Being sad I got old of an original RAF belt buckle for scale … from the pictures I would say the right wrist case is only about 21mm dia - so a locket / lucky charm - maybe a memento from his late Mother is the most probable I think. I something like a CK1219 or a UK2292 on his left wrist but impossible to be sure. Both probably ended up buried with him.

 

I agree that is a big part of the reason - but also maybe the amount of explosives needed. The bouncing bomb / depth charge was 4196kg of which 2994kg was explosive (72%). If you look at a bomb like the tall boy that was 5400kg with 2400kg explosive (44%). You loose space for aerodynamics plus greater strength case needed for the speed at release / terminal speed. With a torpedo you would also need motors and propellant. The mine was a clever way of reaching the target with minimum moving parts and maximum space for explosives + a low speed release / terminal speed. The planes were already reaching the limits of what they could carry.
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Interestingly in the last few days the Polish military have had to try and diffuse an unexploded Barnes Wallis tall boy bomb in a canal. It was from the attack which sunk the German cruiser Lützow late in WW2. The bomb actually exploded (they had planned for that risk so thankfully nobody was injured). 74 years on it was still bloody lethal and you really get the scale of what even 2400kg of high explosive can do - that alone 2994kg which was used in the Bouncing Bomb. The initial attacks and unexploded bomb also shows the issues with accuracy and complexity which the bouncing bomb concept helped to overcome on the Dam attacks - plus also jumping the net defences.
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British engineering

 

At least it is better than British electrical.

 

Yeah, yeah.

I worked for part of Lucas, we knew how to make reliable products, just not for the price car manufacturers were prepared to pay. From the car companies' point of view paint & trim options were what sold cars, not how it was going to be working in 5 years time.

FTAOD I worked on brakes on a drawing-board for Girling (part of Joseph Lucas Group). Anyone with a mid-late 1970's Land-Rover should beware of the instructions I was given to redesign their brakes

 

We've had two MGs in the family, an MGA 1600 and a MGB. Both had intermittent ignition failures. Both had the same problem, a tear in the paper insulating layer under the points. You could get a rain drop under the hood and they'd short out. A simple fix but a problem pretty much unique to the MGs.

 

More like British chemistry. Cordite, Torpex and similar propellants and explosives used by the British were totally waterproof. These can lay on the ocean floor for centuries without degrading to any significant extent. Unfortunately that also meant that putting out a magazine fire was almost impossible. The Royal Navy lost a number of capital ships due to that. The Japanese ripped off the British explosive formulas and also suffered the loss of a number of their major warships ships due to accidents as well as to enemy action setting the magazine ablaze.

 

I understood that a reason they used the bouncing bomb was that it would end up tight against the dam wall and then sink and not explode until it was at the base of the dam where the water pressure would help the destructive effect. Torpedoes would explode at a much shallower depth.

This comes from the film which I haven't seen for years so don't take it a gospel truth!

 

Essentially correct. It wasn't the actual pressure of the water (in psi or Pa) but the effect of having water only on one side of the explosion and nothing other than the target to act as the opposite reaction. The latest research on that operation was published in 2019 by author Max Hastings under the title Chastise (ISBN 978 0 00 828052 9).

 

Going back to watches I have noticed something else. When researching Guy Gibson I kept getting hits from the black and white 1955 Dam Busters film with Richard Todd. Todd parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and saw heavy action himself so I imagine out of respect he took playing the part of Gibson very seriously. Low and behold in the film he is often wearing some form of charm, locket or small watch on his right wrist as well as a watch on his left. This makes me think someone back then must have known the significance? I have attached some pictures from the film. Also interested to know what watch Todd wore in the film....
Again crazy to note Gibson was only 24 when he commanded the raid. Todd was around 12 years older when he made the film.

 

There does seem to be a significant similarity, comparing the photos of Gibson, and Todd.

Perhaps you could confine your research in a different way. Reach out to the Imperial War Museum, biographers, family members?

Worth a look.

 

I think it is a bit chicken and egg (big eggs). A 30 ton bomb dropped from height even 50 feet from the wall would have done the job - but that would have needed a new aircraft / nothing could carry 30 tons. From the 1955 film script a 10 ton bomb 50 feet from the wall at 30 foot depth did no damage as water dispersed the shock wave. A 5 ton bomb at 30 feet tight to the wall was able to make a breach / the water helped direct the charge. The bouncing bomb concept ticked a lot of boxes and more of the mass could be explosive as mentioned before. The downside was flying at 232 MPH directly into enemy fire on a dead straight course at only 60 feet / 18 metres in a four engined bomber. 8 planes and 53 crew lost from the 19 / 133 men which set out on the mission. Of the 80 men who survived, like Gibson many died on subsequent missions. Only 48 out of the 133 survived the war - terrifying odds.

 

Great mind think alike :0) - I have had some contact with a relative of a crew member last week. They have some interesting info but I cant post that yet / possible copyright issues. The underlying mystery remains which might not be a bad thing - keeps the memory going.

 

Great thread, just to add a little to the Guy Gibson story.
My friend has Guy Gibsons Log book, which details his schedule of training and the bombing runs, plus plenty of other notes.
On the day he received the VC, there is a little note "got VC today" and then it simply carries on with his "normal" daily notes about his day.
Amazing book, should really be in the Imperial War Museum.

 

Wow - given the number of missions there must be a lot of data. 100% they should think about getting it scanned and put online. I am sure one of the museums would do that even if they retained the original. Thanks for the info.

 

My research has stalled a bit but I might have another shot at it before Xmas - I also get distracted as there are some many amazing stories and characters from that time period. I came across these photos of Wing Commander Brendan Eamonn Fergus (Paddy) Finucane with wrist watch.
33 victories puts him amongst the top UK aces. Sadly another who did not survive the war. Wing Commander DSO, DFC and 2 Bars... he died aged just 21.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Finucane
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The answer was to flood the magazines in the event of fire, thus removing the oxygen, an action which was ordered In HMS Lion at the Battle of Jutland by Major Francis Harvey of the Royal Marines. He did not survive but saved the ship, unlike three other battle cruisers which were destroyed by magazine fires. Harvey was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

 

After a lot of reading and research I have managed to identify the second ‘watch’ worn by Dam Buster - Wing commander Guy Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, who was killed on active service aged just 26 on his 170th operational flight. Not only was he taking as much and often more risks on his many missions – as a senior officer he was personally writing to and meeting the families of those who were not returning. His brother and sister-in-law gave him a gold watch (I could not find the brand) and his reaction was gracious – but he also chastised them as it was a waste of money since he was unlikely to survive the war. He once drove a WAAF home after she was widowed for the second time when her husband did not return – the amount of stress he must have soaked up is unbelievable. After the Dam raids he was also used on UK and international PR tours with statesman such as Churchill and high-ranking military officials – being expected to give positive speeches and address huge crowds to encourage support for the war effort. The stress of flying operational flights, the psychological pressures of dealing with the huge crew losses and the physical strain of intensive speaking tours with the top officials must have taken a huge toll on him. Perhaps that is why he kept going back to the high risk of operational flying – to escape in the fear and adrenaline of the moment doing what he was best at. It all took a toll on his health which explains why he has a hidden tissue up his sleeve in so many shots. He had awful upbringing with dreadful dysfunctional selfish parents - He had cut off all contact with his mother. Due to the pressures of the war his brief marriage was also failing (he was married to the RAF and winning the war at all cost). His school masters and the scouts gave him the home and guidance he craved for as a youth – so it is no surprise that he wore a Scout wrist band on his right wrist. After the Dams raid he also re-affirmed his Scouting oaths" at the 1st Tovil group HQ. There is a memorial there to members of the scout group who died in the war.
Cross referencing a lot of information overall Guy Gibson comes across as very decent hardworking brave and modest young man, true to his values - who was determined to see victory against the Nazi regime and was coping with overwhelming pressure. Had he survived the war he was very committed to helping make lasting peace for the world. A shame the first and second world wars took so many like him.
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Quite a feat to identify that bracelet, I’m impressed. Your research has obviously paid off, well done