James Brown’s Royal Air Force Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book

James Brown’s Royal Air Force Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book

James Brown’s Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book from 3rd May 1943 until 3rd June 1989. During this time trained as a wireless operator and air gunner. Trained at No. 4 Air Gunnery School, 14 Operational Training Unit, 5 Glider Training Unit, 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit, before an operational posting to 50 Squadron in November 1943. In September 1944 posted to No. 1 Empire Central Air Armament School as an air gunnery instructor. Final RAF posting was to 1660 Heavy Conversion Unit. Demobbed on 6 May 1946.
After the war he worked as a flight engineer for A.V. Roe & Co. Limited test flying later marks of the AVRO Anson at Bracebridge Heath.

Served at RAF Morpeth, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Fulbeck, RAF Winthorpe, RAF Skellingthorpe, RAF Manby, RAF Balderton, RAF Catfoss, RAF Swinderby.

Aircraft flown were Martinet, Botha, Wellington, Lancaster III, Manchester, Anson.

With 50 Squadron, Brown flew 33 night bombing operations to the following targets: Modane, Berlin, Frankfurt, Brunswick, Stuttgart, Schweinfurt, Marignane, Nuremberg, Toulouse, Aachen, Paris, Munich, Lille, Bourg Leopold, Tours, Duisburg, Eindhoven, Nantes, Saumur, Rennes, Pas-de-Calais. His pilot was Flight Lieutenant Keith.

During an operation to Berlin on the 27/28th January 1944 his aircraft was attacked by a Junkers JU 88. The aircraft's mid upper turret was damaged, and fire started in the starboard main plane. The JU 88 was damaged.

He also flew 2 Cooks' Tours and 2 Operation Dodge (to Sylt and Cambrai). His pilot on these operations was Flight Lieutenant Harrison.

The last flying entry in his log book is on 3 June 1989 when he flew as a ‘spare bod’ in Lancaster PA474 as part of a flypast at the memorial unveiling ceremony for RAF Skellingthorpe. The unveiling was carried out by Marshal of the RAF, Sir Michael Beetham.

One booklet

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