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Dambuster of the Day No. 129: John Nugent
Six members of Cyril Anderson’s Dams Raid crew photographed in summer 1943 after their return to 49 Squadron. L-R: John Nugent (navigator), Gilbert “Jimmy” Green (bomb aimer), William Bickle (wireless...
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Dambuster of the Day No. 130: William Bickle
Slightly out of focus, William Bickle is third from the left in this picture of Cyril Anderson’s Dams Raid crew, taken in the summer of 1943. L-R: John Nugent (navigator), Gilbert “Jimmy” Green (bomb...
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Dambuster of the Day No. 131: Gilbert Green
Pic: Dominic Howard Sgt G J Green Bomb aimer Lancaster serial number: ED924/G Call sign: AJ-Y Third wave. Did not reach Sorpe Dam because of navigation problems, flak damage and weather conditions....
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Dambuster of the Day No. 132: Eric Ewan
Pic: Dominic Howard Sgt E Ewan Front gunner Lancaster serial number: ED924/G Call sign: AJ-Y Third wave. Did not reach Sorpe Dam because of navigation problems, flak damage and weather conditions....
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Dambuster of the Day No. 133: Arthur Buck
Arthur Buck photographed in 1943. Pic: Dominic Howard Sgt A W Buck Rear gunner Lancaster serial number: ED924/G Call sign: AJ-Y Third wave. Did not reach Sorpe Dam because of navigation problems, flak...
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The final entry, and a new complete website
In early April 2013, I started writing my profiles of all 133 aircrew who took part in the Dams Raid, with the aim of posting them at the rate of one a day for nineteen weeks. The scheduled closing...
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Bill Radcliffe’s Dams Raid Panda
Chuck-Chuck, the toy panda bear mascot who flew on the Dams Raid in May 1943. For full details of all the men who flew on the Dams Raid see our companion Complete Dambusters site. On 16 May 1943, a...
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Jack Liddell’s mystery friend
Regular readers of this blog will know the story of Jack Liddell, the youngest man to take part in the Dams Raid. Born in Weston-super-Mare on 22 June 1924, he was still only 18 when he was killed when...
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Johnny meets mascot for the first time in 70 years
Pic: Heather Allsworth George “Johnny” Johnson came face to face again with the crew mascot who flew with him on the Dams Raid recently at East Kirkby. The small toy panda is now owned by Dorothy...
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Act of Remembrance
The Reichswald Forest War Cemetery lies in a wooded area in north west Germany, near the town of Kleve and not far from a massive road bridge across the Rhine. It is the largest Commonwealth war...
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Hopgood medals auction to aid dam build
The family of Dams Raid pilot John Hopgood has decided to sell his medals and some other memorabilia to help Water Aid, a charity building a dam in Uganda which will bring clean drinking water to...
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Memorial postcard has Möhne bonus
Anyone who donated to the successful appeal for a memorial to the Dams Raid crew of AJ-E should by now have received a souvenir postcard showing the plaque. These were dispatched over the last few...
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Models on the move
Pic: © Sean1552 An alert aviation buff called Sean in Wellington, New Zealand, spotted some interesting activity back in October near his workplace. Writing on the Wings over New Zealand forum, he...
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May your bells ring out for Christmas Day
Best wishes for the festive season to all the readers of this blog, wherever the boys in the NYPD Choir* are singing for you. I have had a great year working on this blog, with two particular...
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In the spotlight
Every Dambuster aficionado knows that some scenes in the 1955 film The Dam Busters were fictionalised or embellished for dramatic effect. One of the most famous of these is when Guy Gibson and Bob Hay...
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Dams Raid medical officer dies, aged 97
Dr Malcolm Arthurton joined the RAF as a medical officer in 1942. [Pic: Arthurton family] Dr Malcolm Arthurton, who was 617 Squadron’s Medical Officer at the time of the Dams Raid, has died, aged 97....
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Sing, everybody – we’ve found the song!
Pics: Ray Hepner This blog’s good friend Ray Hepner has turned supersleuth, and had an incredible result. I wrote last week about the music which is heard in a short scene in the film, ‘The Dam...
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Dorothy Nutley, wartime WAAF in 617 Squadron
Among the many unsung members of 617 Squadron in wartime were the WAAFs, women who performed a number of important ground roles. One of these was Dorothy Nutley, who met and married her husband Tommy...
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BBC repeats interview with Michael Anderson
Somehow I missed this BBC4 documentary the first time it was aired in 2013, but I’m happy to say that I caught up with it on Monday evening. The journalist Simon Heffer, who has a longstanding...
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Six Dambusters photographed for 1993 reunion
Pic: Ray Hepner Among the many fascinating items in Ray Hepner’s collection of Dams Raid artifacts are a number of press cuttings from down the years. This great article from the Mail on Sunday’s You...
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