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<rdf:Description rdf:about="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/3488">
    <dcterms:title><![CDATA[Interview with Jean Smith]]></dcterms:title>
    <dcterms:description><![CDATA[When the war began, Jean was working in the Ministry of Aircraft Production. She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in 1942 and did two months’ training at Innsworth camp. Jean was posted to 27 Operational Training Unit at RAF Lichfield, as secretary to the chief flying instructor. The aircrews were converting on to Wellingtons, and Jean recalls the large number of training accidents, often resulting in fatalities. She describes meeting her husband, Jock, at a dance and they eventually married in 1945. At RAF Lichfield, Jean speaks of the myriad preparations for the first 1000 bomber raid on Cologne in May 1942 and hearing the aircraft take off. She also recalls the effects of the RAF Fauld explosion in 1944. Jean contracted pneumonia and was posted to 93 Group headquarters in Derbyshire where she worked on secret matters for senior staff.  All leave was cancelled prior to D-Day and she recalls a lot of coded messages. She was posted to 3 and 5 Group in Grantham, working in a large country house, which were the former living quarters of Bomber Harris. Jean describes Jock’s time on Stirlings. He was a flight engineer in 90 Squadron in Suffolk and they carried out 32 operations, the first crew to get through their tour for ten months. Their operations included  dropping sea mines as well as dropping supplies for the French resistance in the Alps. She recounts how they had three engines fail and managed to land in a field near the airfield with a full bomb load. Another occasion saw Jock and three crew members injured when a Me 109 shot them underneath. They were also involved in two operations around D-Day. She shares their various superstitions, their nerves and how some realised they would not return.  Despite the often difficult conditions, it was a time when people came together with a common purpose. Jean describes how the WAAFs wanted greater involvement but the aircrew were quite protective.  Jean describes the difficulties after the war finished and outlines her cousin’s air force service from machine tool oiler and setter to commissioned bomb aimer. He was shot down and taken as a prisoner of war to Stalag Luft III, endured the long march and was eventually freed from the Russians. He tragically committed suicide after the war.  Jock and Jean emigrated to Australia.  Jean reflects on the poor treatment of Bomber Command after all its achievements.<br />
]]></dcterms:description>
    <dcterms:creator><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Adam+Purcell">Adam Purcell</a>]]></dcterms:creator>
    <dcterms:publisher><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=45&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=IBCC+Digital+Archive">IBCC Digital Archive</a>]]></dcterms:publisher>
    <dcterms:date><![CDATA[2016-03-12]]></dcterms:date>
    <dcterms:contributor><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Peter+Schulze">Peter Schulze</a>]]></dcterms:contributor>
    <dcterms:contributor><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Sally+Coulter">Sally Coulter</a>]]></dcterms:contributor>
    <dcterms:contributor><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Maureen+Clarke">Maureen Clarke</a>]]></dcterms:contributor>
    <dcterms:rights><![CDATA[This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.]]></dcterms:rights>
    <dcterms:format><![CDATA[02:40:04 audio recording]]></dcterms:format>
    <dcterms:language><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=44&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=eng">eng</a>]]></dcterms:language>
    <dcterms:type><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Sound">Sound</a>]]></dcterms:type>
    <dcterms:identifier><![CDATA[ASmithJ160312, PSmithJ1601]]></dcterms:identifier>
    <dcterms:coverage><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Royal+Air+Force">Royal Air Force</a>]]></dcterms:coverage>
    <dcterms:coverage><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Royal+Air+Force.+Bomber+Command">Royal Air Force. Bomber Command</a>]]></dcterms:coverage>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Great+Britain">Great Britain</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=England--Staffordshire">England--Staffordshire</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=France">France</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Alps">Alps</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Germany--Ruhr+%28Region%29">Germany--Ruhr (Region)</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Germany">Germany</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:spatial><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=81&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Germany--Cologne">Germany--Cologne</a>]]></dcterms:spatial>
    <dcterms:temporal><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=82&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1942">1942</a>]]></dcterms:temporal>
    <dcterms:temporal><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=82&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1942-05-30">1942-05-30</a>]]></dcterms:temporal>
    <dcterms:temporal><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=82&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1942-05-31">1942-05-31</a>]]></dcterms:temporal>
    <dcterms:temporal><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=82&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1943">1943</a>]]></dcterms:temporal>
    <dcterms:temporal><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=82&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1944">1944</a>]]></dcterms:temporal>
    <dcterms:temporal><![CDATA[<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=82&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1945">1945</a>]]></dcterms:temporal>
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