851 RAF heroes are honoured

Kyt · May 15, 2009

851 RAF heroes are honoured - Bridlington Free Press

MEMORIAL to the heroes of Bomber Command who flew from Lissett during the Second World War will be unveiled in the village this weekend.

A service will be conducted by the Archhbishop of York Dr John Sentamu on Saturday before the sculpture of airmen emerging from the mist is revealed to the public.

It features the names of 851 servicemen who lost their lives on missions from Lissett Airfield during the war.

Veterans from all over the UK and overseas are expected to attend the invitation-only event.

The sculpture has been commissioned by Novera Energy, which operates wind turbines on the former airfield site.
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spidge · May 16, 2009

What squadrons flew from Lissett?

liverpool annie · May 16, 2009

This is from a few years ago ...... they wanted a wind farm ! looks like 158 Squadron Spidge !

Plans for a wind farm at a disused Yorkshire airfield have been backed by RAF veterans who have been promised a memorial dedicated to heroic Second World War crews.

The prospect of a wind farm at the former RAF Lissett airfield drew mixed views during a lengthy public consultation exercise.

But members of the 158 Squadron Association have given it their support after meeting a representative of Novera Energy.

The firm has said it will fund a stone memorial naming each of the 851 crew members who died flying from the base during the Second World War.

And each of the 12 turbines would be named after one of the Halifax bombers that began flying from Lissett in March 1943.
Both parties are now consulting over which particular bombers to remember this way, with names such as Lili Marlene, Krazy Kate, Goofy's Gift and The Menace to choose from.

The association is so enamoured with the project it has dubbed it Propellers Back at Lissett.

Secretary, Adrian Hammond, said: "The aerodrome is not going to stay empty forever and my fear is that in the future it will be replaced by housing or an industrial estate. I would much rather my grandchildren were able to look out over a wind farm.

"Having the wind farm will guarantee a lasting and fitting memorial to all those who died and to the proud history of Lissett.

"These two proposals alone will preserve for posterity the name of 158 Squadron, which flew night after night in defence of our country."

The crews who flew out of Lissett took part in some of the most dangerous aerial missions of the Second World War.
It was the closest Yorkshire bomber airfield to Germany and its crews were tasked with hitting the key industrial cities in the Ruhr valley, as well as Berlin and Nuremberg.

Mr Hammond's grandfather, Flight Sergeant George Stokes, a 33-year-old father-of-three, was killed in a raid over Berlin in September 1943.

Mr Hammond said: "It is humbling to talk to the veterans.
"Most of them have fond memories but there are things they never talk about.

"They had to have a way of dealing with it, because as soon as one crew went missing there was a new one to replace them by 8.30 the next morning."

David Taylor, project director for Novera Energy, which would own and operate the site, attended a squadron re-union at Lissett Church last month to discuss the plans.

He said: "Lissett is a unique site with a unique history and we want to work closely with the veterans to make sure we recognise that. The memorial is one way of doing that and we will hold discussions with them over its design and location."

Not everyone in Lissett is pleased by the prospect of a wind farm, however, with some claiming the 25m-high (410ft) turbines would be an ugly intrusion into the views they enjoy at present.

Residents nearby have also voiced their concerns that the wind farm would have a damaging effect on the price of their properties if the proposals become a reality.

Members of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council are expected to decide early next year if the scheme should go ahead.
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