Severn Trent shone a spotlight on our Dambusters heroes by lighting up Derwent Dam in red, white and blue during VE Day commemorations.

The famous 617 squadron flew secret practice missions with a new ‘bouncing bomb’ over the waters of the famous Peak District site in 1943, ahead of successful raids on German dams.

And last night – 6^th May - Severn Trent lit up the huge dam walls in red, white and blue colours - as well as shining images of Lancaster bombers on its two towers.

The poignant scenes were part of an evening of national events where historic buildings, including Buckingham Palace and Downing Street, were lit up to mark the 80^th anniversary of VE Day.

Neil Morrison, HR Director and Lead for Derbyshire at Severn Trent said: “We were honoured to pay tribute to the Dambusters during this special national event.

“We are so proud our Derwent Dam played a part in the Dambusters story and wanted to recognise the bravery of all those involved, and the sacrifices made by so many during this mission and the Second World War.

“We are a huge supporter of our armed forces and employ many veterans, a number of whom have helped us arrange our VE Day commemoration events.”

RAF Group Captain John Butcher, a former 617 Squadron Commanding Officer, said: “This commemoration event honours the Allied victory in Europe and the sacrifice of those who fought for peace and freedom, but especially the brave aviators of 617 Squadron who trained over the dam before their famous Operation Chastise mission in 1943 to attack German dams, a crucial turning point in World War II.”

The lighting of Derwent Dam took place on 6^th May 2025, and will not be lit up on any other night.

The Dambusters raid was carried out on the nights of 16^th and 17^th May in 1943.

British military had identified dams in the German Ruhr valley as strategic targets to badly damage Nazi industrial capability at the height of the war.

Days before the raids the Dambusters flew top-secret practice sorties in preparation for the raids at Derwent Dam.

The RAF lost 56 aircrew after eight bombers were shot down during the daring missions, which saw two dams breached, flooding the valley, while key power stations were also destroyed.

Aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis had designed the bouncing bomb, which had to be deployed at low level to skim across the waters. He developed the 9,000lb bomb in the shape of a cylinder, which created the vital backspin needed to reach the dams before exploding.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson led the Dambusters and was later awarded the Victoria Cross and became the most highly decorated British serviceman at that time.  He completed over 170 war operations before being killed in action at the age of 26.

The last survivor of Operation Chastise, Sqn Ldr George "Johnny" Johnson, died aged 101 in December 2022

In 2018, the Dam was the site of a special flyover, as part of the 75th anniversary of the Dambuster raids and 100th anniversary of the RAF.

The bravery of the Dambusters was immortalised in 1955 film The Dam Busters, starring Richard Todd who played Guy Gibson and Michael Redgrave, who played Barnes Wallis.