Stolen Dambuster plaque

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15 years 11 months

Posts: 151

https://dambustersblog.com/2018/05/12/doncaster-vandals-steal-fraser-plaque/

Original post
Profile picture for user 1batfastard

Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All.
Absolute scum! I hope karma returns in bucket loads to the R'SOLES.....:mad:

Geoff.

Member for

18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

ohh come on calm down, its abit of metal which can be re made from photos. Its not a person being beaten up or robbed

Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,813

Agreed......!! Shouldn't happen but it does. Make and install a replacement......

Member for

15 years 5 months

Posts: 824

and get the Russians to coat the back with some special sauce :)

Profile picture for user 1batfastard

Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
A bit of metal that I assume even though the council coughed up it was out of people's hard earned tax money towards, what should we do if caught
then ? Gently rub their back while whispering "There,there It'll be alright" ? How would forumites feel if somebody removed a head stone or vandalised
it they had erected in memory ?

It comes down to lack of respect to others I would go so far as to say a product of the ever so increasing PC culture that has been slowly creeping into
Schools. They do not teach basic respect and of the true cost of war never mind just basic wrong from right, People argue well it's just the modern
way or it's a product of where whoever lived or where they are brought up.

I am sorry but that's just an excuse Manners cost nothing and if it's not taught in Schools or in the home this is typical of how society ends up, I was no
angel and I had a decent enough bringing up I knew I did wrong but still did it, the one thing that separates me though is I had respect and cared and
that is the main problem these days NOBODY CARES OR RESPECTS ANYMORE!!

To all sorry for the moan but this is how I feel and it's so sad....:(

Geoff.

Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 1,613

You must be one of these gammons I've been reading about.

Profile picture for user 1batfastard

Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
The only Gammon I know is the one I stuff in my fat face, but hey! better than a snowflake...:D

Geoff.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,029

From an engineering retention point of view, the four screws fixing it looked to be pretty ineffectual.

Even if non-return safety screws...so easy to drill or grind out.

Mark

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

From an engineering retention point of view, the four screws fixing it looked to be pretty ineffectual.

I dunno.....I've got some of those silly screws with the domed caps in my bathroom...

...I never can get the ******* things undone!

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

I was no angel and I had a decent enough bringing up I knew I did wrong but still did it, the one thing that separates me though is I had respect...

I think I know what you're trying to say but, from the point of view of the missing plaque...

...is it better if they knew they were doing wrong, had respect, and then took the plaque anyway?

Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 1,613

To quote the first comment on the blog:

I doubt it would be for sale as scrap metal. I reckon this was targetted as it would fetch a high price in memorabilia collectors’ circles.

I think this is an interesting point of view! If true then it probably wasn't gypsies/The Polish/cultural Marxists etc who stole this plaque, but one of us! The horror! The historic aviation community does seem to foster a hoarder mentality, combined with a mindset that sees nothing morally dubious about excavating and selling crash-site relics. If the above is true then it wouldn't be the first stolen-to-order case in the aviation community; probably not even the first this year.

I think I know what you're trying to say but, from the point of view of the missing plaque...

...is it better if they knew they were doing wrong, had respect, and then took the plaque anyway?

I wouldn't expect anything like this level of self reflection from any of this forum's resident pub bores. :highly_amused:

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Simply make it out of Bronze impregnated cold cast resin, you can then cast multiple replacements from the mould and its value will be worthless but the effect will appear the same.

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

Personally, I doubt the person, or persons, that stole the plaque even gave it much thought; other than thinking, or more likely, convincing themselves that it had to be worth a lot of money to somebody. As it turned-out it was probably heavier than they thought (although not worth 'weighing-in' for scrap), awkward to carry any distance, difficult to conceal about their person and not exactly difficult to trace to a known crime...

...chances are, the plaque went into the nearest canal before the perpetrator even got it home!

I don't think that's too unlikely; how many of us (under even 'normal, acceptable and legal' levels of intoxication) have awoken on a Sunday morning to find traffic-cones or road-signs decorating our house or garden? It must have seemed a good idea at the time but in the cold light of day we just wanted rid of them without anybody asking any questions, right?

As for the 'historic aviation community' taking it, I doubt it; the plaque has only the vaguest connection with a historical even, even such a famous one, and is all but worthless in universal 'bragging' points!

And, speaking as a 'hoarder' of aircraft parts myself, I suppose it could be seen as 'morally dubious' but I doubt there are very many digging wreck-sites purely for profit, because I doubt they'd even break-even. I've never dug anything out of the ground myself but I've certainly bought, and later sold, things that others have dug-up; in a way I'm happy that these relics do have a significant cash value, otherwise they'd all end up in a skip somewhere...

...and if, seventy-five years later, a tiny fragment of mangled aluminium can help somebody remember even a single, otherwise long-forgotten airman, then what's the harm?

Member for

13 years 2 months

Posts: 274

"Simply make it out of Bronze impregnated cold cast resin, you can then cast multiple replacements from the mould and its value will be worthless but the effect will appear the same."

The problem with the cold cast resin plaques is that they can deteriorate and need to be replaced as the one dedicated to a Halifax crew at Brafferton in North Yorkshire did . The resin plaque was only dedicated in 2013 and was replaced in March of this year with a new granite plaque . Story here in the Darlington & Stockton Times ; http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/16055157.New_memorial_plaque_is_set_to_be_unveiled_to_mark_the_bravery_of_the_crew_of_a_Second_World_War_RAF_bomber/ .
I have photos of both but can't post them in but well worth a visit if you are in the area .

Profile picture for user 1batfastard

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11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
CD - Just being totally honest matey, it seems that there are no known boundaries these days. Again I blame the PC culture that has been creeping
into schools and that obviously translates to those pupils later on in life not teaching they're children. Not teaching respect about those who paid the
ultimate sacrifice whether in Military or Civilian life it's just disgusting and to think that some toe-rag cannot take the time to read the plaque yet can take
the time to remove the screws and nick it is just beyond belief...:stupid:

Geoff.

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

I know you were probably just being honest but you see the paradox don't you?

You said you had been brought-up to have respect, and to know when you were doing wrong, and then you followed that up by saying you did (wrong) anyway! Not sure how that's any better than not having any 'respect' in the first place?

I'm also not sure you can blame this apparent 'lack-of-respect' crime-wave on 'PC culture' in schools, and I'm not even sure what 'PC culture' means outside of the pages of the Daily Mail!

As it happens I have been invited into my local primary school when they've been teaching the children about the Second World War. I've volunteered to go on school-trips with them, one of which has the children visit an old school building in the village of Stibbington; the children dress as evacuees and are dropped (by coach) at the station platform of the Nene Valley Railway (just as the real evacuees were), they assume the identity of a real evacuee, are shown where that real evacuee was billeted, have a lesson in a classroom exactly as it was in 1940, they eat wartime (rationed) food, sing wartime songs and even shelter in the real wartime air-raid (corridor) shelter during a mock air-raid. The whole thing is done completely in character by the 'teacher' (and billeting-officer) who meets them, and, apart from actually 'birching' any of the children, is about as real as it gets.

Link below to the Cambridgeshire Environmental Education Service (so PC!!!) site in Stibbington:

http://www.cees.org.uk/stibbington_daycentre.htm

I've also had the privilege of 'teaching' the children about the Battle of the Atlantic, how the Enigma Code works, how it was used by the U-Boats and I've even got them to code their own messages using a simple monoalphabetic substitution cipher (and shown then how to break it)!

I've even taken in some of my 'morally dubious' aircraft relics when I've talked to them about the Battle of Britain and when I've read-out some first-hand accounts from those that were involved (those that were involved from both sides - just for Political Correctness!) and there is something incredibly satisfying about reading the account of a pilot (a German pilot) who was shot-down during the battle and then handing a spellbound child a piece of his aircraft to hold...

...we talked about death, killing, burn injuries, fear and sacrifice; all very non-PC if you believe the Daily Mail!

You should try it.....if you're really worried about 'lack of respect' being taught in schools, you should try it.

Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 2,536

I went for a job at the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission many years ago.
They give a little tour around their museum and point out the Cross of Sacrifice seen in WW1 cemetaries.
"The sword used to be made of bronze but now is made out of plastic as the orginals keep being stolen."
Sad but true.

Profile picture for user 1batfastard

Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
CD - Yes I know the paradox that I mentioned is stupid, you could even call me a hypocrite which I suppose I am. I knew what was out of bounds and to my dying day I will have much regret and guilt when I look back and realise how stupid I was when younger. There have been a plethora of cases of well
educated people committing crimes, I suppose it's because at the time they obviously think they are smarter than the average criminal and like I said
these days no known bounds. When mentioning respect I was talking about in general Your Elders/Cemeteries/All War graves etc.etc. it seems
to be pretty much non existent today.

As for PC culture it has through the years been creeping into so many parts of life, while being named the PC culture in recent years Schools have
generally brushed over the subject of war with no emphasis on the respect of those who died as it should be. I think that History for many School pupils
is boring and they just don't see the point so just don't pay attention, considering war is never far from the media broadcasting I think it is more relevant
than ever especially with Social media as it is.

The Schools that you are obviously engaged with should be praised it's just a pity there are not more. I will be honest that the last couple years it seems
to have a bit of an about turn with a few engaging with the likes of yourself. You cannot but admire those like yourself giving your spare time up, I
suppose at the end of the day it could even come down to Budgetary constraints/Health & Safety and the PC culture all having a bite out of the apple
that is education.

All I know is that reading stories like this thread makes me wonder why they seem not to teach children no matter what age at school or at home the
basics of life ? I mean another example is littering. At least I can say I have always been good with that, I was taught from an early age to put it
in the bin. It just makes no sense when see people walking along just dropping whatever when they have been feeding they're faces especially when they
have children and just let them do it. :stupid: It's a pet hate of mine but that's off subject.

Geoff.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

Geoff, you do not have to justify yourself. Your comments are proper and largely correct. You and I both mourn the passing of civility, politeness, good manners and more than that the blurring of the boundaries between right and wrong coupled with the lack of public condemnation.

To have people on this forum excusing the theft of the plaque in question does not surprise me. They would justify the actions of Beelzebub himself.