BBC snub Bomber Command Memorial
 

What a suprise, makes you wonder who pays their wages.

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: BBC snubs our bomber boys


as I see, no change from the BBC.:mad:

That sounds good to me. Maybe more viewers than at midday?

No doubt you could say the same of the Trooping of the Colour, but that was carried live as always with a later recorded edited version transmitted. BTW I was pleased to note a more respectful (to those on parade) coverage this year. Better prepared and scripted facts, less ad libbing (which always reveal the true lack of knowledge) and less stating the blindingly obvious, but rather commenting in an informative way.
So credit where it's due, but now this! The Beeb has form re BC and in particular with Harris. I suspect that this arrangement is as a result of BBC internal politics versus its duty as the national broadcaster to cover national events live. So live coverage restricted to smooth the ruffled feathers of the usual suspects. We can be sure also that the commentary will make repeated references to the "controversy surrounding the Campaign" but point out magnanimously that we may still commemorate those aircrew who gave their lives in it. Such a nuance will have little effect on those who condemn the Memorial outright I fear.
I am glad that Robin Gibb's crucial part in getting the memorial to happen at all is highlighted in the link. The nation, and in particular the Royal Air Force, should honour his memory in some way.

Chug

Seems reasonable to me. A full tribute in the evening with live coverage on the BBC News channel, since it is, in fact.... News. BBC news is available to all digital watchers and that's everyone now.

I'm a huge BC supporter and aficionado, but let's stay focussed and not jump down the daily mail trail of outrage for the sake of it.

As for the "controversy surrounding the campaign"- To ignore that would be naive and simplistic. And yes - you can commemorate the sacrifice of those involved whilst still acknowledging the true horror of war.

As for "such nuances having little effect on those who condemn the memorial"... do you really think anything will have any effect on those people? I certainly don't think that a revision of the BBC coverage is likely to start them skipping off down the Mall humming the Dambusters March do you?

I think we should save the outrage for where it's really warranted.

OH

BBC not up to the job
 

After the coverage of the events on the river a week or so back perhaps the BBC Managment feel they are unable to cover an event of this gravity due to the third rate talking heads that they employ.

I would rather they did not cover the event than disrespect the crews of bomber command with an hour or so of uninformed drivel from so called celebraties.

never thought of it that way A and C, could be you are correct.

So the BBC is going to cover the event in what appears to be an extensive and expensive way on prime time. The BBC has also in the past couple of years made (or commissioned or bought, whichever it is) features such as First Light, Wellington Bomber and the two McGregor fronted aviation films. Yet a nasty headline from the nasty pornographer owned Express gets the right-wing attack dogs going on here.

Overhawk:
The Daily Mail is such a useful whipping boy these days it seems that it now has to take the flak generated by its rivals! The link was to a Daily Express story. As to outrage, I'm way past that these days where the BBC is concerned. Its editorial stance is so predictable as to generate in me mere weary resignation, hence the pleasant surprise of the Trooping. You get to anticipate the fading out of the Massed Bands as Huw or Clare warm to more bon mots re heat, rain, the Royal Colonels, the non Royal Colonels, or horses's hands. I suggest that the reason that they didn't do that this time to the usual extent was as a direct result of the Thames outcry, but the Beeb is already returning to default attitudes it would appear.
A lack of gravitas would hence be seen as a plus rather than a minus, allowing of "inclusiveness" and "empowerment" for all viewers. I was amused at a comment on another thread that what the Beeb lacked for the Thames coverage was a Dimbleby. Unless they meant Dimbleby senior, who did indeed have gravitas, then I would have to respectfully disagree. Indeed respect, or rather the lack of it, is at the crux of the matter. There were many thousand participants in the Thames Royal event, many many thousands of spectators, and an enormous amount of organisation and effort into arranging it. The lack of any such effort by the BBC showed a lack of respect to all those people and all their effort.
So it is with the Bomber Command Memorial. I disagree that it is mere news, for anything can be so dismissed. It is almost 70 years late mainly because of the very attitudes that I ascribe to the BBC. That is the newsworthy side of it; that the survivors have had to wait for their memorial to the point where there are now so very few left, because of the moral outrage of the chattering classes that stood in its way for so long! This unveiling should be covered live on the terrestrial channels by a BBC keen to make amends for such opposition and to pay tribute to the 50% of BC aircrew that made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, for freedom from tyranny, and for peace. But they won't of course, will they?

Not to forget that the Express' pornographer owner also owns Channel 5 i.e. a rival of the BBC and therefore is hardly an objective commentator.

I echo the thoughts of Chugalug2. The crassness of the Bolshevik Broadcasting Commissars has been plumbing ever greater depths for some years now.

Chugalug2:
They did manage to state that this was the 60th time HM The Queen had attended Trooping the Colour :ugh:

R

The BBC are too busy selecting hopefuls with sob-stories who will compete on live TV for the honour of taking part in next year's Trooping the Colour in a new series called "Walk With The Flag". They will be whittled down in a series of live programmes, hosted by drill expert Claudia Winkleman, until the winner is chosen by the public following extensive training from the two Johns - (Nichol and Barrowman) who are the obvious experts. The departing contestants will say goodbye on each show by "going over the top" while wearing a military greatcoat and a poppy.

In this flagship programme, the winner will be allowed to wave the flag in front of all those marching soldiers in a new routine coreographed by Barrowman (after all, the old WW2 type marching was getting so old fashioned), together with £1,000,000 of taxpayers money and a Diamond Jubilee Medal that will be presented by the Duchess of Cambridge during the parade. Contestants are being chosen from many ethnic and sexual orientation backgrounds to demonstrate Modern Britain. The BBC state that the winner will display the Highest Possible Standard (except when it gets really heavy). By leading this new parade he, she or it will be the envy of the World".

Meanwhile, Nichol will identify all of the hardware on parade (although he may be somewhat rusty on any AAA that may appear) including the bayonet and a webbing belt. Viewers can win tickets to next years event by identifying the deliberate mistake in each week's programme.

With all this in train, it proved really difficult to fit in the unveiling of the BC Memorial. A BBC programmer said that the unveiling was "not suitable for a younger audience and it had proved too difficult to dumb down init".

Yeah. All the above. Why not just watch the special at 5 p.m? I can't be at the event, sadly, but am looking forward to seeing it on the BBC.

Quite so, Courtney Mil, including most of the under 16 population who will be in school. Not saying that they are all going to rush home to watch it at 5pm, but at least they'll have the opportunity, which they wont have at midday. Storm in a teacup here, I reckon.

Oh and I quite liked the Trooping of the Colour coverage - huge improvement on the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

Perhaps I was a little hard on the BBC in my first comments, reflecting apron the issue I would think that after the appalling coverage of the river pageant the BBC management Know without doubt they don't have the quality of staff to cover the event live. Realising that thay can't afford another fiasco the best option is to cover the events later in the day with a recorded program that they have the chance to edit out all the mistakes.

This is probably the best option as at least the program has a fighting chance of being free of celebrity induced inaccurate mouth noise.

I find it very sad that the BBC has lost its direction and continues to compleatly miss the events of national importance, Sky News Realising the importance of the Airbus A380 project to the industrial base of the UK covered the first flight live, the BBC breakfast news meanwhile was covering woman's golf and failed to give any coverage at all to A380 first flight. This is just the most glaring example of BBC lack of focus with an aviation theam that I can think of, I'm sure others can recall other and more recent examples of the BBC loosing the plot when it comes to issues of national importance.

A & C
I don't remember the year but I do know it was a monday. I always arrived home from Saudi Arabia on a monday and usually bad things happened that day!
On the BBC evening news the headline story was another government minister with his finger in the till. The lead story on the ITV news was a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo Subway! nuff said!

[PEDANT] .... no "of" in Trooping the Colour ... [/PEDANT]

A&C if this were but a case of self recognition by the Beeb of its inability to present live an event of national importance then I for one would welcome this first uncertain step towards Damascus. A beguiling notion but upon reflection I would have to sternly chide myself to "dream on". The Corporation is and has been in the thrall of those with an agenda concerning the Monarchy, the Armed Forces and, in particular for the purposes of this thread, the WWII RAF Bombing Campaign. Most of its output on the subject has pursued the party line, as discussed here in previous threads. It represents the very forces that have effectively prevented the creation of a proper National Bomber Command Memorial until now. Such a cruel rebuff to the survivors who have now dwindled to but a few is a measure of the lofty contempt for duty and service held by such "liberally minded" aficionados. If it be a choice between them and a deceased pop star and:
I'll gladly take the latter two any day thank you.
Again I call for proper recognition of the debt that both this Nation and the RAF owe to Robin Gibb, without whom the forces of darkness of whom I speak would have continued to prevail.

What idiot wrote that, I thought. Oh no, it was me :uhoh: I consider my wrist duly smacked!

Cheers T-T ;)

Couple of Qs:
1. Timing - Is the unveiling at 1200?
2. Where's a good position for uninvited guests to stand? (Is there an online observer layout plan?)

Now found the info I wanted.

Not sure about uninvited guests, but I understand that there will be a space reserved for demonstrators under the Red/Green TIs.

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.

BBC Regional News in our area had quite a lot about the Bomber Command Memorial today.

pontifex,
Thank you for that info. I hadn't realised that, other than the memorial and salute areas, Green Park was restricted.

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.

"[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.

Nothing on last night's 10pm news about it - lots of bl@@dy football

The statement on the website puts the ticketing in a little more perspective.

Home - Bomber Command Memorial Appeal

NZ contingent on the way
 

Oh to be a fly on the wall with this lot!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...12_600x400.jpg

RNZAF Base Whenuapai this morning 21st June
 

Whenuapai this morning. Have a safe trip guys.:D You're bound to recognise them if you see them, and if you do, don't forget to say "G'day mate".

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...t/DSC_0212.jpg

Well done NZ!!

Well said! Excellent that so many Kiwi veterans will be there. BZ RNZAF! :D

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.

Top marks N.Z.
You came a long way then for us and you do it again now-my respect and admiration knows no bounds.

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!

to be pedantic - the last time they flew over England was on their way BACK from Germany

sadly all too many of them only made a one way trip........

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

Live coverage of the unveiling on Sky News and BBC News from just before 12 noon BST.

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.

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.