Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

RAF Lossiemouth reservist to raise funds in honour of 80th anniversary of daring Dambusters Raid

Clive Mitchell, stationed in Moray, will take on two fundraisers to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

raf fundraiser clive mitchell
Clive Mitchell and other riders taking on the Heritage Ride on May 13, Image: RAF Benevolent Fund.

A RAF Lossiemouth reservist is preparing to take part in a fundraiser to mark the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters Raid.

Former squadron commander Clive Mitchell is gathering keen cyclists to participate in a ride, raising funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

The event pays homage to the members of the RAF’s 617 Squadron, who targeted three dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley on May 16, 1943.

Also known as the Dambusters Raid, the operation was high risk, dropping the newly-developed bouncing bomb at a low altitude.

Of the 133 men that participated in the raid, 80 lost their lives and their sacrifice is memorialised in the annual Dambusters Ride.

Mr Mitchell, 59, is going further this year by taking on another fundraising effort by running more than 60 miles alongside his team of former 617 Squadron pilots.

Johnny Johnson, the last survivor of the original Dambusters of 617 Squadron. Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire.

‘Raise funds and mark this momentous anniversary’

Having been stationed to serve his country during the Gulf War and around the world, Mr Mitchell knows how hard military service can impact people and their families.

In honour of the 617 Squadron, he aims to raise £617, which will support the welfare needs of the RAF Family.

“Myself and the team are all on the wrong side of 50 but we all feel like it’s important to raise funds and mark this momentous anniversary.

“Some of us are even braving a marathon the week after the ride and are competing in the Cairngorm to Coast hike and bike event to raise further funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund.”

“The RAF Benevolent Fund is a cause I regularly support as it provides meaningful assistance to veterans and those still serving. I can guarantee that all my training and sweat is worth the hard work.”

The Dambusters Ride consists of a heritage ride in Lincolnshire, on May 13 and a virtual ride on May 20-21.

Conversation