I have recently written a book, Breaking the Dams, which is a biography of my uncle Sqn Ldr David Maltby, who was the 617 Squadron pilot who dropped the revolving depth charge which finally breached the Möhne Dam on Operation Chastise in May 1943. It has just been published by Pen and Sword.

David Maltby's father (my grandfather) was called Ettrick Maltby and was the owner and headmaster of a boys prep school near Hastings called Hydneye House. He retired from the school in 1955, selling the school to a Mr Gerald Brodribb. After my book was published, I was contacted by a man who was a pupil at Hydneye in the late 1950s. About ten years later, because the school was closing, he went to see Gerald Brodribb, who passed over to him some items given by Ettrick Maltby to the school when he retired. These included the wooden bombsight used by David's bomb aimer, John Fort, and two bits of navigation equipment, used by the navigator, Vivian Nicholson. Apparently David had given these to his father sometime between the dams raid and his death. There is also a letter from Ettrick Maltby explaining what these are.

These have been in the same private collection for over 40 years and have rarely been shown to anyone. It is thought that this is in fact the only original wooden bombsight which survived the war. All the others on display are reconstructions that have been made since.

The pictures of the bomb sight and navigation equipment, and details of my book, are now on my website:

Gallery

Anyone who would like more details is welcome to contact me

Charles Foster