Driving through the small Dutch village of Den Ham this afternoon I couldn’t help seeing the large number of houses with this poster in the window. It is part of the RememberingDambusterLesKnight commemoration which is going on this weekend to mark the 75th anniversary of Les Knight’s epic final flight. On 16 September 1943, flying at only 100ft en route to attack the Dortmund Ems canal, his Lancaster hit some trees and was severely damaged. He jettisoned his bomb and gained enough height to allow his crew to bale out. All seven successfully left the aircraft. Realising that he was going to hit the ground, he then piloted his stricken aircraft away from the village of Den Ham and attempted to crash-land in a nearby field. Unfortunately he hit a bank and the aircraft broke up, leading to his death.
The local people have never forgotten his efforts to avoid the civilian deaths which would surely have occurred if he had crashed in their village. This afternoon, there was a turnout of several hundred people at an event near the spot where he came down. Tomorrow, there will be a church service followed by wreath-laying at his grave in the village’s cemetery.
Further report to follow.