During the Second World War, more than 20,000 members of the Commonwealth air forces lost their lives in operations in Northern Europe from bases in the United Kingdom and have no known grave. These men and women are commemorated by name at the Air Forces Memorial, Runnymede.
The Runnymede Memorial was unveiled by Her Majesty the Queen before an invited audience of some 24,000 people in October 1953. In the years since, this imposing memorial, which occupies a commanding site overlooking the River Thames near Windsor, has received many thousands of visitors and has acted as the focus for numerous commemorative events and acts of remembrance. This October, 2003 the memorial will host one more notable event – a special commemorative service to mark the 50th anniversary of the unveiling in 1953.
Posted March 2003
Warren Thomas Weekes, of Imagineers Australia, grand nephew of Eddie Hudson DFC, DFM, MID who flew "G" George to Australia, together with associates Hugh Jesse, Director and photographer, Linton Vivian, of (VJ Productions – Production Company) are preparing a documentary on "G" for George and 460 squadron. The purpose is to inform the Australian public of the role played in Bomber Command mainly by this elite squadron and to present some of the untold stories of heroism, humour etc, before the survivors and their stories are lost in time. They have already interviewed many veterans and have for presentation a pilot video and are currently seeking sponsors.
Warren may be contacted by phone at 07 3286 2520 or mobile 0414 523 038.
The harrowing experience of serving in a Lancaster bomber during the Second World War is being created by the BBC in a forthcoming £2.5 million drama starring Christopher Plummer and Edward Woodward. Set in 1943 and the present, "Night and Day" was written by William Ivory inspired by his father's experience as a Lancaster navigator. The drama will reflect the hazardous nature of the RAF's bombing missions.
Ivory said that he wanted to pay a tribute to an arm of the services that had undergone a terrifying ordeal and yet, after the war, was swept under the carpet. "What shocked me about the whole Bomber Command experience is that a lot of them were bright boys and yet, after the war, available records showed a huge degree of dysfunctional behaviour such as alcoholism, failed businesses and marriages. If ever there was an environment in which men would struggle to return to a nine to five life after the war this would have been it"
Hilary Salmon, the Producer, said that a combination of guilt over the bombing of Dresden, the controversial figure of Bomber Harris and the comparative glamour of Spitfires had meant that Bomber Command's role had been overlooked. "Yet the bravery it took to get back in that plane night after night was extraordinary. The memories that some of the veterans have told us were heartbreaking"
This two part series will be shown on BBC 1 this (northern hemisphere) autumn, and could be seen here later.
Laurie Woods is quoted in a Queensland paper as saying that our record is on the board in blood, sweat and tears: airmen represented only 2 percent of Australian enlistments in WWII but accounted for 21 percent of casualties. Many of those serving in bomber crews in England received white feathers from Australia because they had apparently deserted the war against the Japanese. "That they carved out a distinction unmatched by any other fighting force is now a part of history yet they have been completely ignored and are now a dying breed" he said.
'We had a job to do and we wouldn't let any of our crew down' 21 June 2019 by Clair Hunter.
Laurie Woods always wanted to fly. "Flying is a wondeerful thing," he said. "But when fellas start shooting at you, it's a different story."
Laurie, now 95, served with Bomber Command during the Second World War and was one of more than 3,300 Australians who were involved in the D-Day campaign. Seventy-five years later, he is one of only four who are still alive.
Read the rest of the article in the Australin War Memorial blog.