Dambusters2013 - My own ride, Part 6: Arrival at the Mohne Dam.

The ride across from Belgium to the Mohne Dam was in large part very wet .... all the way to the German border after which, within about two miles, it had dried up and we were able to take off the wet weather gear and crack on the pace over to the Mohne Dam itself. The video below is a short clip from the GoPro but at low quality so it doesn't take 3 weeks to load via the internet!!

 

 I was simply amazed at the welcome that awaited the Dambusters2013 riders some of whom had already arrived in the car park. Welcome signs were at the entrance to the Mohne Dam car park and along the length of it too with one whole side of the area 'roped off' to provide all the motorcycles with clear and safe parking - all the hard work and effort of our 'contact in Germany' Hans-Jurgen. What a top bloke.

There was also an assortment of approaching 40 local riders motorcycles and sidecar outfits there to greet us - what a welcome. Fantastic.

The image below shows Hans-Jurgen being interviewed by Geoff Meade of BFBS TV who rode with Dambusters2013 all the way. Behind them is Hans-Jurgen's van which was full of apples and apple juice (produce the Mohnesee region is well known for) which was their for us to have as refreshment from our journey. The German's had thought of everything! Behind Hans-Jurgen is Manfred, the Vice-Mayor of the Mohnesee locality who had come down on his BMW to personally greet us and lead the joint UK/German ride out around the Mohnesee .

More general views of the Mohne Dam car park - 3pm on May 16th 2013. Dambusters2013 had arrived at the Mohne Dam and had been greeted in some style by the locals!

Dambusters2013 - My own ride, Part 5: 15th May 2013 - Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, Ypres.

 

 

I have wanted to be at the Menin Gate at 8pm to be part of the Last Post ceremony for years!!! So Al, David, Charlie and I rode across from Messines to Ypres to take fulfil this personal milestone!

 

Every night at 8.00pm (20:00 hours) a moving ceremony takes place under the Menin Gate in Ypres. The Last Post Ceremony has become part of the daily life in Ypres) and the local people are proud of this simple but moving tribute to the courage and self-sacrifice of those who fell in defence of their town.





Just before 8 o'clock the police arrive and all traffic is stopped from driving through the Menin Gate.
For a few moments the noise of traffic echoing around the Menin Gate from the cobbled road ceases.
The crowd is hushed. A stillness descends over the memorial.

 



At 19.55pm Buglers of the local volunteer Fire Brigade arrive and stand ready at the eastern entrance of the Menin Gate Memorial. The Buglers then step into the roadway under the memorial arch and make their way to stand in the centre of the Hall of Memory. The Buglers stand in a line across the eastern entrance facing towards the town.

 

 

At exactly 20:00pm the Buglers sound the “Last Post” bugle call and this is followed by a minute's silence.



 

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”

Dambusters2013 - My own ride, Part 4: 15th May 2013 - Visits to the New Zealand CWHC and memorial, Messines Ridge and Tyne Cot CWGC, Ypres

We got up on 15th May to sunshine and also to a wonderful coincidence. My riding partner for the whole journey, along with David mason and his son Charlie, was my work colleague, Al Hunter. Al is a Kiwi albeit he has lived and worked in the UK for many years. It turned out that the Peace Village location where we were staying was built on the site of a major battle from 1917 in which the New Zealanders fought and won the battle to take control of the Messines Ridge. The CWGC Cemetery and the Memorial to the action were both with 50 metres of the buildings of the Peace Village. We chose to walk to both .... 

 The CWGC cemetery was, as they all are, immaculately kept, and very moving. What struck me was just how many of the headstones simply said 'A New Zealand Soldier - known unto God'. Horrifying and humbling. Row upon row of headstones for more than a 1000 men who had travelled all round the world to fight and die.

 The Memorial to the action was a short walk further through the village and again wonderfully kept with the same words of rememberance in English, Dutch and French on three sides.

 .... and when you turned round and looked out from the memorial it was easy to see why the Messines Ridge was so strategically important - you could see everything for miles through 270 degrees.

 We then rode to take in the Tyne Cot CWGC site at Ypres. It is the largest single site that the Commonwealth War Graves Commision is responsible for throughout the world.

Again, beautifully kept by the CWGC - we must never forget the work they do and always ensure that our government keeps them adequately funded so these sites stay as they are today for future generations to visit and remember.

 The pictures say it all .... nothing to add ...... no need.

Dambusters2013 - My own ride, Part 3: 14th May, travel to Ypres, Belgium....

The weather forecast for the afternoon was pretty dire so as we left RAF Scampton and turned left down the A15 with 'next stop Folkestone' as the plan I was fully expecting to ride for much of the afternoon in pouring rain. As it was we were pretty lucky and whilst there was some wet weather it wasn't too bad and by the time we actually reached the channel tunnel we were dry and in good spirits!

 

On the other side of the channel we had about an hour to run to our overnight stop at the 'Peace Village' about 8km from Ypres, Belgium. The accommodation  was done as a series of small two level 'houses'. Simple, yet clean and with plenty of room to dump bike kit, panniers etc.... perfect.

It also gave us the perfect location to take in some of the many WW1 sites in the area and the 'Last Post' ceremony at the Menin Gate, Ypres the following day.

Dambusters2013 - My own ride, Part 2: .... The Start Event, hosted by RAF Scampton...



Our Start Event was hosted by the RAF Scampton Heritage Centre, which our riders were able to explore at their leisure including the wonderfully restored office of Wg Cdr Guy Gibson VC, leader of the Dambusters on their famous raid of May 1943.

 

At 11am we all went outside for the highlight of the visit to RAF Scampton, the flypasts by the Tornado GR4 fast jets of the current Dambusters. Sqdn Ldr Mark 'Jacko' Jackson was on hand to tell us all the 'Gen' ahead of the flypasts themselves.

 

and some videos to enjoy!

 



Sqn Ldr Mark Jackson talks to Dambusters2013 about the Tornado flypast about to take place:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZwv7prNK58

 

Flypast No.1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwJubz6Jikw

 

Flypast No. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzbhDvMBTwA

 

Flypast No.3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4oRTUTyxoc

 

 

Dambusters2013 - My own ride, Part 1: .... Arrival at RAF Scampton...

09.30am on 14th May 2013 - Dambusters2013 riders start to arrive at the main gate of RAF Stafford and are given a Police escort down to Hanger No.2 at the heart of the airbase, wartime home of 617 Sqdn, the Dambusters.



 Once there we line the bikes up along the grassline facing the hangar and make our way inside where a hot cup of coffee and a warm welcome awaits all of us!

Link to FB photo album from Dambusters2013 ......

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.539573529433119.1073741828.503875523002920&type=3

Dambusters2013 - Starts tomorrow!!

2 days to go!!!

£11,000 raised so far ...

617 Sqdn, May 1943. Heroes all.

.... Dambusters2013 - commemorating the bravery and sacrifice of these brave men.

It should be very loud and a real iconic moment!

One of the highlights of the Dambusters2013 Start Event at RAF Scampton on 14th May will be a flypast by two 617 Sqdn Tornado GR4 fast jets! The pilot leading the flypast will be Flt Lt Stew Campbell who is involved in the Dambusters / Help for Heroes cause for the second year running.

 

Last year Stew' flew one of Dambusters2012's Help for Heroes Teddies on active service over Afghanistan during Operation Herrick 16. The Teddy subsequently sold at auction for approaching £1000!

 

This year Stew' will be leading the flypast over the Dambusters2013 rider line up at 11am on the 14th May. Should be very loud and a real iconic moment!

 

Please show your support by donating on-line at : http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Dambusters2013

 

Lead pilot for the Dambusters2013 Flypast .....

6 days to go ...

7 Days to go!

Dambusters2013 .... running total raised for charity so far is ...

Dambusters2013 is raising cash for two charities; www.helpforheroes.org.uk and www.motorcycleoutreach.org with the money raised being split 80%:20% respectively.

As of this morning, the Dambusters2013 riders who have donated their cash so far have raised just shy of £9500 including the Gift Aid Tax rebate which the Virgin Money Giving site enables donors to access.

A good start with more to come as more riders donate their cash and are sent their dambusters2013 Rider packs!!

Thanks to all who have donated!

S

Press Release. Dambusters2013 Charity Motorcycle Ride Ready for Take Off.

 

Press Release.

 Embargo: Immediate 6^th May 2013

Dambusters2013 Charity Motorcycle Ride Ready for Take Off.

With just a week to go before the start of the Dambusters2013 motorcycle ride from RAF Scampton to the Mohne Dam in Germany, the event organisers can now announce a full programme of events at each end of the Ride.

Dambusters2013 starts with an iconic event hosted by RAF Scampton's Heritage Centre on 14th May between 09.30am and midday including a flypast by two of 617 Sqdn's Tornado GR4 fast jets complete with Dambusters commemorative tail art. Riders who are taking a full part in the event as a charity fundraiser will gather outside the newly restored 617 Dambusters Squadron Hangar No.2 in the heart of the Station itself, adjacent to the runway. It was from here that the Dambusters raid was launched on May 16th 1943.

There will be an opportunity to see inside the hangar, see the 617 Squadron heritage museum and also visit Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s office which has been restored to how it looked when Gibson himself directed 617 operations from Scampton.

There is also an equally iconic event at the other end of the ride to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Dams Raid. Having received an enthusiastic welcome in Germany for the 21^st century aims of the commemoration of the Dambusters Raid, a welcome event has been organised by the local authorities and motorcycle groups in the Mohnesee district. As part of this, riders who are taking part as charity fundraisers will be able to tour the restricted area of the Dam on the afternoon of May 16^th and take part in a locally organised motorcycle ride around the Mohnesee.

Later in the evening, to coincide with the exact 70^th anniversary time of arrival of Guy Gibson’s crews, the Mayor of the Mohnesee area will join Dambusters2013 organisers to lay wreaths on the water by the Dam. This will be in remembrance of both the aircrews who lost their lives on May 16/17^th 1943 and also the many hundreds who died on the ground as a result of the Raid.

With just a week to go to the start of the Ride,  Dambusters2013 Rider Packs are starting to flow out to registered riders who have donated their £250 at the Dambusters2013 VirginMoneyGiving site. These packs contains loads of useful information, details on how to get ferry discounts, ideas of interesting Dambuster related places to visit en-route to the Mohne dam and also a personal invitation to the Start Event hosted at RAF Scampton.  

There are still places available for those who want to take part in the events and the ride to Germany. To be part of this great motorcycling event all you need to do is raise £250 and donate it on-line at a dedicated Virgin Money Giving site - for further details about this, details of what you get as a 'Dambusters2013 Rider', the charities that are being supported - and the ride itself click on http://www.dambusters2013.org.uk/page1.php .

Dambusters2013 is a formally approved event for our primary charity ‘Help for Heroes’ who provide practical direct support for our current wounded. 80% of money raised will go to help for Heroes. The secondary charity is Motorcycle Outreach. 20% of money raised will go to MoR, which works to provide motorcycles for healthcare workers in developing countries.

Event organiser Simon Dufton said: “With the announcement of the welcome event in Germany, there is now a full range of activities which commemorate the Dams Raid in a sensitive way – commemoration not celebration.

 “The Dambusters 2013 ride will be a truly memorable event – a commemoration of a ground breaking historic event, coupled with an excellent motorcycle ride to Germany. We still have spaces for riders, but given the short time, we advise people to ‘sign on’ as soon as possible, so that we can ensure that all are properly catered for at each end of the ride.”

Dambusters2013 is immensely proud to have the support of the Battle of Britain memorial Flight, RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Scampton, current and historic home of the Dambusters as well as 617 Squadron themselves - the real Dambusters!

DS

Notes to Editors

·         For further information and to sign onto the Dambusters 2013 ride, please go to:  http://www.dambusters2013.org.uk/page1.php , Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Dambusters2013?fref=ts

·         Contact: Simon Dufton 07919 327824 or Craig Carey-Clinch 07979 757484

·         Dambusters2013, Newgale, 15 Airdale Spinney, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8AZ

Issued on behalf of Dambusters 2013 by Rowan Public Affairs Ltd. www.rowanpublicaffairs.com

 

BFBS TV Reporter Geoff Meade is riding with Dambusters2013 ....

Dambusters2013 is very chuffed to have highly experienced TV Reporter Geoff Meade riding with Dambusters2013 all the way from the Start Event at RAF Scampton to our commemoration event at the Mohne Dam!

Among the UK’s most experienced news broadcasters, Geoff Meade has been a front-line correspondent specialising in defence and international unrest for almost thirty years.
Conflicts covered include Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Middle-East and both Gulf wars. He also reported the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact.
He was Sky News’s longest-serving Moscow Correspondent, covering the Chechen War and Russia’s economic turmoil.

The first British TV journalist into Afghanistan after 9-11, he survived both Taliban attack and near-miss air strike to score a world exclusive reporting the launch of the battle to dislodge the Taliban from Kabul.

In eight years as Defence Correspondent for Sky News, he returned to Afghanistan more than a dozen times, closely following and analysing growing British military involvement.

Elsewhere on the defence beat, he was the first TV journalist to report at supersonic speed from the cockpit of an RAF Typhoon. The Royal Navy also awarded him honorary submariner’s “dolphins” for an exclusive series aboard the nuclear hunter-killer HMS Trenchant.

Said Geoff: “Years spent reporting the military have given me the utmost respect for the way they go about their business. “

“Returning to cover the UK mission in Afghanistan for BFBS presented me with the yet greater privilege of spending longer with forces and gaining even deeper understanding of the challenges they face.”

Most recently Geoff worked with BFBS on a series of live broadcasts in Germany from where British Forces News broadcast three special edition programmes. He contributed a series of in-depth reports focusing on the challenges ahead for the drawdown of British Forces Germany.

He was recently elected to Life Membership of the NUJ and to the Independent Defence Media Association. More details at www.themeade-ia.co.uk.

Geoff can be seen in this image standing behind the camera on the tripod with other BFBS journalists and crew in Afghanistan.

Online shop for 617(The Dambusters) Squadron Memorabilia run by Squadron Prints...

This site is owned and operated under Squadron Prints Ltd's MOD IPR Licence covering appropriate products; - a donation from the sale of each item will go to the 617 (THE DAMBUSTERS) Squadron Fund celebrating the 70th Anniversary of The Dams Raids.

http://www.dambusters70.com/ is the online shop for 617(The Dambusters) Squadron Memorabilia.

At 09.35 on Thursday 21st March, 2013 the 617(The Dambusters) Squadron officially unveiled the 70th Anniversary Commemorative Tail launching a year of celebration and tribute! 

The Squadron Anniversary Charity is Leonard Cheshire Disability and a donation from the sale of each item will go to them.

Leonard Cheshire Disability was founded by the late Group Captain Lord Cheshire of Woodhall in 1948. WEBSITE By then a famous war hero, at the beginning of that year he was living alone in an isolated mansion in Hampshire winding up a community project for ex servicemen and women which he had started at the end of the war. Discovering that one of the former members of the community was terminally ill and had nowhere to go, he offered to care for him in his own home. To his surprise, he found others in need coming to him for help and so started what was to become a worldwide organisation developing services for disabled people.