Browse Items (482 total)

  • Temporal Coverage is exactly "1940"

Blitzkrieg
Remembering the bombing raids on cities in England and the effect on the population.

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Interview with Colin Bell
Colin Bell spent eighteen months as a newly qualified pilot instructing trainees in America. He completed 50 operations as a pilot on Mosquitos on the Light Night Striking Force.
Colin talks of his entry interview into the RAF, his time at an…

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Trainee airmen and Ted Darnell
Group of 27 trainees wearing RAF greatcoats with Leading Aircraftman rank. On reverse, 26 signatures.

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Sergeant Ted Darnell and two airmen
Sergeant Darnell (on right) and two other airmen. He is wearing Leading Aircraftman rank.

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Sergeant Ted Darnell
Head and shoulders portrait of Ted Darnell in uniform, showing sergeant rank and Observer brevet.

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Award of DSO to Wing Commander William David Gordon Watkins
Newspaper cutting announcing award as well as previous award of DFM, DFC and mention in despatches. Included b/w photograph of him wearing tunic with observer brevet and flying helmet.

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Family groups
Top left: A man, woman and three children under a tree. Captioned, 'Jack Audrey with children'.
Top right: A woman sitting on the grass with two children. Captioned, 'Emily with Jonathan and Alison'.
Centre left: A couple with a child. Captioned,…

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In a canoe
From top:
Two men in a canoe with the one at the stern holding a single paddle. Captioned, 'natives selling fruit at Freetown.'.
Two open canoes pull alongside a ship. Men in uniform and topee's look down on the scene.
A man dives into the sea.…

Freetown Sierra Leone
From top:
View of a wooded coastline with a town behind. Captioned, 'first glimpse of Africa. 'Freetown' Sierra Leone'.
Wooded coastline with hills beyond.
Bottom left: Airmen in uniform standing on the line of a sports field. A man stands with…

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The flagship
From Top:
View of a destroyer with two funnels from the deck of another ship. Captioned, 'the flagship'.
View across the bows of four ships into the sunset. Captioned, 'sunset at sea'.
Looking down at the deck of a ship on which men in shorts…

Convoy escort
From Top:
A ship at sea. Captioned, 'convoy escort'.
Four ships at sea, above one of which is cloud of smoke. Captioned 'destroyer on firing practice'.
Two ships at sea with twin funnels. Two further ships are close by.
View from the deck of a…

Albert Millson’s Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book
Albert Millson’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book from 16th April 1940 until 27th November 1952. Initial pilot training at No. 7 Elementary Flying Training School, then Nos. 10 and 12 Service Flying Training Schools.
Posted to 12 Operational Training Unit…

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Graham Welsh - answers to questions
He starts with a brief service history, including training and a move after 40 Squadron, to fill vacancy on 9 Squadron Wellington. He names his pilots and squadron pathfinder roll. He failed to return from 30th operation on first 1000 bomber…

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Outside
Left: A woman relaxing with her arms behind her head in a deck chair in the garden. Captioned, 'peace - perfect peace (Summer 1940)'.
Centre: Mike in a blazer with his pipe. Captioned, 'Mike just returning from the local!! (1940)'.
Right: A woman…

Mike relaxing
Left: Mike sat in a deck chair with his pipe, reading a magazine. Captioned, 'Mike July 1940 at Burnham'.
Right: Sat on a wooden bench in a suit, holding his pipe. Captioned, 'Mike again Spring 1940'.
Bottom: Mike in a suit standing on a pavement…

In the garden
Left: Mike and his mother sitting on a wooden bench. Captioned, 'Mike + mother getting together as usual (1940)'.
Right: Mike and his mother holding a lawnmower. Captioned, 'whose doing all the work!!'.

AC2 Wayman
Mike in uniform and training cap. He is standing in front of the promenade with children playing on the field beyond. Captioned 'A.C.2. Wayman (Paington - Summer 1940).

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Six aircrew
Six airmen wearing tunics, two with pilot brevet, and the others half brevet. Two smoking and all standing on behind the other in line in front of a Wellington. Submitted with caption 'David Vandervord and crew 15 OTU Harwell late 1940 [David…

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Six aircrew
Six airmen two wearing flying jackets the others tunics with brevet arm in arm in line in front of a Wellington. One is holding a .303 Browning machine gun. Another is propped against a man's leg. Submitted with caption 'David Vandervord and crew 15…

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Wellington crew
Six aircrew all wearing tunics with brevet standing in line in front of the rear fuselage of a Wellington. Two are holding .303 Browning machine guns. Submitted with caption 'David Vandervord and crew 15 OTU Harwell late 1940 [David Vandervord]'.…

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Dearest ma
Roly asks where his weekly letter from his mother is and describes receiving some hand knitted socks from Beryl. He asks 'pop' to look for insurance for a motorbike ridden by a pilot and reports a visit to the theatre, a dance and playing tennis.

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Und mit uns fliegt der Tod
The book recounts the daring exploits, during a severe storm, of the four Else’s aircrew, an aircraft named after the newly married pilot officer’s wife. Else is undergoing repairs and they are unable to go on the latest raid. They hide Else during a…

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Bomben gegen England
The first part of the book focuses on one of the nine German fighter planes from the First Staffel, carrying out an operation on an English convoy in the Shetland Isles. They are keen to emulate the success of their fellow crew members in the Second…

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Interview with Alan "Jock" Richardson. One
Jock begins the interview with joining up and first flying on 201 Squadron, with flying boats from Sullom Voe. He then, briefly, covers training as wireless operator/air gunner. He was posted to 38 Squadron Wellingtons in July 1940 at RAF Marham and…

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Alan Richardson
Head and shoulders portrait of sergeant wireless operator wearing tunic with air gunner brevet and side cap. Submitted with caption ' Sgt Alan 'Jock' Richardson WOp AG 1940 [Viv Cunningham]'. Additional information kindly provided by the donor.

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