Post-war, Mellor served in Java and Sumatra during regional unrest, supporting Dutch and British forces. Re-joining the RAF he, flew transport, maritime patrol aircraft, and eventually Valliants, Victors, and testing Vulcan aircraft. He was involved in nuclear readiness during the Cuban Missile Crisis and later contributed to Concorde engine trials.
]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Claire Campbell]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Burma]]> Singapore]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Burma--Rangoon]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1949]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Paris]]> France--Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines]]> Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)]]> 1943]]> 1944-06-02]]> 1944-06-03]]> 1945]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> 1945-05-01]]> 1945-05-02]]> 1945-05-03]]> 1945-05-04]]> 1945-05-07]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Eunice Watson]]> Steph Jackson]]> Maureen Clarke]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Canada]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah]]> North Africa]]> Iraq]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1948]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dresden]]> 1945]]> ]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Germany]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Bridlington]]> England--London]]> England--Northwich]]> England--Newquay]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Gibraltar]]> England--Lincoln]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Kent]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Second generation]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Paris]]> 1944-02]]> 1944-05-07]]> 1944-08]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Second generation]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> France--Ver-Sur-Mer]]> France--Neufchâtel-en-Bray]]> France--Blainville-sur-l'Eau]]> 1941]]> 1943-12-29]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1945-10]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Sussex]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> 1942]]> 1944-06]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--York]]> 1944]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Carolyn Emery]]> Maureen Clarke]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Thuringia]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1939]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Burma]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> ]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Illinois--Chicago]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Illinois]]> New York (State)]]> England--Derwent Water]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> Singapore]]> United States]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1940]]> 1944]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Liverpool]]> England--Merseyside]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Anglesey]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Siegen]]> Iraq]]> France--Juvincourt-et-Damary]]> France]]> 1943-11]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Bahamas]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> Sri Lanka]]> Singapore]]> United States]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Bahamas--Nassau]]> Bahamas]]> Italy]]> Italy--Mount Etna]]> India--Chennai]]> Italy--Sicily]]> West Indies]]> 1940]]> 1942-02-26]]> 1943-06-24]]> 1944-01-16]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Sheffield]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Lossiemouth]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Sheffield]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> 1944-06]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> CC BY-NC 4.0 International license]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Denmark]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1944]]> 1945-02-14]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Carolyn Emery]]> Maureen Clarke]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Blackpool]]> Italy--Bari]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> After training at RAF Dalcross on Anson aircraft, he joined his crew at RAF Westcott flying Wellingtons. During a training flight the pilot flew into a thunderstorm cloud and encountered severe turbulence and icing such that the aircraft became uncontrollable and the crew were ordered to fit their parachutes. Plummeting from twelve thousand feet to four thousand the pilot regained control but the air speed indicator was unserviceable and a difficult landing at an emergency airfield was made.
After converting to the Lancaster at the Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Bottesford, Jeff was posted to 576 Squadron to RAF Fiskerton in April 1945 and made five trips delivering food to Holland as part of operation Manna, the last being on VE day. Returning from this last trip the formation decided to carry out a ‘beat up’ of their airfield. Operating the engine boost to increase speed a large panel became detached from the wing. As Jeff points out, the aircraft were pretty old. All the pilots were later reprimanded for their display. Flights to Brussels, repatriating prisoners, and Naples to bring home demobbed servicemen occupied the next five months until he was posted to Germany at a radar station in what was eventually the French zone. Here he met his future wife who was a local interpreter.
Jeff became aware that if he re-engaged with the RAF he could retrain as aircrew but was required to acquire an auxiliary trade. This requirement resulted in training at the school of armament and also in an aerial photography role. In 1950 he was posted to 149 Squadron flying B-29s from RAF Marham and then RAF Coningsby. A lack of American supplied aircraft, due to the outbreak of war in Korea, meant that flying only commenced in November 1950, with flights sometimes lasting 19 hours. With the advent of jet aircraft, there was no role for air gunners so he retrained as a pilot under the Canadian training scheme. This scheme was terminated before his passing-out parade so he did not receive his pilot's wings. Returning to England he began flying Meteor jets but suffered from blackouts during aerobatics. This was diagnosed as a low G tolerance and not wanting to revert to a ground trade, Jeff left the RAF after 11 years of service.
Jeff then joined AVRO in the armament section and worked on the design of the Vulcan, Shackleton and Nimrod aircraft for 12 years until a reorganisation caused him to leave and he joined a firm designing commercial vehicles. He considered that this was a boring job so he rejoined AVRO in the publications department where he worked until retirement in 1989.]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jackie Simpson]]> Maureen Clarke]]> Terry Holmes]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Canada]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco]]> Netherlands]]> Scotland--Highlands]]> Italy]]> 1944]]> 1945-04]]> 1945-05-08]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1950]]> 1989]]>