RAF Flt Sgt is all set for Dambusters Ride

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters Raid, RAF Flight Sergeant Clive Morris is taking on the Dambusters Ride in Lincolnshire to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Clive, 57, from Thetford in Norfolk, will be taking part in this year’s Dambusters 100 mile cycle ride out of Woodhall Spa on the 13th May 2023. He will be joined by Declan Geraghty, Community Engagement Manager at the RAF Benevolent Fund. 

Clive did 35 years regular service in the RAF Regiment before leaving as a Flight Sergeant in May 2021. He is now a Flight Sergeant Reservist.

The annual Dambusters Ride pays tribute to the Dambusters, members of the RAF's 617 Squadron who were assembled to bomb three dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley on the night of 16-17 May 1943 – also known as Operation Chastise. This year marks 80 years since the risky raid, in which the revolutionary bouncing bomb, the brainchild of engineer Barnes Wallis, was dropped at low level on Germany’s industrial heartland in the Ruhr Valley. The mission was a success, but the cost was high; of 133 aircrew who left, 53 were killed and three became prisoners of war.

Clive said: "I’ve previously fundraised for the RAF Benevolent Fund and completed the 100 mile Dambusters bike ride back in 2018 as part of Team Honington. It was a great experience so I thought I’d give it another go for the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters Raid. I like the sense of belonging when in a large group of like-minded people and the sense of achievement you get at fundraising events like this. And you get to raise money for an important cause!

"I haven’t had to use the RAF Benevolent Fund’s services myself but have recommended the Fund to several people for support as a SSAFA volunteer, so I appreciate the amazing work the charity does."

The Dambusters Ride consists of two elements: a Virtual Ride on the weekend of 20-21 May and a Heritage Ride taking place in Lincolnshire on Saturday 13 May.