A GRAND DAUGHTER - WELCOME AMELIA

No 13 - ANTIQUE SHOPS and DAM BUSTERS

We spent a great few days around Horncastle. Nancy made herself busy making our cases heavier while Bryan checked out some local and aviation history.

 Jeanette and Gary, Heather and Mum have been to Horncastle before so will recognise some of these sites around Horncastle.
Left - High Street, the Admiral Rodney Hotel is straight ahead. More about the Rodney later.

Right -  A little thatched roof pub - The Lion.
Below - The Horncastle Square. In the past Horncastle was a centre for markets. More about them later. Look at the blue sky!!

Right - Smiling Nancy and her 'treasures'. She is hoping the baggage handlers do their job with care. HaHa

 High Street, Horncastle at the front of the Admiral Rodney Hotel. Admiral Rodney was a famous English Admiral. He was around at the same time that Joseph Banks was around. Although older than Banks, its almost certain they knew each other. Joseph Banks owned a large estate in this part of Lincolnshire that included the Admiral Rodney Hotel.
Up until the early 1900s when motor vehicles greatly reduced the need for horses, there were huge horse markets in Horncastle. Buyers and sellers came from far and wide. They all needed lodging, including the horses. For many centuries the Rodney was one of the main providers of this lodging.

The dining room at the Rodney. Gary, Jeanette and Heather may recall having a meal here in 2011 to celebrate Nancy's birthday.

Below - A lot of the horse trading happened at the rear of the Rodney in what is the current day car park.

We went to Woodall Spa which is not far from Horncastle. The RAF 617 Squadron were based here during WW2. They were also known as the Dambusters. The operated modified Lancasters which could carry special purpose bombs such as the 'bouncing bomb' which was used to destroy German dams walls. 

The two photos below relate to an incident during a take off of a heavily ladened Lancaster which had a 'close encounter' with the trees at the end of the runway as you can see in the photo on the left. In the photo on the right you can see a piece of branch mounted above the bar. That is the very same branch from the take off incident. It has been there ever since WW2. 

 Below are photos of a few of the paintings on the walls around the Petwood Hotel, which was the mess hall for the officers of Squadron 617.

Like all the bomber squadrons in WW2 they suffered heavy losses.

The giant German Battle ship the Tirpitz was the sister ship to the Bismark. The Allies were very keen for it not to get out into the Atlantic Ocean where it could causes much trouble for Allied shipping. Squadron 617 used special bombs to sink it in a Norwegian Fiord.

Right - Night take off with the dam busting bombs hanging below.

Below - Job done successfully.

 Left - Jan and Stuart came with us to the Woodall Spa.
Below - Jan and Stuart's house on the right. Nancy and Jan are standing in the shadows near the street light. The once vacant blocks opposite now have houses on them.

We are now sitting in a lounge at Heathrow Airport waiting for our flight home. We are taking a different route this time - via Hong Kong, Melbourne and then Darwin. 

Catch you back in Australia. Bryan and Nancy