SIR - Today, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the celebrated Dambusters raid, one of the most daring operations carried out by the RAF during the Second World War.
On the evening of May 16, 1943, after just two months of preparation, 133 hand-picked airmen in 19 specially-adapted Lancaster bombers set out on a bombing raid with the aim of breaching three dams in the Ruhr Valley and thereby slowing down the production of arms by Nazi Germany.
Of the 19 crews which had set out on the raid, eight did not return. In total, 53 men were killed and three ended up as prisoners of war.
The Dambusters raid was just one of many thousands carried out by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. Of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command, 55,573 lost their lives.
As guardians of the Bomber Command Memorial in London, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is committed to ensuring that their bravery will always be remembered. To this end, we have pledged to raise £1.5 million to preserve the memorial for future generations.
This month we are also publishing a series of blogs to mark the anniversary, each dedicated to one of the 53 men who lost their lives. To follow our blog, visit rafbf.org/dambusters.
The RAF Benevolent Fund last year spent £21.7 million delivering support to more than 68,000 members of the RAF family.
Air Marshal Christopher Nickols, controller of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
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