Councillors vote against plans to move RAF Dambusters dog from Scampton in Lincolnshire

The black Labrador became a mascot for 617 Squadron, based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Credit: ITV

Councillors have unanimously voted against proposed plans to exhume the body of a dog buried at the former home of the famous Dambusters squadron.

RAF Heritage put in an application to West Lindsey District Council for listed building consent which would allow the group to remove the grave and the memorial to the dog. They hoped to move it to RAF Marham in Norfolk.

But in an extraordinary planning meeting held at the Lincolnshire Showground, the planning committee unanimously rejected the proposal, as recommended by council officers. 

Dozens of people attended the public meeting, which heard from a range of speakers including Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh and Keith Batty from Scampton Heritage Group. 

Following the meeting, Sir Edward Leigh MP said:

"We need to preserve the heritage of RAF Scampton so that we can make it a world-class visitor centre. So you can't start taking the grave of the dog away because that is part of Guy Gibson's past and it is what people want to visit, along with the hangars and the rest of the airfield. 

"The bigger picture here is that the RAF doesn't want this dog's grave next to an illegal migrant camp, that's the real reason for this application, so we were standing up and fighting for what we believe in, which is a proper future for this site."

More than 6000 people signed a petition against the proposal. Scampton parish councillor Melanie Newham, who set up the petition, said she was delighted that it was rejected.

"I am absolutely thrilled, I couldn't be happier. That dog's grave is one of the last bits of heritage we have left at RAF Scampton. The dog lived there, died there and should be left to rest in peace there and I am glad everybody agreed."

Wing Commander Guy Gibson gave specific instructions for how his dog should be buried. Credit: Gordon Anthony/MoD/PA

Almost 200 objections were submitted to the proposal from residents in Lincolnshire but also as far afield as North Yorkshire, London and Scotland.

It came ahead of plans for RAF Scampton to be used as a centre for asylum seekers.

The black Labrador became a mascot for 617 Squadron, based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, but died on the eve of their decisive raid on German dams in 1943.

Historic England said the dog’s grave was deliberately placed at Scampton because of its association with the Dambusters.

In a statement the group said: "The dog’s role as a mascot, its life and death and deliberate burial adjacent to No 2 hangar, is part of the history and significance of the listed hangars."

A report from the council’s planning officer said there were "no identified public benefits that would outweigh the level of substantial harm" caused by the proposal to move the grave.

The plans to use RAF Scampton as a site for up to 2,000 asylum seekers are themselves controversial.

The base had been earmarked for a £300 million regeneration project.

West Lindsey District Council has taken legal action to block the proposals, describing them as "irrational".

At a High Court hearing in May, a judge ruled against the council after lawyers asked for an interim injunction preventing the Home Office from moving “materials, equipment or people” onto the land, pending a final ruling.

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