0:00:02 > 0:00:04'Pubs have been at the heart of Britain for hundreds of years...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Cheers, mucker!
0:00:06 > 0:00:07'..in city taverns...
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'..and village inns.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'Landlords have pulled pints for locals, travellers...'
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and, well, the odd king or two.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15'Myself included.'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Try and have a drink now.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20THEY LAUGH
0:00:20 > 0:00:23'But with 30 pubs closing every week,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25'our historic taverns need defending.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Step, step.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We're heading out to discover amazing stories
0:00:30 > 0:00:32linked to the nation's watering holes.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34- Not far to go.- How far?
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- Oh, a couple of miles. - What?!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'From the Wars of the Roses...'
0:00:38 > 0:00:40To shipbuilding on the Clyde.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43We've ditched our bikes so that we can sample an ale or two.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Get in!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47This is very good.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- BOTH:- 'So join us for...'
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'Today, we're in action in Lincolnshire on a World War II
0:01:02 > 0:01:06'history tour of some rather spiffing drinking establishments.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11'Indeed. And we've got some right ripping yarns of Britain's brave
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'RAF bomber crews stationed here during the war.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Whacko!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Rural Lincolnshire, old chap.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20It's also known as Bomber County, don't you know?
0:01:20 > 0:01:24From this very county, squadrons of very brave young men
0:01:24 > 0:01:27risked their lives on heroic bombing missions.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30What's that got to do with pubs?
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Kept up moral, you know, ginge.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Anyway, chocks away, old fruit.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Ducka-ducka-ducka-ducka!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39'Well, if Dave ever returns, we'll be battling our way back to 1940,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43'less than a year into the Second World War.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48'German forces had overwhelmed Belgium, Holland and France
0:01:48 > 0:01:50'and the Blitz on Britain had begun.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56'A fightback was brewing and some of it was to come from the skies.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'The Allied bombing campaign.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02'But, first, the Air Ministry had to find acres of flat land
0:02:02 > 0:02:07'within flying distance of Germany for 28 new airfields
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'and they found the solution here in Lincolnshire,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12'or should I say, Bomber County.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17This is the lovely village of Waddington, and it's slap-bang
0:02:17 > 0:02:21in the middle of Bomber County and this is where we start our story.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25In a pub no less, that servicemen and women have been drinking in
0:02:25 > 0:02:27since 1916.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28The Horse And Jockey.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Here, Kingy, did you hear that joke about the horse who
0:02:31 > 0:02:32walks into a pub?
0:02:32 > 0:02:33- I've heard it.- Oh.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'This Grade II listed pub started life as a coaching inn
0:02:40 > 0:02:42'in the 16th century.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46'It takes its name from the local horse track, half a mile
0:02:46 > 0:02:48'down the road where RAF Waddington now stands.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52'And might the chaps from the bomber base
0:02:52 > 0:02:54'have had a few wartime tipples here?
0:02:54 > 0:02:56'Well, I think they might!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'We're privileged to be meeting a 96-year-old gent
0:02:59 > 0:03:02'who proudly served near here.'
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Les? Hello, the greatest pleasure in meeting you, sir. How are you?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08'After surviving Dunkirk with the army,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11'Les Rutherford signed up to fly bombers with the RAF.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16'Incredible. I reckon we owe this man a pint.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Which squadron did you join and what was your role in it, Les?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- I was 50 squadron...- Right. - ..and my role was bomb aimer.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28I used to look down and see if I could see any pinpoints
0:03:28 > 0:03:29to help the navigator.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34Now, it was very, very seldom you could do because it was dark.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35And what was that like,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38doing that for the first time? Was it terrifying?
0:03:38 > 0:03:39Yes, it was,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42in a way, cos everything was new and you
0:03:42 > 0:03:45wondered what was going to happen, you were expecting to be shot at.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48'Les was just one of thousands of airmen
0:03:48 > 0:03:50'stationed across Lincolnshire.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55'Around 125,000 men served in Bomber Command
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'and their casualty list was extraordinarily high.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05'These brave lads diced with death on a daily basis.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08'No wonder they needed somewhere to let off steam.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10So, were the pubs the centre of your social life?
0:04:10 > 0:04:11Very much so.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15It was a relief to get there, you met people and
0:04:15 > 0:04:18really had a nice time.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20So, really, Les, pubs were an integral part
0:04:20 > 0:04:24- of the war effort then, weren't they?- Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28'Returning to the pub after a mission was a relief,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30'but not when your mates didn't return with you.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33'Over the course of the war,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37'nearly half of all bomber crewmen were lost in action.'
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It must have been dreadful, you know, the atmosphere in the pub
0:04:40 > 0:04:42when some of your comrades didn't return.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44How did you get over that?
0:04:44 > 0:04:48We tried to put it to the back of our minds, it was there,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51but you didn't talk about it.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Nobody said, "Poor old so-and-so", or anything like that, you know.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Just, "Oh, so-and-so went for a Burton last night" and that's it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Psychologically, I don't think you could bear to...
0:05:04 > 0:05:07dwell on the fact that people were being shot down.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12'But in 1943, Les himself was shot down over Germany.'
0:05:13 > 0:05:18The pilot gave the order to abandon aircraft
0:05:18 > 0:05:20and as he...
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Just after he gave the order, the aircraft blew up
0:05:23 > 0:05:24and I was still in the nose.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29And the nose of the aircraft was blown off completely.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Knocked me unconscious for a while.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35When I came to, my legs were trapped in the wreckage,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38so I pulled the ripcord and the parachute pulled me out.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And, even then, I was really lucky, I landed in a wood.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50'A few days after his near-death experience,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54'Les was captured and imprisoned in Stalag Luft III,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56'site of the famous Great Escape.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- I bet you missed the pub. - Oh, absolutely.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03But we tried, we did succeed, in saving raisins
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and things from the Red Cross parcels.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10And made a brew, and then at Christmas time,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13well, we got absolutely blotto, I think.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15It was powerful stuff.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17MUSIC: The Great Escape by Elmer Bernstein
0:06:17 > 0:06:20And, of course, we hadn't had anything to drink all that time.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Oh, we did miss the pub, yes, absolutely.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Cheers, Les. - Cheers.- Thank you.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Thank you. Cheers.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38'As the war progressed, casualties on the home front rose.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43'In 1941, the Germans dropped mines over Waddington,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'narrowly missing this very pub.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'But they did hit the air base and the village.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56'Local RAF historian, Roger Crisp, has been coming here for years.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00'He knows the important role the pub played that fateful night.'
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Roger, very nice to meet you, sir. How are you?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Very nice to meet you as well.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06It's great to meet you in your old haunt.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Did the village ever get bombed?
0:07:08 > 0:07:128th May 1941, aircraft came over,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16the church was demolished and a second one hit the camp,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18blew the front of the NAAFI off.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23'12 people died and many were injured,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25'but the community rallied round.'
0:07:25 > 0:07:29The Horse And Jockey, being such a large establishment,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33was used as a first aid post, for all the casualties from the village.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35And those that lost their houses in the explosion
0:07:35 > 0:07:38also came here for shelter.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Needs must.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42So, big building, everybody knows it,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44it was at the centre of community in crisis then.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Oh, yes, yeah, most pubs are.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- That's very true. - Heart of the community.- Yeah.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49- Very true.- Yeah.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52'What a place.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55'The Horse And Jockey did its duty on the home front
0:07:55 > 0:07:59'and helped keep up spirits of brave servicemen like Les.'
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Wow.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Les - he's a hero. - He is, absolutely.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Got a bit of trivia for you.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Go on, then, old bean.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Did you know that in 1942 at the time of beer shortages,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16the Beer For Troops Committee was created
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and tasked with ensuring that our servicemen and women
0:08:19 > 0:08:21never ever went thirsty again?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Well, and nor should they, Dave, that's brilliant, that.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25I'll drink to that.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29'And I'll bet the troops raised a glass too.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34'The scheme sent a mouth-watering 380,000,000 bottles of beer
0:08:34 > 0:08:36'to Allied troops around the world.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40'Kegs were even strapped under planes for delivery
0:08:40 > 0:08:42'to the D-Day troops in Europe.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44'All for King and Country.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'And when it comes to King and Country, Kingy,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51'the fun facts are flowing in Lincolnshire's pub signs.'
0:08:55 > 0:08:58'And here are three of our royal favourites.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01'Crowned the most popular pub name in Britain - The Red Lion.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05'When King James VI of Scotland
0:09:05 > 0:09:07'took the English throne too,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11'he demanded all public buildings should hang his Scottish symbol.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16'And over 600 still do, along with this East Kirkby boozer.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19'One of only four copies of the Magna Carta is kept
0:09:19 > 0:09:24'in Lincoln Cathedral, staggering distance from this pub.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28'I bet King John wished this was his local back in 1215.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32'And did you hear the one about the king who hid in an oak tree?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34'Of course, my mucker.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37'It was King Charles II, hiding from Cromwell's army.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41'Now, over 500 pubs take the name.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'I wonder if Charles branched out into wine bars too.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45'Oh, leaf it out!'
0:09:52 > 0:09:55'Back in Bomber County, we've travelled 17 miles east
0:09:55 > 0:09:59'to Woodhall Spa, home of RAF Woodhall Spa no less -
0:09:59 > 0:10:04'the third and final wartime base of 617 Squadron,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'the legendary Dam Busters.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'The Dam Busters, by Jove! Stuff of my schoolboy dreams.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13'I feel a mission coming on.'
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Now, your mission - infiltrate a base,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19give me strategic detail on what the devils are up to.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21I'm on it. In like Flynn!
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Excellent, yes.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Hello, squadron leader.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Ooh, here do, lush wheels!
0:10:30 > 0:10:33While Si heads off to RAF East Kirkby to scope out
0:10:33 > 0:10:37the legendary Lancaster Bomber, World War II re-enactors
0:10:37 > 0:10:40John and Heather are whisking me off in their jeep.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Or, is it a time machine?
0:10:44 > 0:10:47We've pulled up at Thorpe Camp on a two-step back in time.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52So, tell me, Heather, what have you got lined up for me here?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55We're taking you to a tea dance, Dave.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56What's a tea dance?
0:10:56 > 0:11:00It's what the RAF and the WAAFs did in their spare time,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04something jolly to take their minds off other things.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06It was not all doom and gloom.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09No, no, it's amazing the fun you can have with a cup of tea
0:11:09 > 0:11:10and a record player.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11It certainly is.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15'Aye, especially with the WAAFs around.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19'The Women's Auxiliary Air Force had over a quarter of a million members
0:11:19 > 0:11:21'providing vital support for the RAF.'
0:11:23 > 0:11:26'They were deliberately housed away from the airmen,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28'but that didn't stop romance flourishing.'
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Thank you.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35'Before I try and impress anyone, I need a quick costume change
0:11:35 > 0:11:37'and a lesson from a chap called John.'
0:11:37 > 0:11:39So, John, you're the one who's going to help me
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and lead me into the art of the tea dance.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Please, not the Lindy Hop though,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I don't think my knees could stand that.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47We are doing a more simplified version, which is the Jitterbug,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49which the Americans brought over in the '40s.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Fantastic. Did they used to dance in uniforms? Cos they're quite hot.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Well they did. The guys loved to wear the uniforms
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and show off because it would attract the girls.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59And, the girls, is that what it was all about?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Music, girls, dancing, fantastic.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Come on, then, John, instruct me in the forgotten art.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10So, first of all, the footwork would go, left, tap, right, tap,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13rock step, left tap, right tap,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17rock step, right, rock step, stop.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18I think you've got it.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19- Wonderful.- It's brilliant.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21What we need is some girls.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Well, there's plenty round here, even though there's a war on.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25- Let's find a woman. - Go on, John.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31'Even with my Strictly training, I'm not sure I'm ready for this.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34'Let's hope lovely Wendy can take me in hand.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- It's called the closed position, OK?- Right.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So, hold your hand there, press you hand in, OK.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- Do I close?- Yeah, yeah.- One second.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43That's right, that's wonderful.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I used to get grief of Craig Revel Hall for that.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48We're going to do the throw-out, so we're going to
0:12:48 > 0:12:50throw our partner out.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52One, two, rock step one...
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- That's it!- ..two, rock step, one two, rock step.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- What's next, John? - Music!
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Come on, everybody, help a hairy airman in distress!
0:13:01 > 0:13:04CHEERING Woo!
0:13:04 > 0:13:081940S STYLE MUSIC PLAYS
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Yay!
0:13:16 > 0:13:19We've got nowt, but we do like to have a good time, don't we?
0:13:19 > 0:13:20- ALL:- Yeah!
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'That we do, my mucker!'
0:13:27 > 0:13:29'While Dave "Strictly" Myers is off strutting his stuff,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33'I'm at the Aviation Heritage Centre at RAF East Kirkby,
0:13:33 > 0:13:39'where I'm meeting John Bell, a veteran of 617 Squadron,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41'the famous Dam Busters!'
0:13:41 > 0:13:46John, hi, I'm Si, very, very nice to meet you, sir. How are you?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48- You too, very well, thank you, lovely to see you.- Jolly good.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Good grief! Wow, what a machine.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- Yes, huge when you're standing underneath it, isn't it?- Yes.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57'This is Lancaster bomber Just Jane.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01'It was in planes just like this that the Dam Busters flew
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'their famous mission to destroy German dams
0:14:04 > 0:14:06'with the ingenious bouncing bombs.'
0:14:07 > 0:14:12John joined the legendary squadron a few months after that very raid.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16- What was your role?- Well, I was the bomb aimer.- Of the crew?- Yes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21- The bomb aimer would have sat here at the front, I guess, is that right?- Yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- And lying down! - Right.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28In my case, 6'4 in a 5' space. I was kneeling.
0:14:28 > 0:14:306'4 in a 5' space!
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- That's right.- What a clever man!
0:14:34 > 0:14:36A little curling up was necessary.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I'm sure it was, I'm sure it was. For how long?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41As long as it takes.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- Really?- Yeah.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46So Dave and I, we do a little bit of cooking, so if you were
0:14:46 > 0:14:49up in the air for a good while, what would you eat?
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Well, you'd have a flying meal before you took off, eggs and bacon,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56one egg and bacon, and when you got back, if you were lucky,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59if you came back, you got another egg and bacon.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02There was always a joke amongst us, the crews, that you would say
0:15:02 > 0:15:06to somebody, "If you don't come back, can I have your egg?"
0:15:06 > 0:15:08And you know, that was the attitude.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10How many hours in the air did you spend?
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Altogether 700 hours, flying hours,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16altogether in my log book. And probably as many in the pub.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The man who now looks after this fine old lady
0:15:22 > 0:15:24is museum manager Andrew Panton.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- Andrew, hi, very nice to meet you. - Hi, there.- I'm Si and this is John.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31He knows a lot about Lancasters.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33- It's got four Merlin engines.- Yes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36They weigh just over a ton each with the propeller blades on,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38here it weighs about 19 tonnes, and when it's all manned up,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41fuelled up and bombed up, it weighs about 35 tonnes.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45It's like Top Trumps! It's brilliant isn't it? It's great.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Now I've got a fact-bomb of my own to drop.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52The Lancaster flew 156,000 missions,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56dropping over 600,000 tonnes of bombs, making it
0:15:56 > 0:15:58the war's most successful bomber.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06Is there any possibility of a very large northern chap
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- getting in and having a look round? - Yep.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I think we'll get you into one of the most famous positions
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- of the aircraft, and that's the tail turret.- Tail turret? - JOHN CHUCKLES
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Now why do you laugh? You laughed there!
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Well, it's restricted space, but I look forward to seeing you in there!
0:16:23 > 0:16:27It's known for being extremely tight, not a lot of space in there.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Great. Right, well I'm up for it, I'm up for it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37We refer to it as a "reverse TARDIS", so it's a
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- lot smaller on the inside than what you expect it to be.- Yeah, it is!
0:16:42 > 0:16:45"Just Jane" is just one of two surviving war-built
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Lancasters left in Britain.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51And the other one isn't any bigger either.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Wah! Crumbs.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56It's not what you would call first-class, is it?
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I'm now in the most dangerous seat on the Lancaster,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and it belonged to the tail gunner.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08How many hours Andrew would the men be here?
0:17:08 > 0:17:10So, an average flight would be anywhere from
0:17:10 > 0:17:12six-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half hours.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Down there, the gunner had a life expectancy of about 40 hours.
0:17:17 > 0:17:1840 hours?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Yep, 40 flying hours.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26So, OK, the guns are inactive, the aeroplane's going down,
0:17:26 > 0:17:27it's complete and utter chaos...
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- Your parachute is behind you in the fuselage.- Yes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35You would bring it into you, rotate the turret 90 degrees,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37clip the parachute on and roll out backwards.
0:17:39 > 0:17:40I've now got to rotate it.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48I can now feel what can only be described as a bit of a draft.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53Don't worry, the rear gunner escaped from the turret
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- and all you've got to do then is pull the cord, ripcord. - That's ALL you've got to do?!
0:17:56 > 0:17:58After you've got out.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I can't get my head round it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Their life expectancy, sat in this seat, was 40 hours.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15It's a sobering thought that 55,500 men
0:18:15 > 0:18:18from Bomber Command were killed during World War II,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and only one in six men were expected to survive
0:18:21 > 0:18:23the required 30 missions.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27John Bell was one of the lucky few.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32What was that strength and commitment to the war effort?
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Was it, "We are right and they are wrong?"
0:18:36 > 0:18:42- Yes, it was duty, belief in... Belief in survival.- Yes.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45We all thought, "We are going to survive, we're going to get through."
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Yes, of course.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And many didn't. But some of us did.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53And a lot of the time, you would enjoy
0:18:53 > 0:18:56the time on the ground with your crew and other people,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58you're not always in the air, you enjoy
0:18:58 > 0:19:01the off-duty moments and you let your hair down.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03And where might those off-duty moments be?
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Well, the local pub...
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Really(?!)
0:19:06 > 0:19:07..could be the answer.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09THEY LAUGH
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Well, I think what is phenomenally interesting, is that
0:19:14 > 0:19:20- the pub is quintessentially part of our British culture.- Yes.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22And long may it continue.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Definitely. Definitely. I quite agree.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Same here. Do you fancy a pint, then?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I do indeed. Why don't we go for one?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Should we?- Yes. - After you, sir.- Thank you.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40And there's one special pub that would welcome John with open arms,
0:19:40 > 0:19:46a pub dedicated to his 617 Dam Buster Squadron.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48It's time to meet some locals who love their local.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56The Dam Busters Inn in Scampton is the much-loved local of couple Heather and Nigel.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59We've been coming here for about five years. We love The Dam Buster Inn
0:19:59 > 0:20:03because it is a typical British... English country pub.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Great welcome when you first arrive. Great atmosphere.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Very important to the local community.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Close connections with RAF Scampton, and of course you're
0:20:13 > 0:20:17surrounded by fantastic Dam Buster and Bomber Command memorabilia.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And if you've never seen the Dam Busters film,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23here's a quick history lesson.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Chocks away, Si!
0:20:25 > 0:20:29The Dam Busters were a special secret squadron formed in 1943
0:20:29 > 0:20:32at RAF Scampton to bomb three vital German dams.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Led by the fearless Wing Commander, Guy Gibson VC, they flooded
0:20:39 > 0:20:42the Ruhr Valley, causing great disruption to the German war machine.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- IN POSH TONE:- "Permission to land, sir."
0:20:44 > 0:20:47"Bravo, Kingy! Permission granted."
0:20:49 > 0:20:55Landlord Greg's father and grandfather served in Bomber Command.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Dad's 91.
0:20:56 > 0:21:0025 raids, 463 Squadron from Waddington.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03My grandfather did 85 raids.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06When Greg opened the pub six years ago,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09he started his Dam Buster and Bomber Command collection.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And Nigel and Heather decided that they would
0:21:12 > 0:21:14do their bit for their local.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- This is the... - Got all the photographs....
0:21:16 > 0:21:18..commemorative wall, of the Dam Busters,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21which was put up for the 70th anniversary.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Everybody knew about Lancasters, everybody knew about dams
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and what the Dam Busters did, but nobody could put
0:21:27 > 0:21:30the names to the faces, which we felt was very important,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- so we decided to start, you know, putting it all together, didn't we? - Mmm.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38So we spent about four or five weeks trying to trace the photos of
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- as many as we could.- Yeah.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Very, very proud of it, yes.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46To see all the people that come in the pub and want to
0:21:46 > 0:21:50learn more about it and what they take from it...
0:21:50 > 0:21:51Glad we did it, definitely.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Even the beer honours the Dam Busters.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00There's Hoppy Hopgood, after one of the brave pilots,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02or Final Approach.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Mine's a Bomber's Moon, thanks!
0:22:04 > 0:22:05This tastes really good actually.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08You sound surprised, Nigel!
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- I'm not surprised!- Not surprised! - Not surprised in the slightest, I can assure you.- No.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14We try and get in at least once a week.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It is a nice place to relax and the locals are very friendly.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19We get a lot of old veterans from various different
0:22:19 > 0:22:23parts of the world who had something to do with Bomber Command.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27You realise what they sacrificed and you need to keep the story alive.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29I'll raise a glass to that!
0:22:29 > 0:22:34To the heroes of 617 Squadron, we salute you!
0:22:34 > 0:22:35- Cheers!- Cheers.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Cheers from the Dam Buster Inn!
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Back on our World War Two pub crawl,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47we've returned to Woodhall Spa, where we're treading in the
0:22:47 > 0:22:52footsteps of some of those magnificent men from 617 Squadron.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56The Dam Busters didn't just fly their heroic missions
0:22:56 > 0:22:57out of RAF Scampton, you know.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59No, in 1944, Dave,
0:22:59 > 0:23:04617 squadron was reassigned here, to RAF Woodall Spa.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And this pub, the Bluebell Inn,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09it became their local, right to the end of the war.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13- IN POSH VOICE:- Well, that being the case, fancy a bit of a snifter, Ginger? Carry on!
0:23:14 > 0:23:18The Bluebell Inn dates back to 1257.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24During the war, it served pints to the four squadrons from the local base.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27We're meeting historian Jim Shortland to find out how
0:23:27 > 0:23:31this pub keeps its links to Bomber Command alive.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Jim, what a wonderful place, it's just like stepping back in time!
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It is. It is almost as though
0:23:37 > 0:23:41the time's stood still for the wartime period.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44- Yeah, it's beautiful. It is, it's beautiful.- Absolutely fascinating
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- You can feel the history here. - You can, you can.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48'And you know what, Dave,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51'there's a bit of living history in these very walls.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Well, the ceiling, to be precise.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Jim, you can't help but notice that the ceiling is
0:23:58 > 0:24:00covered in signatures. What's the story behind this?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Well, these were aircrew and groundcrew signatures
0:24:03 > 0:24:06from when the squadron were based here at Woodall Spa.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09So the tradition was that you came in, you had a pint,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- and you signed your name on the ceiling?- Yeah.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But some of the boys that didn't come back
0:24:14 > 0:24:17that signed it originally, of course, they're now glossed over.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21History suffered a DIY disaster
0:24:21 > 0:24:23when the ceiling was painted over in the '50s.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26But many airmen returned to sign again,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29including one with a right royal connection.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31No, not you, Kingy!
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Perhaps one of the most famous, is Prince William,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39who when he was learning to fly out of Cramwell College,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44came here and he signed the ceiling, just behind on your left-hand side.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Well, there you go.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50But it's the ordinary airmen of Bomber Command that are still
0:24:50 > 0:24:52the real attraction.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54You're so right, Si.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57It's a cracking place for proud families of the Bomber Command
0:24:57 > 0:25:00to track down their own bit of history.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04People will be here to see their father or perhaps their grandfather.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08There is nothing like it in the world.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Luckily, this pub has a loving landlady, who for over two years
0:25:12 > 0:25:15has been custodian of this legacy.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18What I do love, is when the veterans come through the door,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20there are certain veterans that they just have this lovely
0:25:20 > 0:25:23glint in their eye, and you can see that, you know,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26they've misted over and it takes them right back.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30- It wasn't all bad memories, it was a lot of good memories for them as well.- Yeah.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32- I met John Bell earlier... - Oh, yes, John.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35..and he was saying that the closer you got home,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38the more you thought about the pub, the more you thought about the pint...
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- That's right.- ..because you thought, "That's one I've survived, good!"
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And that is exactly it, that they'd survived and they were back
0:25:46 > 0:25:51and so it was, you know, hands up to that and a good pint.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56But for the lads who didn't make it back,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59the pub has a poignant tribute.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I've noticed that in the gaps in the wood here,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- there are coins shoved in. Old pennies.- That's right.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Because knew they were going off on a sortie,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10they would put a couple of pennies in the beam,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14and that would pay for their beer, the next night. Whenever they came
0:26:14 > 0:26:17back in the pub, they'd think, "Right, take my money out," and that was it.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20They soon realised that some of them weren't returning, and so
0:26:20 > 0:26:24the ones that didn't return, when the guys came into the pub that night,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26they would bang their pennies into the beam.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36We always like to think of that as being their memorial,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- and to me, that was their last good night out.- Yes.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44It's a valid a war memorial as a marble cenotaph, isn't it?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46- Yes, yes.- Oh, absolutely, absolutely.- Yes, it is.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Well, you run a marvellous pub, with an amazing history.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Thank you. We're very passionate about keeping their memories alive.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Turns out Shirley's cooked up another wartime reminder.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05- Cor, summat smells good, Shirley! - Aah!
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Rationing made it difficult for pubs to serve food,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10'but there was one un-rationed animal that was nutritious,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13'tasty and rather good at procreation.'
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Rabbits breed very well and so people used to keep rabbits and
0:27:17 > 0:27:21would breed lots of rabbits, and obviously breed them for the pot.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- The say that about Geordies, don't they? "Breed like rabbits." - They do.- There you are.- Exactly.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30- Well, there's nowt much to do, it's dark a lot. - LAUGHTER
0:27:30 > 0:27:32So, what do you think of the rabbit stew?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35I think it's lovely and I think it kind of symbolises the comfort
0:27:35 > 0:27:38that the pubs gave everybody, whether it was with the beer,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41with the company, and a nice plate of rabbit stew,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43and that's what pubs are for.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47'Listen up, Kingy! I feel a wartime classic coming on.'
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Shall we?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51One, two, three, four,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55# Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run!
0:27:55 > 0:28:01# Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run, you'll get by... #
0:28:01 > 0:28:04You know Dave, isn't it great to see such appreciation
0:28:04 > 0:28:07in Bomber County for the brave men and women of World War II?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10'Aye, and great to see the pubs that served THEM
0:28:10 > 0:28:15'while they served our country are still as popular in peacetime.'
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Lovely.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Cor, it's well thirsty work, meeting all these marvellous people, mate.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21Aye, it is, isn't it? It's lovely.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Here, I've got one for you.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Which, massive sci-fi blockbuster climax
0:28:26 > 0:28:28was inspired by the Dam Buster raids?
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I don't know, mate. Put me out of my misery.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Not it wasn't that, it was Star Wars, in the final
0:28:34 > 0:28:36attack on the Death Star!
0:28:36 > 0:28:38May the force be with you!
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Cheers!