One of Scotland’s best known cyclists has given his backing to a bike ride commemorating the daring Dambusters raid of the Second World War.
Mark Beaumont will join scores of cyclists across Scotland and the rest of the UK taking part in The Dambusters Ride – a 100 and 56-mile fundraiser organised by the RAF benevolent fund.
Riders will get in the saddle this weekend to mark the 78th anniversary of the raid, as well as the 100th birthday of the last surviving member of the mission, George ‘Johnny’ Johnson DFM.
Money raised from the event will go towards helping RAF veterans and personnel in need of support.
Read more: Scotland's proud aviation heritage celebrated with new trail and website
Mr Beaumont, from Edinburgh, who will attend the virtual after party for cyclists who take part in the race, said he was honoured to support the event.
The world record-breaking cyclist said: “The Royal Air Force is an organisation close to my heart – I seriously considered joining the RAF, before the pull of cycling led me to become the athlete and broadcaster I am now.
“I’m honoured to be asked to support this event and in doing so, support the vital work of the RAF Benevolent Fund in helping RAF veterans and personnel in need.”
The Dambusters raid, or Operation Chastise, was a pivotal moment in the Second World War when specially assembled crews targeted three key dams in Germany.
Members of the RAF’s 617 squadron were assembled in March 1943 with the aim of bombing dams in the Ruhr Valley, Germany’s industrial heartland.
A unique new weapon known as the bouncing bomb was used in the attack – a 9000 pound cylindrical mine that was designed to bounce across the surface of the water until it hit a dam.
However, in order for it to be effective, it had to have backspin imparted on it before it left the plane so specialist adjustments were made to Lancaster bombers for the attack.
On the night of the raid on May 16, 133 aircrew flew out in 19 bombers, targeting the Mohne, the Eder and the Sorpe dams.
There were three waves, with each wave targeting a different dam. The Mohne and the Eder were both successfully breached, while the Sorpe was damaged but not destroyed.
Read more: Wartime Orkney shipwrecks detailed in new imagery as bid to honour lost souls is led
The attack caused catastrophic flooding in the Ruhr valley. Two hydroelectric power stations were destroyed and several more damaged, while factories and mines were also damaged and destroyed. Production did not return to normal until September.
More than 1000 civilians, Germans and forced labourers, died, while 53 RAF aircrew were killed and three were taken as prisoners of war.
While the operation was hailed as a great success, Barnes Wallis, the designer behind the bomb, said it was tempered by the loss of life in the 617 squadron, which went on to be based at Lossiemouth.
At the time, he said: “For me the subsequent success was almost completely blotted out by the sense of loss of those wonderful young lives.”
Mr Johnson said he hoped the event would help to educate younger generations about the sacrifices made on their behalf.
“I am grateful to have never needed the support of the RAF Benevolent Fund but nonetheless I have always known they are there for those less fortunate than I,” he said.
“Not only will this event raise vital funds to support RAF personnel, past and present, it will also pay tribute to the brave men of Bomber Command who made the ultimate sacrifice on the Dambusters raid and throughout the Second World War.
“Their loss must never be forgotten and it is my hope through this event, a new generation will learn about the cost of the freedom they enjoy today.
“The RAF Benevolent Fund does incredible work supporting RAF veterans and serving personnel and I would like to thank anyone who signs up for this cycle ride.”
For more information visit rafbf.org.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here