We were recently lucky enough to provide our health and safety expertise to the UK’s largest commemorative event marking the 75th anniversary of the Dam Busters raid. The event, which took place at The Royal Albert Hall on 17th May, was presented by Dan Snow and broadcasted to over 400 cinemas nationwide!
Featuring music from The Glenn Miller Band, the commemorative event also included a gala screening of the newly-restored British classic film ‘The Dam Busters’ with special guests such as Barnes Wallis’ daughter in attendance.
To ensure a safe event, we worked with all of the show’s contractors and suppliers to ensure that the necessary paperwork was filled out correctly, and one of our lovely representatives was on site all throughout the day to ensure a safe set-up and closing.
I have never heard the story…what’s it all about?
The Dam Busters raid was a World War II mission targeting the Möhne Dam in Germany. It was believed destroying the dam, which was strongly protected, would severely impact on Germany’s war production. It was hoped that a ‘bouncing bomb’, designed by British engineer Barnes Wallis, would skip across water and this was successfully used to destroy the dam.
One of the highlights of the show at The Royal Albert Hall was a live re-enactment of this scene…and therefore an opportunity for our knowledge to be utilised. Using a tennis ball machine and ten containers filled with water, Dr Hugh Hunt of University of Cambridge demonstrated the science behind the ‘bouncing bomb’. As you have probably already guessed, the experiment involved bringing a large amount of water on stage around electrical equipment and on stage contributors. The potential safety threat of this demonstration was a chief concern for us.
Here’s what our Managing Director, Andy had to say about the event… (as a military man himself!)
“Putting people first is essential in everything we do at Harrier. There was a concern about water being around lighting equipment but we took every precaution to ensure that the experiment was carried out safely for both the audience and hosts.
Having completed 9 years’ service in the RAF, this event is very close to my heart, so to be involved in it, working alongside the fantastic creativity of the Snappin’ Turtle team and in such a big and well-established venue such as The Royal Albert Hall, was very special. I’m incredibly proud of our team at Harrier for contributing to a successful and safe show to celebrate such an important moment in our country’s history.”
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Having provided health & safety expertise for a number of stand-out events in the past, we believe in a collaborative approach which puts people first. For more information about the support that we can provide, from event health and safety to high quality training perfect for small businesses, contact us today.