Commemorative 'Dambusters' board made by Rochdale man relocated for raid's 80th anniversary

Neville Greenhalgh and Wendy Sunderland with the board

A commemorative board of the ‘Dambusters’ air raid of 1943 which was presented to the RAF has been relocated for the attack’s 80th anniversary – with its Rochdale creator paying a visit to see it in its new home.

Neville Greenhalgh created the board five years ago, which depicts 617 Squadron’s Dambusters raid of World War Two. The Dambusters raid – Operation Chastise – was an attack on three German dams on 16/17 May 1943 using special ‘bouncing bombs’.

Two of the dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding, killing an estimated 1,600 people as well as destroying and damaging hydroelectric power stations, factories and mines.

Mr Greenhalgh presented the board to RAF Cranwell, the officer training college in Lincolnshire, for the raid’s 75th anniversary.

This year, it has been relocated for the 80th anniversary to the Dambusters Inn, Scampton, a short distance from the ex-RAF Scampton home of 617 Squadron in 1943.

Neville and partner Wendy Sunderland, whose late father was a Lancaster pilot with 9 Squadron, visited recently to see the board in its new location where it sits alongside a fine collection of Dambuster and Lancaster memorabilia collected by landlord Greg Algar.