Remembering the fallen
More than 55,000 men from Bomber Command lost
their lives during World War II fighting for the freedom we all take for
granted today but one bomber command veteran wanted us all never to forget that
sacrifice. His name is Joe Williams and at the age of 92 there’s not a lot Joe
has not seen in his life formally based at RAF Kelstern Lincolnshire and flew as part of number 625 Squadron
as a rear gunner on the Avro Lancaster Joe has experienced what so many can
only imagine.
Number
625 Squadron was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War. The squadron mainly carried out night raids
against Germany and by the end of the war acted as a food supply squadron to
starving Dutch people and flew Prisoner of War repatriation flights from
Belgium and repatriation flights of British troops from Italy before it was
disbanded on 7th October 1945.
Mr Williams who joined the RAF in 1944 aged
21, started a campaign for a memorial in honour of all bomber command veterans in
2008 and Eastbourne Borough Council granted planning permission in February
2011. Thousands of people signed a petition in support of the monument and it
was finally airlifted into place on Beachy Head on the 26th of June
2012.
Joe who had dedicated years of his life to
the memorial returned on the 16th of August 2014 during the
Eastbourne air show to see his memorial once more and to witness something he
would not have seen since the end of the war. Two flying Lancaster bombers in
the air together again after 50 years a truly special and emotional moment to
witness and a true honor for me to witness standing next to what can only be described
as a legend of a man.
