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bobdina
09-13-2009, 11:55 AM
Dambuster artefacts go on show at Lord's Cricket Ground
A History and Honour news article

11 Sep 09

The personal effects of heroic Dambusters commander, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, have gone on public display for the first time since his death on a combat mission in World War Two. Report by Steve Willmot.

His personal flying log, dress hat and letters he signed are on show throughout September at the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Museum at Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, North London - a stone's throw from his home in the last year before his death.

The artefacts - from the private collections of 617 Squadron (now based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland) and the Bomber Command Association - are being displayed at Lord's on the 65th anniversary of the month in which the RAF ended its temporary use of the cricket ground as an Aircrew Receiving Centre (ARC).

Few are aware that Lord's Cricket Ground was once a constituent part of the wartime RAF.

It was decided to create an ARC at Lord's in London because of its central position in the rail transport network. The ARC opened on 14 June 1941 with the first intake of cadets on 30 June 1941.
Warrant Officer Doug Radcliffe

In 1943 Wg Cdr Gibson was selected to command the new 617 Squadron and ordered to destroy dams in the Ruhr area. To accomplish this they were provided with the bouncing bomb designed and developed by Barnes Wallis.

The bombs had to be dropped from 60 feet (18m) from a predefined distance to skip across the water into the dam face and then roll down it to explode at a predefined depth. To stand any chance of success Operation Chastise had to be flown at night at extremely low level.

On the night of 16 May 1943, 19 Lancasters set off carrying one bomb each. It took five attempts to breach the Möhne Dam. Gibson then led the three remaining Lancasters to attack and breach the Eder Dam. Two other dams were attacked but not breached. Only 11 of the bombers survived the mission; 53 crew members died in the raid.

The devastation caused by the raids was extensive but the Germans managed to rebuild and recover much more quickly than was expected.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson


However, they were forced to use assets to protect key installations like dams to a greater extent than they had before. These assets would have been useful on other fronts. The propaganda boost given to the allied war effort was considerable.

Wg Cdr Gibson returned to operational duties in 1944 after a spell at the Air Ministry in London, during which time he lived at Aberdeen Terrace, around the corner from Lord's. He was killed along with his navigator on a bombing raid over Germany when his de Havilland Mosquito crashed near Steenbergen in September 1944. He was 26 years old.

The public are welcome to visit the MCC Museum at Lord's, pay a small charge and see the ARC artefacts and memorabilia belonging to Wg Cdr Gibson, which are on display until the end of the month.


Picture of the The breached Möhne Dam, taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX(if you look close you can see the barrage balloons flying)