Post by Tangerine Sherlock on Nov 8, 2011 22:52:33 GMT 1
This Sunday is remembrance Sunday a somber day for those that have lost loves ones and friends from conflicts through the years please take a moment to think of all the brave men and women who gave their lives for other peoples freedom.
I always find the day rather emotional as i think of my Grand father Sqd Leader George Chattington DFC who made it through the the WWII in Whitley's,Wellington's and later Lancaster Bombers 1937-45 flying over 100 missions and came to be known as Lucky Chat.
sadly long before post war trauma became a proven medical condition, he took his own life in the 1956 unable to adjust to life without his RAF life and the horrors of war and the civilian people who where killed by the bombs from him and his squadron
Most bomber crews stood a 1 in 4 chance of making it through one tour of duty (30 missions)
55,000 members of Bomber Command lost their lives. Most were very young the average age of aircrew was 22 if you take away the aircrew in training at the end of the war it means 69% of all bomber personal lost their lives, by far the highest % in any of the services.
And still to this day no national memorial exists for these 55,000 brave men and women who gave their lives, due to the stigma attached to the bombing operations undertook.
Thank you to all...
"WINGS OF THUNDER".
They rode the wind on "Wings of Thunder",
with targets to find and tear asunder.
In that 'Time of Need' they answered the call,
giving their youth and many their all!
Probing the skies over land and sea,
setting aside, thoughts of what might be.
Borne aloft on their thundering wings,
parted from home and their cherished things.
Delivering cargoes of deadly intent,
to leave their enemy battered and bent.
Braving the Fighters, Shells and Flak,
knowing that many might never come back.
Hung high on fate in that fearsome hell,
torn from flight, many tumbled and fell.
The lucky few saved by their silken threads,
sent to ponder their war in prison camp beds.
They carried their missions time and again,
facing the fears and taking the strain.
In thousands they rode their wings to the sky,
so great were their losses it brings a tear to the eye.
No Campaign Medal was cast for these men,
yet we must not forget their sacrifice then.
In Bomber Command, the bold and the brave,
with a Nations hopes to serve and save.
Forging a freedom for all to live under,
they rode the wind on "Wings of Thunder".
Dedicated to the Valiant Aircrews of
RAF BOMBER COMMAND 1939-45,
particularly the 55,573 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
I always find the day rather emotional as i think of my Grand father Sqd Leader George Chattington DFC who made it through the the WWII in Whitley's,Wellington's and later Lancaster Bombers 1937-45 flying over 100 missions and came to be known as Lucky Chat.
sadly long before post war trauma became a proven medical condition, he took his own life in the 1956 unable to adjust to life without his RAF life and the horrors of war and the civilian people who where killed by the bombs from him and his squadron
Most bomber crews stood a 1 in 4 chance of making it through one tour of duty (30 missions)
55,000 members of Bomber Command lost their lives. Most were very young the average age of aircrew was 22 if you take away the aircrew in training at the end of the war it means 69% of all bomber personal lost their lives, by far the highest % in any of the services.
And still to this day no national memorial exists for these 55,000 brave men and women who gave their lives, due to the stigma attached to the bombing operations undertook.
Thank you to all...
"WINGS OF THUNDER".
They rode the wind on "Wings of Thunder",
with targets to find and tear asunder.
In that 'Time of Need' they answered the call,
giving their youth and many their all!
Probing the skies over land and sea,
setting aside, thoughts of what might be.
Borne aloft on their thundering wings,
parted from home and their cherished things.
Delivering cargoes of deadly intent,
to leave their enemy battered and bent.
Braving the Fighters, Shells and Flak,
knowing that many might never come back.
Hung high on fate in that fearsome hell,
torn from flight, many tumbled and fell.
The lucky few saved by their silken threads,
sent to ponder their war in prison camp beds.
They carried their missions time and again,
facing the fears and taking the strain.
In thousands they rode their wings to the sky,
so great were their losses it brings a tear to the eye.
No Campaign Medal was cast for these men,
yet we must not forget their sacrifice then.
In Bomber Command, the bold and the brave,
with a Nations hopes to serve and save.
Forging a freedom for all to live under,
they rode the wind on "Wings of Thunder".
Dedicated to the Valiant Aircrews of
RAF BOMBER COMMAND 1939-45,
particularly the 55,573 who made the ultimate sacrifice.