Latest news with #BomberCommand
Otago Daily Times
15-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Honouring unrecognised airmen
Preparing for a memorial wall which will be set up later this year at the South Canterbury Aviation Heritage Centre are Sally Crook and Jeremy Talbot. PHOTO: SHELLEY INON Long-forgotten heroes are being remembered by a local organisation. The South Canterbury Aviation Heritage Centre has begun a project aimed at recording and preserving all of the names of the South Canterbury men who lost their lives while serving New Zealand in the Air Force — the majority of who served in World War 2. Organiser and historian Sally Crook said over 230 men from South Canterbury had served in different roles in the war and in many different types of aircraft. Miss Crook said some of the men served in Bomber Command, which she had read had an average life expectancy of only two weeks. "For a long time the contributions of those who served in Bomber Command went unrecognised because bombing campaigns had high civilian losses too." She said there were many airmen with no known grave, and some families had lost more than one member. "I'm certain there are people I haven't found, so we will be leaving space on the board to add to." She said the people on the wall were the "quiet stories". She was hopeful people in the region could help her along with her task by providing more photographs of the men. Whether they had been born in the area, gone to school here or worked here, they would be included. Members from the centre had felt it was important to preserve the names now as it might be the last chance to find photographs before all of the information was lost. The children born to men who had died in World War 2 would now be at least 80. Photographs of relatives from South Canterbury who served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force or other Allied air forces and did not make it home, could be sent to aviationheritagecentre@ If someone had a photograph but were not able to send a copy she asked they got in touch with the group and they would see how they could help. She said the exhibition would be opened with a memorial service later in the year. An open day would be held this Sunday from 10am-4pm. Entry was $5 for adults and $2 for children, cash or bank transfer.
Irish Independent
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Brian Keogh: PGA preview – Masterful Rory McIlroy the man to beat at Quail Hollow
Masters winner is more dangerous than ever after realising his dream of a career Grand Slam Who dares often wins at risk-reward Quail Hollow, but after receiving close to six inches of rainfall over the past 10 days, it's more likely that the Bomber Command will have too much firepower for the SAS (short-and-straight) brigade in the 107th PGA Championship. A par-71 course measuring 7,626 yards would not usually frighten the best players in the world, but so soft are the fairways in this well-heeled corner of Charlotte that it's hard to see players who don't blast the ball 300 yards through the air having much chance of being a factor on Sunday evening.
Times
08-05-2025
- General
- Times
Gwen Thomas obituary: WAAF signals operator with elite RAF Pathfinders
Gwen Thomas had just turned 18 when in September 1942 she volunteered for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She did not want to go into the army and 'liked the uniform' of the WAAF, a view held by many young women who found the RAF blue more flattering than the army khaki. Having trained as a teleprinter operator, she was posted in June 1943 to the signals section of the Pathfinders, an elite unit established the previous August to help Bomber Command to find targets in the dark. They flew ahead of the main force, mainly in Lancaster bombers and more nimble Mosquitoes, dropping coloured flares to mark targets in Nazi Germany that would later be bombed from the air. Thomas was based at
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews The Repair Shop: VE Day Special on BBC1: For sheer emotional impact, VE Day special was Repair Shop's best yet
Silence can speak volumes. We'll hear a lot of heartfelt words today as politicians and presenters try to express the deep debt of gratitude we all owe to the wartime generation. But as eloquent as any oratory was the stunned silence on The Repair Shop: VE Day Special, as a man named Eddy was presented with a display case for his father's World War II medals and memorabilia. Eddy was literally speechless, for several seconds, struck dumb by the emotion of the moment. He couldn't move or utter a sound. And yet, when he first brought his dad John's moth-eaten RAF hat into the barn, he was articulate and considered, not a man easily lost for words. John, who voyaged from his native Sierra Leone to volunteer for Bomber Command in 1939, was a trailblazer — one of the first black officers in the Royal Air Force. Serving as a navigator, he was shot down over Ger-many and, badly injured, bailed out of the blazing plane. After being captured, he spent 18 months as a prisoner of war. The hat, said Eddy, 'is part of him. If it looked in better condition, myself and my family will be over the moon. It deserves better. It's making sure that the suffering our fathers and grandfathers went through, to make sure that we could be free today, is never ever lost.' Presenter Dominic Chinea echoed that sentiment as he placed John's hat, beautifully restored, in a glass-topped cabinet beside his military MBE and other decorations. It made him think, Dom said, 'about how fortunate we all are now and how much freedom we have. It is really all thanks to his generation and everything they sacrificed.' For sheer emotional impact, this might have been the best episode of The Repair Shop in its eight-year history. Wartime refugee Ruth brought a battered plastic doll that was her constant companion as she fled Vienna, aged two-and-a-half, in 1939. With astonishing bravery, a British mother of four children journeyed to Austria to save Ruth from being sent to a concentration camp. The doll's plastic limbs were disintegrating, and it was missing one leg altogether. Seeing how the damage could be repaired with cellulose, acetone and a wax mould was both a chemistry lesson and a marvel of craftsmanship. The most touching story of all was also the most mundane. Royal Navy veteran John, aged 101, served during the war as an aircraft engineer on board the carrier HMS Formidable. He kept a discarded clock from a cockpit as a souvenir, and gave it to his new wife, Connie, for their first Christmas in 1947. During 66 years of marriage, Connie never went to sleep without the clock beside her, until she died. Now that it has been restored, John said, 'I can put this on my bedside table and every night I can say, 'Goodnight Con, God bless you, love you.' By now, I have to admit, I was weeping.
Sydney Morning Herald
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
As war again rages in Europe, VE Day reminds us all what's at stake
Eighty years ago this week, the streets of London erupted in joy. Flags waved, crowds sang, and church bells tolled across the English capital as Nazi Germany surrendered, ending nearly six years of devastating war in Europe. It would become forever known as Victory in Europe – or VE – Day. Among the many messages British prime minister Winston Churchill received in the hours that followed was one from Australia's high commissioner in London, Stanley Melbourne Bruce. A Gallipoli veteran, former prime minister, and now Australia's most senior diplomat in the empire, Bruce had clashed several times with Churchill during the war. But on this day, there was no tension, only tribute. 'In this your hour of triumph and achievement – the greatest accorded to any man in history – I send you my hearty gratitude,' he wrote on May 9. Churchill's reply, dated May 15, was equally gracious, saying their bond had deepened through shared struggle. 'I value especially this message coming from you, as I know well how much you yourself have helped in bringing about this great consummation of our efforts,' he wrote. Today, with war again raging in Europe and democratic values under siege in parts of the Indo-Pacific, the story of Bruce and Churchill – and Australia's wartime choices – remains strikingly relevant. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Australia followed with patriotic resolve. But as the war dragged on and Britain's capacity to defend the Pacific diminished, doubts emerged. Confidence in British command faltered, especially after the fall of Singapore in 1942, a disaster Churchill downplayed but which Australia's then prime minister, John Curtin, described as 'Australia's Dunkirk'. Faced with the growing threat from Japan, Curtin made the historic decision to recall Australian troops from the Middle East and declared that Australia would look to America for defence. It was a defining moment that exposed cracks in the relationship with Britain – and with Churchill himself. At times, some in Australia questioned whether British leadership could be sustained. While such discussions were ultimately dismissed, they reflected real concern that loyalty to the mother country might come at an unsustainable cost. Bruce knew war's grim reality firsthand. As a young officer at Gallipoli, he was badly wounded, an experience that shaped his belief in imperial unity tempered by the need for Australia's voice to be heard. As high commissioner from 1933, Bruce watched Churchill's rise with cautious admiration. When Churchill invited him to join the war cabinet in 1942, it was both a courtesy and a test. Bruce soon clashed with Churchill over a plan to prioritise Bomber Command. He objected to not only the proposal but to how it bypassed military hierarchy. Churchill bristled. Bruce, disillusioned, resigned in 1943 – but remained a vital link between Curtin and Downing Street. When VE Day came, Bruce's tribute was sincere. His differences with Churchill had never overshadowed his respect for what the British leader had achieved. Victory in Europe was only part of the story. The war in the Pacific raged on until Japan surrendered in August. But VE Day was a watershed. Those celebrating in grainy black-and-white photos were not just rejoicing; they were expressing relief and modest hopes for a better world. Australia paid dearly for that hope. It lost 27,073 men and women in the fight against Nazi and Japanese forces – 9572 in Europe and 17,501 in brutal battles across the Pacific. These sacrifices, and the scars borne by survivors, shaped the nation's identity and commitment to the Allied cause. Now, as Ukrainians resist Russian leader Vladimir Putin's invasion and war again redraws Europe's map, those fragile hopes are tested again. Once more, the world must ask: How far will it go to stand with a sovereign nation under siege? Loading For Australia – a middle power with a proud history of defending democracy – the answer matters. As in 1945, distant wars will, in time, touch us. We have already contributed to Ukraine's resistance, but this moment demands more than tokenism. The coalition that stood firm in 1945 was not built on convenience. It was forged through hardship and held together by principle. Churchill and Bruce did not always agree, but they understood a basic truth: tyranny unchecked would spread. The war in Ukraine has seen many countries unite to support Kyiv, but as peace talks falter and Putin shows little sign of backing down, the road ahead remains fraught. Even President Donald Trump, who once suggested he could negotiate an end to the war within 24 hours, is beginning to understand the complexities of peacemaking. Loading It's easy to talk about deals from a distance; it's much harder to achieve them in the face of an unyielding autocrat who has no intention of surrendering his territorial ambitions. The cost of making concessions to Putin – or any aggressor – would not only embolden Russia but also undermine the principles that Churchill, Bruce, and the wartime alliance fought to preserve. As Churchill reminded the world that day: 'We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task, both at home and abroad. Long live the cause of freedom!' That task remains unfinished, and freedom still demands vigilance. The world must unite again, not just to stop Putin, but to protect the foundation of the international order established after World War II. Eighty years on, the choices we make will shape the world our children inherit. Like those who celebrated VE Day in 1945, we face a test – not just of resolve, but of values.
