illitout]

On the "things crossing mind" thread, there has been a lot of drivel writain, said and brordcast about the dam's raid,but you still can't escape the fact that a lot of very brave men died doing some thing very difficult. All the "experts" seen to forget that. :(

[Census boy]

Just got back from a week long Dambusters trip. Went to Derwent Dam,Scampton,Woodhall Spa,Reculver,Mohne,Eder and Sorpe Dams. Excellent trip and would recommend it to anyone. Highlights for me were actually being on the dams 60 years to the day and sharing a room with a chap who's wife now deceased had been married to Hopgood's wireless operator. He had a number of personal items probably never ever seen before and I hope that by keeping in touch with him I can ensure that they find a good home when he's no longer around (he's 86 and has no close family.

[ozplane]

I was at a concert given by the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band in our beautiful old village church on the evening of the 60th anniversary. The band's director paid a very moving tribute to the "Dambusters" and when the 35 young chaps in the band launched into the familiar strains of the March, there was some fairly heavy weight gulping going on I can tell you. But I suppose that was what the sacrifice was for so that these young men could work hard and entertain us with an evening of amazing music.

[ID90]

Hi Census Boy,
Sounds like a fantastic trip - did you join an organised tour or do it yourself? I think about doing something similar every year but have yet to see the Mohne or Eder. I have heard that some organised tours even take in some of the crash sights - have you heard of them?

[Census boy]

ID90

It was a Leger Travel organised trip so if you go to their website the details are all there under the battlefield tours part. I think there's another trip organised for July time.There were a couple of fellow aviators on the trip from Norwich but they had never ever heard of PPrune. Thoroughly recomend the trip especially if Bill McQuade is the tour guide. He is a fountain of knowledge on the Dams raid. We did go to the crash sites, not much to be seen apart from where the pylon wires were/are. They seemed to do more damage than the flak.

(Ps I not connected to the tour company in any way ,just a flyer interested in our history).

Rob

[ID90]

Many thanks CB - I must get round to finally doing it.