PRESS RELEASE
January 2016
Are You One in a Million?
During WW2 over a million men and women, from over 60 different nations, served or
supported Bomber Command.
The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) is being built to ensure that their stories
are told and so that generations to come can learn of their bravery, dedication and the struggle
for recognition post-war.
The project, which was launched in 2013, unveiled the first physical element of the project, the
Spire Memorial and Walls of Names, in October 2015 with an audience of 2,600 guests
including 312 WWII Bomber Command veterans, thought to be the largest gathering since
1945.
The IBCC has already raised over £2 million in private donations and is awaiting the outcome
of an HLF delivery grant to cover the exhibition design, community engagement and digital
archive development costs. However, and most importantly, the Trust still needs to fund the
building of the Chadwick Centre, which will house the exhibition, archive and education
facilities
To raise the £3.8 million needed to build the centre the IBCC is launching a major fundraising
campaign with the support of celebrities such as Dan Snow, Carol Vordeman, Dame Judi
Dench and John Sergeant during January. Entitled “Are You One in a Million?”, the campaign
aims to get 1 million people to donate at least £3 plus gift aid.
Dan Snow, TV historian, said “There are few more deserving projects in the UK than the
International Bomber Command Centre. Lincolnshire needs a proper memorial to the service
personnel who faced appalling conditions as they did their bit to liberate Europe from fascism.
There is no other centre in Britain or any other country where the largely neglected history of
the bomber offensive can be preserved, gathered, curated, studied and debated. This centre
will be a world leader.”
January 2016 sees the 75th anniversary of the inaugural flight of the iconic Lancaster Bomber,
designed by Avro’s Chief Designer, Roy Chadwick. Over 7,000 of these aircraft were built
during WWII and adaptations were made to service the famous Dambusters raid and later to
carry the 12,000 Tallboy and 22,000 Grandslam bombs.
Today there are only two left flying in the world. PA474 flown by the RAF’s Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight and FM213 owned and operated by the Canadian Warbird Heritage Museum.
Thumper and Vera as they are more commonly known flew over the IBCC site for the 2014
Turf Cutting Ceremony along with their younger “sister” the Vulcan. This flypast was unique
and will never be repeated.
Chairman of the Trust, Tony Worth CVO says “All of those who served deserve recognition for
their unstinting sense of duty, bravery and sacrifice. Their story is an enormously complicated
one and includes not only those who served but those who supported them and those who
suffered as a result of the campaigns. These are the people that this project will bring to life
and honour. It will be an invaluable asset for the telling to future generations of the extent of
the contribution of all those involved in Bomber Command in the defence of our liberty”.
Donations can be made online at www.internationabcc.co.uk or via text to 70070 followed by
IBCC01 and the amount you wish to donate.
Ends
Note to Editors
For further information
Nicky Barr, Director
International Bomber Command Centre
E: nicky@internationalbcc.co.uk,
T: 07789 790457 or 01778 421420
The IBCC Media Centre, including images, media pack and the campaign header, is available
via the web site www.internationalbcc.co.uk/media
The International Bomber Command Centre is being created to provide a world-class facility to
serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command.
Currently no single national or international facility exists for individuals, organisations or
academics to access the consolidated history of the Command. It is therefore of significant
national importance that this is addressed and that the history and heritage of Bomber
Command is gathered and conserved for future generations.
Lincolnshire earned the title of “Bomber County” as the Headquarters of both 1 and 5 Groups
and a third of all the UK’s stations were based in the county. Many of the most well-known
operations flew from one of these 27 bases and a large percentage of all of the Command’s
losses flew out from them.
The Centre is situated on one of the Lincoln’s two hills providing direct views, across the
valley, to the historic Lincoln Cathedral. The Cathedral, renowned for being the tallest building
in the world until a fire destroyed its 80m spire which was on the central tower in 1548,
provided a landmark for crews both leaving and returning from missions and, for those who
failed to return, the Cathedral was often their last image of home.
More than 125,000 men served as aircrew in Bomber Command during the Second World War
and less than 70,000 returned - an attrition rate of 44.4%. Only 30% of those that flew got to
the end of the War without being killed, injured or taken prisoner of war. They were supported
by thousands of men and women who served in ground crew along with the Air Transport
Auxiliary, the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and many others.
In October 2014 the project was awarded an HLF development grant of £365,000.
The project will receive no Government support.
About the University of Lincoln
The University of Lincoln is a full partner in the International Bomber Command Centre and
has responsibility for delivering the Digital Archive, which sits at the heart of the project.
The University has around 13,000 students and 1,300 staff with campuses in Lincoln,
Riseholme and Holbeach. Capital investment over the last decade has exceeded £150 million.
Lincoln receives funding from major UK research councils and charities as well as European
grants and industry funds, and is home to world-leading researchers making profound
contributions to their subject areas.
The University is commended for its enhancement of student learning opportunities, driven by
its innovative Student as Producer project, and several of its courses rated among the best in
the country for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2014. Nine out of ten of
Lincoln's most recent graduates were in work or further study six months after finishing their
course, with two thirds in graduate level roles.
Lincoln was named among the top 10 modern universities in the UK by The Times and Sunday
Times Good University Guide 2015 and in the top half of all UK universities, having risen more
places than almost any other institution over the past six years. www.lincoln.ac.uk
About Dan Snow
Dan Snow is a historian, broadcaster and television presenter. He was born and raised in London, and
remembers spending every weekend of his childhood being taken to castles, battlefields, country
houses and churches. He developed a great love of history which he went on to pursue at Oxford
University. While there he also rowed in the Boat Race three times. He left Oxford and immediately
started presenting military history programmes with his father, Peter Snow. Their series, “Battlefield
Britain”, won a BAFTA award. He went on to make programmes around the world on a range of
historical topics. He has presented shows such as “Armada”, “Grand Canyon” and “Vikings”. He has a
regular slot on the ONE show on BBC1 and is also part of the BBC Events team presenting
anniversary programmes commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the landings
at Gallipoli in 2015. He has written or contributed to several books including ‘Death or Victory;’ the
story of the siege of Quebec in 1759, ‘The World's Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields’ and most
recently ‘The Battle of Waterloo Experience’. He has been an ambassador for the IBCC since 2014.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to
make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a
resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural
environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has
supported almost 36,000 projects with more than £6bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk.
@heritagelottery