Derwent Dam and Memorial 617 squadron

Construction of the neo-Gothic masonry dam began in 1902, led by Edward Sandeman, who also oversaw Howden Dam and earned the Telford Medal for his work. Stone for the dam was transported via a purpose-built railway from Bole Hill quarries. Over 1,000 workers lived in "Tin Town," with one preserved hut now a salon in Hope. Workers who died during construction were buried at Bamford Church.

The reservoir was filled in 1914, overflowing by 1916, with a capacity of 9.64 million cubic meters. Insufficient flow led to the diversion of the Alport and Ashop rivers from 1920–1931. This also supported Ladybower Reservoir construction between 1935–1945.

During the night of 16 on 17 may 1943 RAF 617 squadron bombed the Ruhr dams in Germany. Prior to this, the squadron had practised low level attacks on this similar dam at the Ladybower reservoir. In one of the turrets a memorial commemorates the practise flights and the attack on the Ruhr dams.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze