On Thursday 24th July, the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC), Lincoln, will host the fifth International Bomber Command Day. This day offers a fitting tribute to the extraordinary achievements of countless young men and women over the 32 years Bomber Command was in operation around the world. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the official unveiling of the Memorial Spire.
The IBCC provides a world-class facility that acknowledges the efforts, sacrifices and commitment of the men and women from 62 different nations who served in Bomber Command during the Second World War. Bomber Command suffered the highest losses of any unit during the conflict, with every aircrew member a volunteer. The average age at death was only 23.
This will be the second occasion the Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir has been invited to perform at the service, and the choir is honoured and delighted to do so. The 2024 service was a splendid, poignant and dignified event, with RAF veterans and representatives from eight nations, resplendent in their uniforms, paying tribute and remembering the sacrifices made by a generation of skilled and courageous airmen and women.
All are welcome to attend the free annual Service of Remembrance at the Memorial, which will include hymns with the IBCC Orchestra, the Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir, poetry readings and a Roll of Honour for the veterans who have passed away in the last year. The service will be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony.
Family, friends and supporters are warmly invited to attend the Service of Remembrance, which begins at 2.00pm (please arrive by 1.30pm to ensure a prompt start). The postcode for the IBCC is LN4 2HQ, located 2.6 miles south of Lincoln city centre, near the villages of Canwick and Bracebridge Heath. Access to the site is from Canwick Avenue (B1131), opposite a Premier Inn and Beefeater Restaurant.