BBC snub Bomber Command Memorial
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Where's a good position for uninvited guests to stand? (Is there an online observer layout plan?)
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Basil
The local authority has seen fit to restrict the number of people allowed into Green Park for the unveiling. (Westminster council I umderstand). Only those with tickets for the event will get into the park. Even then the numbers who will get to to see the actual thing will be even more restricted. The majority will be coralled into a "saluting area" where they can watch it on a "big screen TV". I suspect many of those in the "Memorial area" will be politicians or diplomats. Of course the royal entourage will be there but that's fair enough. I suspect that those having to organise things have been harassed from all sides and have done their best to square the circle. They do have my sympathies but then so do all the "good old boys" who feel miffed at being kept from the centre of the action. So the answer to your question is watch it on telly like most of the veterans.
The local authority has seen fit to restrict the number of people allowed into Green Park for the unveiling. (Westminster council I umderstand). Only those with tickets for the event will get into the park. Even then the numbers who will get to to see the actual thing will be even more restricted. The majority will be coralled into a "saluting area" where they can watch it on a "big screen TV". I suspect many of those in the "Memorial area" will be politicians or diplomats. Of course the royal entourage will be there but that's fair enough. I suspect that those having to organise things have been harassed from all sides and have done their best to square the circle. They do have my sympathies but then so do all the "good old boys" who feel miffed at being kept from the centre of the action. So the answer to your question is watch it on telly like most of the veterans.
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Memorial
Basil & others. I have an insight to this via my father who is a veteran of Bomber Command & was looking forward to attending the ceremony with my mother & 3 family members. He was unlucky in the ballot for tickets to the Memorial area & ended up in the Salute area which looking at the seating layout is a long way away from the front with trees obscuring the view as well. There is no cover so if it rains on the day all will get soaked even with umbrellas & waterproofs. The organisers have done a sterling job but couldn't cope with the huge worldwide demand for tickets. Our Government has given them No support with helping to organise & are shamed by other Governments including Australia & Canada who have paid for their veterans to attend along with carers. Shame on our Government for not suporting this long overdue recognition for those who gave their lives for their country.
He had booked overnight accommodation at the Union Jack Club, Waterloo so he could be there early for the momentous day but has now reluctantly cancelled & will watch on tv at home instead. Let's hope the BBC's coverage of the event is knowlegeable & dignified.
He had booked overnight accommodation at the Union Jack Club, Waterloo so he could be there early for the momentous day but has now reluctantly cancelled & will watch on tv at home instead. Let's hope the BBC's coverage of the event is knowlegeable & dignified.
"[PEDANT] .... no "of" in Trooping the Colour ... [/PEDANT] "
A genuine pedant would have noted that the ceremony is properly referred to [by those who know] as The Queen's [or Sovereign's] Birthday Parade, in that a great deal more than the Troop happens.
A genuine pedant would have noted that the ceremony is properly referred to [by those who know] as The Queen's [or Sovereign's] Birthday Parade, in that a great deal more than the Troop happens.
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The statement on the website puts the ticketing in a little more perspective.
Home - Bomber Command Memorial Appeal
Home - Bomber Command Memorial Appeal
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RNZAF Base Whenuapai this morning 21st June
Whenuapai this morning. Have a safe trip guys.
You're bound to recognise them if you see them, and if you do, don't forget to say "G'day mate".
You're bound to recognise them if you see them, and if you do, don't forget to say "G'day mate".
Last edited by Samuel; 21st Jun 2012 at 04:08.
Thank you Samuel. No better indication of dedication and sense of duty, so characteristic of your country and its veterans, could better that than as shown in your pictures. May their journey be pleasant and their reception be a fitting one in London.
Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud.
Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud.
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It occurred to me while posting that group photo that for a good number of those men, the last time they flew over England it was in a Lancaster on the way to Germany!
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I listened to a Radio 4 programme earlier in the week that is closely related to the topic - "Things we forgot to remember". A description of the programme content is below, and it was (for a change on the BBC) sympathetic to bomber command. The interview excerpts with the BC veteran (a highly experienced nav leader) were both informative of attitudes at the time and...well it was probably a touch of hay fever or dust in the air...very moving. The technical bits are fascinating, and the sheer good luck of being gifted the Luftwaffe equipment almost beyond belief.
Through the story of a German night fighter captured in Suffolk, Michael Portillo remembers the crucial electronic war waged between the Axis and the Allies.
In July 1944 the crew of a Junkers JU88 night fighter, lost and without fuel, emergency landed their plane on an RAF airfield in Suffolk. This gift from the skies provided British Air Intelligence with the latest German radar secrets. Throughout the war a technological see-saw had been underway with each side trying to gain the the advantage in radar detection and evasion equipment. The radar technology in this particular night fighter explained why large numbers of British bombers were being shot down from the rear and the RAF aircraft were quickly modified as a result.
Alongside distinguished historians and veterans of RAF Bomber Command Michael pieces together the story of that fateful night. He also explores how it illuminates the vital - yet lesser known - battle front of electronic warfare.
Just type into your favourite search engine "Things, etc, as above" to go straight to the Beeb link.
Mister B
Through the story of a German night fighter captured in Suffolk, Michael Portillo remembers the crucial electronic war waged between the Axis and the Allies.
In July 1944 the crew of a Junkers JU88 night fighter, lost and without fuel, emergency landed their plane on an RAF airfield in Suffolk. This gift from the skies provided British Air Intelligence with the latest German radar secrets. Throughout the war a technological see-saw had been underway with each side trying to gain the the advantage in radar detection and evasion equipment. The radar technology in this particular night fighter explained why large numbers of British bombers were being shot down from the rear and the RAF aircraft were quickly modified as a result.
Alongside distinguished historians and veterans of RAF Bomber Command Michael pieces together the story of that fateful night. He also explores how it illuminates the vital - yet lesser known - battle front of electronic warfare.
Just type into your favourite search engine "Things, etc, as above" to go straight to the Beeb link.
Mister B
Watched the BBC coverage of the unveiling on the BBC News Channel - excellent coverage, and makes the title of this thread seem redundant. The Beeb certainly hasn't "snubbed" the occasion at all.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
They still managed to number the German casualties and state that the polcy was controversial; all in the quest for balance. Like their even handed reporting of the Libyan uprising and the atrocities.