1 25 16 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55679/MMilsonGW937875-240119-60.jpg 21097451b5ed0d61e7f0838df9049707 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 84 Squadron RAF 1917-1997 Description An account of the resource A brief history of 84 Squadron. It includes a list of commanding officers and the squadron crest. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France Iraq Iraq--Baghdad Egypt Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Greece Syria Iran Indonesia Indonesia--Palembang Indonesia--Tjilatjap India Malaysia Singapore Yemen (Republic)--Aden United Arab Emirates Cyprus Cyprus--Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia North Africa Yemen (Republic) United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Personal research Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One printed sheet Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMilsonGW937875-240119-60 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. 84 Squadron Beaufighter Blenheim escaping Mosquito RAF Beaulieu Victoria Cross https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55660/MMilsonGW937875-240119-52.jpg 3d710e296cc9941fb9bab338e3884a5f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The aircraft Description An account of the resource A list of flights made from the UK to Indonesia. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Gibraltar Malta Egypt Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Iraq Iraq--Baghdad Bahrain United Arab Emirates Pakistan Pakistan--Karachi India India--Mumbai India--Hyderabad Burma Burma--Akyab (District) Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Medan North Africa India--Kolkata United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One typewritten sheet Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMilsonGW937875-240119-52 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. RAF Abu Sueir RAF Portreath RAF Watton https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55546/MMilsonGW937875-240119-15.pdf c73b790b549da67679dc663c8939027e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 84 Squadron - Crews and their order of flight from Middle East to Far East Description An account of the resource A list of 22 aircraft, crews and passengers that crossed from Egypt to Indonesia. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource 84 Squadron Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Egypt Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Iraq Iraq--Baghdad Bahrain Pakistan Pakistan--Karachi India India--Mumbai India--Hyderabad Burma Burma--Akyab (District) Burma--Toungoo Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Medan Indonesia--Palembang Burma--Magwe Indonesia--Pakanbaru Indonesia--Sumatra Indonesia--Tjilatjap North Africa United Arab Emirates India--Kolkata United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Service material Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Five typewritten sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMilsonGW937875-240119-15 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription 211 Squadron 53 squadron 84 Squadron aircrew Blenheim Hudson Operational Training Unit pilot Tiger Moth training wireless operator / air gunner https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55481/BWyllieJWyllieJv1.pdf 015b3b380e57613ae4f10bfeb70d68db Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Comments and Reports - 84 Squadron history Description An account of the resource A brief history of 84 Squadron Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource John Wylie Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Egypt United Arab Emirates Indonesia Indonesia--Kutaradja Indonesia--Palembang Indonesia--Musi River Indonesia--Bandoeng Indonesia--Sumatra Indonesia--Tjirebon (Regency) Indonesia--Batavia Singapore North Africa United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Personal research Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Six printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BWyllieJWyllieJv1 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription 84 Squadron anti-aircraft fire Blenheim bombing Distinguished Flying Cross Hudson Hurricane https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55480/BMilsonGWMilsonGWv1.pdf 8f34f02a38b3e3793de663de1cf0bfc7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource George Milson's memoir Description An account of the resource George Milson joined the RAF in September 1939. After receiving his wings, he was posted to No. 18 Squadron, flying night operations to Dunkirk, Duisburg, Wilhelmshaven, and later carrying out low level shipping sweeps and “Circus” operations over northern France. George completed thirty operations before being posted to the Middle East, joining No. 84 Squadron at Mosul and later serving in the Western Desert. There he flew repeated daylight strikes on enemy troops and shipping during the advance across Libya and took part in formation work, desert flying and intensive operational activity as the squadron moved forward. In January 1942 he flew as part of a six aircraft ferry flight from Egypt to the Far East, travelling via Habbaniya, Bahrain, Sharja, Karachi, Calcutta, Rangoon and finally Sumatra. He carried out both day and night attacks on Japanese landing forces, fleet units and positions around Palembang and Java, often in difficult conditions with poor facilities and heavy losses. During the collapse of Java he escaped on foot from Kalidjati with a small mixed group before being captured near Tjilatjap. He spent more than three years as a prisoner of war, first in solitary confinement and then in camps at Tjilatjap, Bandoeng, Changi and Kranji, taking part in work parties and camp duties until liberation in 1945. After repatriation he returned to Britain and was demobilised later that year. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource George Milson Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Singapore Great Britain England--Torquay England--Paignton England--St. Leonards (East Sussex) England--Stoke-on-Trent England--Skegness England--Boston France France--Dunkerque Germany Germany--Duisburg Germany--Wilhelmshaven Netherlands Netherlands--Texel France France--Brest France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) Germany--Norderney Malta Gibraltar Italy Italy--Pantelleria Island Egypt Egypt--Marsá Maṭrūḥ Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Egypt--Cairo Egypt--Ismailia (Province) Iraq Iraq--Mosul Iraq--Baghdad Egypt--Suez Israel Israel--Tel Aviv Israel--Haifa Iraq--Karkūk Iran Iraq--Baṣrah Israel--Tel Aviv Malaysia Malaysia--Butterworth (Pulau Pinang) Sudan Bahrain United Arab Emirates Pakistan Pakistan--Karachi India India--Mumbai India--Hyderabad Burma Burma--Akyab (District) Burma--Toungoo Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Sumatra Indonesia--Palembang Indonesia--Medan Singapore Indonesia--Bandar Lampung Indonesia--Batavia Sri Lanka Sri Lanka--Colombo Indonesia--Bandoeng Indonesia--Tjilatjap England--Liverpool New Zealand England--Langham Europe--Frisian Islands North Africa India--Kolkata United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah England--Torquay Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Royal Air Force. Fighter Command Royal Australian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 41 printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BMilsonGWMilsonGWv1 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke Claire Campbell Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1939-09 1942-01 1942-02 1945 13 OTU 18 Squadron 2 Group 211 Squadron 84 Squadron air gunner aircrew Anson anti-aircraft fire B-17 Blenheim bomb aimer bombing Catalina Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Medal ditching escaping Gneisenau Hampden Harvard Hudson Hurricane Initial Training Wing Magister Me 109 mess Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy navigator observer Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot prisoner of war RAF Abu Sueir RAF Bicester RAF Bodney RAF Boscombe Down RAF Cardington RAF Coningsby RAF Cosford RAF Cranfield RAF Farnborough RAF Ford RAF Great Massingham RAF Halton RAF Hendon RAF Hinton RAF Horsham St Faith RAF Little Rissington RAF Lydda RAF Oulton RAF Polebrook RAF Portreath RAF Skegness RAF Upwood RAF Watton RAF West Raynham Red Cross Scharnhorst sport training Wellington Whitley wireless operator wireless operator / air gunner https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55444/BMillarRDMillarRDv1.pdf c5f9fd16d51648b6738393b098b4a266 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Narrative of Personal Experiences of war in the Far East Description An account of the resource Memoir by Flight Lieutenant RD Millar DFC RNZAF Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource R D Millar Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal New Zealand Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 86 printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BMillarRDMillarRDv1 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1946-04-13 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Iraq Iraq--Mosul Singapore New Zealand New Zealand--Wellington Iraq--Baṣrah Iraq--Baghdad Libya Cambodia--Kâmpôt Libya--Tobruk Egypt Egypt--Cairo Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct City) Bahrain United Arab Emirates Pakistan Pakistan--Karachi India India--Allahabad Burma Burma--Akyab (District) Burma--Toungoo Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Sumatra Indonesia--Medan Indonesia--Palembang Malaysia Malaysia--Kuantan (Pahang) Malaysia--Ipoh (Perak) Thailand Thailand--Songkhla Indonesia--Lingga (Karo) Indonesia--Musi River Indonesia--Batavia Indonesia--Bandoeng Indonesia--Tjimahi (Bandung) Indonesia--Tasikmalaya Indonesia--Tjilatjap Indonesia--Soerabaia Indonesia--Sampang Indonesia--Purwokerto Borneo Indonesia--Tjimahi (Bandung) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Thailand--Bangkok Australia Northern Territory--Darwin Queensland--Brisbane New Zealand--Wellington North Africa Northern Territory Queensland India--Kolkata United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription 18 Squadron 203 Squadron 211 Squadron 27 Squadron 84 Squadron aircrew anti-aircraft fire B-24 B-25 B-29 Blenheim C-47 Catalina Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Medal entertainment escaping evacuation flight engineer ground personnel Hudson Hurricane killed in action medical officer Mosquito navigator observer pilot prisoner of war RAF Bicester RAF Great Massingham Red Cross Typhoon https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55369/SMilsonGW937875v60017.pdf 72299830fa04994e9ef914240aad8258 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55369/SMilsonGW937875v60018.pdf 3fe0f13e60e18db4a5714030390dec5a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource History of 84 Squadron from 3 January 1942 - 7 March 1942 Description An account of the resource A detailed history of 84 Squadron over a two month period. There is a second, different, history. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Egypt Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Iraq Iraq--Baghdad Bahrain United Arab Emirates Pakistan Pakistan--Karachi India India--Mumbai India--Hyderabad India--Allahabad Burma Burma--Toungoo Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Sumatra Indonesia--Medan Indonesia--Palembang Indonesia--Batavia Malaysia--Kuantan (Pahang) Indonesia--Lahat Indonesia--Indramayu Indonesia--Bandoeng North Africa Malaysia Singapore India--Kolkata United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Service material Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Eight and eleven printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SMilsonGW937875v60017, SMilsonGW937875v60018 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942-01 1942-02 1942-03 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive 211 Squadron 27 Squadron 84 Squadron aircrew Blenheim bombing control tower crash evacuation ground crew Hudson Hurricane killed in action observer pilot https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55368/SMilsonGW937875v60012.pdf a9660d82a89a748065c31b7f2c648db7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Peter Haynes' memoir Description An account of the resource A memoir sent to George Milson. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Peter Haynes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-03-26 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Sudan Egypt Egypt--Suez Singapore Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Iraq Iraq--Baghdad Bahrain United Arab Emirates India India--Mumbai India--Jodhpur India--Allahabad Burma Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Sabang (Aceh) Indonesia--Sumatra Indonesia--Palembang Indonesia--Batavia Indonesia--Tjilitjap North Africa India--Kolkata United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Six printed sheets with handwritten annotations Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SMilsonGW937875v60012 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942 211 Squadron 84 Squadron aircrew anti-aircraft fire Blenheim crash escaping evading Navy, Army and Air Force Institute observer pilot wireless operator / air gunner https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55247/MMilsonGW937875-240119-040001.jpg 846b385c9cb8d31ff886ca0bc1e19198 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2924/55247/MMilsonGW937875-240119-040002.jpg b3e0cab9b3cd9e7a04d0dec58dadf0e7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Milson, George William Description An account of the resource 203 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant George William Milson DFC (b. 1916, 937875 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs]. He flew operations as a pilot with 18 and 84 Squadrons and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Jane McElwee and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-01-19 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Milson, GW Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [deleted number] 2.1.42. Squadron posted from Western Desert. to Heliopolis. 14.1.42. Heliopolis – Habaniya. [sic] A/C u/s intercom. & tail wheel. Arrived just before dusk. 15.1.42. Habaniya – Bahrein. via Kuwait. Refueled [sic]. Bahrein – Sharjah. Stayed B.O.A.C. Rest House in fort. Very nice. Gill hit oil drum on taiking [sic] off & smashed stern frame; but continued on to Karachi. 16.1 42. Sharjah – Karachi. (Civil). A/c fumigated & inspected. Std. a/s removed and trued. Stayed Airport Hotel. 17.1.42. Karachi – Hydrabad [sic] via Bombay. Refueled [sic] Bombay; had lunch. Very nice aerodrome & mess. Over Western Ghatts [sic] to Hydrabad. Stayed with Lysander squadron. 18.1.42. Hydrabad – Calcutta (Dum-Dum) Small aerodrome landed shortest runway. Stayed at Grand Hotel in Calcutta. 19.1.42 Calcutta – Akyab. Unable to land before 11.00hrs.G.M.T. 20.1.42. Akyab – Toungoo. A/c. using 2 galls. oil per hour, pt. engine. 21.1.42. Oil consumption test, a/c ok, to continue. 22.1.42. Toungoo – Rangoon, refuelled. Rangoon – Longao via Andaman Isles. Stayed at a hotel in Kotaraja. 23.1.42. Gills u/s. Longa – Medan. Refueled, Medan – Palembang [underlined] 1. [/underlined] Bilited [sic] at Maria School. Operated from P.2. day & night operations. 16.2.42. P.2. Batavia. Batavia – Kalijata. Billited Soebang. 1.3.42. Japs. took aerodrome. 3.3.42. Arrived Bandoeng, & located squadron. 4.3.42. Bandoeng – Tjilatjap by road. 6.3.42. Left Tjalatjap [sic] ( idnight [sic] in lifeboat) C.O. left. 8.[deleted number]4.42 Taken prisoner & handed over to Japs. by Dutch prison authorities. Placed in solitary confinement at Infantry Barracks. No wash for 8 days. 18.4.42. Taken to English P.O.W. camp. O/c Sqd. Ldr. F.L. Harrison A.M.D.W. 1.5.42. Camp moved to Infantry Barracks. 10.5.42. Rumour of 2[deleted]2[/deleted] a/c flying around island. 11.5.42. Injection for. dysentary, [sic] typhoid cholera. (Dutch) 17.6.42. Moved to [inserted]B[/inserted]andoeng. 16.9.42. Injection for. dysentary, typhoid, cholera, (R.A.F.) 23.9.42. Injection for. dysentary, typhoid, cholera, (R.A.F.) 30.9.42. Injection for. dysentary, typhoid, cholera, (R.A.F.) 10.10.42. Injection for. dysentary. bubonic plague, (R.A.F.) 16.10.42. Nipponese pay parade. 1 [inserted] 10 11 42 FIRST LETTER HOME [/inserted] 10.11.42. First NIP letter home. [inserted] 19 11 42 1ST ISSUE OF EXTRA NIPPON RATIONS [/inserted] 19.11.42. First issue of extra rations for Office’s. [inserted] 28.11.42 NIP PAY PARAPE [sic] [/inserted] 28.11.42. Nipponese pay parade. 26.12.42. Second Nip letter home. Written on special card. [inserted] [indecipherable words] ON SPECIAL CARD. [/inserted] 29.12.42 Nipponese pay parade. [inserted] 26.12.42 SECOND [/inserted] [inserted] 29 12 42 [indecipherable words] [underlined] 1943 [/underlined] [inserted] JEUDWINE LEFT 6.3.42 REST OF PARTY PICKED UP. 21.4.42 SUBMARINE ENTERED COVE 30.4.42 [/inserted] 5 [missing numerals] [rubber stamp] [page break] [underlined] 1943 [/underlined] 9 1 43 Inoculation for Dysentry [sic] cholera typhoid. (R A F) 26 1 43 Nip Pay Parade. [inserted] 26 1 43 Nip Pay Parade. [/inserted] 15 2 43 Vaccination (R A F) 26 2 43 Nip pay parade. 25 3 43 Nip pay parade. . . 26.4.43 Nip pay parade. . During May A number of letters from England were distributed in the camp (about 40) mostly addressed through the [deleted] Bureau [/deleted] Prisoner of War Bureau of Information, Tokyio [sic], or Believed to be a Prisoner of War, 27 5 43 Nip pay parade 29 5 43 12 people went for the first walk into the town: 19 6 43 Went for walk in the town. 24 6 43 Nip pay parade. 1 7 43 Nip postcard home. 9 7 43 [deleted] Nip postcard home [/deleted] Inoculation, Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentry, RAF [inserted] 9 7. 43 [/inserted] 12 7 43 Nip postcard to Jane. 17 7 43 Move to Menado Camp [inserted] 17.7.43 MOVE TO MENADO CAMP [/inserted] 21 7 43 Nip pay parade [inserted] 21.7.43 NIP PAY PARADE [/inserted] 23 7 43 Bandoeng to Tjamihi [inserted] 23.7.43 MOVE TO TJAMIHI [/inserted] 1 9 43 Tjamani to Batavia (Cycle Camp) [inserted] 1 9 43 TJAMANI BATAVIA (CYCLE CAMP) [/inserted] 26.9.43 Left Batavia on “Macassa Maru” for Singapore 29 9[deleted]0[/deleted] 43 Arrived Singapore. Billited [sic] Changi barracks. 2 10 43 Payed [sic] by Nips f90.79. 13 months savings @ 83 ¢. 2 months deduction of board and lodgings @ f40. per month f 12 10 43 Inoculation for dysentary (Singapore) 21 10 43 Draft with English party left Changi camp. Rumoured to be going to Formosa. 15 British Officers and 16 OR’s left. 1 11 43 New rates of pay. $70.83 – less $20.00 board and lodgings – less $5.83 savings. Amount to draw $45.00 6 11 43 Last of the draft left Changi including Sgt Bennett. 14 11 43 Drew $40 1 12 43 Nip pay parade 10 12 43 Nip psotcard [sic] home 26 12 43 Moved to C Group 29.12.43 Vaccination 31.12.43 Nip pay parade. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource George Milson's record of movements Description An account of the resource George's stations and travel in the East, 1942-1943 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource George Milson Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Egypt Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city) Iraq Iraq--Baghdad Pakistan Pakistan--Karachi United Arab Emirates Pakistan--Hyderabad India India--Kolkata Burma Burma--Akyab (District) Burma--Toungoo Burma--Rangoon Indonesia Indonesia--Bandung Indonesia--Jakarta Singapore North Africa United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One double sided typewritten sheet Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMilsonGW937875-240119-040001, MMilsonGW937875-240119-040002 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Liz McElwee prisoner of war https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2773/49053/SBondS-DidwellNv10001-0008.1.pdf 030433757df53ec24a70b206b0906969 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Didwell, N Didwell, N (Bond, S collection) Description An account of the resource 114 items. Corporal Norman Didwell served as ground crew on 99 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall from 1939 and then in the Middle East. Collection consists of documents and photographs of people, places and aircraft from the squadron's time in Great Britain, India and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The collection was licensed to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dr Steve Bond and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. This collection was provided, in digital form, by a third-party organisation which used technical specifications and operational protocols that may differ from those used by the IBCC Digital Archive. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-01-18 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SBondS-DidwellNv1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter concerning return of Indian Air Force Liberator (B-24) to the Royal Air Force Description An account of the resource Letter describes the challenges and problems of taking an ex-RAF Liberator that had been handed to the Indian Air Force at the end of the war and had now been donated back to the RAF for exhibition in museum. Details all the engineering work to get the aircraft airworthy and then the journey back to Great Britain. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974-07-20 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1974-07-20 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. India India--Bangalore India--Pune India--Delhi India--Mumbai United Arab Emirates--Abū Ẓaby (Emirate) Egypt Egypt--Cairo Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia--Jiddah Italy Italy--Rome Great Britain England--Wiltshire North Africa United Arab Emirates Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Indian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Twelve page printed letter Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SBondS-DidwellNv10001-0008 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive B-24 RAF Colerne RAF Lyneham https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1747/47518/LSproatesHB1107339v1.pdf 7a7cbe52af5b875185141d476d668c86 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sproates, Harrison Burnham H B Sproates Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-09-11 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Sproates, HB Description An account of the resource Nine items. The collection concerns Harrison Burnham Sproates (b. 1921, 1107339 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a wireless operator / air gunner in the Middle East and Italy with 178 Squadron. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Neil Sproates and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harrison Sproates’ Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LSproatesHB1107339v1 Description An account of the resource Harrison Sproates’ Flying Log Book as wireless operator from 3rd January 1941 until 29th May 1944. Training was at No. 2 Signals School, No. 1 Air Gunnery School, and 13 Operational Training Unit. Posted to 244 Squadron for operations in the Middle East in July 1942. From March 1943 he was posted to Gilgil Camp, Kenya. His next posting was to 70 Operational Training Unit in May 1943 as a Staff Wireless Operator. Final operational posting to 178 Squadron in November 1943. Returned to England in July 1944. Served at RAF Yatesbury, RAF Pembrey, Gilgil Kenya, RAF Sharjah, RAF Shandur and Celone in Italy. Aircraft flown were Dominie, Proctor, Blenheim, Anson, Blenheim IV, Blenheim V, Baltimore, Halifax, B-24 Liberator , Wellington, Sunderland, Hudson, C-47 Dakota, Vincent. With 244 Squadron he flew 40 day operations. These were anti-submarine patrols, shipping patrols and convoy escort duties covering the Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. His pilots for these were Flight Sergeant Cousins and Flying Officer Curtiss. He flew 27 night bombing and minelaying operations with 178 Squadron. Target included Piraeus, Candia, Suda Bay, Salamis Straits, Chalcis, Athens, Plovdiv, Padua, Sofia, Genoa, River Danube, Bucharest, Budapest, Sezze and road communications. His pilots were Flying Officers McGinnis, Elinor and Brimacombe, Flight Lieutenant Knight and Warrant Officer Stronagh. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1941 1942-08-17 1942-08-29 1942-09-13 1942-10-06 1942-10-27 1942-10-30 1942-11-05 1942-11-08 1942-11-09 1942-11-17 1942-11-19 1942-11-20 1942-11-21 1942-11-27 1942-12-28 1942-12-30 1942-12-31 1943-01-01 1943-01-02 1943-01-03 1943-01-11 1943-01-12 1943-01-18 1943-01-19 1943-01-27 1943-01-28 1943-01-29 1943-01-30 1943-01-31 1943-02-01 1943-02-02 1943-02-12 1943-02-14 1943-02-17 1943-02-19 1943-02-23 1943-02-26 1943-03-04 1943-12-06 1943-12-07 1943-12-08 1943-12-09 1943-12-11 1943-12-12 1943-12-20 1943-12-21 1944-01-03 1944-01-09 1944-01-10 1944-01-11 1944-01-12 1944-01-15 1944-01-16 1944-01-23 1944-01-24 1944-01-26 1944-01-27 1944-02-04 1944-02-05 1944-03-18 1944-03-19 1944-03-22 1944-03-23 1944-03-24 1944-03-25 1944-04-17 1944-04-18 1944-04-21 1944-04-22 1944-04-25 1944-04-26 1944-04-29 1944-04-30 1944-05-01 1944-05-02 1944-05-05 1944-05-06 1944-05-07 1944-05-09 1944-05-10 1944-05-12 1944-05-13 1944-05-17 1944-05-18 1944-05-23 1944-05-24 1944-05-26 1944-05-27 1944-05-29 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Wiltshire Wales--Carmarthenshire Kenya Kenya--Gilgil North Africa United Arab Emirates Egypt Libya Libya--Al Adm Arabian Sea--Gulf of Oman Persian Gulf Greece Greece--Athens Greece--Ērakleion Greece--Chalkida Greece--Piraeus Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea--Salamis Straits Mediterranean Sea--Suda Bay Bulgaria Bulgaria--Plovdiv Bulgaria--Sofia Italy Italy--Foggia Italy--Genoa Italy--Padua Italy--Sezze Danube River Romania Romania--Bucharest Hungary Hungary--Budapest Arabian Sea United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nick Cornwell-Smith Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 13 OTU 178 Squadron 244 Squadron Air Gunnery School aircrew Anson B-24 Blenheim bombing C-47 Dominie Halifax Hudson mine laying Operational Training Unit Proctor RAF El Adem RAF Pembrey RAF Shandur RAF Sharjah RAF Yatesbury Sunderland training Wellington wireless operator wireless operator / air gunner https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2261/40799/BGrayDAGrayDAv2.pdf 50c92d34e39dd95a7fed1c362a653ee3 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2261/40799/BGrayDAGrayDAv2-Transcript.pdf b3fbc8dc508b98e52f4e09f4d2421154 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gray, Donald Arthur Description An account of the resource 57 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Donald Arthur Gray (b. 1922, 1006912 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, correspondence and photographs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 460 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Catherine Burrows and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-06-10 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gray, DA Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [crest of Sir John Deane’s Grammar School, Northwich] [page break] 1. This is the story of a bomber crew, a main force crew, [deleted] none of your plebs or Pathfinder types, but [/deleted] [inserted] just [/inserted] an ordinary common or garden crew of seven ordinary [deleted] men [/deleted] blokes who derived great pleasure in seeing Jerries towns or railways or oil [inserted] installations [/inserted] go up in quite a large cloud of smoke. I will start my story at Heavy Conversion Unit [inserted] BLYTON, LIN [/inserted] because that was where I, being an engineer, merged into the story. These units are manned by instructors who have [inserted] generally [/inserted] completed an operational tour and the aircraft are [deleted] generally [/deleted] obsolescent types of 4 [deleted] motor [/deleted] [inserted] engined [/inserted] bombers which serve quite well in accustoming crews fresh from two motor [deleted] solo [/deleted] [inserted] aircraft [inserted] to the intricacies of the multi- [page break] 2. motor types. One fine morning, in the beginning of January 1944, seven engineers and myself were ushered into a large room full of engineer-less crews. After the usual pep talks the skippers’ name and his engineer’s were read out. I drew a tall, instantly likeable, rangy Aussie out of the hat. He was over six feet tall, and in his late twenties with streaks of grey already showing in his dark, curly, hair. He was known to everyone as “Duke” and a professional golfer in civie [sic] street. The navigator, a dapper, moustached, Australian had the misfortune to have the same surname as myself [inserted] and so naturally enough Senior and Junior we became. [/inserted] [deleted] so then I became Junior and he became Senior [/deleted] [page break] He was a [deleted] ban [/deleted] clerk in peace time with thoughts of starting a newspaper business after the war. The bomb-aimer a tiny [inserted] apparently timid, [/inserted] Lincolnshire lad, [inserted] affect called R. [/inserted] who was to prove one of the mainstays of the crew, [deleted] was so much like an intrepid aviator as Richard Gouldin. [/deleted] He was an Air Force regular and more than pulled his weight in the crew [deleted] [indecipherable word] [/deleted] [inserted] with [/inserted] his super-abundance of common-sense. Another point in his favour was that he [deleted] was a [/deleted] [inserted] had covered [/inserted] navigation [deleted] bomb aimer [/deleted] [inserted] in his course [/inserted] so we really carried two navigators. The wireless operator [deleted] was [/deleted] an Australian clerk named Ross, was a chap who didn’t conceal his nervousness at flying but [page break] who never let it interfere with his job in the air. More than once his consciention [sic] helped us greatly. The mid-upper gunner, Col, an Aussie bank-clerk, a typical happy-go-lucky type but who was far from casual in the air and, Mac, the Aussie rear-gunner whom we were to lose in the near future. He was never the type for air-crew as we found out to our sorrow. Myself, well I’m a Lancashire lad, an ex-ground staff fitter and still possessing the keeness [sic] which had matured out of [deleted] many [/deleted] [inserted] several [/inserted] years trying to get into an aircrew. I had joined the RAF in a burst of patriotism straight from school. [page break] Well, that’s the mob you’re going to hear about, not a very outstanding lot you may say, but welded together from the start by mutual [deleted] self [/deleted] confidence [deleted] in each other [/deleted] and respect. I have always thought that it was this team spirit both at work and play which enabled us to succeed where better individuals have failed. The first week of our training was spent on the ground, going over the a/c we were about to fly and learning thoroughly the various systems and gadgets peculiar to the type and which had been passed over in our general trade training. This naturally is a boring business but none the [page break] less very necessary. [deleted] and we set about [/deleted] The big day arrived when we were to prove our theory in practice and we were given an experienced Australian instructor with the purple and white silk ribbon of the Distinguished Flying [inserted] Cross [/inserted] on his tunic. He proved to be a very able instructor and no matter what happened, and believe me there was never a dull moment, he was always the acme of coolness and helpfulness and earned himself the title of “I never mention your name” [deleted] as [/deleted] by [deleted] this was the song he [/deleted] croaking [inserted] this song [/inserted] permanently over the intercomm. [sic] His a/c was a Halifax under the letters [page break] E2 or Easy 2. These letters were to [deleted] dog [/deleted] [inserted] follow [/inserted] us throughout our flying together and they proved to be a lucky charm, I think. From that day onwards my life became a blurred mass of “Wheels up”, “Flaps up”, “2650 revs”, “30 degrees Flap,” “Wheels down,” and then as we touched or rather crashed on to the runway the skipper would say “Right off” and I would chop the throttles right back and hope that we settled down O.K. Gradually we gained more confidence and we soon lost our instructors. After an hours circuits and landings one day, the pilot and engineer instructors climbed out with a last [page break] warning “Remember to do so and so” and we were on our own. Just the six of us in this vibrating monster of the air. We felt a little dwarfed by its immensity and by all the things that [deleted] caught [/deleted] could possibly go wrong. Would a tyre burst on that first touchdown? Would I retract the flaps instead of the u/c? Would that swing to port get out of hand at take-off? Well, this was the test. We maneuvered [sic] into position at the end of the runway, slightly to the right hand side to allow for this tendency to swing to the left and the Duke said, “All O.K boys?” We all chorussed [sic] “OK Duke” [page break] and he slowly opened the throttles, left hand outboard leading slightly, and with the control column well forward to get the tail airborne. We gathered speed with no trace of the dreaded swing, the Duke was doing his stuff. The air speed indicator crept round towards the hundred mark, the tail rose and at 105 m.p.h the Duke eased her off the ground. We were airborne. All on our own in that great, noisy, world of nothingness dominated by the roaring of our four Rolls Royce Merlins. I was recalled from my reveries by the skipper “Wheels up”, “Wheels coming up,” I replied and up they came. “Flaps up,” “Flaps coming up,” the flaps came up slowly [page break] 5 degrees at a time, any faster than that and we might go straight into the ground. “Climbing power,” I change the revs and boost from take-off to climbing power and we begin [deleted] the [/deleted] to gain altitude. At 1000’ we levelled out, [inserted] CRUISING G Power [/inserted] and did our circuit, the boys were all feeling pretty happy, rotating turrets, and Ross was trying to get some dance music on the wireless. The Duke soon stopped that with a “Not now, Ross.” On the down wind leg came [inserted] R.T [/inserted] “Wheels down,” “Flap 20 degrees”, “Revs 2650” in rapid succession and we turned, slowly losing height, cross wind, “Flap 35 degrees,” and we started our approach. The Duke was calling flying control on R.T. “East 2 to Bandy – [page break] may we pancake,” back came the reply “Bandy to Easy 2 – Pancake,” “Easy 2 pancaking out.” Then came “Full flap” “Full revs.” I put these on and gave a last look at my guages. [sic] We all felt a little apprehensive, things ran through my mind – did I check those tyres correctly?, is the u/c locked down securely? and then we touched with our wheels at the end of the runway. “Right off” shouted the Duke [deleted] and [/deleted] little anxiously, I chopped the throttles and after a couple of bounces [inserted] we [/inserted] settled down nicely to a straight run down the runway. We looked at each other and grinned, it was all over and our first solo flight together [page break] was a success. Then just as we turned off the runway the port tyre burst! Why hadn’t it burst on landing? We couldn’t say, but that wasn’t the only bit of luck we had! A couple of days after, a sleety, rainbowy sort of day, we had to go down south to pick up one of [deleted] over flight [/deleted] [inserted] a [/inserted] V.I.P. [deleted] commanders [/deleted] We took our instructor with us and flew all the way down at 500’ as vis. was very poor. We arrived there after a bit of frantic map reading and just scraped in on the very short runway. The V.I.P. came aboard and off we belted again. We [deleted] came [/deleted] [inserted] tore [/inserted] down the runway [deleted] on [/deleted] staggered into the air and [page break] looked with horror at the hill looming up in front of us! The V.I.P. turned round to my panel and retracted the radiator flaps! Such was the state of the poor old Halifax. On the way back we ran into snow and a little icing. The VIP tapped our instructor on the shoulder and yelled “Look at the ice on the mainplanes.” Our instructor glanced nonchalantly at the erring mainplane and bellowed back, “I think she can just [inserted] about [/inserted] carry the extra weight,” the V.I.P, mollified, sat down again. We just happened, by chance, to find our own drome again and came in for a landing. It was just about the worst the Duke ever made – and that’s saying [page break] something. We kangarooed down that runway, swung from side to side, but finally managed to straighten up somehow. The Duke looked round with a relieved expression to see the V.I.P. quite safe, standing there with a worried expression [deleted] The V.I.P. [/deleted] He said, [inserted] with a sickly grin [/inserted] “I think you’re trying to scare me”. Our next venture was a solo day x-country. It was a dull day with 10/10ths cloud, and we took off feeling as dull as the weather. We climbed steadily and then, with a thrill I have experienced many times since yet never tired of, we broke into the world over the cloud. What a difference it makes. Our dull feelings [page break] were immediately transformed into [deleted] on to [/deleted] [inserted] ones of [/inserted] elation and a feeling of bouyancy [sic] at the grandeur of the scene. The cloud tops, snow white and billowy with an occasional cu-nimb towering above the rest, all [deleted] lit [/deleted] [inserted] tinted [/inserted] with a [deleted] ruddy [/deleted] [inserted] rose-like [/inserted] glow from the sun. We climbed steadily, the oxygen coming on at 10,000, until we reached 20,000 when we reduced to cruising revs., put the automatic pilot in and settled back to do our jobs quietly and comfortably. Everything went smoothly until about halfway home when Senior said, “The G. box has gone for a burton, Duke, and I’ve only the vaguest clue where we are”. This was the one and only time Senior [page break] was void of clues “Oh,” said the Duke, “that’s bloody brilliant get Ross on the intercomm”. [sic] The wireless op is generally off the intercomm [sic] attending to his broadcasts. Ross came on with “Want me, Duke?” “Yes, Ross, try and get a Q.D.M. for base will you.” [deleted] said the skipper. [/deleted] Ross’ next words shook us a bit, “Sorry Duke but the sets u/s, I’m working on it now.” “Christ, this is shakey do, we’d better get down and try and map read home.” said the Duke. Down we went and after several minutes of the always horrible sensation of passing through cloud – it’s just like driving a car in a thick fog, you keep expecting something to [page break] loom up and hit you, we broke cloud right over a big town. We didn’t have time to identify before Col came on with, “Better get up, Duke, there’s bloody barrage balloons all round us.” Indeed there was and there was no time wasted in getting full power on and up through the cloud again. “Hasn’t anybody got a clue where we are,” asked Duke. “Not [deleted] a [/deleted] [inserted] the [/inserted] bloody [deleted] clue [/deleted] [inserted] vaguest [/inserted] came Senior’s voice. and we all felt a bit worried as the petrol was not too plentiful. We bashed along for five minutes more, “How’s the juice, Junior.” asked Duke. “About another half hour,” I replied after consulting my log. The Duke looked [page break] a bit serious, “If we don’t find out where we are soon, I don’t fancy our chances of getting back to base,” he said. Another five long silent minutes and then a voice came on the intercomm, [sic] a voice which seemed more pleasing than Stuart Hibberd’s at that moment. It was Ross, he said, “O.K. Duke, I’ve got a Q.D.M. It is two five zero for 18 minutes.” The Duke relaxed, adjusted the course on the compass and said “Good show, Ross.” Twenty minutes later we were on the deck feeling as though we had earned our tea, we had triumphed over our first spot of bother, almost veterans! Our next trip was a [page break] diversionary stooge for the main force. We took off in the late afternoon, climbed to 21,000 and headed for the north west German coast over the North Sea. This was our first view of a bomber stream, it was very exciting to see a/c of all shapes and sizes, all around us, all heading towards Germany in the fast fading light. We were a little annoyed on looking up to find a Wellington 1000’ above us. Hardly the thing for the elite Halifax crew to have to give best to a poor measly Wimpey. Still our kite wasn’t the best and we couldn’t stagger one foot higher than our 21,000. [page break] We droned on and soon saw our first enemy flak as some of our [inserted] main force [/inserted] bombers crossed the coast. It looked very frightening to us poor learners, lighting up the clouds with its wicked flashes. The skipper warned the gunners, “There may be fighters about here boys so keep your eyes skinned,” “O.K. Duke,” came the reply and Col and Mac returned to their vigil, straining eyes out into the seemingly impenetrable gloom, moving their turrets this way and that, protecting our vulnerable tail from the Boche. It’s a very comforting feeling to have to [sic] good gunners behind you. [page break] Just before the coast we turned and started back for home. On our starboard below us, a Lancaster was spiralling slowly down with two motors on fire and black smoke pouring out of it. That was the first kill we had seen going down and we shivered a little and renewed our search of the dark heavens expecting any minute to see tracer come hurtling out of the gloom towards us. We regained our own coast uneventfully and started our “bullseye.” This is an exercise for training bomber crews, A.A. crews and fighter crews and consists of mock attacks by fighters and interceptions by searchlights [page break] There are certain rules to obey - no evasive action to be taken from searchlights, if you want them to shut down flash your downward ident light. If you spot the fighter closing in you flash a torch at it, and if he sees you without you seeing him he flashes his landing light. A bit farcical but quite good training. We crossed the coast and up came the master beam of the searchlights. Just like an octupus’ [sic] tentacle feeling round in the sky for us and just as loathsome. The beam came closer and closer until it finally caught us and everything was bathed in a brilliant bluish light. The moral effect [page break] of searchlights is very great. It makes you feel as if everyone in the world can see you, as if you were the one and only target of all the fighters and flack in the district. The beam held us for a few minutes and then wandered off in search of new victims. We saw no fighters that night. We also had a practice bombing but returned thankfully to base when we couldn’t contact them on R.T. – it is not a very pleasant spot to be circling, a bombing range at night there are too many collisions. We finished our night circuits and landings and took off on our final night [page break] x-country prior to conversion on to Lancasters. We took off into a very dark night and soon levelled out at 20,000. It feels very lonely up there at night in the gloom of the cabin, [deleted] with [/deleted] only broken the [deleted] th [/deleted] gleaming luminous dials of the instruments. We had just turned on to our second leg when I noticed a sharp fluctuation on the starboard outer radiator temperature gauge. At this moment the Duke shouted, “What the bloody hell’s the matter with this engine, Junior.” For a moment my mind went a complete blank and I tried in vain to picture the instructions which had been pounded into me from the very [page break] first. I can remember vividly the feeling of helplessness and I wondered how I would be like on ops. if I panicked now. I pulled myself together and said as calmly as I could “It’s O.K. Duke I’m watching it.” I glanced out of the cabin and saw that sparks and flames were coming from the exhausts. “Don’t let the damn thing catch fire Junior” said the skipper. I took a final glance at the temperature gauge – it was right off the clock and the kite was starting to swing to starboard as the power failed. “I’m afraid I’ll have to feather it, Duke.” “O.K Junior carry on” came the reply. My head cleared at last and the feathered drill came [page break] easily to my mind. – Fuel, I turned off the engine master cock, revs through the gate, throttle back and I pressed the feathering button. The rev counter dropped slowly back to zero and there was the [deleted] prop [/deleted] airscrew straight and stark and useless. With the motor the g. box had gone and we were almost without navigational aids “Well, boys, what shall we do,” said the Duke, “Lob down at the first drome we come [deleted] could [/deleted] to or try and get back.” The majority [deleted] was [/deleted] [inserted] were [/inserted] in favour of getting down and not risking getting lost so we reduced power and slowly circled the height off. We went into cloud [page break] at 2,000 feet and Duke asked, “What’s the high ground round here Senior,” “About 1500 as far as I know” said the navigator, “ I should break cloud very slowly” “Okey doke”. Down we circled and called on the R.T. “Hello Blackie Hello Blackie this is Juneday calling, this is Juneday calling”. – the standard distress procedure. No reply. We tried again. All the time we were enveloped in the thick veil of cloud, our navigation showing eerily against the opaque mass. I can tell you I didn’t feel too good about, breaking cloud on three motors and not being sure of the height of ground. [page break] At last a faint reply was heard, “Hallo aircraft calling can we help you.” At this moment we broke cloud into pouring rain. [deleted] it [/deleted] I glanced at the thermometer, it was zero, I told the skipper, it was a bad temperature for the dreaded glazed ice. He said “Yes its bloody bad but we can’t do much about it” and then, “Hello Blackie can you land a 4 motor aircraft. We have only 3 motors” “Hello aircraft calling. Yes you may land here Q.D.M. 325 Q.D.M. 325.” “Hello Blackie, thank you coming in.” the Duke replied. At this moment we ran into a patch of cloud and lost the aerodrome lights which were coming into view. When we broke [page break] out again a different ‘drome was calling. “Hello Blackie can we help you, can we help you.” The voice was very faint so we decided to turn and try out locate our first drome. After a couple of minutes we sighted the lights, very indistinct even at 1000 ft in the pouring rain. We descended to 500 and rockets started coming up to mark the end of the runway. At the last turn in on to the approach we lost the lights and made our approach very high. The Duke stuck the nose down but too late, we were too far down the runway to make a safe landing. “Overshoot” he yelled [deleted] the Duke [/deleted] I jammed [page break] the throttles open and whipped the wheels up and crossed my fingers wondering whether she’d take it on three motors. For one horrible moment she seemed to hover, vibrating from stem to stern. I glanced at the A.S.I – 100 mph – a little too near the stalling speed I thought. I whipped 5 degrees of flap off and the speed began to build up under our thankful eyes. We had made it. We made another circuit and and [sic] managed to get in O.K kangarooing rather badly. We breathed our sighs of thankfulness and followed the taxy van to our dispersal. The next day we went [page break] down to the kite and found that there had been a leak in the cooling system and not a drop of coolant was left in the motor. We spent all day taking conducted tours over the “mighty bomber” as the drome was a Wellington O.T.U. and the boys were very interested in the kite they would probably be flying in a few weeks. The lads had a bit of fun in the mess that lunchtime, Col shooting a deadly line to a WAAF sergeant who thought we had been on ops. We had to wait until the 1 o’clock news to find out where we’d been and, according to Col, [deleted] the [/deleted] we had had more opposition that night than Bomber [page break] Command had had in all its years of operating. The glib way he told of fighters, rockets flack and searchlights with the Duke backing him up caused the rest of us considerable amusement. The WAAF sergeant began to get a little wise, I think, for she asked where was the other member of the crew. (Mac had stayed at base as he was sick) Col casually mentioned that he had bailed out over the Channel. The Halifax had no mid-upper turret but, according to the boys, it had been retracted. We stayed there four days snow-bound and in the end went back by train. We felt very operational marching through London [page break] in full flying kit carrying our Mae Wests and ‘chutes. I shall never forget when we were sitting in the Sally Anne having a cup of tea a policeman asked Col “Come down mate,” Col replied “Yes chum, we lost our rear gunner over the Channel.” We got another tea on the strength of it! Back again, we packed our grips and embarked upon the next stage of our training Lancaster Finishing School. We got really stuck in to it then as this was the kite we were to operate on. The usual ground school, and then eight hours flying, circuits and landings, fighter affiliation, and practice bombing and we were regarded as the [page break] big operational types with just a couple of night cross countries to do, a few circuits and landings and then the real thing. I think we all felt a little apprehensive as to how we would react to the nerve strain and other rigours of operational flying. I know I did, I was horribly afraid of a cowardly streak coming out or my nerves not being able to stand the strain. I think the real fear is that you will let your crew, [inserted] down [/inserted] boys who had grown into [deleted] f [/deleted] more than friends by now You feel very close to one another when you’re flying in the same crew. We arrived at our squadron with two other crews, signed [page break] in at our various sections and had our aircraft assigned to us. Ours was a veteran of 45 operations and the letter was E.2 We were to learn that every time we flew in another aircraft something went wrong. I remember sitting in the crew bus on our arrival and watching the operational crews coming down the road with their thermos flasks of hot tea and getting a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach as I wondered how many times we would leave this place and, more important, how many times we would return. Before starting to operate we had a few night circuits and x countries [page break] to do. We were hurried through these in a week doing 5 1/2 hours solid circuits and bumps one night. 5 1/2 hours of “Wheels up” “Wheels down” and then the shock as we hit the runway none too lightly. I became almost an automaton. At last came the big moment when at 10 o’clock one morning in April the Duke came into my section looking a bit tense “We’re on tonight, Junior, get the stuff out and get on with your checks” he said. I went with Ross and Senior and loaded the ‘chutes, harnesses and Mae Wests into the crew bus which took us out to our aircraft. She was all [page break] ready and the corporal in charge of our ground crew, Len, a big capable hardworking Australian looked a bit doubtful when he realised his previous E2 was to be entrusted to a sprog crew. [deleted] We didn’t know then but we were soon to know that [/deleted] Those ground crew boys never let us down once during the whole tour of flying their aircraft we never had one mechanical failure. [deleted] More over [/deleted] We lost Mac, our rear gunner, the same day. We noticed he had been looking a bit seedy during fighter affiliation a couple of times and the Duke had said to me that he didn’t think Mac [page break] was cut out for his job. The previous night an aircraft had come back from ops pretty badly shot up and the rear turret had been practically torn to pieces. The rear gunner lost both his legs. That finished Mac. He went straight to the C.O. and applied for a ground job. It was a sensible thing to do and we were very glad he had not left it any later when he might have let us down although it meant taking spare gunners for a few trips until a new one could be posted to us. Our gunner for that night was a London lad, who had done nine trips called Curly. I finished my checks [page break] and wandered over to lunch. I didn’t eat much. We discussed the possibilities of the target, where could we go on 1600 gallons. The Ruhr? Central France? or would it be farther into Germany? We didn’t know but we sincerely hoped that Happy Valley would be left until we were a little more experienced. Main briefing was scheduled for 19.00 and we arrived at 18.30, a little worked up by this time after an afternoon of speculation. We entered the briefing room and there stretched across the map of Europe was our course marked [deleted] in [/deleted] [inserted] with a [/inserted] red cord. The cords led to a marshalling yard just south of Paris. We felt a [page break] little better. Not so much flak round there anyway. We drew our escape aids and [inserted] flying [/inserted] rations and sat [deleted] to [/deleted] down to wait for the briefing. The various sections ran over their gen. Met:- a clear, moonlight night not so good Intell:- giving details of flak and fighter opposition – not too bad [deleted] and [/deleted] Flying Control:- giving our runway for take off and beacon letters. The section leaders Gunnery Bombing and Engineer giving their instructions to the crews and finally the C.O. with our take-off times, routes, heights and tactics. The C.O. finished with a ”Good Luck Chaps,” and off we hurried, chewing madly at our gum to the locker rooms to change [page break] into our flying clothing. The Duke, myself, Senior and Ross only needed flying boots and a pullover but Robbie, Col, and Curly all needed their electrically heated suits as the cabin heating didn’t reach them. We changed, got into the crew bus, and were taken out to our kite. We ran the motors up, did a final check on navigational equipment and turrets and settled down to an hour’s wait for take off. That’s just about the worse time. You sit and talk and laugh too much trying to hide your real feelings but it is a necessary evil to give the ground crew a chance to rectify any snags which [page break] might crop up during the final run up. Nine o’clock was our take off time so at ten to we started our engines and taxied into the line of waiting A/c at the end of the runway. Just in front of us was Jock, one of the crews whom we had trained with and who was also doing his first trip. He taxied on, got a green from flying control and started off lumbering down the runway. He got airborne but [deleted] he [/deleted] we saw he was flying very port wing low. We taxied on, cleared our motors and slowly opened them up. Well, this was it, there was no turning back now. That 14,000 lbs of bombs didn’t feel so healthy right underneath either. We got half-way down the runway when the whole sky was lit up by a huge, orange explosion. The Duke mutters “Jesus, someones [sic] hit the deck. I hope it isn’t Jock.” [inserted] MCKENZIE [/inserted] We were to learn later that it was indeed Jock who had been unable [page break] [duplicate page] [page break] [inserted] Bottom of back cover page [/inserted] No. 1 SERGEANTS’ MESS ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION HEMSWELL GAINSBOROUGH LINCOLNSHIRE to get his port wing up and had gone straight in. They were all killed. [inserted] Dad converted to Lancasters at Hemswell [/inserted] [page break] [blank page] [page break] Flight Engineer Don Gray, DFM This is the story of a bomber crew, a main force crew, just an ordinary common or garden crew of seven ordinary blokes who derived great pleasure on seeing jerries towns or railways or oil installations go up in quite a large cloud of smoke. I will start my story at Heavy Conversion Unit, Blyton, Lincolnshire because that was where, I being an engineer, merged into the story. These units are manned by instructors who have generally completed an operational tour and the aircraft are obsolescent types of 4 engined bombers which serve quite well in accustoming crews fresh from two motor aircraft to the intricacies of the multi motor types. One fine morning, in the beginning of January 1944, seven engineers and myself were ushered into a large room full of engineerless crews. After the usual pep talk the skippers name and his engineers were read out. I drew a tall, instantly likeable, rangy Aussie out of the hat. He was over six feet tall and in his late twenties with streaks of grey already showing in his dark curly hair. He was known to everyone as Duke and a professional golfer in civie [sic] street. The navigator, a dapper, moustached Australian had the misfortune to have the same surname and so naturally enough Senior and Junior we became. He was a clerk in peace time with thoughts of starting a newspaper business after the war. The bomb-aimer a tiny apparently timid, Lincolnshire lad, Arthur (Robbie) Robinson who was to prove one of the mainstays of the crew. He was an Air Force regular and more than pulled his weight in the crew with his super abundance of common sense. Another point in his favour was that he had covered navigation in his course so we really carried two navigators. The wireless operator an Australian clerk names Ross, was a chap who didn’t conceal his nervousness at flying but who never let it interfere with his job in the air. More than once his conscientiousness helped us greatly. The mid-upper gunner, Col, an Aussie bank clerk, a typical happy-go-lucky type but who was far from casual in the air and, Mac, the Aussie rear-gunner who we were to lose in the near future. He was never the type for air crew as we found out to our sorrow. Myself, well I’m a Lancashire lad, an ex-ground staff fitter and still possessing the keenness which had matured out of several years trying to get into an aircrew. I had joined the R.A.F. in a burst of patriotism straight from school. Well, that’s the mob you’re going to hear about. Not a very outstanding lot you may say, but welded together from the start by mutual self confidence and respect. I have always thought that it was this team spirit, both at work and play, which enabled us to succeed where better individuals have failed. The first week of our training was spent on the ground, going over the aircraft we were about to fly and learning thoroughly the various systems and gadgets peculiar to the type and which had been passed over in our general trade training. This naturally is a boring business but none the less very necessary. [page break] The big day arrived when we were to prove our theory in practice and we were given an experienced Australian instructor with the purple and white silk ribbon of the Distinguished Flying Cross on his tunic. He proved to be a very able instructor and no matter what happened, and believe me there was never a dull moment, he was always the acme of coolness and helpfulness and earned himself the title of “I never mention your name” by croaking this song permanently over the intercom. His aircraft was a Halifax under the letters E2 or Easy 2. These letters were to follow us throughout our flying together and they proved to be a lucky charm, I think. From that day onwards my life became a blurred mass of “wheels up”, “Flaps up”, ‘2650 revs’, ‘30 degrees Flap,’ ‘Wheels down’ and then as we touched, or rather crashed, onto the runway the skipper would say ‘Right off’ and I would chop the throttles right back and hope that we settled down O.K. Gradually we gained more confidence and we soon lost our instructors. After an hours circuits and landings one day the pilot and engineer instructors climbed out with a last warning ‘Remember to do so and so’ and we were on our own. Just the six of us in this vibrating monster of the air. We felt a little dwarfed by its immensity and by all the things that could possibly go wrong. Would a tyre burst on that first touchdown? would I retract the flaps instead of the undercarriage? would that swing to port get out of hand at take-off? Well, this was the test. We manoeuvred into position at the end of the runway, slightly to the right-hand side to allow for this tendency to swing to the left and the Duke said, ‘All O.K boys?’ We all chorused ‘O.K. Duke’ and we slowly opened the throttles, left hand outboard leading slightly and with the control column well forward to get the tail airborne. We gathered speed with no trace of the dreaded swing, the duke was doing his stuff. The air speed indicator crept round towards the hundred mark, the tail rose and at 105 m.p.h. the Duke eased her off the ground. We were airborne. All on our own in that great, noisy world of nothingness dominated by the roaring of our four Rolls Royce Merlins. I was recalled from my reveries by the skipper ‘Wheels up’, ‘Wheels coming up’ I replied and up they came, ‘Flaps up’ ‘Flaps coming up’, the flaps came up slowly 5 degrees at a time, any faster than that and we might go straight into the ground. ‘Humbug power’. I change the revs and boost from take off to climbing power and we begin to gain altitude. At 1000’ we levelled out, cruising G power and did our circuit, the boys were all feeling pretty happy, rotating turrets and Ross was trying to get some dance music on the wireless. The Duke soon stopped that with a “Not now, Ross.” On the down wind leg came R.T. ‘Wheels down’ ‘Flap 20 degrees’ ‘Revs 2650’ in rapid succession and we turned slowly, losing height, cross wind, ‘Flap 35 degrees, and we started our approach. The Duke was calling flying control on R.T. ‘Easy 2 to Bandy, may we pancake?’ back came the reply ‘Bandy to Easy 2 Pancake’ ‘Easy 2 pancaking out’. Then came ‘Full flap, Full revs’. I put these on and gave a last look at my gauges. We all felt a little apprehensive, things ran through my mind – did I check those tyres correctly?, is the undercarriage locked down securely? And then we touched with our wheels at the end of the runway. ‘Right off’ shouted the Duke a little anxiously, I chopped the throttles and after a couple of bounces we settled down nicely to a straight run down the runway. We looked at each other and grinned, it was all over and our first solo flight together was a success. Then just as we turned off the runway the port tyre burst! Why hadn’t it burst on landing? We couldn’t say, but that wasn’t the only bit of luck we had! [page break] A couple of days after, a sleety, rainbowy sort of day, we had to go down south to pick up a V.I.P. We took our instructor with us and flew all the way down at 500’ as visibility was very poor. We arrived there after a bit of frantic map reading and just scraped in on the very short runway. The V.I.P. came aboard and off we belted again. We tore down the runway, staggered into the air, and looked at horror at the hill looming up in front of us! The V.I.P. turned round to my panel and retracted the radiator flaps! Such was the state of the poor old Halifax. On the way back we ran into snow and a little icing. The V.I.P. tapped our instructor on the should [sic] and yelled ‘look at the ice on the mainplanes’. Our instructor glanced nonchalantly at the erring mainplane and bellowed back, ‘I think she can just about carry the extra weight’. The V.I.P., mollified, sat down again. We just happened by chance to find our own drome again and came in for a landing. It was just about the worst the Duke ever made – and that’s saying something. We kangarooed down that runway, swinging from side to side, but finally managed to straighten up somehow. The Duke looked round with a relieved expression to see the V.I.P. quite safe, standing there with a worried expression. He said, with a sickly grin ‘I think you’re trying to scare me!’ Our next venture was a solo day x-country. It was a dull day with 9/10ths cloud and we took off feeling as dull as the weather. We climbed steadily and then, with a thrill I have experienced many times since yet never tired of, we broke into the world over the cloud. What a difference it makes. Our dull feelings were immediately transformed into ones of elation and a feeling of buoyancy at the grandeur of the scene. The cloud tops snow white and billowy with an occasional cu-nimb towering above the rest, all tinted with a rose-like glow from the sun. We climbed steadily, the oxygen coming on at 10,000’, until we reached 20,000’ when we reduced to cruising revs, put the automatic pilot in and settled back to do our jobs quietly and comfortably. Everything went smoothly until about halfway home when Senior said, ‘The G-box has gone for a burton, Duke, and I’ve only the vaguest clue where we are’. This was the one and only time Senior was void of clues. ‘Oh’ said the Duke, ‘that’s bloody brilliant get Ross on the intercom’. The wireless op is generally off the intercom attending to his broadcasts. Ross came on with ‘Want me, Duke?’ ‘Yes, Ross, try and get a Q.D.M. for base will you.’ Ross’ next words shook us a bit, ‘Sorry Duke, but the sets U/S. I’m working on it now’. ‘Christ, this is shakey do, we’d better get down and try and map read home’, said the Duke. Down we went and after several minutes of the always horrible sensation of passing through cloud – it’s just like driving a car in a thick fog, you keep expecting something to loom up and hit you – we broke cloud right over a big town. We didn’t have time to identify before Col came on with, ‘Better get up, Duke, there’s bloody barrage balloons all round us’. Indeed there was and there was no time wasted in getting full power on and up through the cloud again. ‘Hasn’t anybody got a clue where we are?’ asked Duke. ‘Not the bloody vaguest’ came Senior’s voice. and we all felt a bit worried as the petrol was not too plentiful. We bashed along for five minutes more, ‘How’s the juice, Junior?’ asked Duke, ‘About another half hour’ I replied after consulting my log. The Duke looked a bit serious, ‘If we don’t find out where we are soon I don’t fancy our chances of getting back to base’ he said. Another 5 long silent minutes and then a voice came on the intercom, a voice which seemed more pleasing than Stuart Hibberd’s at that moment. It was Ross, he said ‘O.K. Duke I’ve got a Q.D.M. It is two five zero for 18 minutes. The Duke relaxed, adjusted the course on the compass and said ‘Good show Ross’. Twenty minutes later we were on the deck feeling as though we had earned our tea, we had triumphed over our first spot of bother, almost veterans! [page break] Our next trip was a diversionary stooge for the main force. We took off in the late afternoon, climbed to 21,000’ and headed for the north west German coast over the North Sea. This was our first view of a bomber stream, it was very exciting to see a/c of all shapes and sizes, all around us, all heading towards Germany in the fast fading light. We were a little annoyed on looking up to find a Wellington 1,000’ above us. Hardly the thing for the elite Halifax crew to give best to a poor measly Wimpey. Still our kite wasn’t the best and we couldn’t stagger one foot higher than our 21,000’. We droned on and soon saw our first enemy flak as some of our main force bombers crossed the coast. It looked very frightening to us poor learners, lighting up the clouds with its wicked flashes. The skipper warned the gunners ‘There may be fighters about here, boys, so keep your eyes skinned’. ‘O.K. Duke’ came the reply and Col and Mac returned to their vigil, straining eyes out into the seemingly impenetrable gloom, moving their turrets this way and that, protecting our vulnerable land from the Boche. It’s a very comforting feeling to have two good gunners behind you. Just before the coast we turned and started back for home. On our starboard below us, a Lancaster was spiralling slowly down with two motors on fire and black smoke pouring out of it. That was the first kill we had seen going down and we shuddered a little and renewed our search of the dark heavens expecting any minute to see tracer come hurtling out of the gloom towards us. We regained our own coast uneventfully and started our ‘bullseye’. This is an exercise for training bomber crews, A.A. crews and fighter crews and consists of mock attacks by fighters and interceptions by searchlights. There are certain rules to obey - no evasive action to be taken from searchlights if you want them to shut down flash your downward ident light. If you spot the fighter closing in you flash a torch at it and if he sees you without you seeing him he flashes his landing light. A bit farcical but quite good training. We crossed the coast and up came the master beam of the searchlights. Just like an octopus tentacle feeling around in the sky for us and just as loathsome. The beam came closer and closer until it finally caught us and everything was bathed in a brilliant bluish light. The moral effect of searchlights is very great. It makes you feel as if everyone in the world can see you, as if you were the one and only target of all the fighters and flack in the district. The beam held us for a few minutes and then wandered off in search of new victims. We saw no fighters that night. We also had a practice bombing but returned thankfully to base when we couldn’t contact them on RT – it is not a very pleasant spot to be circling a bombing range at night there are too many collisions. We finished our night circuits and landings and took off on our final night x-country prior to conversion on to Lancasters. We took off into a very dark night and soon levelled out at 20,000’. It feels very lonely up there at night in the gloom of the cabin, only broken by the gleaming luminous dials of the instruments. We had just turned on to our second leg when I noticed a sharp fluctuation on the starboard outer radiator temperature gauge. At this moment the Duke shouted, ‘What the bloody hells the matter with this engine, Junior?’ For a moment my mind went a completed blank and I tried in vain to picture the instructions which had been pounded into me from the very first. I can remember vividly the feeling of helplessness and I wondered how I would be like on ops if I panicked now. [page break] I pulled myself together and said as calmly as I could ‘It’s O.K. Duke I’m watching it’. I glanced out of the cabin and saw that sparks and flames were coming from the exhausts. ‘Don’t let the damn thing catch fire Junior’ said the skipper. I took a final glance – it was now right off the clock and the kite was starting to swing to starboard as the power failed. ‘I’m afraid I’ll have to feather it, Duke’, ‘O.K Junior, carry on’ came the reply. My head cleared at last and the feathered drill came easily to my mind. – Fuel, I turned off the engine master cock, revs through the gate, throttle back and I pressed the feathering button. The rev counter dropped slowly back to zero and there was the airscrew straight and stark and useless. With the motor the g-box had gone and we were almost without navigational aids ‘Well, boys, what shall we do?’ said the Duke, ‘Lob down at the first drome we come to or try and get back?’ The majority were in favour of getting down and not risking getting lost, so we reduced power and slowly circled the height off. We went into cloud at 2,000’ and Duke asked, ‘What’s the high ground round here, Senior?’ ‘About 1500’ as far as I know’ said the Navigator ‘I should break cloud very slowly’, ‘Okey dokey’. Down we circled and called on the R.T. ‘Hello Blackie, Hello Blackie this is Juneday calling, this is Juneday calling’ – the standard distress procedure. No reply. We tried again. All the time we were enveloped in the thick veil of cloud, our navigator showing eerily against the opaque mass. I can tell you I didn’t feel too good about breaking cloud on three motors and not being sure of the height of ground! At last a faint reply was heard, ‘Hello aircraft calling, can we help you?’ At this moment we broke cloud into pouring rain. I glanced at the thermometer, it was zero. I told the skipper it was a bad temperature for the dreaded glazed ice. He said ‘Yes its bloody bad but we can’t do much about it' and then ‘Hello Blackie can you land a 4 motor aircraft. We have only 3 motors’. ‘Hello aircraft calling. Yes you may land here QDM 325, QDM 325.’ ‘Hello Blackie, thank you, coming in’ the Duke replied. At this moment we ran into a patch of cloud and lost the aerodrome lights which were coming into view. When we broke out again a different ‘drome was calling. ‘Hello Blackie can we help you, can we help you?’ The voice was very faint, so we decided to turn and try and locate our first drome. After a couple of minutes we sighted the lights, very indistinct even at 1000’ in the pouring rain. We descended to 500’ and rockets started coming up to mark the end of the runway. At the last turn in on to the approach we lost the lights and made our approach very high. The duke stuck the nose down but too late, we were too far down the runway to make a safe landing. ‘Overshoot’ he yelled. I rammed the throttles open and whipped the wheels up and crossed my fingers wondering whether she’d make it on three motors. For one horrible moment she seemed to hover, vibrating from stem to stern. I glanced at the A.S.I. – 100 mph – a little too near the stalling speed, I thought. I whipped 5 degrees of flap off and the speed began to build up under our thankful eyes. We had made it. We made another circuit and managed to get in OK, kangarooing rather badly. We breathed our sighs of thankfulness and followed the taxy van to our dispersal. The next day we went down to the kite and found that there had been a leak in the cooling system and not a drop of coolant was left in the motor. We spent all day taking conducted tours over the ‘mighty bomber’ as the drome was a Wellington O.T.U. and the boys were very interested in the kite they would be flying in a couple of weeks. [page break] The lads had a bit of fun in the mess that lunchtime, Col shooting a deadly line to a WAAF sergeant who thought we had been on ops. We had to wait until the 1 o’clock news to find out where we’d been and, according to Col, we had had more opposition that night than Bomber Command had had in all its years of operating. The glib way he told of fighters, rockets, flack and searchlights with the Duke backing him up caused the rest of us considerable amusement. The WAAF sergeant began to get a little wise, I think, for she asked where was the other member of the crew? (Mac had stayed at base as he was sick) Col casually mentioned that he had bailed out over the Channel. The Halifax had no mid-upper turret but, according to the boys, it had been retracted. We stayed there four days snow bound and in the end went back by train. We felt very operational marching through London in full flying kit carrying our Mae Wests and ‘chutes. I shall never forget when we were sitting in the Sally Anne having a cup of tea a policeman asked Col ‘Come down mate?’ Col replied ‘Yes chum, we lost our rear gunner over the Channel.’ We got another tea on the strength of it! Back again, we packed our grips and embarked upon the next stage of our training, Lancaster Finishing School. We got really stuck in to it then as this was the kite we were to operate on. The usual ground school, and then eight hours flying circuits and landings, fighter affiliation and practical bombing and we were regarded as the big operational types with just a couple of night cross countries to do, a few circuits and landings and then the real thing. I think we all felt a little apprehensive as to how we would react to the nerve strain and other rigours of operational flying. I know I did. I was horribly afraid of a cowardly streak coming out or my nerves not being able to stand the strain. I think the real fear is that you will let your crew down, boys who had grown into more than friends by now. You feel very close to one another when you’re flying in the same crew. We arrived at our squadron with two other crews, signed in at our various sections and had our aircraft assigned to us. Ours was a veteran of 45 operations and the letter was E2. We were to learn that every time we flew in another aircraft something went wrong. I remember sitting in the crew bus on our arrival and watching the operational crews coming down the road with their thermos flasks of hot tea and getting a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach as I wondered how many times we would leave this place and more important, how many times we would return. Before starting to operate we had a few night circuits and x countries to do. We were hurried through these in a week doing 5 1/2 hours solid circuit and bumps one night, 5 1/2 hours of ‘Wheels up’ ‘Wheels down’ and then the shock as we hit the runway none too lightly. I became almost and [sic] automaton. At last came the big moment when at 10 o’clock one morning in April, the Duke came into my section looking a bit tense. ‘We’re on tonight, Junior, get the stuff out and get on with your checks’, he said. I went with Ross and Senior and loaded the chutes, harnesses and Mae Wests into the crew bus which took us out to our aircraft. She was all ready and the corporal in charge of our ground crew, Len, a big, capable, hardworking Australian looked a bit doubtful when he realised his previous E2 was to be entrusted to a sprog crew. Those ground crew boys never let us down once during the whole tour of flying their aircraft, we never had one mechanical failure. [page break] We lost Mac, our rear gunner, the same day. We noticed he had been looking a bit seedy during fighter affiliation a couple of times and the Duke had said to me that he didn’t think Mac was cut out for his job. The previous night an aircraft had come back from ops pretty badly shot up and the rear turret had been practically torn to pieces. The rear gunner lost both his legs. That finished Mac. He went straight to the C.O. and applied for a ground job. It was a sensible thing to do and we were very glad he had not left it any later when he might have let us down although it meant taking spare gunners for a few trips until a new one could be posted to us. Our gunner for that night was a London lad who had done nine trips called Curly. I finished my checks and wandered over to lunch. I didn’t eat much. We discussed the possibilities of the target, where could we go on 1600 gallons? The Ruhr? Central France? Or would it be further into Germany? We didn’t know but we sincerely hoped that Happy Valley would be left until we were a little more experienced. Main briefing was scheduled for 1900 hours and we arrived at 18.30, a little worked up by this time after an afternoon of speculation. We entered the briefing room and there stretched across the map of Europe was our course marked with a red cord. The cords led to a marshalling yard just south of Paris. We felt a little better. Not so much flak round there anyway. We drew our escape aids and flying rations and sat down to wait for briefing. The various sections ran over their gen. Met - a clear moonlight night - not so good. Intell - giving details of flak and fighter opposition – not too bad. Flying Control - giving our running for take off and beacon letters. The section leaders Gunnery Bombing and Engineer giving their instructions to the crews and finally the C.O. with our take off times, routes, heights and tactics. The C.O. finished with a ‘Good Luck Chaps’ and off we hurried, chewing madly at our gum to the locker rooms to change into our flying clothing. The Duke, myself, Senior and Ross only needed flying boots and a pullover but Robbie, Col, and Curly all needed their electrically heated suits as the cabin heating didn’t reach them. We changed, got into the crew bus and were taken out to our kite. We ran the motors up, did a final check on navigational equipment and turrets and settled down to an hours wait for take off. That’s just about the worst time. You sit and talk and laugh too much trying to hide your real feelings but it is a necessary evil to give the ground crews a chance to rectify any snags which might crop up during the final run up. Nine o’clock was our take off time so at ten to we started our engines and taxied into the line of waiting a/c at the end of the runway. Just in front of us was Jock, one of the crews whom we had trained with and who was also doing his first trip. He taxied on, got a green from flying control and started off lumbering down the runway. He got airborne but we saw he was flying very port wing low. We taxied on, cleared our motors and slowly opened them up. Well this was it, there was no turning back now. That 14,000lbs of bombs didn’t feel so healthy right underneath either. We got half-way down the runway when the whole sky was lit up b [sic] a huge orange explosion. The Duke muttered ‘Jesus, someone’s hit the deck. I hope it isn’t Jock McKenzie.’ We were to learn later that it was indeed Jock who had been unable to get his port wing up and had gone straight in. They were all killed. [page break] [underlined] REMINISCENCES [/underlined] For some reason, flying over enemy territory and being shot at did not worry me unduly as I had confidence in my own ability and that of all the crew. I thoroughly enjoyed my 32 trips and was convinced that nothing could happen to us. On April 24th 1944 we had a 6 1/2 hour trip to Karlsruhe in Germany. We commenced our bombing run at 00.51 from 21,000 feet and when the Bomb Aimer shouted his usual ‘Bombs gone’ we did not feel the normal lift as the weight of the bombs left the aircraft. We turned to port to start our homeward leg and the Skipper said that the control felt heavy and asked the Bomb Aimer to check. He looked in the bomb bay and found we still had a full bomb load – they had frozen up! We did not return to the target! On August 4th 1944 we were briefed for a low level raid on the oil storage facilities and refinery at Pauillac on the west coast of France – a 7 1/2 hour trip. We were ordered to fly at 50’ – not an easy task more or less all over water including the Bay of Biscay. We saw one of our squadron misjudge the height and crash into the sea. We climbed to 8000’ to bomb which we did successfully in daylight at 18.00 hours. On another trip to Essen in the Ruhr, we were on our homeward leg and approaching the Dutch coast. We saw on our starboard side mayhem going on. There was anti-aircraft fire, searchlights and tracer from both night fighters and return fire from our bombers. The skipper remarked that some poor sods must have got off track and were getting hammered. Just then we crossed the coast, the Navigator got a fix and said ‘sorry Skipper, we are 20 miles to port of our intended flight path!’ – the sort of luck you need to survive. There were a few operations which were out of the ordinary starting with a 7 1/2 hour trip to Stettin (originally part of Germany but now part of Poland) on August 16th 1944. We flew through a violent electrical storm which arced along the wings in a Christmas decoration sort of way and we were illuminated as though we had been coned in searchlights. It was very pretty but we felt rather on view for night fighters. My crew, when I was in hospital with my shoulder wound, took a spare engineer to Hasselt on May 11th 1944. The Master Bomber aborted the mission due to weather conditions and all aircraft were ordered to bring their bombs back. The skipper landed too far down the runway, went through the perimeter fence, wiping the undercarriage off, and finished in the adjacent field resting on a bomb bay full of bombs, which fortunately did not detonate. Luckily the Flight Commander did the same thing so not too much was said. My Pilot recounts that, as the Lanc. shuddered to a halt, he heard the noise of the overhead hatch being jettisoned, and felt the engineer’s foot on his right shoulder as he disappeared into the night! 2 [page break] We spent a lot of time in the Mess, drinking or playing cards or table tennis. The Marquess of Granby pub. in Binbrook was a favourite haunt and we quite often went into Grimsby to pubs and dances. One night we were in Grimsby at a dance, having been in the pub. until 10.30, when the Service Police came in and ordered us back to camp as the A.O.C. had ordered a maximum effort on Berlin. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had gone but mercifully the weather over the target clamped and the sortie was abandoned. One of our pilots, returning with a full bomb load after an abortive sortie, was on his approach when his engineer decided that he was landing too far down the runway and closed down all the throttles. The aircraft sank like a stone and hit the runway with a bump that rattled the windows in the Control Tower. By some miracle the undercarriage held up, the tyres did not burst, and, as the Lanc. got to dispersal the Commanding Officer, Group Captain Hughie Edwards V.C. DSO. DFC drew up in his car and warmly congratulated the pilot on the finest landing with a full bomb load he had ever seen! After a drinking session, a Free French Wireless Operator went missing. He was found late the following day peacefully asleep in a ditch near the airfield with a loaf of bread under his arm half eaten by birds! I also went home whenever possible to my parent’s house and generally took one of the Aussies with me in my old Riley which was somewhat unreliable! I removed the engine at one time to do a decoke, the crew were not too happy when I did the work in the kitchen of the married quarters where we were billeted. When I reassembled the engine I found I had a few bits left over! I think this was the reason that the interior always filled up with blue smoke! This, coupled with the fogs we used to get in those days and the dubious light from the required slit headlights, made for quite an exciting ride particularly over the Cat & Fiddle! 3 [page break] [underlined] THE CREW [/underlined] PILOT F/S D.J. (DAN) CULLEN R.A.A.F. FLIGHT ENGINEER F/S D.A. (DON) GRAY R.A.F. BOMB AIMER F/S ARTHUR (ROBBIE) ROBINSON R.A.F. NAVIGATOR F/S W.H. (BILL) GREY R.A.A.F. WIRELESS OPERATOR F/S R.W.R. (ROSS) YATES R.A.A.F. MID-UPPER GUNNER F/S C.H. (COL) WHEATLEY R.A.A.F. REAR GUNNER F/S A.W. (ARTHUR) KNAPP D.F.M. R.A.A.F. [underlined] THE AIRCRAFT [/underlined] LANCASTER J.A.683 D2 [underlined] THE TARGET [/underlined] FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, LAKE CONSTANCE [underlined] THE DATE [/underlined] APRIL 27TH 1944 OUR 6TH SORTIE NARRATED BY: DON GRAY, FLIGHT ENGINEER We took off at 21.43 in the company of 18 other aircraft from 460 squadron, a total of 322 Lancaster in all were briefed to attack this target which was an important manufacturing town for tank engines and gearboxes. Everything proceeded normally until we strayed off course and were caught by heavy, predicted flak over Strasbourg, when, in spite of repeated corkscrews, we were hit in the starboard outer engine, in various parts of the airframe and the hydraulics to the mid-upper turret were severed. I was hit in the right shoulder by shrapnel which went right through and shattered the canopy above my head. Afterwards, assessing the angle the piece of metal took, it seemed impossible that it missed my head. My shoulder was numbed for a time but I managed to activate the fire extinguishers and then feather the engine. The skipper asked for a damage report from the crew and it was decided to continue to the target which we bombed all on our own at 02.19, the target being seen to be burning fiercely over a large area. We were routed out over the Swiss border and encountered some ill directed neutral flak over Swiss Territory. We were well behind the bomber stream by this time, struggling to maintain altitude, and half-way up France, I decided to balance the petrol tanks. I asked the Wireless Operator to open the balance cock to feed the port engines off the starboard tanks and immediately the three remaining engines cut out and we dropped like a stone for 1,000 feet. As it was patently obvious that the fuel line was cut, I yelled to him to return the cock to the central position and, after a deathly quiet period which seemed to last for ever, the engines picked up and we resumed our course at around 15,000 feet. My shoulder was pretty sore by this time and there seemed to be a lot of blood on the aircraft floor, but I decided, perhaps stupidly in hindsight, that we were in enough trouble and to say nothing. We passed to the west of Paris as dawn was breaking, but our luck held and no fighters appeared. The skipper then decided not to try and make base, as the port tanks were all but empty, and the Wireless Operator started to send a May Day call. This was cancelled when Tangmere (near Chichester, West Sussex) answered and we decided we had enough fuel to make it there. We landed at 05,30 in daylight, the Bomb Aimer carrying out the landing drill as by this time my arm had stiffened up. I was hospitalised for a month or so and did not rejoin my crew until the middle of June, finishing my 32-operation tour with 10 trips as a spare bod. LOSSES: MAIN FORCE 18 MISSING OUT OF 322 5.6 percent 460 SQUADRON 3 MISSING OUT OF 19 15.8 percent 4 [page break] [underlined] EXTRACT FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE DATED 8TH DECEMBER 1944 [/underlined] The King has been graciously pleased to approve the following award in recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations. [underlined] Distinguished Flying Medal 1005912 Flight Sergeant Donald Arthur GRAY, RAFVR No 460 (RAAF) Squadron [/underlined] This airman is an excellent flight engineer. He has participated in many sorties to heavily defended targets, including attacks against Cologne, Essen, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. At all times he has displayed a marked keenness to participate in any operation, while his consistent courage, technical skill and strong tenacity of purpose have set a high example to all. On one occasion in April 1944, Flight Sergeant Gray’s aircraft was detailed for an attack against Friedrichshafen. It was hit by anti-aircraft fire on the way to the target and he was wounded in the right arm. Although suffering great pain, he continued at his post and enabled his crew to attack this vital target. Only when his aircraft had returned to this country did he inform his captain of his wound. 5 [page break] LIFE AFTER 460 SQUADRON My crew finished their tour leaving me with 10 trips to do which I missed when I was in hospital. I was not too happy to be with strange crews but all went well and I completed my 32 trips on September 27th 1944 with a sortie to harbour installations and gun emplacements at Calais. I was screened for 6 months and bored to death doing admin. jobs. Then I volunteered to train as a winch operator on a glider pick-up squadron and trained in April 1945 at No. 1 Glider Pick-up Unit Ibsley, Hants. If you do not know about this, we flew D.C.3’s equipped with a hook on an arm below the fuselage. A nylon towrope was stretched across two high posts with the glider hitched to the other end. The Dakota dived and hooked the loop of the tow rope and snatched the glider into the air. [black and white photograph of an airmen leaning out of an aircraft with a towrope in his hand] My job was to operate the winch in the aircraft which controlled the paying out of the nylon tow rope. After the glider had cast off, I winched the tow in and then leant out of the open door, hanging on to ropes, and hooked the tow rope off the arm on to the quick-release gear – a bit dicey! We were trained to snatch General Wingate’s wounded men out of jungle clearings in Burma but as we flew out to the Far East we heard he had been killed in an air crash – we were sorry but we heaved a sigh of relief! I flew from R.A.F. Lyneham in DC3. KG774 via Elmas in Sardinia, Castel Benito in Tripoli, Cairo West, Habbaniya in Iraq, Sharjah in the UAE to Mauripur, Karachi where I spent 3 blissful weeks in a transit camp playing cricket! I then boarded Empire Flying Boat Coorong at Karachi Marine air Base and lake hopped across India via Rajsamand, Gwalior and Allahabad, landing on the Ganges in Calcutta – a magical experience. We were once again in a transit camp for around 2 weeks, spent relaxing and swimming at the Victoria Baths. It was the time of the riots and we had to take care, avoiding the mobs and burning buses. The trip to Rangoon was by boat on the Ambulance Transport S.S. Rajula. We were billeted in the hospital cots below decks but soon found it was far too hot and slept on deck from then on. We had to be careful to pack our bedding up by 6 a.m. as that is when the decks were swabbed! We spent some time on Mingladon Airfield, under canvas where we picked pineapples outside our tent flap and watched carefully for scorpions which tended to make their homes in our boots. From there I was flown to Akyab an island off the Burmese coast, to 194 Squadron to rejoin my skipper, F/L C.L. Smith. From Akyab we flew in supplies to the forward troops and brought back Japanese P.O.W.’s from Myingyan, Meiktila, Toungoo, Ywataung and Magwe, the main danger being flying in the monsoons plus the odd bit of rifle fire. In my off duty hours I built a canoe by lashing bamboo together covering it with fabric and applying aircraft dope which waterproofed and stretched it. I did not have time to use it as we were posted but, as we were transported to the airfield, I saw some local boys launch it and it immediately capsized! 6 [page break] When we arrived on Akyab, we were allocated a basha – a bamboo hut built by the locals. We made our own beds out of thick bamboo poles lashed together with rope across to support the bedding. We strung mosquito netting over each bed. As we were in the monsoon season it was very hot and humid – ideal conditions for mosquitoes which were always around us in swarms. The anti-malaria drug was Nepacrine in those days which, when taken regularly, turned our skin yellow. We looked like Chinese immigrants when we arrived home! The toilet facilities were primitive – the showers were small water tanks which had a pull chain to release the water, and often we were deluged with small frogs which somehow had infiltrated the tank. The toilet facilities was a rope strung across oil drums. Creosote had been poured over the debris and set alight so that we sat in a cloud of creosote flavoured smoke. I did not hear of anyone falling in! When stationed there I bought a motorboat off a chap who had been posted, with the idea of going conger eel fishing. I found that when in the water the motor power was so poor that when against the current you were stationary! Ever been had! When flying we were given K Rations as we never landed anywhere where there was catering. These consisted of a cardboard box in which were tins of luncheon meat, dried egg, cake and orange juice. There was also a packet of biscuits with margarine and after a fortnight of this unappetising fare, we were heartily sick of it but it was that or nothing. The mess and bar were in a larger basha and was inhabited by many geckos which lurked, mainly around the lights, and cleared up a lot of flies and mosquitoes. They were very welcome. We had a camp cinema which was housed in a large Nissen hut and it was there that we first heard of the Japanese surrender. [black and white photograph of a Nissen hut] After the Americans dropped the atom bomb and the Japanese surrendered, I spent some time in charge of native loading parties at the flying boat base at Seletar, Singapore which was quite interesting because we carried out the loading and unloading with D.U.K.W.’s. The C.O. was G/C Beamish, one of the famous Irish rugby playing family, so I had a marvellous few months playing the oval ball game, generally in a sea of mud. I came home on the Capetown Castle from Singapore at the end of 1945, which was 3 weeks total luxury, and was demobbed in April 1946. I then finished my accountancy studies and worked in the family business of which I was Chairman until I retired from the day to day running of the Company in 1987 when I was 65. 7 [page break] Dad’s Sense of Humour Dad never took himself too seriously. He had a quirky sense of humour and took a delight in poking fun and highlighting the ridiculous. Life must have seemed especially good after surviving the horrors of war, flying Lancaster bombers over Germany. An extreme example of his humour, which we will never forget, occurred when we were on a family holiday in Austria. He struck up a conversation with a man in a bar who said, ‘I come from Hamburg, have you ever been to Hamburg?’ and Dad, to our horror, replied airily, ‘Oh, just a flying visit’. Fortunately they had both had a couple of beers and the conversation moved on without incident. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flight Engineer Don Gray DFM Description An account of the resource An autobiography of Don's RAF service. It includes reminiscences of specific trips, an extract on his DFM and a footnote by his son about his sense of humour. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Don Gray Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Lincolnshire England--Lancashire Germany Germany--Ruhr (Region) France--Paris Germany--Karlsruhe France--Pauillac (Gironde) Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay Germany--Essen Poland--Szczecin Poland Belgium--Hasselt England--Grimsby Germany--Berlin Germany--Friedrichshafen France--Strasbourg Germany--Cologne Germany--Stuttgart France--Calais England--Ringwood Burma Italy--Elmas Libya--Tripoli Egypt--Cairo Iraq--Baghdad Pakistan--Karachi India--Rājsamand (District) India--Gwalior India--Allahabad Burma--Rangoon Burma--Akyab (District) Burma--Myingyan (District) Burma--Toungoo Burma--Magwe Burma--Sagaing Singapore Austria Germany--Hamburg India--Kolkata Atlantic Ocean--North Sea France France--Pas-de-Calais Libya Egypt North Africa Burma--Ywataung Belgium India Iraq Italy United Arab Emirates Pakistan United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Royal Australian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 14 printed sheets 46 handwritten pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BGrayDAGrayDAv2, BGrayDAGrayDAv2-Transcript Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription. Under review Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tricia Marshall Maureen Clarke 460 Squadron air gunner aircrew anti-aircraft fire bomb aimer briefing C-47 crash crewing up Distinguished Flying Medal flight engineer Gee ground personnel Halifax Heavy Conversion Unit Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School mess military service conditions navigator Nissen hut Operational Training Unit pilot RAF Binbrook RAF Blyton RAF Lyneham RAF Tangmere sanitation take-off crash training Wellington wireless operator Women’s Auxiliary Air Force https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2058/33818/PDoxseyJA18010027.1.jpg de495f540ca0f61e78aa9f6f70e3a2a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Doxsey, JA, Photograph album Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-09-20 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Doxsey, JA Description An account of the resource 54 items comprising fifty-two pages and cover of album containing photographs of aircraft, people and places in Europe and Africa during and after the Second World War. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Trip to India Description An account of the resource Top left - view from air of river with city on far side and bridge in the centre. Captioned 'Ganges river at Cawnpore, India, March 1946'. [actually downstream from Cawnpore (Kanpur) at Allahabad (Prayagraj)]. Top right - view along the top of the fuselage of a York with two men standing towards the tail. Captioned 'Taken on top of our York at Negumbo, Ceylon, Oct 46'. Centre - seven men wearing shorts, three sitting on a sea wall and four standing behind. Sea in the background. Bottom left - view from airborne aircraft of distant desert mountainous shore. Captioned 'Persian Gulf coast near Sharjah, on way back from India, Feb 1946'. Bottom right - view from airborne aircraft of coastline. Captioned 'Coast of France near Marseilles [sic] on way to India, Jan 1946'. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1946-03 1946-10 1946-01 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1946-03 1946-10 1946-01 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. India India--Kānpur Sri Lanka Sri Lanka--Colombo France France--Marseille United Arab Emirates Asia--Ganges River India--Allahabad United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Five b/w photographs mounted on an album page Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PDoxseyJA18010027 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Geolocated York https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/641/32465/BSmithJSmithJv1.1.pdf 06d252abf25757870b967f73da7e1fc8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Smith, Jack John George Smith J G Smith Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Smith, JG Description An account of the resource Three items. An oral history interview with John 'Jack' Smith (1921 -2019) and his memoirs. He flew operations as a wireless operator with 189 Squadron. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by John Smith and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-04-08 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sparks in the air - Jack Smith's wartime story Description An account of the resource Second version. Covers life before the war and volunteering for the RAF in August 1940 and continues with an account of training as a wireless operator. The article includes radio school crest and photograph of a Battle aircraft. He describes his voyage from Liverpool via Cape Town, eventually arriving at RAF Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, having travelled through several countries. He describes life and work on this station. Describes medical issues and subsequent posting to RAF Habbaniya in Iraq. Goes on to describe journey back to England overland via Gaza, Cairo and Alexandria thence by ship. Continues aircrew training at RAF Madley and Llandwrog in Wales. Includes photographs of Proctor, Dominie and Anson. Describes crewing up and starting operations on Wellington aircraft. He continues with postings to heavy conversion units and Lancaster finishing school before joining 189 Squadron at RAF Fulbeck. Describes operations from December 1944 to April 1945. Mentions repatriating prisoners of war and Cook's tour to see damage to German cities. Describes life after the war including his marriage. Includes photographs of Wellington. Stirling, night bombing, wedding and page from log book. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource A Gaunt J Smith Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Twenty-eight page printed document Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BSmithJSmithJv1 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Lincolnshire England--Spalding England--Cheshire England--Lancashire England--Blackpool England--Wiltshire England--Liverpool South Africa South Africa--Cape Town South Africa--Durban India India--Mumbai Iraq Iraq--Baṣrah United Arab Emirates Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah Gaza Strip--Gaza Egypt--Cairo Egypt--Alexandria England--Herefordshire England--Northamptonshire Wales--Gwynedd England--Nottinghamshire Germany Germany--Heilbronn Germany--Giessen (Hesse) Poland Poland--Gdynia Belgium Belgium--Houffalize Germany--Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony) France France--Royan Czech Republic Germany--Karlsruhe Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal Germany--Dresden Germany--Leipzig Germany--Dortmund Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden Germany--Würzburg Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia) Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia) Belgium--Brussels Germany--Flensburg Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie) Scotland--Moray Egypt Gaza Strip Germany--Ruhr (Region) Czech Republic--Most North Africa United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1937 1940-09 1940-11-04 1941-03 1941-08-31 1943-02 1944-04 1944-06-12 1944-08-24 1944-11-09 1944-12-04 1944-12-06 1944-12-19 1944-12 1944-12-30 1945-01-01 1945-01-04 1945-01-16 1945-01-13 1945-02-01 1945-02-02 1945-02-07 1945-02-13 1945-02-14 1945-02-20 1945-02-23 1945-03-14 1945-03-16 1945-03-20 1945-03-23 1945-04-03 1945-04-23 1945-05-06 1945-05 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke 1661 HCU 17 OTU 189 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson Battle Blenheim bombing bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945) Cook’s tour crewing up Dominie Heavy Conversion Unit Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School love and romance military living conditions Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy Operation Exodus (1945) Operational Training Unit Proctor RAF Bramcote RAF Compton Bassett RAF Fulbeck RAF Llandwrog RAF Madley RAF Milltown RAF Padgate RAF Silverstone RAF Syerston RAF Turweston RAF Winthorpe RAF Woodbridge recruitment Scarecrow Stirling training Wellington wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/641/32464/BSmithJSmithJv1-2.1.pdf fa99ddac1408d0948f187f5b15dccf96 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Smith, Jack John George Smith J G Smith Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Smith, JG Description An account of the resource Three items. An oral history interview with John 'Jack' Smith (1921 -2019) and his memoirs. He flew operations as a wireless operator with 189 Squadron. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by John Smith and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-04-08 Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document Sparks in the Air These are the wartime recollections of Pinchbeck resident John George Smith known to his friends as Jack. Jack was born in 1921, the son of George and Bessie Smith. George was the keeper of a smallholding, raising Poultry and assisting a local farmer. [photograph of Jack] As a young teenager growing up in 1930’s England, through the newspapers of the day, Jack was aware of events taking place in Germany and of Britain’s own Fascist problems directed by Oswald Mosley. Although still only a teenager, Jack approached the time he would leave school realising that another war in Europe was inevitable. Jack left Donington Grammar School in1937 his parents and relatives asking the question “What are you going to do?” Jack had an ambition to become a Chartered Accountant however this required any potential candidate to pay an indenture however the cost was prohibitive and Jack decided to try and join the RAF instead. Ironically jack encountered the same obstacles as his Father who had been unable to join up to serve his country during the First World War because of the poor state of his teeth. At the age of 17, Jack had 22 teeth removed! Having seen an advert in the Spalding Free Press for “Well educated youth required by Chartered Accountants, Hodgson, Harris & Co”, a national company who had a small office in Spalding over Gibbs shoe shop, Jack applied and got his first job. There was no payment to the company however it only had a low wage of ten shillings a week. There were no girls in the office and as a consequence Jack had to learn shorthand typing to a standard of 100 words/minute, this alongside learning accountancy. [bold] This is Jacks[sic] account of his wartime memories. [/bold] When war broke out on 3rd September 1939 recruiting for the forces had started at 20 years plus however I was only 18 at the time. Accountancy was not a reserved occupation and in the August of 1940 I and my colleague Bill Taylor who was the same age as me and worked in the same office both decided to volunteer for the RAF as we didn’t fancy the Army or the Navy. In September 1940 we were called to the RAF station at Padgate near Warrington to be attested and undergo a medical. Bill and I undertook intelligence tests but we both knew that we wanted to be Wireless Operators. [page break] Although the war was now into its second year, there had been as yet no air raids in South Lincolnshire. Whilst at Padgate we suffered ten air raid warnings but fortunately no damage was inflicted on the airfield. It was my first experience of an air raid. This took place over the 13th, 14th and 15th of September and later became known as the Battle of Britain weekend when British fighters shot down 185 German planes. After my three days at Padgate I returned home to Lincolnshire and on the 4th November 1940 I and my friend Bill Taylor were required to travel to Blackpool. We left from Donington and travelled by train via Manchester arriving at Blackpool in the late afternoon. We were directed to Offices in the centre of Blackpool where we were officially enrolled in the Royal Air Force. Bill and I were then separated and I was lodged at a boarding house at 30 Reads Avenue Blackpool where another 15 RAF personnel were also residing. I was accommodated in the attic where there was a single fanlight, two beds and a wash basin. The next morning we assembled on the promenade near to the Hotel Metropole. Grouped into Units of approximately thirty, we were placed in the charge of an Acting Corporal. We commenced drill training and were marched around Blackpool for exercise stopping around mid morning at a Café for coffee and buns! As we were potential Wireless Operators we were required to attend the Winter Gardens daily where we were given instruction in radio technicalities and morse training. Due to double Summertime being in operation, it was exceptionally dark when we set out for the day at 8am. I was given the role of marker to the squad and marched at the front carrying a lantern. There was no heating in the Winter Gardens where we sat throughout the day in our greatcoats breaking only for refreshments before finishing training at around 4 to 4.30 pm. The food at the boarding house was acceptable being plain in nature but sufficient. In the evenings we were free to enjoy the night life of Blackpool but we had to be back by 10.30pm. After I had been there for several weeks, I joined a harmonica band consisting of around ten or twelve members and we performed at concerts held in various village halls in the area. The highlight was being able to perform at the Opera House on the same bill as George Formby. After three weeks I moved to 45 Ashburton Road along with three other RAF personnel. It was a much more homely atmosphere there, living and eating with an elderly couple who owned the property. After another three or four weeks I moved further down Ashburton Road but only stayed for a couple of nights as it was overcrowded with five to a room. I then moved to 4 Bank Street off the promenade near to the Hotel Metropole and where I had to parade each morning. This was a private hotel and very comfortable as I shared a room with only one other member of the RAF. it was extremely convenient for excursions into town in the evenings and I was happy to remain there until it was time to move on from Blackpool. [page break] Radio training continued everyday and we were tested each week at the premises of Burtons the Tailors. We were required to increase morse speed by one word per minute each week until a speed of twelve words per minute had been achieved at which point the course in Blackpool was concluded. [RAF Radio School crest] We were then posted to radio schools on normal RAF stations. I was posted to No. 3 radio School at RAF Compton Bassett in Wiltshire which was for ground operators. There was another radio school nearby to Compton Bassett, No. 4 at Yatesbury which was for aircrew operators. I enjoyed life here for the first time on a proper RAF station. My day started at 6:30 am with PT on the parade ground square before starting work at 8:00 am. I was at Compton Bassett from the end of March 1941 to the end of June which was when I qualified as a ground wireless operator and was allowed to wear ‘sparks’ on my right arm. Having successfully completed training I was allowed home for two weeks leave. This was my first leave since travelling to Blackpool the previous November. I thoroughly enjoyed the break and whilst there I received a posting to the RAF station at Bramcote near Nuneaton. This was a regular peacetime station however at this time it was mainly occupied by members of the Polish Air Force. This was my first experience of an operational signals cabin and for the first time working for real with a radio set. After several weeks at Bramcote, at the end of July, I was notified I was going on embarkation leave. After three weeks leave I had to make my way to the RAF station at West Kirby in the Wirral Peninsula. On arrival here, I found that several of my fellow colleagues who had been at radio school were also awaiting the same posting. We were all accommodated in tents. [photograph] POLISH Aircrew RAF - Fairey Battle Mk 1 sun L5427 BH*E of 300 (Polish) Bomb Squadron “Mazoviecka Province” - RAF Bramcote August 1940 - [page break] After several days we were moved by RAF transport into Liverpool for embarkation. The docks were very busy with movement of troops. We marched in units towards the vessel we were to leave England on. This vessel was the Orient Liner SS OTRANTO. Otranto was a 20,000grt passenger vessel that had been modified as a troop carrier. Some 500 RAF personnel embarked along with 3000 men of the Yorkshire Regiment. The decks of the ship went from A to H. RAF personnel were accommodated on E deck which was the last level with portholes. [photograph] There were eighteen on each mess table, we slept in hammocks and the toilets were primitive. Ten toilets without doors so there was no privacy. We knew nothing of our destination as security was so tight. On each mess table, two of the men were nominated as mess orderlies and had to bring the food from the galley. I was lumbered with one of these jobs! After being on board for 24 hours, we departed Liverpool. For me this was quite an experience having never been on a Liner before. It was quite a bright day on 31st August 1941 and our course followed the coast of Northern Ireland. We all started to take a guess at our destination and some of us thought we may be off to Canada to start our Air Crew training. For a day or so we headed due what until we were well clear of the Irish coast and out into the Atlantic. We were under escort of a number of Royal Navy vessels including two Battle Ships, the ill fated HMS REPULSE and HMS PRINCE OF WALES. [photograph] Repulse [photograph] Prince of Wales [page break] There was very little to do onboard and very little reading material available. The only book that seemed to be in circulation was ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’. After some time a number of personnel got sick and went off their food. It reached a point that on my table only myself and one other Mess Orderly were eating. A number of the party were literally very green and extremely poorly. The vessel eventually altered to a southerly course from its westward heading, still under escort, many of us spent a lot of time just sleeping and looking over the side watching the waves. Some spent their time writing letters intending to drop them off at the first port of call. All letters were censored prior to posting and in fact one of my associates was identified by the OIC as having referred to the Commanding Officer as bring “nothing more than a broken down commercial traveller”. As a result he was brough before the CO and given 7 days confinement to barracks which in this case was a cell in the depths of the ship on deck ‘H’. Several days later the vessel changed to an easterly direction giving rise to further speculation as to our destination. Eventually we made landfall on the west coast of Africa, berthing at Freetown where we stayed for a week. This was a very boring seven days as we were not allowed shore leave. We amused ourselves by watching the local boys jumping into the harbour to retrieve coins that were being thrown into the water by army personnel. The temperature was extremely hot and the humidity was high. At the end of the week we left Freetown and the vessel headed in a southerly direction. We now assumed our destination to be South Africa. As we were now in a consistently hot climate, some of us erected our hammocks on deck where it was much cooler to sleep. The next sighting of land was that of “Table Mountain” on the Cape however to our surprise we did not call at Capetown but carried on further along the South African coast eventually calling at Durban. We stayed here for a week and during that time were allowed shore leave daily. We were kindly entertained by South Africans who took us to restaurants and hotels for meals and tours in the neighbouring countryside. The weather was perfect and this was a really enjoyable and welcome break. We were extremely surprised that none of us were staying on in South Africa. We Aircrew thought that we may have been going on to Southern Rhodesia to continue air training – no such luck ,,,,,! At the end of this week we once again set sail along with our escort of Battleships heading east into the Indian Ocean. We sailed for several days before Repulse and Prince of Wales left us. No one could have imagined that only a few months later both these mighty ships had been sent to the bottom of the South China sea sunk by land based bombers and torpedo bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy on 10th December 1941. In Japan the engagement was referred to as the Naval Battle of Malaya (Mare-oki Kaisen). We were more fortunate with our destination as the Otranto finally docked in Bombay (Mumbai) India. Once again we were alongside for a week and were entertained on pleasure trips. I found Bombay to be a very exciting and busy place. At the end of this week, we Aircrew were taken off the SS Otranto and transferred to a much smaller vessel, the SS KHEDIVE ISMAIL complete with its Lascar crew. Of 7513 grt, formerly the SS ACONCAGUA, built in 1922 as an Ocean Liner and converted to a troop ship in 1940. [page break] We eventually left Bombay heading West and once clear of India we were advised that we were going to Basrah in Iraq. This revelation was our first indication as to our final destination. There was very little comfort onboard and hammocks were again the order of the day. The Lascar crew were very helpful and attentive and at night whilst in our hammocks they would come around with a bucket of tea or chai as they called it. This was very refreshing especially with the temperature as high as it was. Although the food onboard was quite acceptable, the toilet arrangements were primitive, consisting of a trough the width of the vessel with wood seats where you sat side by side with your fellow airmen – Absolutely no privacy whatsoever …..! We were off into the Arabian Sea without any sight of land until we entered the Straits of Hormuz, being the entrance to the Persian Gulf. We now had no escorts and sailed on alone through the tranquil waters of the Persian Gulf in very high temperatures and daily sunshine. [photograph of SS Khedive Ismail] Land eventually came into sight as we approached the Northern end of the Gulf and we eventually arrived at the Port of Basrah which was a very busy port. After disembarking, we were directed to a very large cargo shed on the dockside where we were to stay for the next few days. We only had beds made from boards and raised off the floor on four empty biscuit tins. The luxury was completed with one blanket and a small pillow. The temperature at this point was most uncomfortable. Whilst awaiting a posting, we were able to go into Barrah itself and sample the local life. The authorities were slightly puzzled as there were some fifty of us qualified Wireless Operators and they were not at all sure what to do with us. This took some time to sort out. Eventually a few of us were posted to Shuaiba which is now the second largest port in the State of Kuwait. At that time it was a camp about ten miles out of Basrah which had been a peacetime RAF camp. The accommodation at Shuaiba was of brick constructed buildings having been built partly below ground to try and reduce the heat as during the height of the season temperatures exceeded 40 deg’s. I spent quite some time carrying out general duties until one morning an order for volunteers for anybody who could type was requested. By this time I was rather tired of filling sand bags and doing guard duty. As I could type and do shorthand, I decided I would risk it and volunteered. I immediately became the Squadron typist and carried out all the office work and correspondence for the C.O. After a week or so the Squadron was posted to Sharjah a British Protectorate which is now a part of the United Arab Emirates. The squadron consisted of 18 Blenheim aircraft all of which were ex OUT and were not terribly serviceable. [page break] The Blenheims were required for anto[sic] submarine patrols up and down the Persian Gulf and out into the Indian Ocean. We were moved to Sharjah by boat and disembarked by dhow into the then village of Dubai. We continued by road transport to Sharjah where we were billeted in huts which had the luxury of fans. On the edge of the airport was a stone built structure known as the ‘Fort’. This was well equipped as it was used by BOAC crew for overnight stops. Because of the very high temperatures, the Mechanics could only work on the aircraft until 10am and then cease until 6pm. It was so hot an egg could be fried on the wings of aircraft. Water was in short supply and the only bathing was done in the sea which was about half a mile away. We only had a small supply of fresh water for shaving and tea was rationed. Food was very repetative with many combinations of risoles you have never seen the like of. Once every fortnight we were allowed American beer which equated to about four half pint cans which were consumed in one night. We used to leave the empty cans outside our billets and by morning they would have been removed by the locals. If you then happened to go into the village of Dubai, these cans could be seen on sale as mugs, having had handles attached. Although I was trained wireless operator, I was still being misemployed as Squadron Typist which mean that I could not be reclassified and so remained an AC2. However, I eventually took the AC1 examination and was upgraded. Like all the other Wireless Operators out there, we all wanted to get back to complete our Air Crew training. The Adjutant suggested I re muster as a Radio Observer which meant I could go to Southern Rhodesia for training or alternatively consider obtaining a commission as a Filter Officer. Whilst at Sharjah I suffered quite badly from ‘prickly heat’ which developed into blisters requiring my admission to the base sick bay. I also had heat exhaustion around the time of my 21st birthday, running a temperature of 106 degs. I was taken to the Fort at the edge of the camp which had air conditioned rooms. My skin problems got progressively worse and I had to have by head completely shaved. I received treatment with bread poultices on my arms and legs which became septic. [photograph of an aeroplane] Eventually I was taken by air to the RAF Hospital at Shuaibah and spent 2-3 weeks there recovering in the dermatology ward. At the end of my hospitalisation, I was posted to Tehran in Iran on sick leave. I travelled by road transport through the town of Ahwaz in Iran and then by train to Tehran. This journey took 24 hours. The train was completely full with people sleeping not just on the seats but also on the luggage racks and corridors. [page break] When the train stopped in the early morning there were many locals selling eggs and bread on the platform which was very welcome. On reaching Tehran we were taken to a rest home on the edge of the city. It had pleasant facilities. We used to go into Tehran in groups of 3 or 4 personnel. Towards the end of the two weeks, I developed tonsillitis which resulted in my being taken to the Sick Bay at the RAF Station at Tehran where I remained for a further ten days. The MO allowed me to remain in Tehran until I felt well enough to travel to Basrah but after about a week, I became quite lonely as all my colleagues had by then left. After arriving back in Basrah I was then posted to Habbaniya, a real peacetime RAF station about fifty five miles West of Baghdad. I was extremely pleased to receive this posting as the climate at Sharjah did not suit me at all. Habbaniya was quite a large base, all brick buildings including two cinemas and a range of shops where you could buy clothing etc. Surprisingly even the food in the Airmans[sic] mess was exceptionally good! There were also facilities for sporting activities including tennis courts. We had local youths acting as what we called “cheekos” who did our laundry and kept the village clean. There were 16 men in each billet and we all paid the equivalent of two shillings per week for this domestic assistance. It was always done promptly and efficiently. Each billet had fans as temperatures were around thirty to forty degrees. I was employed as a Ground operator in a Signals Cabin on a shift system, working stations in the UK and India. I found this to be very enjoyable work. [bold] NOTES ON RAF HABBANIYA, IRAQ [/bold] There were numerous billets, messes and a wide range of leisure facilities including swimming pools, cinemas and theatres, sports pitches, tennis courts and riding stables. It was self-contained with its own power station, water purification plant and sewage farm. Within the base was the Civil Cantonment for the civilian workers and their families and the families of the RAF Iraq Levies. Water taken from the Euphrates for the irrigation systems enabled green lawns, flower beds and even ornamental Botanical Gardens. After World War II the families of British personnel started living at Habbaniya and a school was started. The base at Habbaniya was used by the RAF from October 1936 to the end of May 1959, Not quite a year following the July 1958 revolution. In recent years Habbiniya was used for the manufacture of mustard gas which was used against Iranian troops during the Iran Iraq war. [map of the area] [page break] [centred] The Journey Home (Habininyah to the UK) [/centred] On a February morning in 1943, I was sleeping in the billet after having been on a night shift when I was awoken by some excited discussion. This was caused by a sergeant from the Orderly room reading out a list of names of Operators being posted back to the UK to resume Aircrew training and my name was on the list! It was then necessary to get clearance from the OIC of Signals – so off we went! However the Officer said that as we were all experienced Ground Operators, we could not leave until replacements arrived and this took five months until July. There were six of us with our kit bags that were put on to an open lorry to start our return journey to England. We travelled due west over the Iraqi desert. The temperature was around 40 degs C and after about four hours we stopped for refreshment and toilet relief. The stop took place at a point on the “Oil Line” known as H3. We carried on, passing through the small town of Al Rutbah which was the only sign of any habitation that we had thus far seen. Before darkness we stopped for the night somewhere near to the Syrian/Jordanian border, having to make ourselves as comfortable as possible on our kitbags. The next morning we resumed our journey travelling just north of the Dead Sea until we arrived in a small coastal town in Gaza just South of Tel Aviv. We were in a small transit camp with brick billets, completely unfurnished. We had to sleep on a blanket on a stone floor and in the morning we all had a large number of insect bites! After spending a couple of days on a Mediterranean beach we embarked on a train for Cairo. It was a pleasant journey as it followed the coast and at each station there were vendors of eggs and bread. On arrival in Cairo we were taken by truck to the RAF base at Almaza, a few miles out of town. On this occasion we were accommodated in small (2 person) tents whilst we awaited the Liner which would return us to the UK. After ten days in Almaza, we Wireless Operators were taken to Alexandria where we boarded a large Liner. Unfortunately I never knew its name however it apparently was the first ship to go through the Mediterranean since it was closed at the beginning of the war. We docked in Algiers for two days and the day after we sailed away, the Luftwaffe attacked Algiers. Our next stop was Gibralter where every night depth charges were set off at intervals as a deterrent to U-Boats. However during our five night stay there was no air raid. The last leg of the journey was north into the Atlantic and around Ireland into the River Clyde. This was uneventful but as we sailed into Greenock it was wonderful to once again see all the green vegetation. Something that I had missed in the two years I had been away. It was now the end of August, exactly two years since I had left. There was also good news – Italy had surrendered. I was also very happy now to send a phone message to my folks via their neighbours to let them know that I was back in the UK. I travelled by train to RAF West Kirby on the Wirral to leave my tropical kit and get a three week leave pass. The next day I had arrived home to a very happy reunion with Mother and Dad. I spent the next three weeks meeting relatives and friends recounting my travels. [page break] After three weeks disembarkation leave, I was posted to Number 4 Radio School at Madley near Hereford. This was where I was to resume Air Crew training as a Wireless Operator, flying Dominis and Proctors. [photograph] The [bold] Percival Proctor [/bold] was a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor was a single-engined, low-wing monoplane with seating for three or four, depending on the model. [photograph] At the start of the Second World War, many (Dragon) Rapides were impressed by the British armed forces and served under the name [bold] de Havilland Dominie [/bold]. They were used for passenger and communications duties. Over 500 further examples were built specifically for military purposes, powered by improved Gipsey[sic] Queen Engines, to bring total production to 731. The Dominies were mainly used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for radio and navigation training. This was my first experience of flying and operating as a Wireless Operator and here we were flying most days for about one and a half hours carrying out various operation exercises on the radio. RAF Madley was also a peacetime Station and the accommodation was quite good and included bunks for two members each in huts containing about sixteen personnel. Whilst I was here, I was with a number of the men that I had served with in Iraq so I was quite happy with the friends that I already knew. We used to go into the local village in the evenings, frequenting the local hostelries where I had an enjoyable time making up the[sic] for the two years I had spent overseas! The course finished at the end of December 1943 and this is when I passed out and was promoted to Sergeant. At the same time I was also presented with my previ, the letter ‘S’ for Signals in the centre. Previously Wireless Operators had been Air Gunners as well but that had by then been discontinued and a Wireless Operator was purely a Wireless Operator and not required to do a Gunnery course. Having qualified, I was kept on for a few more weeks assisting with the training of other personnel. At the end of April 1944 I was posted along with some of the other Wireless operators to No 9 Advanced Flying Unit at Llandwrog in North Wales which is close to the town of Pwihelli and also close to Caenarfon. The drome here was along the coastline and planes taking off the runway immediately across the Irish sea. [page break] At Llandwrog we were training in Anson aircraft doing cross country exercises, out across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man, back to the Lancashire coast and returning to base in Wales. This was during the month of May 1944 and continued into June until the course was completed on 12th June 1944. By this time, I’d had 43 hours of lectures and about 37 hours of flying time. This had been quite good experience as we had been night flying on a number of occasions and experienced flying in terrific thunderstorms. The whole aircraft having been completely encircled in a blue light including the wings! This was quite an unnerving experience. [photograph] On two occasions whilst stationed at Llandwrog, two of the training aircraft taking off failed to raise into the air and ditched in the sea. Each about 200 -300 metres from the shore. Fortunately the crews survived. During my time there I was kept pretty busy however I did get into the local pub occasionally. There was a bit of a problem in that the pubs closed at 9 o’clock in the evening so you were never late getting back to camp. I was aware that there were certain local farms where airmen could go and have a bacon and egg meal and other enjoyable food but I never managed that. Having completed the advanced w/t course, I was then posted to No. 17 Operational Training Unit at Turweston, Northamptonshire which was also part of RAF Silverstone. Turweston was the satellite drone where I spent my first period operating. It was here at Turweston where we were all selected into different crews which was quite a hit and miss affair. This was because the Pilots were selecting more or less randomly the members of their crew from those present in the room. I was picked by an Australian Pilot, Flight Sergeant Rob Richter. In addition to myself we had a Navigator (Alan Capey) from Stoke on Trent, a Bomb Aimer (Taffy Cross) from Llanelli, an Flight Engineer (Ossy Williams) from New Malden, a Mid Upper Gunner (Price Proctor) from Hartlepool and a Tail Gunner (Paddy McCrum) from Belfast. It seemed strange putting together a crew in such an informal manner but thank goodness it all worked out reasonably well and we all sort of bedded down together in pretty good form. We then started operating together and flew in Vickers Wellington Mk III’s and I was now flying as a Wireless Operator no longer under training. [page break] [photograph] We were accommodated in nissan huts amongst a lot of trees and I was working together with a team for the first time. As we got on so well together we were socialising each evening, visiting the local hostelries in Silverstone and Brackley. The weather at this time was perfect and I was enjoying the experience of flying with a crew in the Wellington aircraft. The flying exercises we were doing began with circuits and landings. We then developed this on to cross country and high level bombing exercises at Wainfleet in Lincs. and also Epperstone in Notts. This included air firing for the benefit of the gunners. At the end of July our crew were moved into the RAF base at Silverstone with more permanent accommodation than we had previously had at Turweston. It was all most comfortable and I was quite content here. We were now mainly doing cross country flights on a regular basis with these being between three and five hours in length. In the middle of August we were sent on a semi operational patrol known as a “Nickel Raid”’ dropping foil paper to interfere with radio in enemy territory. This was a flight to Nantes in France where we unloaded the foil. This was a five hour trip. Two days later we were sent on a “Bullseye” which was a diversionary raid for the benefit of the main force. This was a trip to the coast of Holland to the town of Imjuiden. During the time at Turweston and Silverstone we had experience of 57 hours of daytime flying and 57 hours of night flying. As part of the training we carried out bale out drill, ditching, dinghy and oxygen drills as well as procedures when lost at night. It was the Wireless Operators job to carry the radio transmitter into the dinghy which would be used to transmit any distress signals. I’m pleased to say that this situation never arose. On 24th August 1944 we were sent on two weeks leave after which we were then posted to the Heavy Conversion Unit no. 1661 at RAF Winthorpe near Newark. The planes we used here were Mk III and V Stirlings. We carried out more cross country exercises however we were only here for one month. Our Pilot always likened the Stirling to the equivalent of flying a Double Decker Bus because the undercarriage was so high. [page break] [black and white photograph of a Short Stirling] Short Stirling On the 18th October 1944 we were posted to No. 5 Lancaster finishing school at Syerston, between Newark and Nottingham. This was our first experience of flying Lancasters. We were only here until the 8th November when we were all posted to various squadrons. [Crest of Royal Air Force Syerston] I and my fellow crew were posted to the RAF staion [sic] at Fulbeck which was purely a wartime air station and here we joined No. 189 squadron which is a Base that we shared with No. 59 Squadron. I arrived at RAF Fulbeck on the 9th November 1944. The Station was situated between RAF Cranwell and the villages of Leadenham and Brant Broughton all with good pubs which we visited regularly when off duty. My home in Quadring was only 25 miles away and as I had my bicycle I went home for the evening several times. I left camp at 4pm and by 6pm I was home. At midnight I would return to camp, arriving two hours later. It was a lonely ride but I usually had a pint bottle of beer in my saddle bag for refreshment on the journey! The daily routine in camp commenced about 9am when all crew members reported to their Sections. We were then given the days programme after which it was necessary to check your own particular equipment. At midday we all returned to either the officers or Sergeants mess for lunch. The only flying our crew did in November was a cross country and two high level bombing exercises at Wainfleet and Epperstone. Naturally we were waiting to be called for our first operation and during the month we had the experience of being fully briefed for three trips, all being cancelled before take off which was a bit nerve wrecking. However on the 4th December 1944 when we reported to our Sections we were informed that we would be on ‘Ops’ that night. After lunch the procedure was for all crews to attend the full Squadron briefing between 4pm and 5pm when we were told the target location and purpose of the raid. Depending on the nature of the target, the maximum bomb load was 16,000 lbs and 2,200 gallons of fuel. With a full load of bombs/fuel, the total weight of the plane on take off was 30 tons. The flight plan gave the level at which we would be bombing and could be 8000 to 16000 feet. The more trips you did, then lower was the level at which you bombed. [page break] There were usually several Squadrons - about 200 aircraft on night trips. There was a rendezvous point, either Northampton or Beachy Head, for us to group together. As the whole force would be over the target for thirty minutes, each crew was given a bombing time - H plus 10 or H plus 20 etc. It was an amazing experience in total darkness with no lights on the planes and a complete blackout of all towns and villages below. Our average take off time was 7 to 8pm. As we were not permitted to return to the mess or accommodation after lunch, we had sandwiches and flasks of tea with us. Upon returning to base, often in the early hours of the morning we were first debriefed on the raid. After that we had a very welcome meal of bacon and eggs etc, before going off to bed. Our first trip was to HEILBRON near STUTTGART in the RUHR to bomb the railway marshalling yards. Taking off for your first raid was a rather eerie feeling, not knowing what it would be like or if you would be coming back. However, once airborne your thoughts fall to getting the job done. After three hours we were over the target area giving us a very bumpy ride. Thankfully we were not hit and having dropped our 4000 lb bomb and a load of incendiaries, the yards were glowing with the fires raging. We returned to base safely and satisfied with our first operation. Our next ‘Op’ was GIESSEN near FRANKFURT on 6th December where the target was once again marshalling yards. On the 19th December we went on a long ten hour journey to GDYNIA. All went fairly well until we arrived over the target which was the docks. We should have done a ‘dog leg’ around the target (which we somehow missed!) to enable us to bomb on a northerly heading, coming out of the run over the Baltic Sea. As a consequence we were coned by searchlights and received heavy targeted gunfire from the German Navy below. Fortunately they missed us and we eventually had a successful raid. To avoid the enemy night fighters our Pilot took us down and we flew as low as possible over the Baltic and North Sea, not seeing any other activity although there had been some 200 enemy night fighters in amongst the main stream of bombers on the way home. Two nights later we were sent to POLITZ, not far from GDYNIA which was another ten hour trip. On this occasion we were in heavy gunfire and heavy anti aircraft fire and for the first time we witnessed ‘Scarecrow’ being used by the enemy in order to create panic. Once again we were successful and set out to return home. On the journey back we were informed by radio that Lincolnshire was completely fog bound and we were diverted to RAF Milltown near Elgin. We remained there, as from 21st to 28th December 1944, Lincolnshire continued to be fog bound. Far Right: ‘Scarecrow’ [black and white photograph of a ‘Scarecrow’ exploding] AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL SUK12055 [page break] On the 30th December, we were sent to Houffalize, Belgium which was a town in the middle of the Western Front, south of Liege in the Ardennes. Here we were supposed to bomb the front line which was a rather delicate operation. Although it was a relatively short trip of five hours, we needed a lot of care as to where we were bombing. We learned later that a number of the Polish army had been caught by the bombs on that occasion. On New years Day 1945 we were sent to bomb Gravenhorst for the numerous oil targets that were situated there. Unfortunately we could not return to base and once again returned to Milltown in Scotland where we stayed for a couple of days. On 4th January, I flew with another crew piloted by Flying Officer Martin due to the sickness of their Wireless Operator. On this occasion we went to Royan, a town in the south West of France near to Bordeaux principally to attack the Submarines of the German Navy which were on the river there. This was a seven hour journey to the mouth of the Gironde which was quite uneventful. On the 13th January we were sent to the town of Politz again which was a ten and a half hour trip. We were successful mainly targeting oil and marshalling yards alongside the Navy. Because of the length of the trip, on the return journey the flight engineer indicated that our fuel was not sufficient to get back to base. I made contact with base to establish where we should land given our circumstances and we were directed to make for Carnaby which was the emergency landing strip near to Flamborough Head in Yorkshire. We were fortunate to land there safely as there was virtually no fuel leaf onboard. On the 16th January I was back with my own crew and flew with them to the town of Brux. This was an oil target with a round trip time of nine and a half hours. This was over towards the Polish area. On the 1st and 2nd February we attacked the towns of Siegen and Karlsruhe. Both these trips were bright moonlit nights which made it much easier for the German night fighters to attack us when we were silhouetted against the moon. We did experience interference from night fighters and as always the anti aircraft fire was very intense. On the Karlsruhe trip, out of our 18 aircraft we lost 4 that night. On the 7th February we went to Ladbergen in order to attack the Dortmund-Ems canal. On this occasion we only carried 1000lb bombs with no incendiaries in the hope that we inflicted as much damage as possible to the canal. On the 13th February we had a very long trip to Dresden. This we were told was because the Russians had driven the German Army back and it was encamped in Dresden. This was termed as a “Russian Army co-operation raid”. The American Airforce had been operational during the day and had bombed the target so by the time we were arriving around midnight, the town was ablaze. We were successful over the target but did encounter a lot of the usual anti aircraft and fighter aircraft. On the way back to base over the Alps we were icing up and had to go down as low as possible which was a tricky operation being amongst the mountains. However we were once again able to make it back to base. [page break] Of course after this raid there has been much publicity about it and as the years have passed, the extent of the damage became more apparent and the subject tended to not be mentioned. However being aware of the reasons for the raid, it seemed to me to be a very satisfactory legitimate target and one that was done with extreme efficiency. The very next night on 14th February, we attacked an oil target at Rositz which is near Leipzig. This was another nine hour journey there and back. A few nights later on 19th February we were again in the vicinity of Leipzig over the town of Bohlen and once again it was an oil target. On all these Oil targets we carried a 1000lb’er and a load of incendiaries. On 20th February we went all the way to Gravenhorst but unfortunately the sortie was aborted and we were unable to return to base because of adverse weather conditions and we were diverted to Colerne. On 23rd February we were given a very different target in Horten which were the docks in the Oslo fjord in Norway which had a German Naval base there. This was a comparatively short trip it being only six and half hours and we experienced a lot of intense anti-aircraft fire from the German Naval gunners. On 12th March, we carried out our first raid in daylight and joined a one thousand bomber force. The target that day was the town of Dortmund. This was quite a new experience and rather frightening being amongst so many other bombers, all at the same time and all approaching the same area. However, the raid was successful and we returned without incident in what was a five hour trip. The next trip was to Lutzkendorf, an oil target which was quite a long journey and well into Eastern Germany. This was on 14th March and although the raid was a success, we did lose several aircraft. Once again the weather conditions in Lincolnshire prevented us from returning to base and we were diverted to Manston in Kent where there was an emergency landing strip. Two days later on 16th March we had another oil target to attack in the town of Wurzburg. Here we experienced a lot of fighter activity and heavy anti-aircraft. We were very lucky to get back! On 20th March we returned to raid Bohlen near Leipzig and this was another eight hour trip. On 23rd March we were sent to the town of Wesel to attack the marshalling yards there. This was a mere five and half hour trip which we carried out without incident. On 4th April we were sent on a daylight raid to Nordhausen and this was to attack oil targets and the marshalling yards. On 23rd April we were again raiding in daylight, this time to Flensburg on the Kiel canal. This was to attack the submarine pens there however the sortie was aborted and we returned home without encountering any problems. Three days later we were sent to Brussels to repatriate a group of ex prisoners of war. We managed to pack in twenty four in the fuselage of the aircraft and we flew to Westcott in Buckinghamshire. This made a very pleasant change and the former POW’s were naturally in good spirits. As the war was nearing its conclusion, we found ourselves doing more training exercises for a day or two and on 6th may[sic] we were back in Brussels collecting more former POW’s and this time we brought them home to Dunsfold in Surrey. [page break] We repeated this some six days later on 12th May. On each occasion there were twenty six former POW’s in our fuselage. On 15th April we flew to Lille to repatriate more POW’s. On 16th April 1945 we were sent on a grand tour of Germany to see what damage had been done. This covered the towns and cities of Bremen, Hamburg, Harburg in Bavaria, Brunswick, Cassel, Wurzburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne, Osnabruck and back to base. The whole trip took some eight and a half hours. This was a very interesting and exciting flight to see just what effect the bombing had on Germany. On 1st April 1945, the Squadron had been transferred to Bardney which is nine miles east of Lincoln. This is the RAF station from where we operated the two daylight raids and the trips to collect the former POW’s. Also on this Station was No. 9 Squadron. They specialised in carrying very large bombs which they used to bomb the hiding place of Hitler in the Mountains. On most of the raids I was on, the anti-aircraft fire was quite intense in most places and the night fighters were usually very busy. The one frightening aspect that the defenders of certain targets used was to send up “scarecrows” this giving the impression of one of our bombers exploding and crashing in flames. How this was achieved, I am unsure but it was extremely frightening. Our crew had the unfortunate luck of having to be changed after the third trip as our Rear Gunner had been caught sleeping twice whilst we were still over enemy territory. On the first occasion when the Skipper called to him there was no reply and I was asked to go and find out what the problem was. I found that both the turret doors were open and he was lying back on the shute into the turret with his intercom lead pulled out of the socket. I informed the Skipper that he had not replied because his intercom was out. However on the very next trip the same situation occurred again whilst we were still well over Germany. On that occasion I did report to the Skipper that he was in fact asleep. After that he was removed from the Crew and we had to have substitutes for the remainder of our trips. After the raid on Karlsruhe we had lost four aircraft which I have already referred to but in fact on several trips one or two failed to return however I have no record of the numbers lost in my period of Operations. In the May of 1945, the Crews were being dispersed as our tours had finished with the war coming to an end on 8th May 1945. A number of us volunteered to assist with hay making and I spent about two weeks on a farm near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire after which we were all sent on leave for a few weeks. As we completed the tour, we were then given a rest period and at that point we expected to be going on operations in the Far East at the later stage however the war ended there on 15th August. As I was home on leave, I received a posting to RAF Woodbridge which was an emergency landing strip in Suffolk. There I was more or less just operating in the Flight Control Tower and also assisting in the Officers and Sergeants Mess’s with their accounting systems. I had plenty of spare time and the town of Ipswich was close by. This is where [I] and my friends were going most nights. [page break] One of my close friends at Woodbridge was Warrant Officer Bill Patterson, a pilot who had a lady friend called Rena in Ipswich. I was told that Rena had a lady friend who said that she would like to meet me. A date was duly arranged for the 4th November 1945 for me to meet this lady on the steps of the Post Office in Ipswich at 6 o’clock. The person that turned up was a young lady called Avis Fleet. That evening we went with Bill and Rena as a foursome for a drink in Ipswich and we had a very pleasant time. Consequently I continued to meet Avis on a regular basis and was taken to her home on Norwich Road where I met her parents and young brother Geoffrey who was only eleven at the time. We met very regularly most days as I didn’t have much to do at Woodbridge and our friendship grew until by the end of December we had agreed to get married in 1946. Avis and I went to my parents home in Quadring on Boxing Day and spent a few days there before returning to Ipswich. At the end of December, I was promoted to Warrant Officer which made my weekly pay Six Pounds and Eleven Shillings which at the time was pretty good money. I continued to meet Avis regularly whilst the release groups from the RAF were in number order and I was number thirty five. With the assistance of my friend Bill Patterson who was then in the Release Centre, I went for demobilisation on 3rd April 1946. I collected my civilian outfit and returned to Ipswich to meet Avis again. Of course being released at that time meant that I had a quantity of clothing coupons which helped Avis considerably in getting her wedding outfit etc. The wedding was arranged for the 4th May 1946 and this took place at All Saints Church Ipswich. I continued to receive pay from the RAF until the end of Mat[sic] 1946 by which time I had resumed my work as an accountant with Hodgson Harris in Spalding. [wedding photograph] After living with my parents for 4 or 5 weeks, I managed to obtain a furnished flat in Spalding at 13 High Street which was along by the riverside. [page break] In 1950 when war broke out in Korea I decided to join the RAF Reserve and this meant going to No. 9 Reserve Flying School at Doncaster. I would attend there at weekends, taking part in various flying exercises. In August 1951 as part of Reserve Training, I did two weeks camp at Topcliffe in North Yorkshire and flew in Ansons on cross country exercise which also included a trip to Malta. The last trip I did was in an Anson in a North Sea search for the Spurn Lightship. This was on 1st February 1953. After this I was retired from the Reserve as I was over the age of twenty nine. Whilst on Operations we had nine days leave every six weeks and all received Ten Pounds per week from Lord Nuffield (The boss of Ford Motor Co). In appreciation of our services. Returning from leave sometimes could be worrying. In our huts there would be members from 4 or 5 different Crews and returning home some would be missing from raids. On one occasion there were members of 7 Crews in our hut and on our return from one sortie, 5 were missing. This was a huge shock! I thoroughly enjoyed all of my time with the RAF and would say that it was as good as going to a University. I realise that I am very fortunate to be still alive at the age of 92. I now have the medals of my service history including the Bomber Command Clasp for the 1939-1945 Star. I hope my story will be of interest to whoever may read it. [two pages from 189 Squadron Fulbeck logbook] [page break] [photograph of Andrew Gaunt as sub-postmaster at Pinchbeck] Jacks[sic] WW11 story and experiences have been brought together by Andrew Gaunt former Sub Postmaster of Pinchbeck (2000 to 2014), from recordings made by Jack of his time with the RAF and his personal recollections of events and flying missions that he was sent on. Utilising Jacks[sic] log book and researching events that he has referred to. It seemed appropriate that I brought Jacks[sic] recollections together having myself been a fellow Wireless Operator. Being a Marine Radio Officer from 1975 to 1986 and visiting many of the ports of the Middle East that Jack transited on his journey. Ironically Merchant ships no longer have a requirement to carry an R/O. This position disappeared in the 1990’s whilst the requirement to carry a W/O on aircraft was I believe removed sometime in the 1960’s. My own experiences took me frequently into areas of conflict notably the Persian/Arabian Gulf, regularly through the then dangerous Straits of Hormuz during the Iran/Iraq war and I also have my own vivid recollections of the Iranian Revolution. Acknowledgements are made to the following sources whose photos have been used although there appear to be many copies of the same photos on different sites. Polish Aircrew at RAF Bramcote – polishsquadronsremembered.com Troopship SS Otranto – britisharmedforces.org HMS Repulse – historyofwar.org HMS Prince of Wales – dailymail.co.uk Troopship SS Khedive Ismail – cruiselinehistory.com Blenheim Aircraft – spitfirespares.co.uk WW11 map of Iraq – en.wikipedia.org Percival Proctor Aircraft – en.wikipedia.org De Havilland Dominie Aircraft – rafyatesbury.webs.com Avro Anson Aircraft – uboat.net Vickers Wellington Aircraft – aviationresearch.co.uk Short Stirling Aircraft – aoth.17.dsl.pipex.com “Scarecrow” phenomena – awrm.gov.au Whilst the tragic fate of Repulse and Prince of Wales is a well known WW11 event, a lesser known event but equally tragic story lies in the fate of the SS Khedive Ismail which took Jack into the Persian Gulf in late 1941. The SS Khedive Ismail was sunk by a Japanese submarine on 12th February 1944 with the loss of 1,297 lives. The vessel Sank in just two minutes. For more information on this terrible event visit www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/SSKhediveIsmail.htm The story is also covered in The book “Passage To Destiny” by Paul Watkins. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sparks in the air - Jack Smith's wartime story Description An account of the resource <p>Wartime recollections of John (known to his friends as Jack) George Smith from Pinchbeck. He tells of life before the war, how he went on to volunteer for the RAF in August 1940 and describes his training as a wireless operator. The document includes the radio school crest and a photograph of a Battle aircraft. He describes, in detail, his long voyage from Liverpool via Cape Town, eventually arriving at RAF Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and describes life and work on this station. He tells of medical issues and his subsequent posting to RAF Habbaniya in Iraq. Goes on to describe journey back to England overland via Gaza, Cairo and Alexandria, thence by ship. On returning he continues aircrew training at RAF Madley and Llandwrog in Wales. The document Includes photographs of Proctor, Dominie and Anson. After crewing up and starting operations on Wellington aircraft, he continues with postings to heavy conversion units and Lancaster finishing school before joining 189 Squadron at RAF Fulbeck. He then goes on to describes, in detail, operations from December 1944 to April 1945, including repatriating prisoners of war and Cook's tour to see damage to German cities. He describes life after the war including his marriage. The memoir includes photographs of Wellington. Stirling, night bombing, wedding and a page from logbook.</p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource A Gaunt J Smith Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Twenty page printed book with b/w photographs Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BSmithJSmithJv1-2 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Lincolnshire England--Spalding England--Cheshire England--Lancashire England--Blackpool England--Wiltshire England--Liverpool South Africa South Africa--Cape Town South Africa--Durban India India--Mumbai Iraq Iraq--Baṣrah United Arab Emirates Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah Gaza Strip--Gaza Egypt--Cairo Egypt--Alexandria England--Herefordshire England--Northamptonshire Wales--Gwynedd England--Nottinghamshire Germany Germany--Heilbronn Germany--Giessen (Hesse) Poland Poland--Gdynia Belgium Belgium--Houffalize Germany--Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony) France France--Royan Czech Republic Germany--Karlsruhe Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal Germany--Dresden Germany--Leipzig Germany--Dortmund Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden Germany--Würzburg Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia) Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia) Belgium--Brussels Germany--Flensburg Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie) Scotland--Moray Egypt Gaza Strip Germany--Ruhr (Region) Czech Republic--Most North Africa United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1937 1940-09 1940-11-04 1941-03 1941-08-31 1943-02 1943-12 1944-04 1944-06-12 1944-08-24 1944-11-09 1944-12-04 1944-12-06 1944-12-19 1944-12 1944-12-30 1945-01-01 1945-01-04 1945-01-16 1945-01-13 1945-02-01 1945-02-02 1945-02-07 1945-02-13 1945-02-14 1945-02-20 1945-02-23 1945-03-14 1945-03-16 1945-03-20 1945-03-23 1945-04-03 1945-04-23 1945-05-06 1945-05 Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource David Bloomfield Maureen Clarke Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive 1661 HCU 17 OTU 189 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson Battle Blenheim bombing bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945) Cook’s tour crewing up Dominie Heavy Conversion Unit Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School military living conditions Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy Operation Exodus (1945) Operational Training Unit Proctor RAF Bramcote RAF Compton Bassett RAF Fulbeck RAF Llandwrog RAF Madley RAF Milltown RAF Padgate RAF Silverstone RAF Syerston RAF Turweston RAF Winthorpe RAF Woodbridge recruitment Scarecrow Stirling training Wellington wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1383/24215/PFordTA17110071.1.pdf 985793f1552075dcfa6b2c2512dd8928 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ford, Terry. Album 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ford, T Description An account of the resource 67 items. Photographs concerning Terry Ford's training in Canada wartime and post war service. It contains some images taken inside an aircraft during operations. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tripoli, Pyramids and a York at Sharjah Description An account of the resource Three photographs from an album. Photo 1 is four airman on the base of an ornamental street light on the Promenade in Tripoli, captioned 'No 1 Crew, Tripoli Harbour'. Photo 2 is an aerial view of two pyramids at Giza, captioned 'Der Pyramids'. Photo 3 is a side view of a York, captioned ' "M" Mike at Sharjah Iraqui Joe in front'. Additional information kindly provided by Frank Schilder. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three b/w photographs on an album page Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PFordTA17110071 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Transport Command Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Libya Libya--Tripoli United Arab Emirates North Africa Egypt Egypt--Jīzah United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource 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. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Frank Schilder aircrew York