Just finished James Holland’s book on this epic raid. Told in his usual high quality style; though I noticed a writing tic he has, and which, once you have noticed it, becomes a tad irritating! In the Nineties whilst at RAF Laarbruch my friends and I nipped down to the Möhne and Sorpe dams. Flying down the lakes at lowish level just had to be done. Nowadays the lakes are full of leisure yachts, and places of joy. But it does not take much to imagine a much different wartime picture. The topography is so challenging (particuarly at the Eder dam), the skills and strength of the pilots to wrangle their Lancasters around onto their bombing run must have been immense. Just a couple of weeks ago the family of Barnes Wallis sold at auction a large collection of his memorabilia, including the infamous marbles which belonged to one of his daughters, with which he experimented at home on the bouncing qualities necessary for his bomb.

I met Mary Stopes Roe, one of his two daughters, together with George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, the then last surviving UK-resident Dambuster at a dining-in night at Shriv a while back. This Dambusters themed evening was easily the best military dinner I have attended. I can’t go into details – what goes on tour, stays on tour, and all that!