Extraordinary meeting over plan to exhume Dambusters dog's grave at RAF Scampton

The application by RAF Heritage, submitted in May, asks to remove the grave and the memorial to the dog and move it to RAF Marham in Norfolk. Credit: PA

An extraordinary meeting is to be held over controversial plans to exhume the body of a dog buried at the former home of the famous Dambusters squadron.

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.

As per the wishes of his owner, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the dog was buried in the grounds of the Grade II-listed Hangar 2.

But RAF Heritage has now applied to West Lindsey District Council for listed building consent which would allow the group to remove the grave and the memorial to the dog and move it to RAF Marham in Norfolk.

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

Dozens of people are expected to object to the move when it is discussed at a council meeting on Wednesday.

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RAF Heritage said the grave should be moved because there was "no guarantee of a sustainable heritage-focused future for Scampton".

The group said the grave faced further risks because the dog's name was a racial slur.

Spokeswoman Erica Ferguson said: "We believe the grave site is at risk and carries significant reputational risk given the racial slur now associated with the dog’s name.

“Ideally the grave would remain at Scampton as part of the important story in the location hugely significant parts of the RAF, and indeed the nation’s, story but the future is now too uncertain to recommend this course of action."

While the grave itself is not listed, the council has said consent is needed for any work to be carried out.

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

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

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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