Military History Tours          On Tour - Bomber Command (RAAF in the UK) 15 July 2014

This was a wonderful hotel to stay in and we were sorry to leave, but leave we must. We have a very busy day planned for today and quite a distance to travel to York as well. Our first stop was at Scampton, an operational base but also the home to museum depicting all that happened on the Dambusters raid and more. This is also the home of the Red Arrows but on this occasion they were not at home but up country somewhere preparing for a new display.

We were shown around by one of the museum volunteers, Dave. What he didn't know was most probably not worth knowing anyway. The last 4 years has seen this museum transform itself from a vacant shell to a brilliantly established collection. A couple of nice twists are associated with Gibson's dog, Nigger. Firstly we saw where Nigger was buried, at the same time as Gibson was leading the assault on the Dams. Nigger had been killed by a car the day before the raid was going. Next, Gibson always had the dog under his desk, a stuffed replica was placed on a towel under the desk, nice.

By the time we left the museum and base, it was too late for us to make the 1200 fly past so we moved out to Binbrook instead. Binbrook was the home of the Australian 460 Sqn, which held the record of the greatest tonnage dropped on Germany and the most casualties sustained. We had a coffee there, out of the urn in our coach and then set off to Holme upon Spalding Moor. 458 Sqn and 76 Sqn operated from here and the owner of a factory showroom on the site has allowed up to view photographs etc that he has mounted on the walls within his showroom. Thank you Joe Rotherham for saving those photos.

We conducted a small Service there before moving on to York where will stay two nights; for tomorrow we visit Elvington and have a Į day free to take tea in the Shambles of York.