Personnel from RAF Wittering have laid a wreath beneath the waves of the Gibraltar coast during Exercise Chariot Rock.

RAF Divers Remember Liberator Fallen

24 April 2013

Personnel from RAF Wittering have laid a wreath beneath the waves of the Gibraltar coast during Exercise Chariot Rock.

The wreath was laid in memory of those killed in the crash of a Liberator bomber on 4 July 1943. This bomber was carrying General Wladyslaw Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister in exile at the time, and his family back to the UK from a morale raising visit to Polish troops serving in the Middle East with the 8^th Army.
Flt Lt Tim Taylor (51) from Bristol who laid the wreath, said:
“A key objective of Ex Chariot Rock was to remember those that have gone before and I am delighted that we were able to do that today.”
WO Goodwin (47) from Falmouth who accompanied him, added:
“The site of the crash is very close to Spanish waters and a Gibraltar Port Police launch kept a close eye on the expedition throughout the day’s diving.”
The Sub Aqua Diving expedition, Exercise Chariot Rock took place in Gibraltar over Easter. Using the excellent facilities at Gun Wharf a team from RAF Wittering, Marham and Coningsby Sub-Aqua Clubs spent 2 weeks diving a variety of wrecks around the peninsula.
Gibraltar has a rich and varied maritime history, much of it tied to our own. It was to Gibraltar that Nelson’s fleet recovered after the Battle of Trafalgar. The bay where Nelson’s body was landed after the battle was one of the dive sites and has in the past turned up ink wells dating back to the Napoleonic Wars period. The conditions in the water were on a par with the UK in the summer, the weather out of the water more than making up for the limited visibility.
Editor: Flt Lt Donald Earl
RAF/MOD Crown Copyright 2013