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The headstone of a grave to the Dambusters' dog has been replaced - with no mention of its racist name.Wing Commander Guy Gibson used his dog's name - the n-word - as a code phrase to confirm which German dams they were bombing during the The black labrador retriever died after being hit by a car on the same night in 1943 as what was probably the most famous raid in the history of the 617 Squadron, based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.Almost 80 years on, his headstone has been removed from Scampton - and replaced with a gravestone that tells his story but without his name.A spokesman for the RAF said: "As part of an ongoing review of its historical assets, the RAF have replaced the gravestone of Guy Gibson's dog at RAF Scampton. “The new gravestone tells the story of Guy Gibson’s dog, but the name has been removed.” The current gravestone will be stored in a safe location while any next steps are considered. "Wing Cdr Gibson’s dog was much loved by the Dambusters and was killed while he was on a raid risking his life to defend our country. You can unsubscribe at any time.The grave of the Black Labrador at RAF Scampton, who belonged to Guy Gibson. A black explosive sniffer dog named Nigger served with a Royal Engineers mine clearance unit in 1944 during the Normandy Campaign. "They added the old gravestone is being kept in a safe location while the Air Historical Branch decides what to do with it.When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. They did delete this post though.RAF Scampton said that a review of its historical assets is ongoing, with a focus on “not giving prominence to an offensive term that goes against the ethos of the modern Royal Air Force.”An RAF spokesperson said: “As part of an ongoing review of its historical assets, the RAF have replaced the gravestone of Guy Gibson’s dog at RAF Scampton. "I am, however, very fearful of our ability today to erase or rewrite history. "Undoubtedly we are both more sensitive and more sensible today when it comes to the delicateness of racialist and derogatory terminology which had been used with unfortunate informality in the past," he wrote. They're removing history and you cannot do that, even if it's bad history"Now it's in a museum, I imagine it will be moved somewhere else. The past needs to be explained, taught about, and learned from - not rewritten. "Mr Twells added that he felt his father would have also disagreed with the decision. The RAF last month replaced the headstone of the dog which belonged to Wing Commander Guy Gibson and acted as 617 Squadron's mascot, at RAF Scampton because the animal's name … "The past needs to be explained, taught about, and learned from – not re-written," he wrote.
"My dad named the cat after that dog, if you did that nowadays I would be accused of being a racist. It’s just a great excuse for racists to push their racism under the cover of a dog’s name being changed.”However, Willa E Jamieson doesn’t believe the decision will be changed, saying: “The RAF commissioned the new stone as the racist slur on the old one does not represent what they stand for. The lake was the lake. "I think my father would be upset, but he was not a racist. "It's really easy to explain the word and the context with a plaque next to it. "An RAF source has told the Press Association news agency that the old gravestone would be stored in a safe location, while the Air Historical Branch considers its next steps.It is understood the decision was taken in order to not give prominence to an offensive word that goes against the modern RAF's ethos.The dog's name has been edited out of the famous 1955 film adaptation the squadron's heroic work, The Dam Busters, since the 1990s - or replaced with the name Trigger.Wing Commander Gibson's dog often accompanied him on training flights and was loved by the 617 Squadron and his former 106 Squadron.The beer-loving lab was buried at midnight on 16 May 1943, as Gibson led a low-flying raid on the dams.Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh, whose constituency includes Scampton, wrote to the RAF station commander saying he was concerned about history being rewritten.