Friday the 19 th September dawned dry but overcast …… another dry day! This was something of a
novelty for a Dambusters Charity Ride! The rain we had endured in 2013 all the way to and from the
Mohne Dam had been approaching biblical in proportion so a third dry day in a row was a very
welcome development! Today was the main event of our trip starting with a wreath laying at the Air
Force Memorial at the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek at 10.00am. All the riders were at the
museum by just shy of 10am except for Perry on his gorgeous yellow Ducati 996 and at first we
feared the worst …. but then we saw Perry on his yellow machine ride down the road past the
museum, and then he rode back the other way and then back again, and again! We took pity on him
and Steve Morris went down to the roadside to guide him into the car park! Then, after a few words
to camera for Geoff Meade of BFBS TV who had ridden all the way with us from East Kirkby John
Hughes, whose Uncle had piloted a Horsa glider into Arnhem back in 1944, did the honours with the
wreath. It was both moving and humbling.
Next stop was at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Oosterbeek at 1pm
where we planned to lay a wreath at the grave of Flt Lt David Lord VC.