"Bomber Command" ITV1 Programme
 

9pm tonight on ITV: another programme about Bomber Command, this one narrated by John Sergeant (by the way, does anyone know anything about his time in the Service?)

Not really but I think he was a Sergeant. :E

He "learned to fly, first on gliders and then powered planes, the latter through an RAF scholarship." This was when he was at school and he learned at Thruxton. He was never in the RAF.

I've just read his book "Give Me Ten Seconds".

"Bomber Command" ITV1 9pm tinight
 

"The Queen recently unveiled a memorial to honour the 55,573 men of Bomber Command who lost their lives in the Second World War. John Sergeant narrates this documentary which marks the historic moment and recounts the moving stories of the last of Bomber Command's survivors. "

Thanks for the heads up. Recording set in train.

Starting now everyone.

Just watched it. As always when watching anything like that, I feel incredibly humbled at what they did. 81 missions!

A question though. They showed a clip of the Memorial ceremony and put the BBMF Lancaster dropping the poppies as the last post played. Now, we know that they dropped during the service, but I always felt that the Last Post would have been a more appropriate point for the release.

Dare I ask if the drop time was off for some reason?

"Bomber Command" ITV1 9pm tinight
 

"Sqn Ldr Bill Lucas, DFC, pilot, 81 operations."

My jaw hit the flaw and my eyes went rather fuzzy...

I raise my glass to all of you. Astonishing programme.

At long last, a programme that puts the bomber offensive into a historical and political context, that permitted the crews to relate their experiences, that acknowledged that it was not just the Lancaster that fought the bomber war, and with minimal, but thoughtful commentary. Impossible to condense 1939 - 1945 into one hour, but a good job from ITV. Despite the unveiling of the memorial in London last week, those men must still be awarded their campaign medal. Especially poignant as BBC News now reporting from RAF Lossiemouth.

Brilliant!

Only sad that it wasn't a three hour episode (without ads) with more personal testimony and more details relating to the aircraft.

Well done lads you shall (by some of us at least) forever be remembered.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-q...6/WC%2520s.png

81. Amazing feat.

What is the record?

Here ... have another helping of Halifax ...

Cheshire did 102 missions plus one.

Gibson completed over 170 operations at the age of 24.

Ahh Gibson .. or the 'Arch Bastard' (as he was known to those in his squadron .. or to those who study history), yes, his achievement was, in a word, spectacular.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...roseGibson.jpg

Guy Penrose Gibson

PN

What do you mean by the "plus one" in by "102 mission plus one" ?

I think you will find that the plus one bombing Op that Cheshire was involved in, was over Japan and involved a special weapon (he was one of two British observers on the Nagasaki attack).

Wasn't Cheshire the the UK observer at Nagasaki?
I suspect thats the +1

I suspect PN is referring to Cheshire going as the official British observer on the raid on Nagasaki in August 45 as the 'plus one'...

Edit: There appears to be an echo...

It's a pity the presenter said May 30th instead of March 30th for the Nuremburg raid - programme credibility went at that point.

Thank you - to all 3 of you that replied within 2 minutes of each other !:O

You learn something new every day.


So as he was an observer, would that count to his official mission total
or not, either then or if it occurred again today - ie if someone was
aboard a B52 on an air strike in Iraq ?
I am assuming by the "plus one" it doesn't but thought I would ask anyway.

.