THIS week there is a special anniversary marking the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters raid.

Operation Chastise, more commonly known as the Dambusters raid, was a large-scale attack on German dams during the Second World War, which took place overnight on May 16-17, 1943, and used the legendary bouncing bombs

Late on May 16, Wing Commander Guy Gibson led Squadron X, which Squadron 617 was known as, on a daring raid to destroy three dams in the Ruhr Valley in Germany. These dams were fiercely protected by torpedo nets in the water and anti-aircraft guns.

There were six targets of Mohne, Eder, Sorpe, Ennepe, Lister and Diemel dams and there were three waves of aircraft and crew, consisting of a total of 133 crew in 19 aircraft.

The Mohne and Eder dams – which were two of the three primary targets – were hit and caused flooding in the Ruhr Valley.

53 of the crew were killed in the raid and three were captured.

It was immortalised in the 1955 film of the same title which featured Carmarthenshire-born actor David Morrell, but the connection to west Wales goes much deeper because of the links to Pembrokeshire with bounbing bomb inventor Barnes Wallis.

In an article in the Western Telegraph on July 3, 1985, it was revealed that  Wallis carried out a test of a subsequent bouncing bomb in the autumn of 1943 in Maenclochog.

In the article, written by former Western Telegraph news editor Doris Goddard, a former British Telecom engineer Dewi Davies talks about the time he stood alongside Barnes Wallis as they watched a test.

Mr Davies, then 22 of Haverfordwest, had met a ‘special’ train at 6am in Clunderwen Station and at 9am he was instructed to cut one of the junctions between Narberth and Maenclochog, and extend the telephone line on this junctions towards Maenclochog, which at that time worked over the railway line.

He then travelled in his van to the point he was to meet the train around a mile south of Maenclochog. He transported film cameras and car batteries for a film crew to work on the other side of the valley.

The site was guarded by members of the Army in a circle.

Mr Davies then went back to the party and reconnected the telephone, which allowed for a phone call to be made to RAF Angle. He was with high-ranking service officers and a country gent – who turned out to be Mr Wallis himself.

When they were stood there, a ‘loud droning sound’ was heard, and they all turned to see a low-flying Mosquito aircraft with ‘a round ball spinning in its belly.’

The aircraft flew low over the railway line and jettisoned its load 100 yards in front of the spectators. The wooden ball span along the railway track and into the mouth of the Maenclochog Railway Tunnel, scoring a ‘direct hit.’

Mr Wallis ‘literally jumped for joy,’ according to Mr Davies. He believes he was the only civilian to witness the ‘high ball,’ a variation of the bouncing bomb, at the test.

“They dropped several of these wooden circular bombs,” said Mr Davies. “Two or three entered the tunnel and one bounced onto the field above the entrance of the tunnel.

“I well remember Barnes Wallis looked a typical country gent dressed in a tweed suit. He had the bottom part of his trousers tucked into his socks and wore very heavy shoes. He was exactly as Michael Redgrave depicted him in the film The Dambusters.”

He was then handed a £1 note by a Rear-Admiral and was told to ‘forget what he had seen.’

He told the Western Telegraph: “The previous day I had been called back to the office in Haverfordwest and told I would have to provide a telephone on a train that would be arriving in Clynderwen at about 6am the next morning.

“There were no other details except that I should be there early and carry out what work was instructed by staff on the train.

“I was also told that I could take my Post Office van to my home in Efailwen so that I could be at the station early. This in itself was very unusual.

“I arrived at Clynderwen Station to find that the staff knew nothing except that the mail train had been delayed for a special train. When it arrived the train, consisting of several coaches, one of which was an old Royal coach, was shunted into a siding.

“The first person I met was the GWR head guard. I remember he was dressed in a tail coat uniform. I connected the telephone which was linked to the Narberth Exchange. At the Exchange our travelling supervisor had been there all night to deal herself with calls on this special line.”

After the test, the wooden balls were collected by Army officials and burned to hide the evidence. Mr Davies was then invited back with the party to have tea in the old Royal coach.

“Afterwards, the Rear-Admiral gave me a £1 note, which was half a week’s wages, and told me to ‘forget all you have seen.’”

The test bombing was carried out by 618 Squadron who flew from RAF Angle.