Highlight  The 100 Goup Reunion

After breakfast we had a short explore of the area 'by cache' before heading to Helen and Gerald’s. I keep saying they are in King's Lynn but it is a village nearby called Dersingham. It is a bit north of Kings Lynn on the boundary of the Sandringham Estate.

We arrived in time to off-load our gear, have a chat then shower before leaving them watching the Royal Wedding, as we headed off to the Bomber Command Reunion in Norwich. We had thought we would be back by 10.3pm but they gave us keys and said to take as long as we liked.

[John in the pilot’s seat]

We first went to Oultan to check out where the Reunion afternoon tea would be. We were pleaded we did as we were looking for a tearooms or similar, but the site was one of the village houses and later we found they has a marquee on the back lawn. We then had a light lunch, before heading to Blickling Hall. This was where Ted and his fellow officers were housed. The parking fee was waived for us as we were part of the reunion group, and we had just enough time to look at the new RAF site in the Hall, before we needed to leave for Tea. We had looked through the Hall on a previous visit so that was never today’s aim.

We were sorry we had eaten anything beforehand, as tea was sandwiches and a large variety of cakes cooked by the local villagers. Despite its’ small size, (about 70 in the village) the villagers all rallied together to feed those attending (about 60 of us). They are very proud of the efforts of the crews that served and always get a good turnout at any commemoration service. There were a few comments about the ration cards that would have been needed to make such a spread.

At the afternoon tea we were all welcomed and the 4 veterans present (all well in their 90’s) were all introduced. They were real characters with many missions between them. One of the gentleman was awarded the DFC for his part in finding and successfully destroying the Tirpitz – the sister ship of the Bismark. We were then asked if any of us would like to introduce ourselves to the others and explain why we were present. At this point the organiser turned to me and asked if I would speak. I did so, although I found it quite emotional. After the tea several people came up to me to ask me more about Dad and his squadron.

We then all walked 400m up the lane for a small service. In doing so we passed by a number of small homes all decked in bunting, and many displaying WW2 memorabilia. Everybody had made such an effort to make us welcome. At the service a veteran read the ode and there were few dry eyes. There was the ‘Last Post’ and 2 minutes’ silence. We then had a small speech from the village organiser and then wreaths were laid by a lady in the village, a veteran, the ATC and one of the children from the village. At the closing of the cemetery there was a flyover by a Harvard from nearby Marham Airbase. The weather was perfect, and the scene was so serene. The tranquillity seemed such a contrast to the conditions and atmosphere that must have existed in the 1940’s. From memory it was stated that 360 men were lost from this area.

[co-pilot Chris takes over]

We found the spot for the Reunion Dinner then had time to find one cache. The area we had been all afternoon had poor phone reception so we had not been able to find one there. We found a church in a nearby village where we both found a cache and a quiet spot for me to change into my evening clothes.

The only challenge for the dinner was to park as the lot was full. We found a spot after a couple of tight circuits then followed another attendee to the right room. It was set out with named seating, silent auction displays and a display about a new initiative which was the focus for the after dinner speech. We knew we would be sitting at the table with Janine Harrington (one of the organisers and author of many publications about the Group) but found our immediate neighbours were Carol and Michael who we had met at afternoon tea. On the other side were Chas and Heidi. A couple from the USA and from Australia (but ex Nelson!!) completed the group.

We mainly spoke with the neighbouring couples as our meal progressed. Chas has been building many of the prop vehicles for the latest Star Wars movie and had donated a t shirt for the auction. His partner complained that going to movies with him was frustrating because he always noticed the glitches such as continuity errors or out of time items. He had friends and contacts who had worked on both the Dunkirk and Churchill movies. Michael had no actual connection to the 100 group, but huge interest in and knowledge of electronic warfare. He also came from the same town as Janine. John thoroughly enjoyed discussing the technical aspects of the electronic equipment, that the Group pioneered, with him, and was fascinated to hear that they are attempting to rebuild much of this equipment because of its’ historical importance. There was also a discussion about the frustrations that still exist about the security that still surrounds the work that the Group were doing.

The after dinner speech was given by a stand-in, as the original speaker was a guest at the Royal wedding. He spoke of a recent initiative to put a large model aircraft at 40 of the main RAF sites in Norfolk, with walking, cycling or driving routes to allow people to see where they were. There is also detailed information about the sites available which will remain after the aircraft come down. They are hoping all 40 aircraft last the distance (they would be beautiful ‘souvenirs’) as they will eventually be either given to museums or sold/auctioned as a fundraiser. The ATC had helped with research and production. One was on the side table to represent the project.

After the raffle was drawn (we won a Vera Lynn CD) we excused ourselves. Before leaving John presented Janine with a silver fern pin that had a poppy overlaid on it. She appeared very touched by the gesture. The drive ‘home’ to Dersingham (about an hour) was interesting for John as it was the first long drive at night with limited street lighting and a range of roads from dual carriageway to narrow country roads that still had a speed limit of 95. We snuck into Helen and Gerald’s at 11pm.