Abberton Reservoir gets blue plaque to highlight its role in WW2
The RAF 617 Squadron practiced dropping the ‘bouncing bomb’ at Abberton.
Abberton reservoir has received a blue plaque from the county's tourist board, highlighting the role it played during the Second World War.
The reservoir was the training ground for the Dambusters to test the 'bouncing bomb'.
The plaque was awarded by Visit Essex after a public vote in which the reservoir was nominated. It's part of the tourist board's Essex Day celebrations to mark historic events in the county.
The RAF 617 Squadron practiced dropping the ‘bouncing bomb’ at Abberton before their dare devil flights on targets in the Ruhr valley. The 1955 film ‘The Dam Busters’ was based on their mission.
The judging panel for the plaque was made up of BBC Essex presenter, Ben Fryer, Chair of Visit Essex Mark Durham, plus Visit Essex’s Tourism and Place Marketing Manager, Lisa Bone.
Chair of Visit Essex, Councillor Mark Durham, explains: “617 Squadron’s raids on German dams using the bouncing bombs made a significant contribution to World War II. Abberton Reservoir played an important role in an iconic moment of British history, and we’re delighted to be able to mark this with a blue plaque.”
Abberton Reservoir is managed by Essex and Suffolk Water. They were very happy to receive the blue plaque.
Kieran Ingram, Water Director, said: “We are thrilled that the generous public of Essex recognised the historic role that Abberton Reservoir played in the Second World War. It is a small part of Essex history that many are not aware of, so we’re very grateful to the judging panel for helping us highlight it.”