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New generation at Gibson anniversary tribute
Ivan de Groot, Guy Gibson’s great-great nephew, at the graveside of his ancestor on the 75th anniversary of his death. [Pic: Melvin Chambers] Wg Cdr Guy Gibson and his navigator Sqn Ldr James Warwick...
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AJ-H “Damage Report Form” sold on eBay is not genuine
My attention was recently drawn to an item which came up for sale recently on eBay, shown above. This purports to be a wartime form recording the damage suffered by the Lancaster ED936 AJ-H flown by...
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Rice logbook and medals a hit on Antiques Roadshow
Geoff Rice’s Dambuster story makes its second appearance in this blog in 24 hours after his daughter, Pam Quick, turned up on last Sunday’s BBCTV Antiques Roadshow. She had brought along her father’s...
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“Gibson letter” to Liddell family is fake
A really poor item, purporting to be a letter from Guy Gibson to the family of Jack Liddell, has recently gone on sale on eBay at the preposterous price of £14,995. It is being offered for sale by a...
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Update on “Gibson letter” to Liddell family
10.45pm UK time: Big result! Blog reader Arthur Rayner has been in touch, informing me that the “letter from Guy Gibson” about which I blogged this afternoon has now been removed from eBay. Arthur has...
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Dam Busters film pilot meets Queen
Ken Souter is in the flying helmet on the left of this shot from his own collection. Picture taken during the shooting of flying sequences for The Dam Busters. Pic: The Sun Dom Howard tipped me off...
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What happened to the Dams Raid Lancasters: a definitive list
Lancaster ED825/G, one of the 23 Type 464 aircraft built for Operation Chastise. This was given the code AJ-T and was slated to be the spare. Because ED915/G AJ-Q was found to be faulty while...
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Maltby “Bear mascot”: Family cannot authenticate
Sqn Ldr David Maltby (left) with Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, photographed at RAF Scampton in July 1943. [Pic: IWM TR1122] The following comment has been made by the grandsons of Sqn Ldr David Maltby: “It has...
View ArticleThey shall grow not old
My good friend Dom Howard has kindly let me use this video he created a few years ago as the Dambusters Blog’s contribution to Remembrance Day. It shows the crests of all the squadrons who made up...
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Ray Wilkinson logbook and medals to be auctioned for charity in Australia
Ray Wilkinson occupies a unique place in history. He was the only man to took part in both the Dams Raid, Operation Chastise in May 1943, and the final attack on the Tirpitz, Operation Catechism in...
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Martin and Leggo at the Palace
Jack Leggo and Mick Martin pose for a picture outside Buckingham Palace in February 1943. [Pic: AWM UK2008] Blog reader Cliff Harding has kindly sent me the text of a letter which turned up in the...
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How the Soviet Union reused a wartime 617 Squadron Lancaster
617 Squadron’s Lancaster ME559 photographed in early 1945 after being repaired and converted for Soviet Air Force use. [Pic: Alternative History.] Frank Pleszak has uncovered and translated a Russian...
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Tis the season
Pic: Etsy Casting around some Google images looking for something suitable to illustrate my seasonal message, I came across this – a vintage German brooch of the Möhnesee and the Möhne Dam for sale on...
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Jackson’s remake of The Dam Busters running out of time
Today, once more, a UK TV channel is upholding the Boxing Day tradition of showing Michael Anderson’s 1955 film, The Dam Busters on free-to-air television. This year it’s the turn of More4. If past...
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Gibson in command: rare magazine pictures show his 106 Squadron days
Plt Off James ‘Jimmy’ Cooper at the controls of Lancaster W4118, the famous ‘Admiral Prune’ of 106 Squadron, shown on the front cover of Illustrated magazine, 12 December 1942. [Pic: Clive Smith]...
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AJ-K crew to get new Dutch memorial
The crew of AJ-K, shot down on the Dams Raid. L-R: Vernon Byers, Alastair Taylor, James Warner, John Wilkinson, Neville Whitaker, Charles Jarvie, James McDowell. Vernon Byers and his crew took off on...
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Mystery tankard with 617 Squadron crest
Kevin Watts has sent me pictures of a interesting beer tankard which he has recently acquired. One one side is a large 617 Squadron crest, on the other the words: BOMBS AWAY 17/5/43 KEN’S I’m not an...
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Flg Off Basil Fish
Flt Sgt Basil Fish (top left) was the navigator in the crew of Arthur Joplin. Back row (L-R): Fish, Flt Sgt Loftus Hebbard (bomb aimer), Sgt Frank Tilley (flight engineer), Flg Off Bob Yates...
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Original Shannon and Burpee negatives found in Times archive
Pic: William Field/Kemsley Newspapers/Times Newspapers Back in January, Malcolm Peel kindly sent me a link to an interesting article in The Times which for a while was not behind a paywall. Sadly, it...
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Flg Off Kenneth Sumner
Pic: Shepherd family/Newcastle Chronicle Flg Off Kenneth Law Sumner DFM died in Newcastle on Tyne on 2 April of complications arising from COVID-19. He had already distinguished himself with a first...
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