The final stretch! This week, seven cyclists have undertaken an approximately 300-mile journey in honour of Dinghy Young, his crew, and the rest of the Dambusters who gave their life during the legendary Möhne Dam raid. To commemorate their victory and sacrifice, we’ve organised for Dinghy and his crew’s silhouettes from our famous ‘Men of the Dams’ art installation to be taken to Castricum aan Zee for a memorial service. Here we talk you through the final day of cycling before the ceremony.
To catch up on the rest of trip visit the below:
The end was in sight as the seven RAF cyclists set off yesterday morning, renewing their spirits as they set out to cover the final 30 miles to the final resting places of Dinghy Young and his crew.
The day’s route took them through more of the Netherlands’ beautiful wildlife and scenery as they continued to enjoy the sunny weather their friends and family back home had been missing. However, with the end close in sight the team rarely stopped to enjoy their surroundings as they continued to push their physical limit after two days of solid cycling.
Meanwhile, our chief executive Nicky van der Drift also made the journey over to meet with Jan van Dalen, president of the 617 Squadron Memorial Foundation to make the final preparations before the ceremony the next day where he, Nicky, the mayor of Castricum aan Zee, the RAF, and living relatives of the Dinghy Young’s crew will be speaking and remembering the crew’s braveness.
Finally, the cyclists arrived at the end of their 300-mile journey having left the International Bomber Command Centre only around 60 hours earlier. To reward their efforts, they and the wider team enjoyed a well deserved round of drinks.