Memories of the Dambusters' tests at the BRE

摘要

The BRE site has a fascinating history and Engineering Council delegates were amazed to see, over a stream, a l/50th scale model of the Mohne Dam. As seen in The Dam Busters film, this is one of the originals used for the wartime tests, and it still exists intact at BRE. It is now a listed building and can be visited by arrangement with BRE. The replica of the Mohne Dam in the grounds of the Building Research Establishment is a unique survival; it is the only test dam to survive from a small number built for the dam destruction experiments at Garston and as such is not only of national but also international importance. It gives testimony to the exhaustive nature of the top secret experimental bombing trials prior to the Dambuster raid on the Ruhr river dams in Germany. It also illustrates the multiplicity of tasks for which local construction companies as well as national scientific staff could be conscripted into during the course of World War II. The Dambuster raid is a world famous event. The secret trials prior to the event are, however, not so well-known.