This is a photo of my late father-in-law, who was the pilot of a Wellington bomber in WW11. Like most of the survivors of Bomber Command, he felt betrayed by his country after the war in which he flew a complete tour of 30 operations and then a further 20 over Germany. Only 35% of crews survived their first tour and they were taken out of active service after an additional 20 ops and sent to train new pilots. 'Nick' spent the rest of the war years training pilots in India.
He didn't choose to be a bomber pilot, he was selected and sent to Canada for training. Had he been selected to fly Spitfires, he would have been regarded as a hero but those who served in Bomber Command never had their contribution to the war effort acknowledged by the government. The sense of shame and guilt at the bombing of German cities was shifted from the government onto the men who risked their lives every night to bring the war to an end.
It has taken 70 years of effort by the Bomber Command Association to finally have a memorial erected to honour the 55,000 crew members who gave their lives. The memorial will be unveiled by the Queen in Hyde Park tomorrow.
The great and the good will attend the ceremony along with 6,500 veterans, widows and relatives who raised the money for the memorial. We will not be attending but will go to pay our respects at a later date. The controversy, however, continues.
The MOD has reneged on its promise to contribute towards the cost of the ceremony, leaving the Bomber Command Association to face the £350,000 deficit; they risk losing their homes to pay the bill. I'm glad that my father-in-law didn't live to see the day that insult was added to injury!
Political correctness gone mad. Those fools who protest would be speaking German or Russian now if not for these brave men and many many others who gave all they had so we could be free... we unfortunately are throwing that freedom away with both hands.
ReplyDeletem. I will understand if you don't publish this screed, but it makes my blood boil. About 20 years ago a little snip of an English girl who was living with one of our young professors started to lecture me on American imperialism ... She soon learned to her chagrin that she picked on the wrong American -- not all of us in academe are koolaid drinkers. Ignorant of anything that happened before her birth and proud of it.
e,
DeleteAs you know, I tend to avoid political or other controvewrsial topics here but this made my blood boil! We were always saddened that father-in-law was unable to look back on his war service with any kind of pride because of the prejudice against Bomber Command. We have supported the efforts to have some belated recognition of their work but even this has been spoiled now by the government's lack of support. No wonder my father-in-law turned his back on England and went to live in Africa when the war ended.
I watched part of the unveiling ceremony, M, and found it extraordinarily moving - all those lives, those still with us and those lost.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the most poignant part was the scattering of the poppies from the only remaining airworthy Lancaster. My late uncle Ted, known as Speedy (all those RAF boys had a nickname), became a rear-gunner in a Lancaster at the age of 19; his plane was shot down and he and his flight-sergeant (known as Squiggle) were captured and held in a prisoner of war camp in Germany for two years. My uncle never completely recovered from the malnutrition he suffered during that time. The rest of the crew, who had escaped, went on to fly another mission, from which none of them returned. Years later, my cousin took his father, my uncle, to the cemetery in France where his comrades were laid to rest so that they might be reunited once more with their young rear-gunner. He said it was the most moving experience he had ever had.
Twenty years ago, Squiggle spoke at his lifelong friend, Speedy's funeral and, for the first time, many of us heard the full story of what had happened on the night they were shot down - and of my then teenage uncle's extraordinary bravery. No-one bothered to keep a British stiff upper lip; we let the tears flow.
As one news reporter said yesterday, the continuing discussion on the controversial decision to bomb German cities during WWII could take place elsewhere yesterday. The heroism of all those young airmen was being recognised at last. I hope that heads were hanging at the MoD but then they merely carry out their political masters' bidding - as they have done for the past six decades.
I'm planning to watch the ceremony on catch-up, D, as I was away at the time.
DeleteThe story of your uncle's experiences and his reserve about discussing them is typical of that generation. I'm sure that many families only learned of what their husbands and sons had been through from other people, usually after the death of their loved ones.
This puts in mind how soldiers coming home from the Vietnam War were treated in the States. God bless the memory of your father-in-law, and other men and women like him, who made the sacrifice for the freedom of the people in your country and mine.
ReplyDeleteJodi, I can see the similarities in the way both sets of veterans were treated on their return home. I think they should all be honoured for their courage and loyalty.
Delete