UKC

I watched the Dam Busters last night for the umpteenth time and I still think it's a great film.

One of the most poignant lines is Guy Gibson'r response when at the end Barnes Wallis asked if he has going to get some sleep? He replies, "No I've got some letters to write" I can't imagine where you would start when faced with 56 letters of condolence to write, all of them personal. It's hard enough with one.

Out of curiosity there seem to have been at least 3 flying Lancs used in the film. Presumably one is the one now in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, I wonder what has happened to the others?

In reply to Trangia:
From Wikipedia:

The flight sequences of the film were shot using real Avro Lancaster bombers supplied by the RAF. The aircraft, four of the final production B.VIIs, had to be taken out of storage and specially modified by removing the mid-upper gun turrets to mimic 617 Squadron's special aircraft, and cost £130 per hour to run, which amounted to a tenth of the film's costs. A number of Avro Lincoln bombers were also used as "set dressing."

Don't think you could fly a Cessna for £130 per hour these days!

In reply to Trangia:

I noticed for the first time (I've seen it many times!)that some of the footage is in the Lakes. Top end of Windermere and Pike O' Stikle.

In reply to Trangia:
"No I've got some letters to write"

Yes. That bit gets me, too.

And where he asks the Sergeant to bury Nigger at midnight just outside his office. I wonder if the grave is still there, at Scampton? I know that particular building is unused.

Sx

In reply to Sarah G:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Scampton

Never made it to Scampton myself, but the filming was done at Hemswell. I went there while it was still an antiques fair and you could walk around the mess and other buildings which hadn't changed that much.

In reply to Sarah G:
The grave may still be there but the grave stone has recently been packed into storage with all of the other memorabilia at raf Lossiemouth. I imagen it will see daylight when the sqn reforms in a few years time.

Edit.
Having looked at that wikipedia link below I may be wrong. The gravestone/plaque at the current 617 home is quite different from the photo!

In reply to Sarah G:

Some interesting stuff about Nigger here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigger_(dog)

It's very weird that the actor dog couldn't be persuaded to pass the spot where Nigger was buried.

In reply to ewar woowar:

Didn't they test some of the bomb drops on Coniston as well as Derwent in the Peak? That may explain some Lakes footage being in the film.

In reply to Trangia:

wonderful film

at a tangent: have you read The Bombing War: Europe 1939-1945 by Richard Overy yet?

if so what did you think of it?

P

ps I very much enjoyed Tail End Charlies thanks for the recommendation

In reply to Paul Atkinson:



>

Not yet, it's on my waiting list of books which is quite long at the moment! Thanks for the recommendation.

In reply to Trangia:

I occasionally visit relatives who live at Woodhall Spa, one time home of 617 Sqdn. Nearby is the Petwood Hotel which served as the Officers Mess and contains some fascinating Dambusters memorabilia.

There is a very nice delicatessen in the village which sell a top class cheddar cheese called Dambuster.

In reply to Trangia:

Little side story. Last summer we were doing our thing at our local dropzone (parachuting club) when we got a radio notification of a plane requesting permission to cross our airspace. Permission gets granted and another call asks if we would like a flypast. Flypast? What the heck, why not?

A few minutes later we hear a roaring, and the BBMF Lancaster came screaming past at a couple hundred feet of the ground over our runway...

In reply to Trangia:


Classic, shame they didn't update the dam busting scenes, like the Thunderbirds.