Lot 71
Barnes Wallis





The Petra Collection of Medals to the 22nd Foot (The Cheshire Regiment) & Other Properties | M26001
Auction: 12 February 2026 10:30 GMT
Description
The Unique pair of binoculars that Sir Barnes Wallis gave to Sir Michael Redgrave during the filming of The Dambusters film in 1955. The binoculars are engraved with a plaque reading "Michael Redgrave CBE – From Barnes Wallis CBE – I Used These At Reculver In 1943", referring to the location in Kent where Sir Barnes tested his bomb designs., very fine (1)
Sir Barnes Wallis, the mastermind behind the bouncing bombs used in the legendary Dambusters raid,
Sir Barnes himself referenced these tests in a 1951 speech, describing how he used a small catapult to fire marbles at the surface of the water to determine the physics needed to make a bomb bounce.
Sir Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb was designed to skip over a series of torpedo nets so it could reach and destroy its target. The Dambusters raid, officially known as Operation Chastise, took place on the night of 16/17 May 1943.
It saw 19 Lancaster bombers from RAF Scampton take off on a mission to destroy the Möhne, Edersee and Sorpe dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley, a critical industrial region.
Using Sir Barnes's revolutionary bouncing bombs, the crews flew at an incredibly low altitude of just 60 feet above the water, releasing the bombs at the perfect moment to skip across the surface, avoiding torpedo nets, and strike their targets.
The resulting damage crippled Germany's water supply and disrupted its war production efforts.
The mission's success came at a steep cost. Fifty-three of the 133 airmen did not return, a survival rate of just over 60%.
Despite the losses, the raid went down in history as one of the Royal Air Force’s most spectacular and daring feats, immortalised in the 1955 film The Dam Busters.
The binoculars are engraved with a plaque reading "Michael Redgrave CBE – From Barnes Wallis CBE – I Used These At Reculver In 1943", referring to the location in Kent where Sir Barnes tested his Bouncing Bomb designs.





