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WWII Bomber Command Memorial

stuartcox

stuartcox

Charter Member
At last a WWII Bomber Command memorial was assembled today at Beachy Head.
This was long overdue to commemorate the 55,000 bomber crew lost in WWII!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-18599129

I made my way up there on foot (and back), unlike the memorial, that was delivered in three parts by a Chinook...
Here are some pics of the memorial, officially being unveiled in July:

View attachment 68147
Joe Williams, one of the last survivors of Bomber Command, had his wish come true as a permanent memorial was erected on the cliffs of Beachy Head.
I had a good chat with the man (91), and he just wouldn't stop :)

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View attachment 68149
All three pieces of the memorial were delivered with this monster!
The Chinook carried three loads from a field below.

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View attachment 68150

View attachment 68166

Touch down...
— at Top of Beachy Head.


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View attachment 68151
One side of the plaque.

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View attachment 68152
Final delivery - almost invisible Chinook, as the sea mist came in.

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About time, it's disgusting that it's taken so long, and that so few of the guys from Bomber Command are around to see it.<o:p></o:p>
Politicians and the politically correct brigade have tried to erase those brave men from history. Now how about campaign medals?<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Ian.<o:p></o:p>
 
Hand salute to the men of Bomber Command from this old Navy Chief. :salute:
Per Ian's comment, it's a shame that these men and their accomplishments have received so little recognition, and also that a single determined vet had to ramrod the memorial project with little or no help from the UK government (Chinook airlift support aside).
 
Fortunately, in Canada we were a bit less tardy (but it still took too long)

The Nanton Lancaster museum was renamed and expanded as the Bomber Command Museum of Canada and a memorial was dedicated in 2005, displaying 10,659 names...
View attachment 68284
http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/memorialgranite.html

If you come this way it is well-worth the visit. While the Lancaster is not flyable, the engines are run at various public events and each year there are fly-pasts commemorating various events.
http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/#index_home1
 
stuartcox said:
The Germans are not very happy...
Click to expand...

Now isn't that too damn bad.... Having said that, I had ancestors who flew in the Luftwaffe. (Gerhard Homuth, I./Jagdgeshwader 27 in 1939 to Gruppenkommandeur I./Jagdgeshwader 54 until 2 August 1943 when he failed to return from this mission and was posted missing in action. His exact fate remains unknown).
 
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