The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry » Topic: The Dambusters

The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry » Topic: The Dambusters http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters Just another bbPress community en-US Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:39:11 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php Graham Clamp on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-285869 Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:34:09 +0000 Graham Clamp 285869@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ What is the latest with this film? Finlay on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-253297 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:37:42 +0000 Finlay 253297@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ My Grandfather was a Canadian bomb aimer in the 617 squadron. Reading through some letters he was referred to as "The the third best bomb aimer around". I'm a big fan of Mr Fry, and I'm very interested in what the movie is going to be like. My Grandfather died 10 days before I was born, but we still have lots of photographs and records, and medals from his time in the squadron. He was awarded a Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967, though he admitted he didn't know what he did to receive it. In this newsreel from 1968, he's named at the 36 second mark. <a href="http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=45282" rel="nofollow">http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=45282</a> howardchinner on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-238831 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:15:11 +0000 howardchinner 238831@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Now what about some feedback from Stephen Fry to my post of 2nd May? howardchinner on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-238829 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:13:39 +0000 howardchinner 238829@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <blockquote><cite>Graham Clamp <a href="//www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-235833"">said</a>:</cite> What are your views on changing the name of the dog (and the code word for bursting the dam) from N1gger to something else in the new film? In my opinion this is changing historical fact and it would be a big mistake to do so and would offend the surviving veterans as much as not changing the name would offend the PC brigade.</blockquote> I quite agree - the dog was called "Nigger" - that is an historical fact - nothing else! Graham Clamp on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-235833 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:50:23 +0000 Graham Clamp 235833@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ What are your views on changing the name of the dog (and the code word for bursting the dam) from N1gger to something else in the new film? In my opinion this is changing historical fact and it would be a big mistake to do so and would offend the surviving veterans as much as not changing the name would offend the PC brigade. howardchinner on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-229873 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:27:41 +0000 howardchinner 229873@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Why is my topic logo grey and everyone else's is maroon? Have I done something wrong? howardchinner on "The Dambusters" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/the-dambusters#post-229165 Sun, 02 May 2010 16:13:38 +0000 howardchinner 229165@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I understand that Stephen Fry is writing the screenplay of the new film about "The Dambusters", which is being directed by Peter Jackson. May I suggest that he and Mr. Jackson consider one or more possible sequels to this film, both based on the life of Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC., OM. (1917 - 1992),who was described by Nehru as: "The greatest man I have met since Gandhi". After an illustrious and heroic war-time career, some of which in command (post Guy Gibson) of 617 Squadron (The Dambusters), where he pioneered daring targeting methods, he devoted his peace-time years, together with his wife, Sue Ryder, to a vocation of caring for disabled people, founding The Leonard Cheshire Foundation, now the largest UK Charity in this field ("Cheshire Homes"). He was elevated to the Peerage in 1991 as Lord Cheshire of Woodhall and (after his death from motor neurone disease) was remembered by Her Majesty The Queen in her 1992 Christmas Message, as follows: "Curiously enough, it was a sad event which did as much as anything in 1992 to help me put my own worries into perspective. Just before he died, Leonard Cheshire came to see us with his fellow members of the Order of Merit. By then, he was suffering from a drawn-out and terminal illness. He bore this with all the fortitude and cheerfulness to be expected of a holder of the Victoria Cross. However, what struck me more forcibly than his physical courage was the fact that he made no reference to his own illness but only to his hopes and plans to make life better for others. He embodied the message in those well-known lines: “Kindness in another's trouble; courage in one's own”." Richard Morris wrote an excellent biography in 2000, entitled "Cheshire - The biography of Leonard Cheshire VC OM " [Viking - Penguin Group - ISBN 0-670-86736-7]. This book is essentially in two parts, the first giving a thrilling account of his WWII career, particularly as officer commanding 617 Squadron. Under his command, 617 Squadron went on to perfect the skills that they had learned under Guy Gibson. This led to some spectacular and daring raids Feb. 1944 - LIMOGES - Cheshire in marking Lancaster, overflies factory to allow french workers to evacuate before factory destroyed 12th Feb. 1944 - ANTHEOR VIADUCT - Cheshire in marking Lancaster - extremely difficult - unsuccessful. March 1944 - 617 acquire their own marking Mosquitoes. 25th April 1944 - MUNICH - Cheshire in Mosquito marks aiming point (Gestapo HQ) in daring vertical dive. 6th June 1944 - OPERATION OVERLORD decoy flights 8th June 1944 - SAUMUR - pinpont hit on railway tunnel. 14th June 1944 - LE HAVRE - Cheshire in Mosquito marks E-boat pens in first pass, against very heavy fire. 5th July 1944 - MIMOYEQUES (V3 bomber launch site)- Cheshire's 100th sortie (this time in Mustang). Sept. 1944 - Cheshire awarded VC 9th August 1945 – NAGASAKI – Cheshire witness to 2nd A-bomb. The second part of the book describes how Cheshire, using his war-time fame and contacts, found his vocation in life - caring for disabled people, initially in the UK, but subsequently, (in partnership with his wife, Sue Ryder), on a world-wide basis, including India. The two parts of this book could become the basis for two absorbing, but very different, sequels to the "Dambusters" re-make. Yours sincerely Howard Chinner