THEIR delicate harmonies have made them one of the country’s most successful groups, selling more... ORGANISERS revealed plans last night to raise a further £1million to ensure the Bomber Command... Part of the Bomber Command memorial Sunday June 24,2012 ORGANISERS revealed plans last night to raise a further £1million to ensure the Bomber Command Memorial is looked after for centuries to come. The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund will join the Bomber Command Association to launch a 10002 Club, which hopes to appeal to 1,000 benefactors, each donating £1,000, so the memorial can be cared for in perpetuity. The BCA, led by chief fundraisers Jim Dooley and the late Robin Gibb, has already raised an astonishing £8million. Two thirds of this has gone towards building the monument, the largest erected in London in more than two centuries. Mr Dooley said: “Getting this wonderful and important monument built was just half the battle – now we must ensure it is maintained for generations. “Our idea is to establish an exclusive club of a thousand benefactors. They will be given a special dinner every year at an expensive London restaurant or hotel, and have the pride of knowing they are doing something worthwhile.” Jim Dooley Mr Dooley thanked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for a £200,000 gift but criticised the Ministry of Defence for not providing funds. He said: “I was angry to learn from a minister that the MoD told him they did not give money to charities when they do. “They can’t even buy these veterans a cup of tea. Members of Bomber Command have been snubbed for almost seven decades. This is the final insult.” Blake stars Ollie, Jules, Humphrey and Stephen Sunday June 24,2012 THEIR delicate harmonies have made them one of the country’s most successful groups, selling more than a million albums with Number 1 hits in five countries. Now the four former choristers who make up Blake are about to embark on one of the most important performances of their lives, as they prepare to sing before the Queen at the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial. Singer Ollie Baines “My paternal grandfather, David Baines, was a 21-year-old lieutenant with the Royal Artillery when he landed the heavy guns on the beaches,” said Ollie, 29, yesterday.
I will sing with pride for my hero grandfathers
Elite ‘club’ to raise £1m so memorial is eternal
UK NEWS
ELITE ‘CLUB’ TO RAISE £1M SO MEMORIAL IS ETERNAL
By Daily Express Reporter
UK NEWS
I WILL SING WITH PRIDE FOR MY HERO GRANDFATHERS
By Marco Giannangeli
It will include the song Bring Him Home from Les Miserables, which has since become associated with fundraising for veterans and members of the armed forces.
Now the Sunday Express can reveal how the group’s illustrious military heritage will make Thursday’s event even more poignant.
Speaking last night, singer Ollie Baines told how one of his grand-fathers had stormed the beaches of Normandy as a young lieutenant before rising to the rank of brigadier and becoming vice-president of the Normandy Veterans Association.
“Though it was D-Day Plus One, I think it was still heavy stuff and they came under a lot of fire. I know that a shell went off right next to him.
“He rose to the rank of brigadier and as vice-president of the Normandy Veterans Association, he led the British contingent for the 65th anniversary services in Normandy two years ago.”
His other grandfather, Edward Bourne-Ruffman, DSC, was badly hurt in North Africa before volunteering for the Special Operations Executive.
Ollie said: “My other grandfather was blown up when his tank was hit at Tobruk at the beginning of the war.
“He spent two years in hospital, during which time he had his jaw completely rebuilt from bones in his foot by a pioneering surgeon.
“After two years he had recovered but he wasn’t allowed to rejoin, he just couldn’t pass the medical, so he joined the Special Operations Executive.”
Using high-speed ships he ran the gauntlet in German occupied waters to smuggle ball bearings and other vital materials from neutral Sweden for Britain’s munitions factories.
“He started with four ships but by the end of the war two of those had been sunk,” added Ollie.
“Finally, his ship was hit and he had to scuttle it. He dived into freezing waters. They tried to get his lifeboat on to the other ship but the seas were so rough that his lifeboat was split in two and he and his crew were thrown into the water again.
“He’d been in -4 degree waters for an hour. They revived him by pouring whisky down his throat. It’s not just me. Humphrey Berney is related to Admiral Lord Nelson.”
The singer, whose father also served with the Royal Dragoon Guards, told how proud the group was to have been asked to perform on Thursday.
He added: “Everyone is concentrating so hard on our generation and the war in Afghanistan, which, of course, is vitally important. A very good friend of mine was a captain in 2nd Battalion Rifles when he was blown up. He lost a leg, a foot, an arm and an eye but they managed to put him back together.
“We always have a moment in our live shows when we talk about the forces, because it’s something that’s very close to us.
“It is very important to remember what happened in the past. These men of Bomber Command have been waiting so long for this recognition.
“What they did was crucial for our victory in Normandy because they bombed parts of the heavily defended coast, particularly Calais, when we were trying to dupe the Germans into thinking we were going to land there.
“They waited for hours on end before setting off. Then they sat for six hours in the back of a crate before dropping their bombs.
“One in every 20 were shot down and a typical tour of duty was 30 missions, so it was more than likely that they were not going to survive. It is so important that we keep remembering these brave men, not least of all because they are pretty much all gone.
“I’m lucky to still have a grandfather alive who had an interesting war and became a career soldier afterwards, but he is one of the remaining few.”
The Sunday Express has been a supporter and campaigner for the men of Bomber Command finally to get full recognition for their bravery in the skies over Nazi-occupied Europe, where 55,573 lost their lives.
Dwina, widow of former Bee Gee Robin Gibb, who was a major fundraiser for the memorial, said: “The Bomber Command Memorial meant so much to Robin.
“Even when he was very ill, we showed him pictures of how it was looking. We are all devastated that, after all his hard work he will not be around to see it unveiled.”
The owner of Express Newspapers, Richard Desmond, gave £500,000 to the Bomber Command Memorial Fund, matching £500,000 from readers.
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Getting this wonderful and important monument built was just half the battle – now we must ensure it is maintained for generations
It is very important to remember what happened in the past. These men of Bomber Command have been waiting so long for this recognition
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