Squadron’s dog to keep its name

The name of the dog featured in The Dam Busters will not be altered when a restored version of the 1955 film is screened in cinemas across the country, to preserve “historical accuracy”, the distributor has confirmed.

The film features a black Labrador, the mascot for RAF 617 squadron, called N-----. The war film by director Michael Anderson will play unedited in 400 cinemas tonight to mark the anniversary of the 1943 Dambuster mission. A statement from Studiocanal noted: “While we acknowledge some of the language used in The Dam Busters reflects some historical attitudes which audiences may find offensive, for reasons of historical accuracy we have opted to present the film as it was originally screened.”

The screening is accompanied with a talk by Dan Snow, the historian, who recounts the history of the attack on the Ruhr dams.