Dambusters 80th anniversary: Remembering my grandad 80 years on

This year marks 80 years since the daring Dambusters Raid in 1943. To mark the occasion, we spoke to Deb Wolstenholme, whose grandfather was one of the Dambusters killed in Operation Chastise in the Second World War, about his legacy and what the anniversary means to her family.

Deb Wolstenholme, from County Durham, is the granddaughter of Wilfred Ibbotson, an RAF rear gunner selected as part of the 617 Squadron, to fly Dinghy Young’s Lancaster plane AJ-A in Operation Chastise . 

The RAF's 617 Squadron 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.

Wilfred and crew dropped a bomb that breached the Möhne Dam in Germany, but as they reached the safest point over the Netherlands returning home, their plane was shot down. The plane came down into the sea and bodies were washed up over the following days, with Wilfred being the last man to be found.

Wilfred was considered an ‘older’ airman, aged 29, and was already married with two children – his wife Doris Ibbotson (Deb’s grandmother), their daughter Pam Jackson (Deb’s mother) and Pam’s little sister, Pat, who was only nine months at the time.  

Deb said: "My grandma initially received a telegram saying that my grandfather was Missing in Action; the wording was unclear on his dog tag, so officials couldn’t confirm if he was one of the casualties. But my grandma knew that Wilfred’s tag wasn’t clear. She knew deep down that he had been killed, but unfortunately had to wait until August, three months later, to have it confirmed."

Deb continued: "I have always known about my grandad and the Dambusters. Grandma Doris had a Dutch calendar in the house because the local Dutch families who found the bodies washed up in the Netherlands each adopted an airman until the British families were reunited."

"My grandma had no idea what grandad was doing”, Deb said. “Even Wilfred didn’t know what he was doing; they knew they were practicing flying at a low level with the bouncing bomb but didn’t know what the operation would entail until the night before. They needed to drop as low as 60 feet above water for Operation Chastise. 

"My mother Pam, now 83, doesn’t have huge memories of her father because she was so young, she remembers the aftermath more and the devastating effect it had on her mum. Luckily, my grandma was able to visit where Wilfred was buried in Bergen General Cemetery and was accompanied by her new husband Fred, who greatly supported keeping his memory alive."

A memorial to the fallen aircrew stands on the beach in Castricum aan Zee marking where the planes were shot down. Deb’s cousin Gavin spotted an appeal on social media trying to trace the families of the airmen. We were then invited to the unveiling in the Netherlands and met a local historian researching what happened to the plane. The Germans had used parts of the plane as barricades in the war, and they are still finding parts to this day. 

Deb said: "A piece of grandad's plane is in a museum in the sand dunes. We were able to look at photos of everyone and sign the book looked after by volunteers. The museum asked if we’d like to keep a piece of the plane which was rather special."

Three of the Dambusters were from Wakefield including Wilfred, who was born in Netherton. Wakefield council invited the family to attend the anniversary memorial which included a walk to the cenotaph and a wreath laying. 

Deb believes it is important to commemorate the anniversary and said: "I think the bravery of the Dambusters should never be forgotten. The events that night have had a profound and lasting impact on the families. I think what the Dambusters sacrificed for us was incredible."

To mark the 80th anniversary, Pam, Deb, and the family were invited to join the 617 Association to attend a dinner at The Petwood Hotel. Deb said: "There was a Lancaster flypast with the aircrew doing three or four loops – they flew so low but still higher than the Squadron flew that night. 

"The following day we visited the memorial. We went to the International Bomber Command Centre for the 'Standing with Giants' exhibition. They’ve made sculptures of the seven crew members from my grandad's plane based on photographs. The hairs on our arms stood up when we saw Wilfred. I said to Gavin: 'I don't want to leave him'. It was a great privilege to witness; we were astounded that they decided to replicate the crew from his plane, to be able to see how he would have looked."

You can find out more about the story of the Dambusters here.