Our last blog told the story of Operation Chastise and the Dam Busters which took place in May 1943. The leader of the 617 Squadron RAF that carried out the raids on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe Dams was Wing Commander Guy Gibson.

This visit to Steenbergen in the Netherlands would complete for Greg a story that started as a curious boy. Firstly reading about the bouncing bomb and then the Dam Busters raid, watching the movie, visiting the Derwent Dam where the raid was practised, visiting the three targetted dams and now visiting Steenbergen which is the final resting place of Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar and his navigator Squadron Leader James Warwick DFC.

When we arrived in town, we headed straight to the Catholic Cemetery to visit the graves of Gibson and Warwick. They are not far from the main entrance and are very well maintained as all Commonwealth War Graves are. The cemetery seemed to be a fitting resting place for these two war heroes.

We then rode to The Guy Gibson Propellor Memeorial Park in town where there is a monument to 617 Squadron. The monument consists of a propellor with the emblem of the squadron on the side of the pedestal.

The third spot we visited was No 5 Mosquitostraat where the de Havilland Mosquito plane that Gibson was flying with Warwick as his navigator crashed in 1944 killing both men. There is a paved area with the British Flag and 1944 painted on it as well as a plaque remembering the two flyers. Two of the surrounding streets are called Gibsonstraat and Warwickstraat in honour of the two aviators.

Arriving at our hotel only took a few minutes after our visits to the three memorial sites.

Tomorrow we have a ride of 80km to the Hook of Holland to catch our ferry back to Harwich and then ride to Felixstowe to drop off our bike on Friday morning.

Homeward Bound after 15 weeks!