Inspired by the brothers of an airman who was killed in a raid over Germany in 1944, a Lancaster bomber is being painstakingly restored as a memorial to his courage and sacrifice.
In March 1944 Christopher Whitton Panton was shot down and killed on a bombing raid over Nuremberg. He was 19. His two younger brothers, Fred and Harold, were determined as they grew up to find a suitable memorial for their older brother and something that would commemorate the tremendous loss of lives endured by Bomber Command during the Second World War.
Christopher, the son of Edward and Frances Panton, was the oldest of eight children, consisting of four boys and four girls. Like many young men, he joined the ATC (Air Training Corps) in 1942 and later volunteered for aircrew. He was accepted and after training passed out as a flight engineer; by 1943 he was flying.
He was assigned to Halifax bombers and flew with Canadians, his last posting being 433 Squadron at Skipton-on-Swale in North Yorkshire. In his autobiography Fred describes how Christopher “seemed to age overnight”.
The Nuremberg raid on 31st March saw the heaviest loss that Bomber Command endured on any night during the Second World War. Ninety-four aircraft including Lancaster and Halifax bombers were lost with 500 airmen killed. This was Christopher’s 30th and final mission. Had he lived, he would have probably survived the war.
Denne historien er fra Autumn 2017-utgaven av This England.
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Denne historien er fra Autumn 2017-utgaven av This England.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The Glorious River Thames
At 215 miles in length the iconic waterway has long been a source of transport, trade and inspiration. It makes its way through fi ve counties — Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire — and into London
Aspects Of English Towns
Wetherby, Yorkshire History and Hospitality on the Great North Road.
Askrigg And The Yorkshire Dales
Looking for a holiday cottage for a quiet week in the Yorkshire Dales was proving a vexing experience.
Elihu Burritt: An American's View Of Victorian England
It is always interesting to read what others think of us. In recent years we have had Bill Bryson giving us his thought-provoking views on England and the English, but a century and a half ago one of his compatriots did the same thing, albeit for a specific area of the country.
Beautiful In Black And White
England’s landscape and landmarks as they have never been seen before
All The Fun Of The Fair
There is nothing quite like the joy of a brightly painted, brilliantly lit English fair with excited children grasping their candyfloss sticks and toffee apples, young men trying to win a prize at the darts stall and impress their girlfriends by handing them a giant cuddly toy and dads sportingly agreeing to take a turn on the big wheel even though they are still feeling the effects of a heavy lunch. Yes, we just love all the fun of the fair.
Sticky Toffee Cartmel
Visitors to the Lake District can be crudely classified into two broad types: there are the fell walkers, climbers, canoeists, sailors and other outdoor enthusiasts, and then there are the gentler souls who follow the Wordsworth trail, who haunt tea shops, go on shopping crawls and crowd onto steam trains and lake cruises. And there’s nothing wrong with either of these types…
Walking The South Downs Way
My daughter was the catalyst for my passion for walking after I retired and moved to West Sussex from Somerset to be near her and my two sons. After the normal settling in process I was feeling restless and bored, wondering what to do with my new freedom, and with a niggling guilt that “I should be doing something”. She showed me an article in a magazine about a local ramblers group, saying “You would love this, Mum!”
The Roads of Old England
Our motorway system means that today we think little of embarking on a journey across the country, confidently expecting to reach our destination the same day. Our ancestors would have taken weeks to complete such a trip, in considerable discomfort. Off the motorways, our roads follow routes laid down hundreds of years ago, and alongside them are fascinating objects which survive to tell the story of road development.
Aspects Of English Towns
BUXTON — A Derbyshire Gem and an Opera Festival too!
