大象传媒

I attended the Church of England school in Coningsby where I have lived in and around all of my life.

Mr Charles Rawlings was the headmaster and he kept a keen interest in all war operations. One day in Novemebr 1944, at assembly he rushed into the classroom, thumped the desk and said, 鈥淵ou will remember this day!鈥� The brave airmen from Woodhall have sunk The Tirpitz! 鈥� I have remembered.

In the 1980鈥檚 I was a cashier at RAF Scampton and 617 Squadron was based there, flying Vulcans. My husband and I were invited to attend one of their open days before 617 Sqn disbanded and moved to Norfolk to fly Tornadoes.

We were looking round, saw Niggers鈥� grave and then went to look at the Squadron鈥檚 Diary. The book was open on the day they sunk The Tirpitz.

We also help ay the Tattershall Thorpe visitor鈥檚 centre and in the late 1990鈥檚 were presented by Norway with some pieces from when the ship was sunk.

Also in the 1990鈥檚 I saw a letter in my WI magazine about the Tallbot bomb, written by a former member of 617 Sqn who had been based at Woodhall Spa during the 2nd World War.
I wrote to the gentleman who I now know as Dennis Cooper who had flown on the raid which sunk the Tirpitz. We also attended a lecture in 2004 held at the Petwood Hotel (617 Sqn O Mess, 2nd WW), given by Sqn Ldr Iveson based on the sinking of the Tirpitz and who had been on the raid.

Apparently it is still not known which Lancaster dropped the Tallboy bomb which sunk the Tirpitz. I鈥檓 now 74 it is nearly 61 years since I was told to remember the day the airmen from Woodhall sank the Tirpitz and I am still remembering.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.