1 25 29 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2330/58924/PClarkHA2502.jpg dd775a1780b426b5e9f23bd81630b1f5 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2330/58924/PClarkHA2503.jpg 1a737dadcae9f88c8d13476a2684ce23 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2330/58924/PClarkHA2504.jpg 774f579594c71b50794237b71fbfb61e 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 Clark, Herbert Ashton Description An account of the resource 11 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander Herbert Ashton Clark (b. 1911, 532059, 43414 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 37 Squadron from the UK and North Africa. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Wayne Clark and catalogued by Nick Cornwell-Smith and Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-12-02 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 Clark, HA 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 Six airmen Description An account of the resource Two photographs of six airmen grouped in front of their Wellington. On the reverse of the first is 'Dad and his crew in front of his Wellington 1939/40'. The second is captioned with each airmen's name and rank. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 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 Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two b/w photographs Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PClarkHA2502, PClarkHA2503, PClarkHA2504 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. 1940-08 air gunner aircrew killed in action observer pilot RAF Feltwell Wellington wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2749/50803/PMyersWaymanM1916.2.jpg 8f64ab211b69258654c791f84a1d5d42 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2749/50803/PMyersWaymanM1917.2.jpg 532dcb2612133de5373a917ee770077d 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 Wayman, Mike Michael Myers Wayman Description An account of the resource 52 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Michael 'Mike' Myers Wayman (89359 Royal Air Force) and contains <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2863">an album</a>, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 21, 90 and 139 Squadrons and was killed 20 March 1943. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Catherine Ashby and Dorothy Ramser and catalogued by Lynn Corrigan. Additional information on Mike Myers Wayman is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/229696/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-08-22 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 Wayman, MM 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 In the garden Description An account of the resource Mike, wearing a blazer, stands with his arm around a woman's waist. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PMyersWaymanM1916; PMyersWaymanM1917 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. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 love and romance https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2749/50802/PMyersWaymanM1914.1.jpg 954e2844260ff69743bdc3f1a9bdf91f https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2749/50802/PMyersWaymanM1915.1.jpg b15a1e3eb9294049ede5e79b6750007f 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 Wayman, Mike Michael Myers Wayman Description An account of the resource 52 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Michael 'Mike' Myers Wayman (89359 Royal Air Force) and contains <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2863">an album</a>, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 21, 90 and 139 Squadrons and was killed 20 March 1943. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Catherine Ashby and Dorothy Ramser and catalogued by Lynn Corrigan. Additional information on Mike Myers Wayman is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/229696/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-08-22 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 Wayman, MM 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 On a garden bench Description An account of the resource Mike sitting on a bench in a garden with his pipe. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PMyersWaymanM1914; PMyersWaymanM1915 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. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2834/50391/SBondS-SharpGv10010.MP3 57053b1caaa3a6e5f242bcd76229506f https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2834/50391/SBondS-SharpGv10011.jpg 43d73c47901d95196fe24676c6ed491f 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 Sharp, Guy R Description An account of the resource 15 items. Collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Guy Sharp. He flew operations as a Wellington pilot on 9 and 70 Squadron. Collection contains an oral history interview with edited transcript, extracts from his flying log book and photographs. 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-SharpGv1 Transcribed audio recording A resource consisting primarily of recorded human voice. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document GS: And unfortunately the foul weather in ’39 40 we were at ITW Hastings. SB: Yes. GS: Or St Leonards. SB: Yes. GS: For eight and a half months. SB: Really? GS: Doing an eight-week course. SB: Good grief. GS: And so I didn’t go solo for about seven months and — SB: So after — GS: Mainly — SB: Sorry, go on. GS: Go on. SB: Yeah. After ITW where did you go for your flying training then? GS: To Cranfield. SB: Oh right. My home airfield. GS: Oh really? You were at university there eh? SB: Well, no. But I live about three miles from Cranfield. GS: Oh. Well, it was, we did a hundred hours there. I think it was a hundred hours on Oxfords. SB: Right. Right. Yeah. GS: And then went up to Lossiemouth where we had our first course not to lose a crew. I think we were number nine course. SB: Really? GS: And — SB: When would that have been, Guy? GS: This was August ’40. SB: Right. Right. GS: They were getting up. SB: Yeah. GS: I didn’t go on to ops until November. Late November ’40. SB: Right. GS: And we went to Honington. SB: Yes, survived Honington. GS: Then that became an American Air Force Base. SB: Yes, indeed. Yes. GS: But it was a grass airfield and my very first op I cocked things up. I was, I selected flap but I couldn’t have put the thing back into the neutral position. It was slightly down. SB: Right. GS: So when we took off we had full flap. SB: Oh right. GS: On a grass airfield. Wet. SB: Ah. GS: And we were going to Mannheim which I knew very well because I’d been there many times before the war in ’34/’35. SB: Oh right. GS: ’37. SB: Right. GS: I stopped with a German family to learn the lingo. SB: Oh, ok. GS: I managed to get a distinction in oral German. My French was so bad they didn’t even make me take it as matriculation. SB: Oh really. GS: But German I loved. SB: Yes. GS: And I found it easy. SB: Yes. Oh right. GS: So — [tea talk] SB: So this was 9 Squadron wasn’t it, Guy? Is that right? GS: 9 Squadron. Yes. SB: Yeah. Ok. GS: And we had Wimpy 1Cs. SB: Right. GS: And we’d got the 2s and we’d got the first, in ’41 we dropped the first four thousand pound cookies. SB: Ah. GS: I forget where it was but my two flight commanders Baxter, Ken Baxter and Squadron Leader Wasse, I can’t think of the other name but they both did about four tours and both got through. Through the war ok. SB: Goodness me. GS: Quite amazing. SB: Yes. GS: And I was co-pilot nearly all the time. When, twenty six of us left Honington we went to Stradishall because they had concrete runways there and took off for Malta and 28. SB: Oh, right. Right. GS: And the only one that didn’t arrive was Carton de Wiart who was a passenger with the only Auster pilot. SB: Oh right. GS: Captain. SB: Right. GS: And the bastards sabotaged his plane in Malta. SB: Really? GS: Both engines cut. They came down in the sea just off the African coast and he was taken prisoner. They all were of course. But as he was the senior man in the prison camp he was released to negotiate the Italian surrender. SB: Oh right. GS: He was an incredible looking man. I mean he, he had, he was lieutenant general one arm, one eye and [laughs] he was a bit past it but he could first navigation with the crew and the crew [unclear]. But the other famous people that came of course were Marwood-Elton who you heard. He ditched the Wimpy in Loch Ness. SB: Yes. GS: But I flew that Wimpy. SB: Oh, right. Right. GS: So, I was invited to the [unclear] of Wimpies. I only flew it once. A minor detail [unclear] SB: Yes. Yes. GS: And why he had to ditch it I don’t know. He lost a crew member doing that. SB: So I believe. Yeah. GS: He bailed out. The others had ditched and so went ashore in a dinghy. That was his problem. Rose up seventy years later. SB: Right. So when you were on 9 did you complete a full tour? GS: No. I, when we were with this trip to Malta we went on to, we were supposed to be going out to Greece to help but it was too late then. This was April ’40, oh ’41 and we were too late to help in Greece so we went to Abu Sueir in — SB: Yes. GS: Just outside Cairo and then we joined 70. SB: Right. Right. GS: With 70 there were five of us, we all stayed as co-pilots. So, what had just[unclear] fine condemned. One of our members, Dutch Holland, a lovely character I was with him quite a bit he, he did two more tours on Pathfinders but he was the only one I think. And Johnny came forward and myself and one other chap. I can’t think of his name now. But we [sooshed] around. He was quite famous on Flying Boats for working out the shockwaves on the boats. SB: Oh yes. GS: He was the third person. Johnny [unclear] never did any more ops and I only did two of the thousand raid so and that’s — SB: Ah, you did. GS: And then I came back. We did fifty, fifty four raids without a holiday. SB: Wow. GS: That was with, twenty with 9 Squadron and this was 70. SB: Oh right. So you say you did the two thousand raids. So that, so you’d gone back — GS: That was after I came back to England. SB: Ah. Right. So — GS: We came. We were told that we, we could choose to go back to England or go to Addis Ababa with BOAC but we didn’t know what BOAC was. SB: Right. GS: So we basically chose to go back to England. We flew Pan Am for four days in a Dakota from Cairo down to Luxor and Kano and right across [unclear] and [pause] what was I thinking? Yes. We had first class accommodation on the Dakota. No seat belts. No, no food. No seats. We were on the floor. SB: Right. GS: But that was wartime flying. So four days first and then at Lagos we picked up a cross-Channel packet called Princess Beatrice. A Dutch, a little Dutch boat which were invasion barges. SB: Oh Yes. Yeah. GS: [unclear] And we went up, we were at sea for a fortnight I think. Convoy. SB: Right. Really. GS: Went up to Greenock and my flying was so rusty then I was, I was put straight on to instructing pupils and they weren’t very impressed with my effort so I got sent to, on to Blenheims. Just target towing and rubbish. SB: Right. GS: But the Earl of Bandon did you say he was? A lovely character. I told him I wasn’t very happy doing this. I then got to North Luffenham on Wellingtons again. SB: Right. GS: And as I’d done a little flying I was quite, quite happy then and I stayed there for three years roughly. SB: That was OTU then was it? GS: That was from ’42. SB: Right. GS: Until, until the end of ’44 I expect. SB: Right. GS: It was, it was after D-Day. And then, then I went to oh we were still on Wimpies. I went to Happy Honiley. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. SB: I’ve heard of Honiley. Yes. Yes. GS: Well, we had a GCA course there. I was one of the guinea pigs teaching the ground controllers and the only person of note there, well was Arthur C Clarke. SB: Oh really. GS: And he was in the next hut to me. We thought he was a nut case because he was looking at the stars but of course he started all these satellites and he was just an incredible man. I always hoped to meet up with him in Sri Lanka but never did. He went out there and up in the mountains I think. SB: Right. Right. GS: But so and at Honiley we, I got off Wimpies for a change. I think we flew with we had Stirlings and Venturas too. So, that was ground people and then I went straight into [barrack] and stayed there. SB: Right. GS: Until ‘55. The chaps were out then and I then had a lovely, I had a lovely house in Greece flying for [Naxos], at the Olympics for six months. He sacked us all one morning, all hundred of us because he was trying to use that as a weapon against the government and he lost. So we stayed sacked. So after a bit of golf and messing about I got fed up. I went out to Kuwait. I managed to get in with them for, flew with them for just over three years. SB: Oh right. GS: Which was jolly interesting. New routes and see how others operated. SB: Sure. Yes. Yeah. GS: [unclear] some of them are very nice. And then I was out and I’ve been retired since sixty. SB: Right. GS: I’ve had a really good guardian angel looking after me I think because I’ve done so many silly things in my life and got away with it. How about you? SB: Well. Quite benign by comparison with all that. I joined the Air Force in 1973. GS: Oh. SB: As ground. GS: What were you on? SB: I was an engineer and I left in 1995 so I sort of rattled around various fleets. Harrier, Tornado, Hawk, VC10s for a while. Bulldogs and Chipmunks for a year which was rather nice. GS: Oh yes. SB: I ended up on the Typhoon project for my last three years. So it was, it was a good time. I don’t think I’d want to be in the Air Force now. Then when I left the Air Force I went into the, the aircraft systems industry. Lucas Aerospace I used to work for for a while. GS: Oh, well there you are. SB: And now, for twelve years now I’ve been at City University in London lecturing on — GS: Are you enjoying it. SB: Air safety. I am. Yes. I am. Yes. I retire in June. So I shall be glad to I think go and do other things. GS: Well, my two sons they are both captains on triple sevens. SB: Oh right. GS: In BA. But the older one he was, he’d got to Hamble, Hamble closed down. So mother got him into, she got four universities so he could have gone to four of them. He went to Imperial College. SB: Yes. GS: And but he said his heart was definitely these things so when Hamble opened up again he went back and he eventually he flew all over Africa and then basically trying to find work. But the youngest son he had [unclear] and glasses and he wasn’t academic at all and he wanted to fly and I didn’t, I thought it was pretty hopeless but he went up to London and he became a courier and saved eight thousand pounds I think, and by living rough and working hard. And when he passed his aircrew medical he said, ‘I’m off to the States’. He went out to Texas and he got all his licences and he’s senior really to [laughs] to the one who has had it all on a plate. SB: Oh really. GS: Amazing. SB: Yes. Yeah. Oh, great. GS: Powered his efforts. SB: Right. Can we, let’s go back to the Wimpy. Just so I’ve got it in my head you mentioned the two thousand bomber raids. Where were you at that point? GS: At North Luffenham still. SB: Right. So this, so you were on OTU then. Right. GS: Instructing. Yes. SB: Yes. Yes. Ok. GS: And we had four stations actually. There was North Luffenham, Bitteswell, Bruntingthorpe which is [unclear] and Woolfox Lodge. SB: Yes. Yes. Yeah. GS: Woolfox Lodge I had my nearest escape I think. I landed with a pupil who was only going about five miles an hour and I suddenly felt it was, well, I said, ‘Stop.’ At that moment we hit another Wellington and we were only doing about five miles an hour but the front turret fell off, the undercarriage collapsed and I could hear the petrol just lashing out on to our engines. Why it didn’t catch fire I shall never know because most of them did when they touched. SB: Yeah. GS: And the latest one [unclear] SB: This was a night? This was a night landing then was it or — GS: Oh yes. Yes. SB: Yeah. Yeah. GS: We didn’t have — SB: Just didn’t see him. Right. GS: We only had [blue] lights. Something. This was in ’43. SB: Right. GS: When we were bombing you know we never had chance lights or anything like that. SB: Right. Right. Ok. GS: Oh, [laughs] I wouldn’t have hit if I had seen him. SB: Well, I wondered whether there might have been you know fog or something. Oh, ok. Now, you mentioned the 1C, Wimpy 1C and the 2 — GS: Before that we had a dustbin underneath. SB: With the 1A or — GS: Yes. An old 1 or 1A. SB: With one. Right. GS: You know the proper front turret. SB: Right. Ok. So what did you think of the different Marks? How did they vary? GS: To be honest we couldn’t. Well they got better. The dustbin of course was never used. They thought they had to land it under a [unclear] or something but that was no use and the 1Cs which I flew all the time, you know on 70 that’s all we had. But afterwards of course I flew up to a Mark 10. Mark 9s or 10s. You know that the Wellington was the only one that could bomb at thirty eight thousand feet. SB: Really? Gosh. GS: The Mark 5 and the Mark 6, they never flew operationally. Old Barnes Wallis. They are pressurised of course. SB: Yes. GS: And with a pressurised bit in the middle and I don’t know how they got up there because they only had ordinary wings but the [ ] down there because I don’t know if you heard of them or — SB: I have heard of them and I know they were prototypes certainly that flew. The pressurised version. GS: Only about fifty or sixty of each one I think and they were — SB: Yeah. GS: Of course Barnes Wallis’ next aircraft the Warwick was pretty useless and it was used for ten squadrons doing air sea rescue. SB: That’s right. GS: With [unclear] SB: Yes. Yes. GS: Thing underneath. The lifeboat underneath. SB: Did you come across a Warwick at all? Did you? To fly. GS: Oh I did. SB: Did you ever fly a Warwick or fly in a Warwick? GS: No. SB: No. GS: I went over to the factory. Had a few pep talks with people. That was all I had first of all. But no, I think I did fifteen hundred hours roughly on Wellingtons. I did eighteen fifty with, with the Royal Air Force. I did twenty thousand hours plus altogether. SB: Gosh. GS: But friends of mine, contemporaries they’d done over fifty thousand. SB: Gosh. GS: So my record wasn’t terrible. [excuses himself. recording paused] SB: That’s fine. GS: I have water pills. SB: That’s fine. [recording paused] GS: There’s a few bits and pieces in there. SB: Oh right. Thank you. GS: Some of the people, do you remember Bill Reid? SB: Oh yes. GS: He was at North Luffenham. He was one of our pupils. He was screened. He was a good pilot and of course he was quite mad. SB: This is you and your crew I assume. GS: That’s right. Yes. I was a co-pilot. That was Harry Mills and the navigator who’s there, a little Scotsman. He was a teetotal Scotsman of all things. He didn’t have tea or coffee. SB: Really? GS: And as I say you can imagine [unclear] Walker. SB: This is 9 Squadron then is it? GS: Sorry. No, that’s 70. SB: That’s 70. Right. Ok. GS: Yes. SB: Which one is you? That’s alright. Don’t get up. I’ll come to you. GS: It’s alright [pause] What a terrible photograph. I’m the one on the hard left. SB: Ah, ok. GS: There is a better one down here somewhere. That was the only accident we had in Hong Kong Airways which was my third posting in [barrack] SB: Right. GS: And I had no leave for three years and I still haven’t had it. But my boss luckily was the one he just toppled off the, hit the runway at Hong Kong. SB: Right. GS: And the passengers didn’t even get their feet wet. SB: Really? [laughs] GS: But if it had been me I would have been blamed but being a chief he was [pause] [unclear] according to them. SB: Returning from first op on Benghazi. April ’41. GS: I didn’t know I had any [pause] after we finished ops I think we just became — SB: Right. GS: I wouldn’t go through all that. SB: Oh no. GS: [unclear] SB: No. They’re not you know. Not at all. Not now. GS: They’re very poor. I’ve lost half of them. Some of them are ones of [unclear] That’s Ben, the navigator. He, he got the best job of all when we got home. He was killed within a month. SB: Really? GS: In a circuit, you know. I’m not sure if he was shot down or — SB: Oh dear. GS: If it was as he was flying. SB: Oh goodness. Very nice. GS: That’s the, they were, oh I can’t remember the name. SB: Harrows. GS: Yes. And they were dropping the first long — SB: SAS yeah. Yeah. Or, yes long range desert — GS: Yes. Long range. SB: Yes. GS: And also the parachutists. SB: Right. GS: They were all training at Kabrit where we were. SB: Right. That’s that one then. GS: Our usual crash. SB: Yes. Oh [pause] ah a rather sorry looking Wimpy. GS: Yeah. SB: The remains of it. GS: That was the usual thing. I think there was the big one of two Wellingtons that collided. SB: Right. GS: And why ours didn’t catch fire we never knew. SB: Are you one of those? GS: That was [laughs] I’m at the back. SB: Right. GS: That was at ITW at St Leonards on Sea. SB: Oh right. GS: We were in the Marine Court which looked like a big ship. Oh, and that’s a — SB: Ah, and that’s a — GS: That’s a — SB: Mark 2, 148 Squadron. GS: That’s it. SB: Carrying a cookie. GS: Yes. SB: Yeah. GS: That’s a four thousand pounder. SB: Yes. GS: Going out. I didn’t actually fly that plane. SB: But you did fly Mark 2s though didn’t you? GS: No. SB: You never flew a Mark 2. GS: No. SB: No. GS: We had them on 9 Squadron but I don’t know why I never got on but [pause] some of them we dropped fifty thousand rounds of ammo. SB: Yes. Right. GS: From the bomb bay in on a big plank. SB: Yes. GS: And the silly asses they made an enormous thing of first aid medicines and what have you. They made it so it exactly fitted the round hole. SB: Right. GS: And in the air we couldn’t get it out. We tried for about twenty minutes. SB: Oh dear. GS: This one is some of our leaflets we dropped. I think you’ll find — SB: Right. GS: Those amusing. SB: Oh yes. I’ll come to those in a, in a while. Ah, here we are. Lossiemouth [pause] Oh yes. The Mark 1s early on. Very early Wimpies. Yeah. GS: And they were old machines anyway at there. SB: Well, yes. GS: I’ve got six Bulldog books of course but not the relevant times. SB: Right. Right. Ah, there’s our, your Mannheim one you said with the engine trouble. Yeah. GS: Yes. That’s the one that they were very popular of course. They were just the right size for dropping over the German [unclear] business. But not this last one. SB: Oh no. Right. GS: That was too thick. If you pull it down you — SB: [laughs] Ok. GS: That was the one we dropped over Hamburg. SB: Right. Ah. GS: That was when two, that was what happened to mine. SB: Right. GS: That actually, that was at Shallufa. SB: Shallufa. GS: I think. SB: Yes. GS: Cushy. Sent it off to [pay for ] and he got the wrong [laughs] he got the wrong airfield. [pause] SB: Gosh. Eight hours fifty. That was a pretty, a pretty long op for a Wimpy wasn’t it? GS: Yes. I think one of ours on the 22nd of December 1940, 9 Squadron, we bombed Venice. SB: Oh right. GS: The docks outside Venice. SB: Right. GS: And one of our chaps because of the winds you know if they were [slap happy] in those days they flew across Switzerland to start and they had to see the mountains. Of course, he flew above them or between them and they, with cloud they overshot Venice by about two hundred miles and bombed somewhere near Fiume apparently. And of course coming back they had headwinds and they crossed the Swiss frontier into France in broad daylight. SB: Really. GS: This was December ’40. SB: Good grief. GS: And they, they only saw two fighters way away. Nowhere near. Nobody expected to see a lone Wellington. SB: No. GS: And they, they debated whether to bale out or crash in the sea and they, they had enough height to when the engines cut no gas at all. They were over the Channel and they saw a field at Pevensey, just outside Pevensey, put the wheels and flaps down. What they didn’t know was there was a ditch going across and they hadn’t, they weren’t thorough. But the other crew who were, I was staying at [unclear] at the [unclear] just outside Honiley with my girlfriend and the wife of the gunner on the other crew she was there. You can imagine Christmas on the 22nd morning and this chap, they hit the cliffs near Beachy Head. All killed. And so we lost two planes that way which was pretty rare in those days. But later on squadrons would lose four or five from one squadron. SB: Yeah. GS: In a raid. SB: Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Here’s an interesting one. March the 3rd 1941 SCI in conjunction with the Army simulated the dropping of mustard gas — GS: Oh yes. SB: On troops on beach. GS: Yes. Well, we were going to use it. If they, they wanted to walk into it they’d use mustard gas in Eritrea and Abyssinia. SB: Right. Right. GS: So they, luckily they didn’t come. SB: No. Indeed. GS: That’s the only time we did it. You had to wash everything down afterwards of course with simulated mustard gas. SB: Right. Right. And Sergeant Mills was your regular pilot. GS: He was there. Harry. Yes. He only died about two years ago. SB: Oh right. GS: We always kept in touch [unclear] SB: So, apart from your collision at Woolfox Lodge did you say it was — GS: Yes. SB: Were there any other? In your fifty four ops were there any other problems shall we say? Damage or encounters with — GS: Well, no we, I think it was Derna when on one of our raids there was low cloud so we had to be underneath the cloud with the searchlights going up. That’s by daylight of course. SB: Right. GS: And we were down at two thousand feet and we had machine gun’s bullets going into the bomb bay which cut the leads to the Mickey Mouse. You know. You know ,the Mickey Mouse. SB: Yes. Yes. GS: Which was clockwork so the bombs were released on top of ones that weren’t released of course so — SB: Right. GS: We, we lost our hydraulics too so we were going to go, this is we landed at Fuka satellite and we were going back via base at Kabrit and we were leaving the wheels down there, the bombs on board because we couldn’t open the bomb doors. And then one engine packed up [laughs] so we managed to do a flapless landing at, at Heliopolis which was very nice for three days holiday. Of course they, they didn’t realise there was a war on there and when they found we had bombs on board we were made to taxi to the far end and then — SB: Right. GS: Basically managed to lure these. Well, that was one of our near, well it was much nearer to us when we decided to, the only time Harry wanted to give the gunners a bit of practice because they were a bit fed up with never doing anything so he went down on a [unclear] road to below two thousand and machine gunned convoys going along. But their machine gunners were much better than ours I think and I don’t know how many, I was in the astrodome looking out to see if there were any fighters about but I don’t know how many hundreds of incendiary bullets just missed us by inches. SB: Really? GS: We never did that trip again. We were very [pause] I think I [unclear] guardian angel [unclear ] [pause] If my war record is not very notable — SB: Well, everybody says that. GS: I’ve got a friend up at Stoke Poges — SB: Oh yes. GS: Who was in Coastal Command. He’s got three DSOs and two DFCs. SB: Really? GS: He attacked six submarines in one day. SB: Good God. GS: On one sortie. The whole [unclear] and he he was flying Liberators. SB: Right. GS: So he got depth charges on a first tour. And the machine gunner [lost] four. SB: Goodness me. GS: Just that. SB: This is about the Loch Ness Wellington. GS: Yes. SB: Yes. Yes. GS: Because we were all — SB: Right. GS: It’s not terribly interesting. SB: Oh it is. Oh it is. Your Pan Am trips back. GS: Oh yeah. SB: Yes. GS: Four days. SB: Right. GS: No food. No water. SB: Oh, right. 1482. Target Towing Flight, West Raynham. That’s your — GS: Yeah. SB: Blenheim flying. Yeah. GS: That was the one with the Earl of [Bandon]. Nice chap. SB: That was, was that the short-nosed Blenheim or long nosed Blenheim? GS: Long nosed. I think there were some, I think I’ve got some photos in the other one but I’m not sure. SB: Right. Ok. GS: A WAAF called [unclear] there at West Raynham and she could drink a pint of beer in five seconds. SB: Really? [laughs] GS: I had friends who could. I’d seen it done much more quickly since. SB: Right. GS: But at the time I’d never heard of [pause] She had a lovely looking face. A lovely body but I’d love to know how long [laughs] how long it lasted. SB: Drinking beer like that. Yes. Got your op with your OTU here. 25th of June ’42. Wellington L7869 to Bremen. So when you, when you were on OTU and had to fly an op was the crew all staff or did you have pupils as well? GS: We were all staff. SB: Right. GS: We’d have to choose the ones we wanted I think. SB: Right. Right. Ok. GS: So that’s why they lost so many of them. Because the aircraft were old. SB: Yes. GS: So that’s why they stopped it. SB: Right. Right. GS: Did you ever want to fly as pilot or were you interested? SB: Yes, at one time I did and well when I left school I didn’t go straight into the Air Force. I always wanted to be a draughtsman although I’d always had a passion for aviation but — [telephone ringing] SB: Sorry, I’ll let you deal with that. GS: I think my dear wife will answer it. SB: Right. [pause] GS: Are you getting it dear? SB: Yes. GS: Yes. SB: Yes, I always wanted to be a draughtsman but I very quickly lost interest. I lost enthusiasm for that. So I went along to the RAF careers. I really ought to join the Air Force. And of course as I later on knew as I spent three years in the careers part of the Air Force as a break from engineering of course they steer you towards the trade that they want people for. GS: Right. SB: So, ‘You should be an engineer. Great aptitude to be an engineer.’ GS: Ok. SB: I’ve no regrets. I enjoyed it thoroughly but so that was the end. GS: I don’t know how I got in as a pilot but I dodged the [unclear] school. I was in the Scouts. And when I was under four I got hold of my sister’s bows. She’d hidden the arrows. I got a bit of wood and instead of going forward it went back into my eye and they thought I’d lose the eye. The sight as well as the eye and I was in hospital five weeks in Maidstone and I saw a marvellous man who looked after my eyes and now fifty years later. SB: Oh marvellous. Yeah. Marvellous. GS: We went to Harley Street offices. And then I got peritonitis and a burst appendix in 1924. Wasn’t very, not many people survived. SB: Gosh. No. I imagine not. GS: That was about a year and around the back I had curvature of the spine and I was underweight and not very fit. Not very clever and so I recovered and I tried to join the, I didn’t like the Army, I didn’t like the Navy so that left the Air Force and I got straight into it. And so but I failed the medical as I was completely unfit. I had [unclear] treatment including my eye. And then of course I got this thing playing rugger. My knee locked and the stupid sports master tried to bend it straight and a nasty crack. My cartilage went so I had a fortnight in St Thomas’ Hospital and, and another fortnight at home. A month off work and so how I got into the Air Force I don’t know. I was a weedy so and so. A friend of mine who was a bank clerk and a friend of mine who was, you know a strapping twelve stone chap but he failed as pilot and became a navigator. SB: Oh right [pause] Instructor’s course at Castle Combe. GS: Sorry? SB: Instructor’s course at Castle Combe. GS: Oh yeah. SB: Back on Oxfords. Yeah. GS: Castle Combe is like a fishbox. SB: Oh, it is isn’t it? Beautiful. Yes. Absolutely. GS: I always choose the best places. SB: Oh, I see the OC here or chief instructor has said your steep turns are very weak. GS: Yeah. Always had been. SB: Oh, really [laughs] GS: I was very pleased to have flown there. I regarded it as a holiday. But I think I smoked about a third of a million cigarettes and luckily I had sixty one the day I stopped. SB: Right. GS: And if I had one tomorrow I’d have ten the next day I think. Have you ever smoked? SB: Yes. Yes, I gave up when I was twenty three. Yeah. GS: I was about thirty five I think when [pause] So if I continued smoking I would have been long gone. I was driving up to ninety four. SB: Are you by Jove. Goodness. GS: I passed by my, my good wife is so rude about my driving I took an advanced driver’s test and they said, ‘Come back and see us in two years.’ But I found I wasn’t really happy driving on these roads around here so I packed it in. The children made me get rid of my lovely Mercedes and buy a Lexus. SB: Oh really. GS: And the Lexus was driving me I think. It had every gadget under the sun. Marvellous. SB: Now, would you mind if I photographed some of the pages? GS: No, of course not. SB: Is that ok? [pause] GS: I don’t think there is much of interest really. SB: Oh, yes. Absolutely there is. Definitely. GS: [unclear] new boys with the before and after [sailing] against England. SB: Right. GS: Yes. That’s a lovely one. SB: Yes. [pause] GS: Good heavens. It’s half past twelve. I must have my beer. [long pause] GS: I didn’t realise it was so late. Could I offer you a beer or something stronger? SB: Oh, I’d love a beer. That would be great. GS: Good. SB: Thank you very much. GS: Lovely. [pause] GS: Something I’m never short of. My good wife looks after me. SB: Marvellous. [long pause] SB: Oh, that’s grand. Thank you very much. GS: Good. SB: What did you fly in BOAC when you first went there? GS: Dakotas. SB: Right. GS: I was on them for three years when first I joined and then I did this three and a half, these three years posted to Hong Kong but before that they, they made me go round Iraqi Airways. I had a crooked general manager called [unclear] He was South African and he sent his chief engineer officer on leave and [unclear] had his second engineer officer signed out all the aircraft as having [C of A’s] They didn’t have the equipment. SB: Right. GS: And the poor old chief pilot eventually got [unclear] grounded and we were sent out at a minute’s notice. SB: Oh. GS: For six months. But we only did four months and then they managed to train up other people. SB: Right. GS: And we came home and I had four months at home I think and then [unclear] back to Hong Kong with Hong Kong Airways. I didn’t volunteer. I was the only extra captain I think. SB: Right. GS: And but the Chinese were being awkward in Hong Kong. Didn’t give permission at once so they phoned me up and said, oh I said I’d give — [telephone ringing] GS: As you aren’t doing anything you can take the [unclear] commissioner around the Italian colony. All these deputy foreign ministers the English, French, Russian and American deputy foreign man were seeing deputations from all these colonists to see what was going to happen. You know, see what they wanted. SB: Right. GS: Mind you everything they wanted they got the reverse being [laughs] being the United Nations. SB: Yes. GS: Oh dear. What a, what a mob. But I thoroughly enjoyed it except in Mogadishu I got no support at all from BOAC. They tried to get me the sack I think because they reduced the weight of the Dakota so I could barely get the parachute on. SB: Oh. GS: Doing several [unclear] SB: Right. GS: And so had the rations on my back all the time because TWA were out there with Ethiopian Airlines and they would have done it all for nothing for the publicity. So they were trying, they were saying we were much too expensive and I had six crew. Myself, a navigator, a bomb aimer, co-pilot, engineer, a ground engineer and a steward. Six of us and including the aircraft we only cost twenty five pounds a day and if we flew it was another ten bob a mile. Can you imagine in those days? SB: Yeah. Good grief. GS: But so I think apart from when these people the deputy foreign ministers stuck up for me and said you know I had no alternative. The bloody Russian [unclear] so I didn’t lose any face over it but it was just annoying. SB: Well, your good health. Cheers. GS: Cheers. It’s good to see you. I hope you have made sense out of all this. SB: Oh, yes. Absolutely. What rank were you when you came out of the Air Force? GS: Sorry? SB: What rank were you? GS: Only flight lieut. I had [pause] I wasn’t very dedicated. SB: Right. GS: I was the wrong [pause] one of the chaps I’m not sure how, he was quite a lot Tony [Sillitoe] he was, he was far worse than I was but he, he killed a chap for, the rear gunner. They couldn’t stop and they, this was daylight but the brakes were bad and they were going too fast I think and the prop just chopped this poor chap’s neck and he was killed. SB: Oh dear. GS: But he was posted to Market Harborough and one day I looked out of the, I was flying, you know by myself at North Luffenham. I looked out of the window and there just inches from my wing was this, was Tony’s plane which is the [unclear] I mean literally inches from me formatted on me. I didn’t dare move. [unclear] But he was posted from us. Went to Market Harborough. I think he did the same thing to another crew. They did the same thing and then they touched. Seventeen people killed. SB: Oh dear. GS: I think it was seventeen. SB: Oh goodness. GS: Or fifteen. SB: Yeah. GS: Anyway, that’s it. We had lots of crashes at North Luffenham but mostly pupils and they mostly got away with it too. SB: Did you like the Wimpy to fly or was there anything you didn’t like about it? GS: Well, you love what you know and — SB: Yeah. Yeah. Sure. GS: If you overshot both of you used to be pushing hard on the control column. We were told not to adjust the, you know. Anything interesting dear? [background chatter. Chatting about lunch] [recording paused] GS: [unclear] compensated for the so we weren’t supposed to change the normally we were just bind the [pause] I can’t find the words now [laughs] the elevator controller. SB: Oh right. The trim. GS: The trim. Trim. I can, but we were told not to on the Wimpy. SB: Oh right. GS: So we had to push like that. SB: Right. Right. GS: But they were very good. I mean apart from in my forty years flying that was the only accident. SB: That’s quite a record isn’t it. Twenty thousand hours. GS: I think [laughs] despite being an average pilot. I was poor. I mean, it’s some people are just naturals but — SB: Now, I’m afraid I need a photograph of you. GS: Well, not with a glass. I‘d better sit up. [pause] SB: One more for luck. Lovely. Thank you very much. GS: Good. SB: Just so I can. GS: A good camera. Very light. SB: Very good. Yeah. These are fantastic these cameras now. GS: What kind is it? SB: This is a Fuji. GS: Oh. I haven’t heard of it. SB: Yeah. It was recommended to me by a friend of mine who has one and it’s just, well — GS: It looks expensive. SB: Well, no it’s not really. I’ll show you. You were saying about your photographs, your little photographs there aren’t very good but if you look for example at [pause] the quality is astonishing. GS: I know [laughs] it’s clever. SB: Yeah. GS: Clear little photo. SB: Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. GS: Marvellous. SB: So I started I don’t know if I explained when we first spoke but I’ve written a number of books before. GS: On flying or — SB: All but one to do with — GS: Also non-flying. SB: The odd one actually was a biography of an ancestor of mine — GS: Oh. SB: Who was quite a well-known artist. But the others have all been on various aviation historical things. 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 A conversation with Guy Sharp Description An account of the resource Guy starts with some comments on his training at RAF Cranfield and RAF Lossiemouth, August 1940, before joining 9 Squadron at RAF Honington in November 1940 as a Wellington co-pilot. He recalls making a mistake on his first operation to Mannheim. He was then selected to go, initially to Greece, but as the campaign was over, then went to Egypt and joined 70 Squadron in April 1941. He mentions that one of six aircraft was lost in transit to Egypt, and comments on flying the Wellington and about other losses. He recalls that he carried out 54 operations without a break, twenty on 9 Squadron and the rest on 70 Squadron. He talks about the trip back to England, initially on target towing Blenheims, and then as a Wellington instructor on OTU at RAF North Luffenham. He recalls meeting Arthur C Clark at RAF Honiley. He tells of a ground collision with another Wellington and losing the front turret. He discusses the different marks of Wellingtons, including Mark V and Mark VI, although he did not fly them. Guy speaks to the contents of his log book and photographs. He also mentions sorties with simulated mustard gas. He mentions an operation to Derma and strafing convoys. Guy stated that staff crews, not students, were used when OTUs were tasked on 1000 bomber operations. Guy says he was surprised that he was accepted by the RAF due to prior medical issues. He then relates some anecdotes about post war career in civil aviation. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource S Bond G Sharp Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 1940-11 1941-04 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Bedfordshire Scotland--Moray England--Suffolk Malta Egypt Egypt--Suez Germany Germany--Mannheim England--Norfolk England--Rutland England--Warwickshire Libya Libya--Darnah Libya--Banghāzī Germany--Bremen England--Wiltshire England--Leicestershire Italy Italy--Venice North Africa England--Sussex 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 Sound Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 00:58:18 audio recording Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending revision of OH transcription Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SBondS-SharpGv10010, SBondS-SharpGv10011 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke Julie Williams 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. 70 Squadron 9 Squadron aircrew Blenheim bombing C-47 Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot RAF Cranfield RAF Honington RAF Lossiemouth RAF North Luffenham RAF Pevensey RAF Woolfox Lodge training Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2834/50352/SBondS-SharpGv10015.1.pdf d43db204b99a2290063adf8224bc1158 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 Sharp, Guy R Description An account of the resource 15 items. Collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Guy Sharp. He flew operations as a Wellington pilot on 9 and 70 Squadron. Collection contains an oral history interview with edited transcript, extracts from his flying log book and photographs. 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-SharpGv1 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 A conversation with Guy Sharp Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource S Bond G Sharp Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-02-12 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 2013-02-12 1940-08 1940-11 1941 1940-12-22 1941-03-03 1941-04-08 1941-04-09 1942 1944 1942-06-25 1943-03-20 1940-12-23 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Berkshire England--Ascot England--Hastings England--Kent England--Rochester (Kent) Scotland--Moray England--Bedfordshire England--Suffolk Germany Germany--Mannheim Italy Italy--Venice England--Pevensey Malta Egypt Germany Germany--Essen Libya Libya--Darnah Egypt--Suez England--Norfolk England--Rutland Germany--Bremen England--Leicestershire England--Cumbria England--Wiltshire North Africa Germany--Ruhr (Region) England--Sussex Description An account of the resource Starts with short service history, pilot with IX and 70 Squadron and 29 OTU Wellington. Covers training the going to 9 Squadron at Honington in November 1940. Mentions messing up on first operation to Mannheim. make some comment on this tour including squadrons bombing of Venice when on squadron aircraft ran out of fuel and glided to land in a field at Pevensey. Mentions losing other crews and simulated use of mustard gas to train troops. Tells of trip out to Egypt via Malta losing one aircraft on the way with an army general VC as a passenger and all were taken prisoner. Says he did not do a full tour on 9 Squadron as they were then sent to 70 Squadron in Egypt. Comments that he did 54 operations without a holiday, 20 with 9 Squadron and the rest with 70 Squadron. Answers whether he had damage on any operations and relates one to Derna (Libya) when they were hit by machine gun bullets in the bomb bay leading to other damage. Also tells of flying low to machine gun convoys. Mentions doing two thousand bomber raids when he came back to England. Continues with chat about his tour as instructor on Wellingtons with 29 OTU. Carries on with chat about the different marks of Wellington. Concludes with detail of 9 Squadron operation to Venice where sortie was 11.20 hours and they ran out of fuel. Glided to landing but did b=not see ditch across field and wrote off undercarriage - no crew injured. 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 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Five page printed document 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-SharpGv10015 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. 216 Squadron 29 OTU 70 Squadron 9 Squadron aircrew Blenheim bombing forced landing Magister Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot RAF Abu Sueir RAF Bitteswell RAF Bruntingthorpe RAF Carlisle RAF Castle Combe RAF Cranfield RAF Honington RAF Lossiemouth RAF Luqa RAF North Luffenham RAF Pevensey RAF Stradishall RAF West Raynham RAF Woolfox Lodge Stirling training Ventura Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1442/48747/BNashDCMNashDCMv1.pdf f3425a691bfccb0ffe82c3642b6ebd70 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 Nash, Dan Daniel C M Nash 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 2015-09-18 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 Nash, DCM Description An account of the resource One item. This collection concerns Daniel Nash and contains a memoir covering his childhood, his Royal Air Force service and his retirement. It was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Daniel Nash and catalogued by Andy Fitter. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Daniel Nash 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 Dan Nash memoir Description An account of the resource Born in 1916, Dan spent his early childhood in Kent with his grandmother before moving back to his parents in Fulham. He left school aged 16 to undertake a job with the Hudson's Bay Fur Company, where he met Joyce, his future wife. At the outbreak of war, the family moved to Teddington and on 24 February 1940 he and Joyce married. He joined the Royal Air Force as a wireless operator/air gunner, doing his initial training at RAF Blackpool and then his wireless training there and at RAF Yatesbury. In June 1941 he went to RAF Pembrey for his gunnery training. Dan crewed up at 27 Operational Training Unit at RAF Lichfield and was posted to 149 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall. In early 1942, the squadron converted from Wellingtons to Stirlings and Dan's crew were posted to 15 Squadron at RAF Wyton, taking part in the first 1000 bomber operation. Dan flew 30 operations to Germany, Holland and France and was then given an instructional post at RAF Kinloss before being sent to RAF Cranwell to become a signals officer. After more training at RAF Cosford, Dan was commissioned and posted to RAF Bottesford, RAF Metheringham and finally to RAF Chigwell, to set up a mobile wireless unit in preparation for the Allied invasion of France. A change of plan saw Dan and his unit travelling to Toungoo, 150 miles north of Rangoon, to set up a 'Y' Station listening to Japanese military communications. He heard about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in a letter from home. He arrived home in March 1946 and was demobbed. In 1947 Dan trained as a teacher and took his first post in a school in Middlesex where he was soon made Head of English. He moved school several times before retiring in July 1980. The memoir contains detailed descriptions of his personal and service life and also gives great insight into social and living conditions in southern Britain during the interwar years. A single appendix describes a world tour that he and his wife undertook to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dan Nash Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1906 1916-09-20 1917 1919-12 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1932 1938 1939-09-03 1940-02-24 1940-08 1940-09 1941-06 1941-07 1941-11 1942 1942-04 1942-05-30 1942-05-31 1942-07-26 1942-08-06 1944 1946-03 1947-01 1949-04 1957 1965 1975 1980-07 1981-07 1985 1986-01-10 1990-02-24 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Australia New South Wales New South Wales--Sydney Queensland Queensland--Cairns South Australia South Australia--Adelaide Victoria Victoria--Melbourne Western Australia Western Australia--Perth Burma Burma--Toungoo China China--Kowloon Germany Germany--Ruhr (Region) Germany--Bremen Germany--Cologne Germany--Duisburg Germany--Düsseldorf Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony) Germany--Hamburg Germany--Helgoland Germany--Kiel Canal Great Britain England--Berkshire England--Maidenhead England--Cambridgeshire England--Carlisle England--Devon England--Plymouth England--Essex England--Gloucestershire England--Hertfordshire England--Berkhamsted England--Kent England--East Malling England--Lancashire England--Blackpool England--Lincolnshire England--London England--Middlesex England--Norfolk England--Nottinghamshire England--Shropshire England--Somerset England--Staffordshire England--Suffolk England--Surrey England--Farnham England--Wiltshire England--Yorkshire Scotland--Moray Wales--Carmarthenshire Netherlands New Zealand New Zealand--Auckland United States Hawaii Hawaii--Honolulu California California--Los Angeles Louisiana Louisiana--New Orleans Florida Florida--Orlando 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. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One 68 page document 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. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Andy Fitter Maureen Clarke Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BNashDCMNashDCMv1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive 149 Squadron 15 Squadron 27 OTU air gunner Air Gunnery School aircrew Anson anti-aircraft fire Blenheim bomb aimer bombing bombing of Cologne (30/31 May 1942) briefing crewing up demobilisation Dominie entertainment evacuation Initial Training Wing military living conditions military service conditions mine laying Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy navigator Operational Training Unit pilot Proctor promotion propaganda RAF Bottesford RAF Cosford RAF Cranwell RAF Hednesford RAF Kinloss RAF Lichfield RAF Linton on Ouse RAF Locking RAF Marham RAF Metheringham RAF Mildenhall RAF Pembrey RAF Uxbridge RAF Windrush RAF Wyton RAF Yatesbury recruitment searchlight service vehicle sport Stirling superstition target photograph training Wellington Window wireless operator / air gunner https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2624/46994/PPextonRD1907.2.jpg 507f8d41a35df5c26e6c70d306418f62 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 Pexton, Richard Dunning R D Pexton Description An account of the resource 32 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander Richard Dunning Pexton DFC AFC (Royal Air Force) and contains an interview, his log book, correspondence, documents, and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 61 Squadron which he commanded. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Anthony Pexton and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-01-24 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 Pexton, RD 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 Bf 109E-4 Description An account of the resource A Me 109 flown by Oblt Gerhard Schopfel August 1940. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe Language A language of the resource deu Type The nature or genre of the resource Artwork Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One colour print Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PPextonRD1907 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. 1940-08 Me 109 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2364/43130/PGrahamG2101.jpg 5290e7b44b40e885eea89aa6debb126c https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2364/43130/PGrahamG2102.jpg 464f1bfb29c403574b2c4ae0bf8f6dac 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 Graham, Granville Description An account of the resource 25 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Granville Graham (1918 - 1940, 970896 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence, documents, and photographs. He flew operations as a wireless operator air gunner with 58 Squadron and was killed 6 November 1940. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Angela Staples and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Granville Graham is available via <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/210875/">the IBCC Losses Database</a>. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-07-27 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 Graham, G Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [photograph] A Hughes, G Graham, R A J Ross, CS Humble A Woodward, [indecipherable letters] Davis, D G Jenkins [indecipherable letters] Jay, [signature] J M Hay, [indecipherable letters] Loudin, C Hale Binnie [page break] Squad 2. 19 A.G.’s COURSE. NEWTON DOWN. AUGUST. 1940. 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 Squad 2 19 AG Course Newton Down Description An account of the resource 15 airmen arranged in three rows. Each man has signed his name over or beside his photograph. One man has a bowler hat drawn on. On the reverse is 'Squad 2 19 AG Course Newton Down August 1940'. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 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 Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PGrahamG2101, PGrahamG2102 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. 1940-08 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource A C Montgomery air gunner Air Gunnery School aircrew RAF Stormy Down training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1445/38379/MRainfordJR131201-150925-02.1.pdf 9bec6d952df2bf1eddb1a2cb54c0db6a 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 Rainford, John Rawsthorn J R Rainford 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 2015-09-27 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 Rainford, JR Description An account of the resource Two items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader John Rawsthorn Rainford DFC (42436 Royal Air Force) and contains a photograph and short service history. He flew operations as a pilot with 83 Squadron and was killed on an operation to Norway 22 February 1942. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by M Osmond and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Additional information on John Rawsthorn Rainford is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/119282/">IBCC Losses Database</a> 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 Squadron Leader John Rawsthorn Rainford DFC and bar Description An account of the resource Short note of dates and service in Royal Artillery and RAF. Killed in action at Sola, Norway on 21 February 1942 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1913-12-13 1940-08 1941-04-18 1942-02-13 1942-02-21 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Lancashire Norway Norway--Sola England--Preston (Lancashire) 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 British Army 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 page printed document 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 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MRainfordJR131201-150925-02 Distinguished Flying Cross killed in action https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1939/37264/BBarryCGBarryCGv1.pdf 3ad447a1e9fa6577251414f6e7674dec 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 Field, Peter L and Cynthia G Peter L Field P L Field Cynthia G Field C G Field 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 2017-09-19 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 Field, PL-CG Description An account of the resource 144 items and five photograph albums in sub-collections. The collection concerns Peter L and Cynthia G Field and contains memoirs, correspondence, photographs. Peter Field (b. 1920) served as a wireless operator and Cynthia (b. 1921) served as a WAAF in 2 Group. <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2137">Album One</a> Photographs of various people. <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2138">Album Two</a> Photographs of people and places, postcards. <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2141">Album Three</a> Photographs of parents house over the years. <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2144">Album Four</a> Photographs of family events, places and people. <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2146">Album Five</a> Photographs of wartime colleagues, Cook's tour aerial photographs of bomb damaged German cities, and family and friends as well as two letters home. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Susan Elizabeth Field and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. 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 Cynthia Field - A memoir of life in the WAAF during the war Description An account of the resource Cynthia starts with a description of feelings and actions at beginning of the war. Her mother had tried to persuade her to join land army and  she mentions brief experience and unsuitability for farming. So she decided to join the RAF. She describes enlistment and initial training recalling training, facilities and food at RAF West Drayton. The memoir continues with her telephonist training at RAF Worcester and subsequent posting to 11 Group at RAF Uxbridge. She describes various aspects of RAF Uxbridge, including: accommodation; food; work; manning switchboard; and working conditions and continues with a detailed description of actions during Battle of Britain. Cynthia goes on to describe the bombing of London and living through the local raids, and describes, in detail, living accommodation, colleagues, room mate and activities. She recalls trying for commission and turning down re-mustering as wireless operator. She goes on to detail postings to RAF Biggin Hill and HQ 2 Group at RAF Huntingdon and what they entailed, including units and work; people; location; and activities. She talks about promotions to corporal and sergeant, and gives a detailed description of off-duty activities and entertainment. This is followed by a very detailed description of her work and activities of Bomber Command, and the group including Mosquito operations, friends and colleagues. She talks about the thousand bomber raid against Cologne and other highlights, and continues with an account of her remaining time at 2 Group and subsequent move to Norfolk. Finally, in early 1944 she posted to RAF Leeming and, again, describes location, facilities, work and NCO s course at RAF Wilmslow, as well as resident squadrons, aircrew and other personnel. One crew that she got to know well, subsequently volunteered for Pathfinders and went missing on operations. She goes on to describe other postings. The memoir concludes with 36 photographs including: her father, his army units; her mother; friends; herself; WAAF colleagues; family; family home; as well as Ian Hay, her NCO course; WAAFs and airmen at RAF Leeming; and some post war photographs of bomb damage in Germany. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sergeant C G Barry Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940 1940-08 1941-11 1942-05-30 1942-05-31 1944 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--London England--Worcestershire England--Worcester England--Middlesex England--Kent England--Huntingdonshire England--Huntingdon England--Yorkshire England--Cheshire Germany--Ruhr (Region) Germany--Cologne Germany 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. Fighter Command Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Royal Canadian Air Force Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Seventy-six page printed document with text and thirty-six b/w photographs Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription. Allocated Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BBarryCGBarryCGv1 Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir 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 105 Squadron 139 Squadron 2 Group 427 Squadron 429 Squadron bombing bombing of Cologne (30/31 May 1942) ground personnel Halifax Lancaster military living conditions military service conditions Mosquito RAF Biggin Hill RAF Leeming RAF Skipton on Swale RAF Uxbridge RAF Wilmslow training Women’s Auxiliary Air Force https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1881/36321/SChristianAL29160v10040-0012.1.jpg c119d326750941bde50eca4994fc6c90 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 Christian, Arnold Louis A L Christian 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 2017-06-26 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 Christian, AL Description An account of the resource 93 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander Arnold Louis Christian (1906 - 1941, 29160 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and photographs. He flew operation as a pilot with 105 Squadron and was killed 8 May 1941. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Steven Christian and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Arnold Louis Christian is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/204958/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> 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 Arnold Christian and Five officers Description An account of the resource Arnold standing with a group of five airmen. In the caption he is identified as third from left. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 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 Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SChristianAL29160v10040-0012 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. 1940-08 aircrew ground personnel pilot https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1480/26560/MFellD[Ser -DoB]-160601-39_Redacted.pdf 6d321be4005e6b0d38ddef6b1b62af67 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 Fell, David William D W Fell 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 2016-01-18 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. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Fell, D Description An account of the resource 33 items and a <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/1653">sub-collection of photographs</a> of people and aircraft. Main collections contains German. French and Netherland language propaganda material, some delivered by the RAF, course photographs of many aircrew at 27 OTU as well as a map, an engineers log and a history of A V Roe at Yeadon Aerodrome. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by David Fell and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. In accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donor, other items are available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document A V ROE AND CO LTD LEEDS AND BRADFORD AERODROME YEADON, YORKSHIRE [page break] Aviation historians will be well aware of the destruction by fire of the A V Roe library some years ago. A poor carbon copy of the official history of the Avro factory at Yeadon has now been discovered and a fresh corrected copy made. The history does not include any details of production during 1946 which continued with the Anson and the York. The opportunity has been taken to also reproduce a privately circulated document issued by No 2 Region of the Ministry of Aircraft Production dealing with the aircraft industry in Yorkshire. I am indebted to H W Harper, Esq, MBE, (A V Roe works manager at Yeadon) and E R Holdsworth, Esq (Assistant works manager at Yeadon) for their help. Attached is a copy of these documents which please accept with my compliments. Flt Lt G R Sunderland, RAF (Retd) December, 1980. [page break] [underlined] A V ROE & CO LTD, YEADON [/underlined] Work in the factory of A V Roe & Co Ltd at Yeadon started when the first portion of the building was roofed and completed with a dummy wall, in August 1940, and a handful of men began processing the factory’s first job. Building up from this unostentatious start to a monster factory, employing over 11,000 people and turning out impressive numbers of aircraft and components, was a process which involved the solving of innumerable technical and social problems. The successful part the factory played in the nation’s war effort is a tribute to the technical and administrative staffs and to the workpeople who produced the Lancasters and training planes when they were most needed. [underlined] Construction [/underlined] The factory is situated off the fringe of the great industrial belt of the West Riding, from which the bulk of the labour supply had to be drawn. Adjoining the old Leeds and Bradford Aerodrome, it is approximately eight miles from each of these towns. The airfield, once the home of the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club, in 1936 became the headquarters of 609 Squadron, RAF and upon the outbreak of war, when the squadron was called into active service, the Blackburn Aeroplane Company ran an elementary flying training school for the RAF. The Aerodrome was taken over by A V Roe & Co in 1941. Work started on the building of the factory in December 1939, after the Air Ministry had approached A V Roe & Co in connection with the expansion in the Air Force and the consequent need for increased aircraft production, resulting from the crisis in that year. The site presented certain difficulties to the contractors. Marshy ground, with a sub-soil [page break] of soft clay, it contained several streams and a large pond. The land was drained and the streams diverted, with the exception of one, which is now contained in a 12 foot concrete pipe and passes directly under the factory. The factory is 1740 feet long and 740 feet wide, with a total floor space (including the basement) of 1,514,190 sq ft and is thought to be probably the largest factory in Europe under one roof. The structure is reinforced concrete and brick on a steel frame and the whole of the factory is air conditioned by the most up-to-date system possible. Canteen accommodation is provided for 7,000 people, and internal air raid shelters hold 8,500 persons. In the hands of MAP experts the essential task of camouflaging this giant erection was tackled with outstanding success and so effectively was this done that from the air the presence of the factory could not be detected. Earth was banked in ramps round the factory walls and the flat roof was laid out to merge with the surrounding countryside. The illusion of a farm was obtained, with huts, walled fields, (complete with dummy cattle) and even a duck pond. The work cost £20,000 and was generally recognised as one of the finest examples of the art of camouflage in the country. A 30 foot built-up causeway with a tar macadem [sic] surface was built from the factory, so that completed aircraft could be towed straight to the airfield. Thus many of the factory’s products were flown by ATA pilots direct to RAF stations or to Maintenance Units, for dispersal. As the factory’s output grew, extra hangars were added on the airfield, and the runways had to be extended, at the expense of six nearby houses and several holes of a local golf course. The main runways are now at [page break] their maximum possible length – East/West 1250 yards, and North/South 1100 yards. [underlined] Installations [/underlined] The factory as a whole was completed in February 1941, but in February 1940 the northern end was roofed and a “bulkhead” of corrugated sheet made a dummy wall, so that work could commence in the machine shop before the rest of the building was completed. Yeadon is the largest Avro factory, the others in the group being at Manchester. With the erection of the first portion and whilst light and power installations were still being fitted, four or five men came over from Manchester and started the processing of the “Albermarle” which was to be the first production job. At the same time, local labour began to be drawn into the factory, at first a mere trickle and then in a rapidly growing stream. In the summer of 1940 new machine tools began to arrive from the Machine Tool Pool (fore-runner of Lease Lend) and millwrights began to instal these in what became the Tool Room. Gradually the Machine Shop took shape, whilst simultaneously the electrical supply was led to the machines and labour was being trained on them. With the completion of the rest of the structure in 1941, work proceeded on installations in the Assembly Bay. At its peak, the factory used about 800 of these machine tools, as well as the many smaller power tools used in assembly. The Machine Shop is undoubtedly one of the finest and most up-to-date in the country. All the machines are independently power driven, with no shafting or belting. The most impressive is an 8000 ton hydraulic press. [page break] One of the machines, evolved by Avro during the war, is known as a “Manipulator” and can, in two minutes, bend to shape a heavy extruded former, a job which would previously take two fitters as many hours to perform manually. The figures of production in the machine shop show a steady rise to the peak period in 1944, reflecting the building up of production on the assembly line. In 1944 the weekly total of operations was in the neighbourhood of 2,000,000 and the actual peak in April of that year, had a week’s total of 2,118,002 operations. There is an average of 5 operations in making a component. At this time the percentage of skilled workers in the Machine Shop was only 16.4, the remainder of which 60 percent were women and girls. The average amount of scrap in the early stages was 2 1/2 percent (a low figure in view of the large percentage of unskilled labour) and in a very short time the standard of proficiency reached by the personnel enabled the low scrap figure to be further substantially reduced. [underlined] Production [/underlined] The first production job was to be the “Albermarle” a Reconnaissance Bomber designed by the Armstrong Whitworth Company early in the war, for production by firms without previous experience of aircraft engineering. The work of processing this was begun in 1940, but before production had started at Yeadon, the work was withdrawn when a major modification was introduced on the wing. In October of 1940 work was started on the Hawker Tornado, a single-seater fighter, and up to the Autumn of 1941 the factory produced 100 sets of details and 5 aircraft in various stages of assembly, one of which was actually flown, after [page break] being handed over to the experimental staff at Manchester. Some of the completed wings and components from Yeadon went to the Typhoon, Hawker’s successor to the Tornado. [underlined] The Anson. [/underlined] The first Avro Anson to be produced at Yeadon was completed and left the factory during the week ended 21st June, 1941. The Anson is a twin engined, low-wing monoplane, which was used extensively in Coastal Command as a reconnaissance plane and light bomber, and as a standard training aircraft for the RAF. During the first year the records show an almost meteoric rise. At the end of the fourth month 29 aircraft had been turned out, and then – as workers surmounted the initial hurdles – the total grew to 414 by the end of April 1942, an increase of [deleted] 1400 [/deleted] [inserted] 140 [/inserted] percent in 6 months. The following month’s production exceeded the 100, and from then onwards, through two years of concentrated effort the monthly total never fell below this figure. July 1943 was the month when the peak production figure was attained. A total of 130 machines were completed in that month, and for eight more months this total was maintained. Thereafter, according to policy dictated by the MAP, production declined steadily. It is perhaps worthy of note that in the early days of production the number of machines produced for shipment abroad was more than twice as many as the total for home use, but by the end of 1942 the position had almost been reversed. In January 1943 the first machines were fitted with Bristol power-operated gun turrets, and from this month until December 1943, 887 machines (3/5ths of the year’s production) were so fitted. In March 1944, an order for an ambulance type of aircraft [page break] necessitated the conversion of the standard Mk. I fuselage to fill this requirement. This was successfully achieved and the new version, nominated the Mk. X. Series 2, with Cheetah XIX engines and incorporating hydraulically operated undercarriage and flaps was evolved. The fact that during the first month, 21 aircraft of the ambulance type were produced and delivered out of a total of 91 “flyers” is a tribute to the versatility and resourcefulness of all concerned. Meanwhile the Design Office had been busy on plans for a permanent version of the Communications/Ambulance and within a matter of weeks the Anson Mk. XI with a deepened fuselage made its bow. Further modifications involving the fitting of variable pitch propellers and the Cheetah XV engine required another change of title and the Mk. XI was superseded by the Mk. XII, [inserted] the [/inserted] final Communication/Ambulance version embodying a reinforced wing. Through the succeeding months to July, 1944, a total of 85 aircraft of the ambulance type was delivered in addition to the Standard Mk. I with or without the Bristol Turret, production of which had never been allowed to flag. Below is a summary of total production figures for the Anson: 1941 – 96 1942 – 1217 1943 – 1459 1944 – 917 1945 (to July) – [underlined] 192 [/underlined] Grand Total – [underlined] 3881 [/underlined] Of the above total 2368 were flown away and 1513 were despatched, packed for shipment overseas. One of the vital links between production and Services is the [page break] Repair Service run by the firm. Any aircraft which crashes is inspected and when possible is repaired by the firm on the Service station, a squad of skilled men being rushed to the job in order to get the machine flying again in the shortest possible time. The Anson Repairs Service, operated by Yeadon, handled a total of 663 damaged aircraft from 1941 to the end of the war, and of these, 626 were repaired on the site. [underlined] Anson Spares. [/underlined] In addition to the foregoing impressive production totals, a prodigious number of spares was also produced in the factory. During the period February 1943, to the end of July 1945, an approximate total of 36,000 items, representing 6 1/2 million pieces and a value of over £4 1/2 million were produced and despatched. When it is considered that these numbers represent, in detail, approximately a further 900 complete machines the record of producing in 50 months an approximate grand total of 4,800 Anson (equivalent to an average of 96 a month) is an achievement of which every individual concerned may be justifiably proud. [underlined] The Lancaster [/underlined] The Avro Lancaster, 4-engined heavy bomber, may confidently be claimed to have played a decisive part in winning the war. Its achievements need not be specified, except to say that many of the Pathfinder type were built at Yeadon, equipped for the installation of Radar. Work on the Lancaster at Yeadon was started in January 1942, and from then until the end of the war 688 complete Lancasters were made. The monthly totals of completed aircraft only hint at the [page break] amount of work that was put into them, but from the first completed aircraft in April, 1942, the monthly total slowly grew to 7 in the same period in 1943, 12 in October, 20 in January 1944, 32 in March of that year, and then between 30 and 40 a month until the end of the European war. The production figures may be summarised as follows: Completed Lancasters 1942 – 24 1943 – 103 1944 – 354 1945 (to July) – [underlined] 207 [/underlined] Total – [underlined] 688 [/underlined] [underlined] Lancaster Spares. [/underlined] As with the Anson, spares were produced in addition to completed aircraft, the most notable instance being in the production of bomb doors, the factory turning out an average of 160 bomb doors every month, throughout 1943, and 1944. The yearly production figures were: Bomb Doors 1942 – 507 1943 – 1789 1944 – 1865 1945 (to July) – [underlined] 850 [/underlined] Total – [underlined] 5011 [/underlined] “Universal” bomb carriers, of Avro design, were produced in huge quantities at Yeadon to be used on many types of aircraft, and as they could be (and often were) jettisoned, and were frequently damaged by “Flak”, many replacements were needed. Of the two types produced at Yeadon, 150 to 200 a week were made of the 2000 lb “heavies” and from 500 to 600 of the light 500 lb type. From April 1941, to the end of the war, the total [page break] figures were:- Heavy type – 7331, Light type – 30,895. [underlined] Lincoln and York [/underlined] With the cessation of hostilities in Europe, production schedules had to be drastically altered to meet the demands of the war with Japan. The Lincoln is an adaptation of the Lancaster for service in this theatre of war, having a bigger wing span, greater fuel capacity, and incorporating special equipment. The Avro York, a four-engined, heavy transport plane, also built with this service in view, is doing invaluable work with the armies of occupation, in RAF Transport Command, and in similar work. The York is an essential part of the vital supply lines in South East Asia, and with its long flying range and large freight capacity is making a major contribution to solving the problem of long distance, speedy transport. [underlined] Labour [/underlined] The labour force which produced these impressive figures was drawn mainly from the industrial towns of the West Riding, and it is an indication of the complexity of the problem of handling and catering for such large numbers when it is remembered that the population of the factory was greater in some cases than that of the towns the workers came from. From the starting of work labour was taken into the factory in ever-increasing numbers, until the weekly influx in January 1943 averaged 171. At the peak, in April 1944, the factory employed a total of 11,075 people. Of these, the proportion of skilled engineers was as low as 20 percent and as this figure includes many who were “up-graded” from semi-skilled work, it will be seen that the bulk of the production was the work of [page break] previously unskilled persons. Many of the workers were women, the percentage of female labour in April 1944 being 53 percent. Only a small percentage of the workers had received preliminary training at the various Government Training Centres; the greater part had no previous training or experience, and these were all trained whilst doing production work. As an indication of the various types of work in the factory, a list of the Trades Unions recognised by the firm is illuminating. The unions include: The Amalgamated Engineering Union The National Brass and Metal Mechanics Union The Electrical Trades Union The National Union of General and Municipal Workers Transport and General Workers Union National Union of Vehicle Builders Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers United Pattern Workers Union Amalgamated Union of Upholsterers National Union of Musical Instrument Makers Throughout the last three years of the war, whilst production was at its height, there were between 60 and 70 shop stewards, and for [deleted] the [/deleted] most of this period the convenor and chairman of the shop stewards’ committee spent all their time on this work. The Joint Production Committee was formed in 1942, and consisted of 10 representatives elected by ballot by the workpeople and an equal number from the management. The JPC was given the opportunity of raising any questions which might affect output. Considering the size of the factory and the number of people employed, belonging to so many unions (and many in none), the factory has been singularly free from major disputes. Whilst many persons came into the factory feeling resentment at being [page break] directed into this work, it could be claimed that, when the maximum effort was being made on the whole the employees tended to settle down and get on with the job. Essentially linked to the question of labour was the problem of billeting and transport. To help meet housing needs the MAP was responsible in 1941 for the erection of 3 estates of temporary building within a few miles radius of the factory. On these estates 300 houses were allocated to Avro workers. An attractive hostel at Horsforth (opened in 1942) provided accommodation for 700 people, and the factory billeting officer found lodgings for between 400 and 500 workers. Most of the remainder had to be brought in special buses from their homes. At the time of maximum production, 160 buses were needed to bring to work and take home the two shifts, and many of the workers had to travel long distances, the longest involving a daily return journey of 64 miles. Some of those travelling, for example, to Huddersfield had then to take further buses to get home, perhaps another six or seven miles. A striking and unexpected fact is that absenteeism amongst these long distance travellers was noticeably less than amongst people nearer the factory. Accommodation for the buses was provided in the “Novia” Plantation, adjoining the works, and this was laid out with roads, pedestrian crossings and a set of traffic lights, all well camouflaged by the original trees. Welfare work in the factory was made difficult by the large numbers employed, but every effort was made to secure the well-being of factory workers. A Surgery was opened in 1941, since when a Matron and 11 trained nurses have attended to about 600 patients in each two shifts. Epidemics, accidents and [page break] general minor ailments were treated, injections proved quite efficacious in preventing colds, and vitamin tablets were available to those requiring them. By allowing girls, (and men) to spend an hour or so in the rest room when this was deemed necessary, many valuable hours of work were saved, as otherwise most of the workers would have been sent home. No girl was allowed, when ill or injured, to go home alone but was either taken home in an ambulance or given a companion. In 1942 an Accident Prevention Committee was formed in the factory. This organisation, by investigating accidents and avoidable illness, was able to suggest preventive measures which were undoubtedly partly responsible for the surprisingly low figures for “lost-time” accidents and occupational diseases. Since its formation, the committee’s records show that the monthly average rate of ‘lost time’ accidents was under .5 percent and most of these were merely minor injuries. A dentist visits the factory on three days each week, and an optician repairs spectacles and tests eyes free of charge. Protective clothing is supplied for certain specified jobs, and overalls and wooden clogs are available for the girls. A “Sick and Benevolent Fund” is administered by the firm. The Avro “Institute” caters for all sporting and social activities, and choirs and a light orchestra are run by the workers. Special leave of absence has been arranged when a woman’s husband or sweetheart has been on leave from the Services. During the war many notable personalities have visited the factory, outstanding being the visit of Their Majesties the King and Queen in 1942, when His Majesty autographed the first Lancaster to leave the production line. Sir Stafford and Lady [page break] Cripps came to the factory in 1944, when Sir Stafford was Minister of Aircraft Production. Most impressive of all visitors, however, were, it is thought, the operational flying crews who spoke, with too much personal modesty, but with enthusiasm for the wonderful records of the factory’s aircraft. They, more than anyone, provided the urge which enabled the workers to fulfil contracts in the specified time, and to provide the aircraft which were then so sorely needed. [underlined] SUMMARY OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION JUNE 1941 TO V-J DAY 1945 [/underlined] [heading] YEAR – TORNADO – ANSON – LANCASTER – LINCOLN – TOTAL [/heading] 1941 – 5 (including 4 completed but not flown) – 96 – [blank] – [blank] – 101 1942 – [blank] 1217 – 24 – [blank] – 1241 1943 – [blank] – 1459 – 103 – [blank] – 1562 1944 – [blank] – 917 – 354 – [blank] – 1271 1945 – [blank] – 192 – 207 – 2 – 401 Total – 5 – 3881 – 688 – 2 – 4576 [underlined] AIRCRAFT COMPLETED V-J DAY 1945 TO DECEMBER 1945 [/underlined] Anson – 76 Lancaster – 12 Lincoln – 2 York – [underlined] 27 [/underlined] Total – [underlined] 117 [/underlined] [page break] [underlined] Distribution [/underlined] British Aerospace (Manchester Division) Greengate Middleton Manchester Imperial War Museum Lambeth Road London, SE1 6HZ Ministry of Defence Air Historical Branch (RAF) Lacon House Theobalds Road London, WC1X 8RY Department of Aviation Records Royal Air Force Museum Hendon London, NW9 5LL Public Record Office Kew Richmond Surrey, TW9 4DU The Shuttleworth Collection The Aerodrome Old Warden Biggleswade Bedfordshire Air Britain (Historians) Ltd 12 Woodfield Close Redhill Surrey, RH1 2DL A J Jackson, Esq [Redacted] (“Avro Aircraft Since 1908”) M A Garbett, Esq [Redacted] Bruce Robertson, Esq [Redacted] (“Lancaster – The Story of a Famous Bomber”) T Sykes, Esq [Redacted] (Yeadon aerodrome historian) 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 A V Roe and Co Ltd, Leeds and Bradford aerodrome Yeadon, Yorkshire Description An account of the resource Official history of A V Roe factory at Yeadon. Describes building of factory finished in August 1940, the construction of factory, its dimensions and facilities. Continues with description of installations, machine tools and workers. Covers production of Anson (and spares), Lancaster (and spares), Lincoln and York. Mentions workers unions represented, labour billeting and transport, accident prevention, medical provision. Concludes with summary of aircraft production. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource G R Sutherland Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980-12 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Fifteen page printed document with cover Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MFellD[Ser#-DoB]-160601-39 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Yorkshire England--Yeadon Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 1939 1941 1940 1944 1942 1943 1945 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 Anson Lancaster Lincoln York https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25803/SBakerDA19210428v20008.1.jpg 140037c999494fe4363360cf38148248 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 Baker, Donald Arthur D A Baker 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 2018-11-13 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 Baker, DA Description An account of the resource 187 items. Donald Arthur Baker (b. 1921) travelled from Southern Rhodesia to England in 1940 to join the Royal Air Force. Trained as a pilot in 1941 he was operational with 144 Squadron at RAF North Luffenham flying Hampdens. He was shot down on 5 November 1941 and remained a prisoner of war mostly in Stalag Luft 3 until 1945. He return to farm in Southern Rhodesia after the war. The collection contains letters to his mother throughout the war as well as other correspondence and documents including his prisoner of war log with photographs and notes. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by June Baker Maree and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. Permission granted for commercial projects 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 Item separator card Description An account of the resource Green card 'August 1940, ship sailing to England/Bridgenorth [sic] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Handwritten card Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SBakerDA19210428v20008 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Shropshire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 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 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25538/SBakerDA19210428v20009-0001.2.jpg 7580bf7e7b41e805e6bec3c3a06233f8 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25538/SBakerDA19210428v20009-0002.2.jpg 01d6608741407a72b7e5bf02703bfd7b 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 Baker, Donald Arthur D A Baker 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 2018-11-13 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 Baker, DA Description An account of the resource 187 items. Donald Arthur Baker (b. 1921) travelled from Southern Rhodesia to England in 1940 to join the Royal Air Force. Trained as a pilot in 1941 he was operational with 144 Squadron at RAF North Luffenham flying Hampdens. He was shot down on 5 November 1941 and remained a prisoner of war mostly in Stalag Luft 3 until 1945. He return to farm in Southern Rhodesia after the war. The collection contains letters to his mother throughout the war as well as other correspondence and documents including his prisoner of war log with photographs and notes. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by June Baker Maree and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. Permission granted for commercial projects 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 A large group of men in front of a ship's funnel Description An account of the resource A large group of men sitting and standing on the deck of a ship with a large funnel in the background. On the reverse 'P/O Baker, T England, August 1940, No 2 draught ex-Rhodesia'. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SBakerDA19210428v20009 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 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Zimbabwe Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 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 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25518/SBakerDA19210428v20001-0001.jpg bfceeda30964d216ccdf3aec48cc0031 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25518/SBakerDA19210428v20001-0002.jpg f306fb84e29bc1e4905d1be0c630c445 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25518/SBakerDA19210428v20001-0003.jpg dcd7d0024e66108d15658728fb7f6993 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25518/SBakerDA19210428v20001-0004.jpg cb45864444b63f56abcdf1b5bf48ec60 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25518/SBakerDA19210428v20001-0005.jpg 7258d331d4e7afc5c9301f75f98d11b5 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1385/25518/SBakerDA19210428v20001-0006.jpg 69aa32c250c5560a6b53cb49da0b532f 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 Baker, Donald Arthur D A Baker 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 2018-11-13 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 Baker, DA Description An account of the resource 187 items. Donald Arthur Baker (b. 1921) travelled from Southern Rhodesia to England in 1940 to join the Royal Air Force. Trained as a pilot in 1941 he was operational with 144 Squadron at RAF North Luffenham flying Hampdens. He was shot down on 5 November 1941 and remained a prisoner of war mostly in Stalag Luft 3 until 1945. He return to farm in Southern Rhodesia after the war. The collection contains letters to his mother throughout the war as well as other correspondence and documents including his prisoner of war log with photographs and notes. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by June Baker Maree and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. Permission granted for commercial projects Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document A DIARY OF DAD’S WAR TIME STORY TAKEN FROM LETTERS WHICH HE WROTE TO HIS MOTHER IN RHODESIA. The letters were always addressed “My Dearest Mother” and signed off “Your loving son, Donald” We don’t really know why the letters were not addressed to both his father and mother. The letters were written on a fairly regular basis, every one or two weeks, and in addition to that he “wired” home regularly as the letters took between 6 weeks and two months to reach home. Once Dad was in the POW camp the news was mundane and occasionally censored. My impressions from the letters were his strong mindedness to become a pilot, get his wings and be a part of the real action in the war. He never mentioned what happened on the night of the 5th November when his plane was shot down, and anything about his rescue, capture and interrogation. Once the war was over he very seldom spoke about this time in his life, but I want to fill in the gaps, and piece together information to complete the story. JUNE 1940 The first letter written to his mother was on the 8th June 1940 using Rhodesian Railway’s letterhead, from the Chief Accountant’s Office in Bulawayo. Dad was then just 19 years old. Obviously there had been talk of the war but not much serious thought given to it as he mainly wrote about his sport which at the time was “rugger” second league, and due to an ankle injury he had to give it a rest for 3 weeks. Dad’s social life was also the topic of conversation, having been to a cabaret, the first he’d been to for a long time and he enjoyed it as his partner was a bit of allright. [sic] Being a member of the Bulawayo Young Peoples club also provided some form of social life. And then his place of abode also cropped up “Shifted into the Sussex Hotel at the end of the last month. It is allright [sic] so far, but will soon tire of it I expect. My roommate has a wireless so we are quite comfortable. The room wasn’t exactly built last year” And then, as if an afterthought after he’d closed off, he told his mother that he had received his Certificate of Registration. The next letter was undated, and starts off by apologising to his mother who was obviously worried about him, the reason being that Dad had forgotten to post the previous letter. Tobacco was fetching good prices that year in Rhodesia. Talk of the war is now an important topic in the letter and the beginnings of his political interests starting to bud. “Yes things definitely seem to have taken a bad turn for us overseas. However, I reckon it will serve to make the British nation wake up as we seem to have felt before that we couldn’t help winning just because we are in the right. However I guess the Germans will have to put all they’ve got and a bit more if they reckon on conquering Britain in a month or two. Fancy France capitulating under the terms imposed by Hitler. However, I suppose they would only have been wiped out completely. I have been caught for part-time training. I only wish they would call me for the air force as I can’t imagine that I am helping by paying the occasional pensioner. A woman could do the job [underlined] nearly [/underlined] as well.” Douglas Legg, who had joined the RAF, was probably an influence in Dad’s life as he paid Dad a visit and said he was having the time of his life in Salisbury. Work at the office was getting busy; the war increased the amount of work he had to do. But still there other things he needed to tell his mother. This girl he used to write to in Nyasaland had written saying she was passing through on her way to the falls with her parents. “Well, they came last Thursday and stayed at the Grand. Apparently the girl became “society” after she left Umtali. She is only 17 but anyone would think she was 27 what with earrings, lipstick and rouge. The “old man”, a hang of a pompous guy of course had to have some drinks. In my best tone I said a shandy, but you can imagine my surprise when this kid says “gin & mixed”. I just pole-vaulted out of the door and was sick the next day. I was just out of my element.” Lastly, it did not look like he would make it home for the Rhodes & Founders weekend because of the training scheme that had been implemented and public holidays were part of the deal. [page break] The letter that followed was written in pencil, undated, still using the RR letterhead. Granny had been down to visit Phyllis in Chipinga. The weekend following was R & F and it was just an impossibility to get home for that. One chap had seen the magistrate, adjutant and Colonel to get off but they weren’t having it. The General Manager had written and said Dad was being called up on the first July or soon afterwards. Dad had written to the RAF to request that he is drafted with recruits going overseas and he needed to train his replacement at work. “I am teaching a new woman to do my job so am pretty busy. It’s a hang of a job because she is new to the work and every little thing has to be explained an [sic] I am not by any means an eloquent orator” Jack had written to Dad and also wanted his company for the R & F weekend but that was not going to happen. Letter no. 4 dated the 13th July, marked the commencement of his military career. Written on plain paper, in pencil, the envelope marked “On Active Service” and posted from the No. 2 training Centre, Bulawayo meant that he was “doing his stuff”. His call up number was No. 778186. He had to report on Friday 12th July to the RAF and he was preparing to be sent either to England or Canada for training. “There is a big crowd of us in camp. I am n [sic] the second draft and we leave not long after the first, which is said to be leaving next Wednesday. We are said to be following them about 1 week afterwards but of course this is not in the least official but everyone says the same so I guess there must be something in it.” Dad was so hoping to go home for a visit first, he needed to bring his kit home and sort out one or two things like his insurance policy and money matters. He was bored in the camp as they did very little, only about 2 hrs drill a day and the rest of the day they just loafed. Issy and Horace were both in the camp with him. Granny had sent him £1 and about which he had to say the following “It will be more useful than ever now, as it is bitterly cold here especially sleeping on the ground. However it’s for a good cause and the fellows are pretty happy.” (I think Harold Wilson needed to be reminded of that when he betrayed the very men who fought so gallantly for England in the War.) Dad was so glad it was the RAF and thought it would be No 1 if he could have been sent to Canada as he never knew when he would see that country otherwise. This was the last letter written from home soil, before sailing by ship approximately the 28th July 1940. There are no details about which port he sailed from or his voyage over, except that he had posted a letter from Cape Verde to granny, but that is not with the collection of letters that I have. I would like to find out some more information on the journey to the port and whether or not he saw his family before leaving. JOURNEY TO ENGLAND BY SHIP AS A RECRUIT FOR THE RAF The address on the next letter dated 26th August 1940, reads as follows: DA Baker, RAF no. 778186, Rhodesian Air Contingent, C/o The High Commissioner for S. Rhodesia, Rhodesia House, 429 Strand, London WC2. Dad was stationed at Bridgenorth, Sulop, [sic] Shropshire. He had probably been off ill as he started the letter saying he was feeling fit again though he had not really got his voice back. (Probably picked up flu whilst travelling on the crowded ship.) “I haven’t started on any Air Force work yet. We are just doing marching and a spot of musketry now and again. We were all injected against Typhoid and Tetanus or something like that last Saturday. However apart from a fairly stiff arm it did not affect me at all. We were given 48 hours Light Duty after it so had quite a loaf. We all had to go for a shoot today. The distance was 25 yards and we were given 25 shots to blaze into the target. The chaps here reckoned the Rhodesians could shoot well enough so they did not take our scores. Consequently the fellows were shooting the props and knocking the targets down.” Dad had been to Wolverhampton but found things expensive, rationing made some things difficult to find. Cigarettes (decent ones) were 1/6 for 20 but Dad obviously had a good stock of them as he had bought 500 on the boat for 12/6. The beer in England was not to their liking. “People here are very hospitable to Colonials and make us very much at home. The fellows in camp are not so keen on us as they reckon we are rather a “tough” and ungentlemanly crew. Of course [page break] there is a general feeling of sort of superiority having come 7000 miles and all that sort of thing. We are all looking forward to getting to our squadrons as this camp is getting on our nerves because actually it is only a camp to instil discipline and all we seem to do is march, spit and polish and clean up our knives and forks and plates, but we are getting used to the last part as we had that on the boat” … “Must get my wings on my chest or some badge as I really couldn’t just stay down on the ground and polish plugs … We were all very proud of the uniforms the first day, but there are so many men in kit that it has worn off.” The planes flying overhead at night and air raid sirens seemed to keep everyone awake at night. Dad started to make contact with relatives, Uncle Jim and the rest of them up there in Scotland and was planning on a visit. Family news cropped up in the letter as Harry and Betty were married and his best wishes were bestowed on them. The next letter was not dated, but presumably written a week or so after the last approximately the 1st September 1940. Written on blue writing paper with ink pen. Dad still had not received any of his mother’s letters since leaving Rhodesia. He had received mail from Aunt Ella and Aunt Bess (Somerset). “They seem to think I am one big hero coming all this way to join the Air Force and all that sort of stuff. We are supposed to be leaving this camp anytime from now to go to a training school. We hear the Germans every night, supposed to be raiding the Midlands towns and they all seem to pass pretty near here. Am getting quite used to being “droned” to sleep” “Had a bit of fun in a bus the other day. A pal and I were speaking Afrikaans and we heard everyone saying we must be Polish. You can imagine their surprise when we spoke to the conductor in perfectly good English. When they heard we were Rhodesian, they didn’t half make a fuss of us. Everyone here seems to think that colonials are just the cats pyjamas, in particular the girls.” Still no news from the relatives up north, but expecting to hear from them soon. We are supposed to be leaving this camp anytime from now to go to a training school. A lot of Rhodesian have already left for their respective centres and am also keen to start on something new as we do nothing but drill here from morn till night. We hear the Germans every night, supposed to be raiding the Midlands towns and they all seem to pass pretty near here. Am getting quite used to being “droned” to sleep” Air Raid sirens still an annoyance, but also such a dismal sound. The All Clear sounded a lot better. They knew when German planes flew overhead because they had did not have [sic] a steady roar “but comes in intervals”. Bombs had been dropped fairly close by at 3 am one morning and some people were killed. For entertainment the lads when [sic] into Wolverhampton to watch a “bio” and a bus ride but because of they had to be in at 9.30 and the bus ride was an hour to get back, their night life was severely curtailed. On the 9th September Dad wrote that he was pleased to have had some mail from home at long last. He had begun to think that there was no more British merchant Navy, the letter took so long! Dad was thrilled to have been accepted as a pilot but was waiting in anticipation for the Medical Test, which was to follow in two days time. “I sincerely hope I pass (Medical) as I am looking forward immensely to get a crack at these bally Nazis that we hear every night. It is most annoying to lie in bed and just listen to them and not be able to do anything about it. However will just have to put up with that for another five months and then maybe I’ll get a chance to do something as a pilots course takes at least that long … The Empire relies on me to turn the tide” It was obvious from his letters by now that Dad wanted to be part of the action and did not enjoy doing things like foot drill on the square every day. Only the aircrews were left in the camp, all the Rhodesians having been drafted to various stations. The weather was now beginning to get pretty cold; winter was just around the corner. The next letter was written on the 16th September 1940 on blue stationary, still stationed at Bridgnorth. He was very pleased to tell his mother that he passed his Medical for a pilot and was now waiting to be posted for training. Good news – 175 Germans down yesterday. The weather had changed since his last [page break] letter, drizzle and cold. On a social visit to Wolverhampton the sirens went off at 8. pm but the dance they were at continued, despite the raid. “We left at about 10 pm and so tried to get lodgings and we walked that town till 2 am without success. In desperation we went to an air raid shelter and managed to get an hours sleep till 6 o’clock. We then found an hotel that we knew about but couldn’t find it in the “black out” and lost ourselves in the effort. However we took a bed at 6 am and breakfast at 2 pm. What a night as it was cold and raining and nobody seems to be able to direct one to anywhere decent. Saw a 6 weeks old Chronicle today. Big headlines about Rhodesian Air Contingent arriving in Britain. Must have caused quite a consternation when we left at the dead of night. Yes, I heard you shout” (I wonder if that meant granny was at the station to see them off?) On Thursday the 26th September 1940, using the official Air Force letterhead but still using the Rhodesia House address in London Dad wrote “I suppose by now Harry will be back from his honeymoon” Dad had managed to get to Somerset to see his relatives. He went by train, changing at Birmingham and a few other places before arriving at Castle Cary. He surprised everyone by arriving unannounced. He wrote about Aunt Bess, Uncle Jack, Dan, Bruce, Bert Baker, visiting Wyke house, people in Millbourne Port. “I had a jolly fine weekend and really enjoyed it.” The weather was getting increasingly colder in Bridgnorth. (That was quite a journey there and back considering Dad had to change trains quite often, catch a bus and walk a fair distance without having any directions from the relatives, and being new to England.) On Friday 9th October 1940 Dad wrote from his new base, in Paignton near Torquay. “It is very lovely down here, as the scenery is so wonderful. Most of the air Force here is billeted in Hotels as it used to be a very popular seaside resort in peacetime. There are four of us in my room (all Rhodesians) and it is not too bad as we have plenty of fresh air with a big window overlooking the sea.” However the next day they were leaving for a 3 week Maths course at another camp nearby. Thereafter there would be a 5 weeks Navigation Course, 8 weeks at Elementary Flying School, 8 weeks at Advanced Training School, altogether six months of hard work before seeing any action. If Dad failed any of the exams then his future career as a pilot would come to an end, leaving them with the option of gunner or observer, so naturally Dad was very keen to pass. “The atmosphere at a Pilots Training School is much different to the last place I was at as generally speaking the fellows are pretty “high class” and the Officers and M.C.O’s [sic] are the very best they can find, and cadets are treated more or less like gentlemen again.” [underlined] November 19th 1940. [/underlined] With the postal service taking some 6 weeks to 2 months to reach Rhodesia, Dad wrote to wish every one a happy and prosperous New Year at home. He was anticipating spending Christmas with one of the relatives. “Am just continuing on the same old course which should be finished at the end of this week as we have started on the various exams. We were issued with flying kit the other day and believe me it is really lovely stuff and warm as anything.” Being mid-winter and Dad did not tend to go out much, apart from a dance which was rather overcrowded so he went home early. Also the black out didn’t make it easy to get around after dark. With exams coming up Dad chose to a spot of swotting instead. [sic] Letter dated 15th December 1940 on official RAF letterhead, pale blue with envelope to match and 6 ha’penny stamps arrived in Inyazura on the 18th February 1941. (By then the news was so out of date it must have been frustrating for the family keeping up with Dad’s news.) Dad was saddened by the news of Harry Roberts. “I am very sorry indeed to hear such sad news and it is terribly hard luck on Phyllis. However as you say Phyllis has courage and I’m sure she’ll bear up and get over it but nevertheless it must have been an awful shock to her.” In the meantime Dad had some leave and visited relatives in Scotland for the first time. He stayed with the Tullochs, relatives on his mother’s side, went to see Uncle Jim’s school where he more or less took the salute. Babs Tulloch, his cousin was studying at medical school so he did not see much of her, but [page break] they managed to Jack Buchanan at the Kings Theatre. [sic] His Uncle Jim Dunn gave him a lecture of about two hours on religion which he was in the habit of doing but Dad “took his dose like a lamb as he didn’t think he was in a position to argue about such things”. He also visited an Auntie Isobel who was busy in the shop. Then he also met with Bella Stephenson, and Aunt Nellie, Bella Strachan and her husband. Dad had not forgotten his sister and sent her a telegram of condolences from Glasgow. The trip up to Glasgow was not that easy, the train service was not good because of the air raids and it took from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon at 4.30 to arrive. He was exhausted as he had not slept much on the train on the Friday night and then stopped over at a B&B in Carlisle that cost him 6d. The journey back was equally as long and tedious and caused him to be one day late so he was in a spot of trouble. In the meantime the training in Paignton was progressing, all necessary exams passed and just waiting to be posted to an EFTS. and Dad had been promoted to Leading Aircraftsman. The pay went up from 2/- to 5/6 per day. The rest of the letter concerned money matters and his insurance policy and an offer of money for Phyllis. It was a very newsy letter, extra long to make up for the week he lost. Letter dated the 29th December 1940 described his Christmas in Paignton where there was a lot doing and which he enjoyed. There was a dance in Torquay, which they left late and had to get a taxi home. A very benevolent family had three of them for Christmas midday dinner, which seemed strange to him. He and his roommate visited this family a number of times as they enjoyed the warmth and peaceful atmosphere away from the barracks. Over the Christmas period he went to a couple of dances which he enjoyed thoroughly. (I think his time in Paignton was the happiest for him.) 1941 5th January 1941. Saw snow for the first time, some six inches of snow on the hills and around and bitterly cold weather. On a route march into the hills the fellows participated in some snow fights which resulted in some facial injuries because the snow was frozen. All the ponds were frozen up and walking quite dangerous, worst of all is doing PT outside in a vest and shorts “which nearly kills us” Still in Paignton in seems, [sic] expecting to leave for E.F.T.S. soon near Hull once the weather clears up a little. New Years eve was a big success, went to a local dance. Otherwise not much news, just a mention of some friends of Dad’s from Rhodesia and what they doing [sic] in the Air Force. On 14th January, Dad wrote that he had been posted to 4 E.F.TS. flying school in Brough, fairly near Hull. Kept very busy, lots of lectures and then studying. Lectures all morning and then flying the in the afternoon, [sic] weather permitting. The students had to average well over 60% on all subjects in order to pass “Up to now have done 2 and a half hours which is all dual, just learning the various manoevers [sic] etc. but the instructor is always there to check up and show you how it should be done. It is just fine flying around. We have a very nice lounge and separate writing room nicely furnished. We have tablecloths again, cups and saucers instead of mugs and last but not least by a long way … we have butter, jam and sugar on the table. There is also a mess where we can get beer and soft drinks so generally speaking we are living like gentlemen. We sleep out every second night in an old Sunday school building so that in the event of a lot of air raids we can get a decent nights sleep, but nothing has happened so far”. Usual address “Some where in England” 24th January 1941. Due to good old English weather no flying for nearly a week. Dad had to placate Granny, she was worried and not heard from Dad for so long. The reason being that mail from the UK 2nd – 22nd November had gone missing, which is hardly surprising consider [sic] there was a war going on. “We are trying to learn all sorts of things to become pilots and it seems to me as if being able to fly a plane is about the least important thing. This navigation is still a bit of a myth to me as there are such an awful lot of things to do and work out before starting on a flight. It is such a common thing to hear about a bomber going to the other end of Germany and back that it seems childs [sic] play, but I’m thinking they are pretty smart.” Doesn’t that sound just like Dad! [page break] Very welcome post received from his mother, and a letter from Harry which took Dad about an hour to decipher! The sea voyage did not have a good effect on the chocolate so Dad asked his mother not to send anymore, cigarettes yes! Sunday 2nd February 1941. The usual discussion about letters received and sent, the miserable weather and lack of flying. Examinations passed but more to come, lectures from 8.30 – 5.30. Sunday’s in England not much happening and “must be just about the sleepiest thing imaginable”. 12th February 1941. Not much to report other than a bit of flying and about ready to go solo, weather permitting. So far Dad had done 8 hrs flying, but needed to get in 42 hours flying before moved to next base for more advanced training. Some correspondence exchanged between Dad and Babs Tulloch, who had sent Dad a pair of woollen knitted gloves. Socially not much happening, the closest place is Hull but the bus costs a bit too much. However they did get to see a bio: Erol Flynn “The Sea Hawk” and then went to an enjoyable dance in the evening. 18th February 1941 Dad keeping fit, received a couple of newspapers dated 27th December and 3rd January, so a bit out of date by then. Douglas Leggo getting married. No letters from his mother in five weeks which was cause for concern and also had no news about Buster. Still busy with exams, very little flying because of the weather, so not much news. 24th February 1941 Two letters had arrived, and about 4 newspapers so news from home was very welcome. Busters kids had whooping cough at the festive season. Final exams finished, just waiting for results. Lots of flying when the weather is good, and recently had some sunshine. Not much news, pretty much the same thing done every day. 10th March 1941 Still at Brough and ground instruction now completed. Up until then Dad had only flown 25 hours in 8 weeks. Letters received from Mrs. Bartons niece, Babs Tulloch but still so few letters coming through from Inyazura. Dad wanted snaps of Charlton, Harry;s [sic] honeymoon. And then a big money mix-up: “Do you remember that time I was hard up and cabled home for money. Well you cabled £11.10.0 but the post office at Paignton made a mistake and sent me only 10/- which at the time seemed rather strange, but I couldn’t do anything about it. However they discovered it about 2 months later (that was honest of them) and have duly paid over the remaining £11 with much apology.” (This letter took a whole two months to get to IY) Posted from Cary Hill House, Castle Cary, Bath Sunday 30th March On 10 days leave, so visited relatives. “Arrived here last night and meant to make it an unheralded visit but I had a telegram waiting for me when I arrived to say that leave had been extended from 2nd April to 9th April. When my leave is over I have to report to my new station, which is about 40 miles north of London. I believe it si [sic] quite a nice place so I hope I shall enjoy it there. Actually I was quite sorry to leave Brough as we had grand crowd of fellows there and we had a good time” The letters written in April must have gone astray, 11th May 1941 was the date of the next letter. First solo cross country was [deleted] from here [/deleted] [inserted] across [/inserted] to Worcester then north of Shresbury, [sic] passed right over the old camp at Bridgnorth. The next cross country was a bit of an adventure, having got lost near Salisbury, and after flying around in circles for about an hour they had to make an emergency landing to refuel. Started night flying on the 10th May, only started at 3 am because of an air raid. There had been a tragedy the previous week when the instructor and another pupil cam [sic] into land with its navigation lights on. the Germans spotted it and shot at it. They had to crash land and the pilot and instructor were wounded 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 Donald Baker's war time story (taken from letters which he wrote to his mother in Rhodesia) Description An account of the resource Starts in June 1940 based on letters written to his mother. Describes life in Rhodesia, before being called up and travelling to England. He discusses war, as well as work and social life and initial training in Rhodesia. He goes on to describe a little of his journey by ship and the life in England, including bombing. He mentions RAF basic training camps in August 1940, as well as the medical for pilot and starting training (maths and navigation courses). He describes spending Christmas in Scotland, whilst on leave. In January 1941 he is sent for elementary flying training which is completed about March 1941. Account finishes in May 1941 and mentions getting lost and emergency landing. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Six 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 SBakerDA19210428v20001 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Royal Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Zimbabwe Zimbabwe--Harare Zimbabwe--Bulawayo Great Britain England--London England--Shropshire England--Bridgnorth England--Staffordshire England--Wolverhampton England--Devon England--Paignton England--Yorkshire England--Hull England--Somerset England--Castle Cary Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-06 1940-07 1940-08 1940-09 1940-10 1940-11 1940-12 1941-01 1941-02 1941-03 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 RAF Bridgnorth RAF Paignton training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15917/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0001.2.jpg 3dff2899ebc462e1be41922c9a29b609 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15917/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0002.2.jpg 3916093123e59a69db8437d7ae738eed https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15917/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0003.2.jpg f28a48595b70298c04dbc49962119102 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15917/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0004.2.jpg 330b3cd0a765b9fe3e99fa0b2dbaeb2f 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 Redgrave, Henry Cecil H C Redgrave Description An account of the resource 187 items. The collection concerns Henry Cecil Redgrave (743047, Royal Air Force) and contains his decorations, letters and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 207 Squadron from RAF Waddington. He was killed 13/14 March 1941.  The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Pam Isaac and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Henry Cecil Redgrave is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/119457/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. 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 2015-10-02 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 Redgrave, HC Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [postmark] Mrs H C. Redgrave “Emorf” Alice Road Dorchester Dorset. [page break] [expenses and time calculations] [page break] Sgts Mess R.A.F. Station Upwood Tues. 20-8-40 Dear Jessie, I am writing this from your new digs at the address in my last letter which contained your travel warrant. They are not so good as Emorf but have the advantage of being on the bus route to Upwood. If you cant [sic] manage here you will be able to fix up somewhere else once you are in Peterboro’. You can start as soon as you like and I hope to see you on Thursday evening. If you send a wire on Mrs Garton will meet you at the station but in any case you wont [sic] find it hard to find the place as plenty of buses pass the door. I have sent your case on and hope it will reach you in time [deleted] but if not [/deleted] You [page break] can go to the station for it and get it a bit earlier. Should it not arrive you will have to arrange for Ethel to send it on with your things. I think that is all except I am longing to see you and Pamela again and hope it will be Thursday evening. Your loving husband Harry xxxxx 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 To Jessie from Harry Redgrave Description An account of the resource A letter and envelope from Harry Redgrave to his wife. Harry has arranged digs for her and advises on her travel arrangements. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Redgrave Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-20 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two handwritten sheets and an envelope Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0001, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0002, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0003, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400820-0004 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 Civilian 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. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Cambridgeshire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 aircrew RAF Upwood https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15915/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0001.2.jpg ade45356e1923f6715590277a930590d https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15915/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0002.2.jpg 33e31d42be2b2eabf0f34b18a4b82224 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15915/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0003.2.jpg f65c5910b342b157fe8e5491a6f55bba https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15915/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0004.2.jpg 04af0d7214c4d6a6f45c76a900b7c54d 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 Redgrave, Henry Cecil H C Redgrave Description An account of the resource 187 items. The collection concerns Henry Cecil Redgrave (743047, Royal Air Force) and contains his decorations, letters and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 207 Squadron from RAF Waddington. He was killed 13/14 March 1941.  The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Pam Isaac and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Henry Cecil Redgrave is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/119457/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. 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 2015-10-02 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 Redgrave, HC Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document Sgts Mess R.A.F. Station Upwood Wed. 14-8-40 [inserted] lock of hair [/inserted] My Darling Jessie, I have just got back from my two days off and would like you to know I have enjoyed every minute of it. Withal it was nice I longed every minute of it to have you with me but it just couldn’t be. When I wrote you Monday I thought I may be able to get down to Dorchester but when I got to Kings X [sic] it was too late for a train down to you so I went to Mums and got there about quarter to ten. You can imagine Mums face when she saw me. The first time since Easter you know. Well the evening passed off very happily and Tuesday morning I went to Southend and fixed up for my tyre which I got later that day. While I was going down High St. I met Vera and we had some lunch at Garons and in the afternoon went to the Gaumont and saw Rebecca. If you have not seen this film you must at the first chance as its [sic] a grand show and the best film of the year I should say. I collected the Sunbeam about six and Vera took me to her bungalow for some tea and after that I went round to Redwood. It looked very trim and your Mother is doing some good work in keeping the garden tidy. My Mum keeps the inside swept up and everything looked safe and sound. She has put some moth balls in your wardrobe and some in the bedding so they shouldnt [sic] come to any harm. From the bungalow [page break] I drove down to your Mums [sic] and I thought she looked better than I have seen her for years. I then visited Leslie and the outcome of it was that I stayed the night there and they gave me breakfast before I left this morning. They seem much happier than they did and Marian was quite her old smart self and the house was all nice and clean. Leslie and I stayed up until two this morning talking away and he appears to have changed his mind about being C.O. and is registered and awaiting his call up. It was very much like old times he and I sitting up into the small [deleted] or [/deleted] hours talking and discussing anything that cropped up. Marian brought me tea in bed and I then got up had breakfast and left about half past nine for Tilbury again where I spent the rest of the day with Mum and the girls. Pat is looking wonderfully well and is a dear little creature just as good as ever. Mum and Joyce are well and Kelly seems to be getting over her trouble. They all send their love to you. At five I started my eighty mile drive back to the camp and got on so well that I stopped in Cambridge for an hour. The whole of the run to there and Cambridge itself was steeped in memories of the jolly runs we had before we were married and I relived them as I crackled along the roads. I reached camp about nine and went for your letters and some supper and found the two Standards as well. I enjoyed your letter and was greatly relieved to find that the Portland raids had not troubled you too much. If you find things getting hot you must leave but it seems foolish for you to settle down up here when I shall be moving again in less than four weeks so if you can manage for [page break] another month I shall then be definitly [sic] stationed with a squadron and you will be saved the trouble and expense of moving twice. I am enclosing ten shillings which with your extra will amount to seventeen. I know I have cut you short this last two weeks but what with the travelling about to new stations and our night in London and this last two days I am very short. You wouldnt [sic] know Southend its almost empty and the Maricot and the Metropole are closed and nearly all the Westcliff shops and Woolworths was quieter on Monday than I have ever known it before. I cant [sic] think of any more to tell you except I am longing for when you are living near me again and hope you keep your chin up in the air raids that are going on everywhere now. All my love darling and I am saving heaps of kisses for you till you see your fond husband Harry xxxxx P.S. Save Shabby Tiger [?] for me and I am sorry I cant [sic] lend you “Cage” me & [deleted] Peako [/deleted] peacock” 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 To Jessie from Harry Redgrave Description An account of the resource Letter from Harry Redgrave to his wife Jessie. Harry writes about his trip to Dorchester and Southend, seeing various family members and checking up on their bungalow, coming back on his motorcycle. Also mentions moving to a new station and hoping to see his wife soon. Included is a lock of hair. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Redgrave Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-14 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three handwritten sheets and a lock of hair Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Physical object Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0001, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0002, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0003, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400814-0004 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 Civilian 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. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Dorset England--Dorchester (Dorset) England--Essex England--Southend-on-Sea Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 aircrew entertainment RAF Upwood training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15914/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0001.2.jpg a09dc35cd3caa6edcf90c82a9a6dfa06 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15914/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0002.2.jpg ffc2235a744bd4a867ff985a3072c17d https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15914/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0003.2.jpg cfb1cf6e95ae366546a65c79af29ae3b https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15914/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0004.2.jpg ade44e6161be2b321b360c1395d196c9 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 Redgrave, Henry Cecil H C Redgrave Description An account of the resource 187 items. The collection concerns Henry Cecil Redgrave (743047, Royal Air Force) and contains his decorations, letters and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 207 Squadron from RAF Waddington. He was killed 13/14 March 1941.  The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Pam Isaac and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Henry Cecil Redgrave is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/119457/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. 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 2015-10-02 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 Redgrave, HC Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [postmark] Mrs. H.C. Redgrave, “Emorf”, Alice Road, Dorchester. Dorset [page break] Sergeants Mess R.A.F. Station Upwood Hunts Thurs 8.8.40 Dear Jessie, Theres [sic] quite a change in the weather down this way dear and it has turned rather chilly. I hope it is keeping nice for you in Dorset and that you are getting your rest at nights and that Horace will enjoy his holiday. Yesterday I was relieved to find that I was not on the flying programme and looked forward to an easy day but sure enough there was a catch in it and at four o’clock I was told to report to the Adjutants Office. There I was told I was detailed as N.C.O. in charge of the beacon party and had to spend from eight until nearly one in the morning beside the mobile beacon which is placed each night at a given bearing and distance from the aerodrome. Apart from being responsible for the men on the job I had to do the signalling to aircraft who after giving the code letters to identify themselves required the direction and name of the aerodrome. The job was a bit of a bind but is one of the duties of sergeants and so I must not grumble. I had an interesting experience this morning when I was member of a crew doing ZZ landings. This ZZ business is a method of landing when visibility is almost nil by the aid of wireless control. I cant [sic] tell you any more [page break] about it as, like so much we are learning, it is terribly hush-hush. When the war is all over I shall have lots to tell you dear to pass away winter evenings round the fire or when sitting by a river side in the summer sun. Those things just dont [sic] seem possible now do they darling. Poor O’Brien seems to be in trouble with his navigation these days having twice landed up in a balloon barrage. Thats [sic] all right as long as he misses them but the safest thing is to be well away from them and not to allow yourself to get off your track. I have just finished reading “Wild Oats” and have [inserted] had [/inserted] lent to me a book entitled “Cage me a Peacock” which as well as being very funny is delightfully shocking. The first chapter describes the finding of a young slave in a pond bathing by a youthful shepherd. The young man though rather shy is led on by the girl and the story goes on to vividly describe his feelings during his first experience of loves delight. It almost stirred my latent passions I can tell you and made me wish you were beside me as I lay reading. The sooner I finish this book the better as that sort of thing is no good for man [sic] away from his love. Have you heard anything about my lighter as the only thing I can think is that I left it on Jessies [sic] sideboard. Cousin Jessie I mean. I remember offering her a cigarette and lighting one myself just as we left and did not have another until we got to Teddington Station. I think Bill wants his byke [sic] sent on so I will run [page break] across to his house now and see what you are to do. I have seen Bill and here is the address to send it to. 755442 Sgt Smith s.c, R.A.F. Station, Upwood. Mark the label “To Be Called for at Ramsey Station L.N.E.R.” “Handle with care please” Send it by Goods Train Carriage Forward Owners Risk. You may have to sign a few forms but I dont [sic] doubt that you will manage all right. Your suggestion of getting the rest of your allowance through by an allottment [sic]] is good but the difficulty is that the accounts office is only open for that sort of thing on Tuesday afternoons and I have not yet been able to get there. I will try next week and if not flying should be able to get away from lectures without difficulty. I must finish up now as I have my bed to make and I bet you would laugh to see me struggling with the sheets of a double bed and trying to remember all you taught me, whilst getting the blanket twisted up or something. Goodnight my love and tell Pam I am always thinking of her. Always your loving Harry xxxx 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 To Jessie from Harry Redgrave Description An account of the resource A letter and envelope from Harry Redgrave to Jessie. Harry writes about life at RAF Upwood including being put in charge of a beacon party, being in a crew doing ZZ landings and a colleague who keeps flying into a barrage balloon. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Redgrave Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-08 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three handwritten sheets and an envelope Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0001, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0002, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0003, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400808-0004 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 Civilian 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. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Cambridgeshire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 aircrew entertainment navigator RAF Upwood training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15913/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0001.2.jpg e9abbaa09faab53e6718fd8f358f40b9 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15913/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0002.2.jpg e4f59302871cb4bce68e0efa590a032d https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15913/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0003.2.jpg 435e8db50da69078ecede9cc0cb4324f 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 Redgrave, Henry Cecil H C Redgrave Description An account of the resource 187 items. The collection concerns Henry Cecil Redgrave (743047, Royal Air Force) and contains his decorations, letters and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 207 Squadron from RAF Waddington. He was killed 13/14 March 1941.  The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Pam Isaac and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Henry Cecil Redgrave is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/119457/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. 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 2015-10-02 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 Redgrave, HC Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [postmark] [postage stamp] Mrs. H.C Redgrave “Emorf” Alice Road Dorchester Dorset [page break] Sergeants Mess R.A.F. Station Upwood Hunts 6.8.40 My dear Jessie, After yesterdays [sic] three pages I dont [sic] suppose I shall find much to write this evening but as I may not have time tomorrow I am going to [inserted] do [/inserted] my best tonight. Today has been easy as the result of a fine wangle. I started by reporting in the crew room at half past eight this morning for three and a quarter hours Blenheim flying and as the weather was so misty we had to hang about. In any case our machines were dotted around the county in other aerodromes where they had force landed owing to the poor [deleted] visiball [/deleted] visibility so it was apparent that our trip was off at least until the planes returned. To pass the time we did a bit of abandon aircraft drill – incidently [sic] the observer gets out first - and then a phone call came through for a pilot and observer to go to Wytton [sic] to swing the compass of the Air Officer Commanding’s plane. Well my pilot and I wangled for the job and were taken by tender down to Wytton [sic] about ten miles away and got on with the swinging. All I had to do was supervise a lot of A.C.s who did all the work whilst I made out the Deviation Card and we had the job done by midday. That was much to [sic] early to return to Upwood so we made out a chit for the driver to get dinner in the airmans [sic] mess, and went over for lunch in the Sergeants Mess and had a sleep until two when [page break] set off [sic] back to our base. Not getting back until half past was late enough for me miss [sic] the first lecture period and I eventually started again at half three. Yet for all that I fell asleep whilst the Met Officer was rambling away about cumulus but can excuse myself by saying that I could have told him all he told us. Tomorrow I am down for flying at half past one and to start night flying at half past ten. Do you know I have done one hundred and fifty hours now and look like passing the two hundred mark before leaving. I have written to the Town Clerk and Mr Tickett to arrange for my motor byke [sic] to be sent up here. When your Mum gets the key will you ask her to look for my “Registration Book” which I hope you can tell [deleted] if [/deleted] her where to find and for my “Driving Licence” which I [underlined] think [/underlined] is in my wallet. It is essential that I have these and I would like you to ask her to have a really good look and send them on to my address which you must give her. Both are titled as I have written and the D.L. is bright red about [deleted] 3” x 2” [/deleted] 5” x 3” and R.B. a buff coloured folder about 9” x 3 ½”. When she has found these I would like her to take the key down to Ticketts for them to get the byke [sic] out. As you know I was hoping for a day to go and fetch it myself but I find that is impossible. Time I went to bed dear and so sweet dreams and a quiet night love. Always your loving Harry xxxx P.S. I wish I was with you to whisper in your ear “I love you darling” 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 To Jessie from Harry Redgrave Description An account of the resource A letter and envelope from Harry Redgrave to Jessie. Harry writes about life at RAF Upwood including his intensive training and a trip to RAF Wyton to swing the compass at the Air Officer Commanding’s plane. He also is trying to get his motorcycle brought up to Upwood and asks Jessie to find his driving licence. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Redgrave Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two handwritten sheets and an envelope Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0001, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0002, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0003 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 Civilian 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. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Cambridgeshire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 aircrew Blenheim observer RAF Upwood RAF Wyton training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15912/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0001.1.jpg 9fb8349d8fe989196c66bde6b138475d https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15912/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0002.1.jpg 4fa3fd971e7d44b4ecfa93072cf2febf https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15912/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0003.1.jpg aecae697514211b63c469d52f3209dc3 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15912/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0004.1.jpg a724225e9d05d90414680aded132ef1b 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 Redgrave, Henry Cecil H C Redgrave Description An account of the resource 187 items. The collection concerns Henry Cecil Redgrave (743047, Royal Air Force) and contains his decorations, letters and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 207 Squadron from RAF Waddington. He was killed 13/14 March 1941.  The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Pam Isaac and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Henry Cecil Redgrave is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/119457/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. 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 2015-10-02 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 Redgrave, HC Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [postmark] Mrs. H.C Redgrave “Emorf” Alice Road Dorchester Dorset [page break] Sergeants Mess R.A.F. Station Upwood Hunts Mon 5.8.40 My dear Jessie, I see you have got used to addressing my letters to Sergeants [sic] Mess now and I have got your last too O.K. After writing to you on Friday it dawned on me that perhaps from habit you had sent it to L.A.C. so I scouted around and was overjoyed to find one waiting for me. Its [sic] nice to hear everything is tikiti-boo [sic] in Dorchester and that you are quite happy. You seem to be getting plenty of alarms though I think that is general all over the country. As for moving up here I feel sure you would be happier in Dorchester as Ramsey is such a miserable little place and only has tiny little houses with no washing arrangements or baths and I know you would be lost to know what to do with yourself all day. There are only about half a dozen shops and one cinema that shows terribly old films. It would be almost like living at East Lulworth. Peterboro’ [sic] is not a bad town at all but is about sixteen miles away and the buses only run there Saturday and Sunday so if you lived there I could only see you one of the two days as I should be flying in the afternoon of [deleted] one of them [/deleted] the other. It shook me considerable to find we fly seven days a week and on Saturday I was up from [page break] five to eight in the evening and on Sunday morning was in the crew room just after eight and got down in time for dinner. Some of the squadron had to be over there by six. Just fancy six o’clock on a Sunday morning. You would think there was a war on wouldn’t you. I was fortunate because it gave me a [deleted] haf [/deleted] half day off and Taffy, thats [sic] a fellow who shares my room, and I [deleted] hich [/deleted] hitch hiked to Peterboro [sic] and got in there about seven. We had a pleasant stroll around and it was nice to see some people again. Did my eyes good to see all the young ladies in their summery dresses walking out for an evening stroll by the river side. And did your handsome sergeant observer make a hit. [sic] We couldn’t keep the admiring girls away and after taking our choice two nice young ladies showed us round the Cathedral Garden and you must see the Cathedral some time darling I think its [sic] better than Canterbury. They also showed us where the bombs dropped a little while ago which damaged the swimming pool and knocked part of the walls down nearby. Whilst talking about bombs dear these things Jerry is dropping around are pretty poor stuff and we hear incredible stories of small ones being dropped which dont [sic] even break windows and sometimes not even wake people up. So keep your chin up dear they aren’t so bad as you would think. These small ones dropped at random are only to put the wind up people and are not so serious. As I told you I am getting plenty of hours in and most of my trips take me down Oxford way and across to Cheltenham and Gloucester. I am finding navigation easier on these overland trips [page break] than the mixed mountains and sea flights at Prestwick. Having a wireless operator aboard is a help too as they can get you W.T. bearings when we are above cloud and it makes it much more interesting too. It appears that these evacuation officials have made a mess up but you carry on drawing it while you can. Norwich is about fifty miles away dear. Thanks for asking your Mum about the key and tell her to arrange for Tickett to collect [deleted] it [/deleted] [inserted] the Beam [/inserted] as soon as possible. I have written to him and he knows what wants doing to it. I think this immediate posting to C Squadron has finished my chance of 48 hours leave which the Pool are getting next week end. Just my luck isn’t darling. They say theres [sic] bags of leave at operational squadrons though, so it wont [sic] be long. I bet Pamela looks pretty with her hair cut; almost as pretty as her Mum. You looked fine when I saw you last. Just as young and pretty as ever and I am just longing to see you for at least a week very soon. Give my love to all at “Emorf” and heres [sic] kisses for you sweet xxx from Your loving husband Harry P.S. When you write to your Mum tell her I may pop down one day soon to [deleted] el [/deleted] fetch my byke [sic] and will call round to her for the key to “Redwood”. 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 To Jessie from Harry Redgrave Description An account of the resource A letter and envelope from Harry Redgrave to Jessie. Harry writes about life at RAF Upwood, including his intensive training, the lack of leave and a trip into Peterborough. He also discusses where Jessie could live and includes a description of the town of Ramsay. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Redgrave Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three handwritten sheets and an envelope Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0001, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0002, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0003, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400805-0004 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 Civilian 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. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Cambridgeshire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 aircrew entertainment navigator RAF Upwood training wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15911/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400802-0001.2.jpg a6617ac7e5374eeab4b0552f442e456b https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1230/15911/ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400802-0002.2.jpg 6975f8a9bf1c391b64eadf02db33fead 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 Redgrave, Henry Cecil H C Redgrave Description An account of the resource 187 items. The collection concerns Henry Cecil Redgrave (743047, Royal Air Force) and contains his decorations, letters and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 207 Squadron from RAF Waddington. He was killed 13/14 March 1941.  The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Pam Isaac and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on Henry Cecil Redgrave is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/119457/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. 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 2015-10-02 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 Redgrave, HC Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document Sgt. [Sergeant] Redgrave H.C. 743047 Sergeants Mess R.A.F. Station Upwood Hunts. 2.8.40 Dear Jessie Sorry I missed writing to you yesterday but as things have turned out I have been too busy. I dont [sic] know whether you have written yet but up to today Friday I have not received anything yet. I posted a letter to you on Monday evening and in case you did not get it and are waiting for an address use the one above. As I told you before we were to do a fortnight in the Pool before flying but on Tuesday all of us from Dumfries were placed in C Squadron and started flying Wednesday. Well we fly every day Saturday and Sunday included as well as lectures each day. The exercises last about three hours and this morning I had to get up at five to be over the other side of the drome [sic] by six. I got down about nine and have got the rest of the morning off and will start lectures after dinner. Last night I landed about half past eight in the evening so you can see we are kept well on the move. The flights are very interesting and for the first time I am using wireless as an aid to navigation. When you are above cloud for an hour at a stretch this is a great help and once I get used to [page break] it I shall be getting well ahead with this advanced navigation. Later on we do a lot of night flying and target locating and practice stick bombing. The course is much more interesting than anything I have yet done and is so much more practical. We must do an hour a week at least on the Link Trainer and [deleted] hrs [/deleted] eight hours on the A.M.L. The Link Trainer is a piloting arrangement whereby flying is reproduced on the ground and the idea is to enable us to learn piloting just as a side line. The A.M.L. is a bombing teacher but I did quite a bit of that at Warmwell. By the way this ten hours a week is out of our “spare” time. Its [sic] all good practice though and I am beginning to feel a real observer by now. Will you ask your Mum if, when you send her the key to the bungalow [deleted] I [/deleted] she would take it to Ticketts and get them to collect my byke [sic] as I have written to the Taxation Office and they will provide petrol coupons for me to bring it up here. Well thats [sic] all for now and I do hope there is something in the post for me. Lots of love darling and hoping to see you soon Your loving Husband Harry XXXX 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 To Jessie from Harry Redgrave Description An account of the resource A letter from Harry Redgrave in RAF Upwood to his wife Jessie. Harry writes that he is in C Squadron and has started flying seven days a week and attending lectures. He is now using wireless for navigation and using the Link Trainer and the Air Ministry Laboratory bombing teacher. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Redgrave Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-02 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two handwritten sheets Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400802-0001, ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400802-0002 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 Civilian 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. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Cambridgeshire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 aircrew bombing navigator RAF Upwood training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1232/15141/PGrundyAF15010004.2.jpg d53bcd8ad8674d61ceb0c15cfe7d5a6d 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 Photograph of Fifteen personnel and identity card for Section Officer J Donaldson Description An account of the resource Top - eight members of Women's Auxiliary Air Force and seven Royal Air Force officers in two rows. Seven sitting in front and eight standing behind. All are wearing tunics and peaked hats. Joyce Donaldson is third from the right back row. There is one padre in back row. In the background a wooden fence. Bottom - Identity Card for RAF and WAAF personnel (all ranks) made out to Section Officer Donaldson (Edwards crossed out) at Bentley Priory and Mildenhall. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-06-24 1940-08-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph and one printed document mounted on an album page Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Text Text. Service material Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PGrundyAF15010004 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 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--London England--Suffolk Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-06 1940-07 1940-08 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 ground personnel padre RAF Bentley Priory RAF Mildenhall Women’s Auxiliary Air Force https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/177/11639/PBattyPH1662.2.jpg 57eb33fa0477680bf8b538712fefd3f3 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/177/11639/PBattyPH1663.2.jpg 2dba38cf4e279b371095dfabc24b335b 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 Batty, Philip Phil Batty P Batty Description An account of the resource 19 Items. The collection consists of one oral history interview with Philip Batty (b. 1925). He discusses the death of his older brother Dennis early in the Second World War, his wartime service with 50 Squadron at RAF Sturgate as a wireless operator/ air gunner, and his long post war career. The collection also includes a number of group photographs of airmen after training, photographs of aircraft in southern Africa, his log book and propaganda material. 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 2016-10-14 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Batty, P 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 Philip Batty and an airmen Description An account of the resource One is a sergeant with half wing brevet and wireless operator flash on sleeve, the other is an airman. Captioned 'Horace and myself August 1940 Belfast'. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PBattyPH1661, PBattyPH1662 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 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Northern Ireland--Belfast Great Britain Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 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 aircrew wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010003.jpg d587a4157fff6a5db61bcf2bd1eefb49 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010004.jpg ce585e2f9415355999d7c79bf174f832 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010005.jpg cf24100e15c373feb19d7f01fbf6ec84 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010006.jpg fb702e4ea7bde0f4ccc5d0fe07e8fd44 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010007.jpg 75e416bd41308b85e93b32112414e11d https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010002.jpg 0a57545b6d0261fbe8f0613f6c428c98 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/886/10874/EHudsonJDHudson[Fam]400820-010001.jpg 72920ca5edc7de00e7dc148f4a716d74 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 Hudson, Douglas James Douglas Hudson J D Hudson Description An account of the resource 529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database. 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 2015-06-16 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. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Hudson, JD Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [postmark] [postage stamp] Mr. & Mrs. Hudson. 10. Moorside Road. Kersal. Salford. 7. Lancashire. [page break] 20th August 1940. Dear Mother & Dad, It is pouring with rain to-night, so Tony and I have decided not to go out. Instead we have done a certain amount of tidying up in preparation for the journey we are to make very soon. We don’t know just when we shall start, but the time is not very distant, and we are almost ready. It will not take us very long as you will realise. I cannot [inserted] help [/inserted] feeling a certain amount of honour has been paid when I think what a lot will possibly depend upon the result of all this. Twelve months ago when I started on our motor bike holiday I did not dream that this was possible. I hope I shall be able to let you know beforehand just when I shall be going. After that, I am afraid that news will [page break] be slow, and I ask you to be patient, but above all not to worry. I know only too well just how you feel, and I do realise that it is far worse for you at home – waiting and wondering. I am not afraid (you remember what I used to say about having to make a speech before a big gathering?) and my only great concern is my anxiety for you in this time of beastly uncertainty. I only wish you to understand that I am satisfied with my lot and do hope you will find strength in [inserted] knowing [/inserted] this. I shall take away with me a lot of pleasant memories and the knowledge that you have both meant a great deal to me and that you have always shown first consideration for my welfare. I cannot have more than that. That is something that nobody can take away. It is not the personal danger of this [page break] war which harms us so much as the things we have known and loved that have been taken [deleted] g [/deleted] away from us. There is plenty of excitement for me which helps to nullify all this, but for you it is different, and it is here that my heart goes out to you. May you at least be spared the horrors of the futile Nazi attempt at destruction. I say futile because it is so stupidly pointless and gainless. Above all dont [sic] worry about me. I can only keep saying that if I could chose [sic] again, my choice would be the same. I am all right, and whatever may happen, that which really counts, and will count when the war is over, cannot be destroyed. I shall be thinking about you always and will now say cheerio simply by wishing you the best of luck. Until we meet again, All my love, [underlined] Douglas. [/underlined] [page break] [Post Office crest] INLAND TELEGRAM [underlined] Emsworth. Hampshire [/underlined] [underlined] Monday [/underlined] Arrived this place this morning It is near Portsmouth, & quite a pleasant spot. To-night at midnight I am off. Think of me tomorrow at breakfast time. The first stage of my journey should then be complete All love, Douglas. P.T.O. [page break] Would you kindly send 25/- of this to [inserted] Sgt. [/inserted] [underlined] H. Bowers 4. Oak Rd Crumpsall. [/underlined] & say it is his share of the [indecipherable word] spoils. Just a wee note to tell him I have gone away & he will understand. The remainder, please put away for me. Thank you. [underlined] Douglas [/underlined] Please excuse hurry. I know you will understand. 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 Douglas Hudson letter to parents and telegram sent before departure abroad Description An account of the resource Letter to parents saying they are ready to depart but do not know where and when. Shows concern over uncertainty and writes of regard for parents and they should not worry about him. Telegram announces that he has arrived at Emsworth near Portsmouth and will be departing at midnight. Asks recipient to send 25 shillings to a colleague. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-20 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three page handwritten letter and envelope, two page handwritten telegram and handwritten note. Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EHudsonJDHudson(Fam)400820-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Royal Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Greater Manchester England--Salford (Greater Manchester) England--Emsworth England--Sussex England--Hampshire England--Lancashire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-08 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tricia Marshall David Bloomfield 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Douglas Hudson https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/86/812/NBeltonSLS151120-07.2.jpg 58ea05c3aa247906d111e1a95350057d 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 Belton, Spencer Lewis Spencer Lewis Belton Spencer Lewis Smith Belton 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. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Belton, SLS Description An account of the resource 34 items. Photographs, correspondence and newspaper clippings concerning Sergeant Spencer Lewis Belton (1919 - 1940, 581261 Royal Air Force). Spencer Lewis Belton flew as an observer/ bomb aimer with 144 Squadron from RAF Hemswell. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal after an operation to Wilhelmshaven in July 1940 and was interviewed about it by the British Broadcasting Corporation. He was killed 10/11 August 1940 when his Hampden P4368 crashed in the Netherlands, during an operation to Homberg. Additional information on Spencer Lewis Belton is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/101634/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Denise Carr and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-11-20 Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document THE PEOPLE, SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1940 – Page 7 HERO OF 21 R.A.F. RAIDS GETS D.F.C. BRITISH AIRMEN WHO, LAST MONTH, BOMBED THE RUHR AND ENEMY WARSHIPS AT WILHELMSHAVEN NAVY BASE ARE IN THE [number of missing words] FOR GALLANTRY. Flying Officer Neville Williams, of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, had dropped his bombs on Ruhr industrial plant, and was returning home when three enemy fighters attacked him. One and possibly two of the enemy planes were shot down and the third driven off. Flying-Officer Williams’s plane was riddled with bullets, says the official award yesterday. He brought it safely home. In all he had taken part in 21 raids on enemy territory this year. He receives the D.F.C. for his “coolness, courage and real leadership.” Pilot-Officer Angus Robson, an Australian, gets the D.F.C. for conspicuous courage in a Wilhelmshaven raid. Undeterred by terrific gunfire, he swept down to 20 ft. above the buildings, crossed the harbour, and pressed home his attack on an enemy warship. TYNESIDE GUNNER Sgt. Wallace Stockport, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, the wireless operator – air gunner in Pilot-Officer Robson’s aircraft, wins the D.F.M. Another Wilhelmshaven raider, Pilot-Officer W. F. Tudhope, a South African, is also awarded the D.F.C. Though his plane was badly hit by a high explosive shell, he attempted a second attack on the enemy warships. His engine was severely damaged, but he brought his craft safely home. Navigator and bomb aimer in the plane was Sergt. L. S. Belton, of Chelmsford. For his cool and courageous work after his cabin had been punctured with holes he gets the D.F.M. Sergt. S. B. Fuller, of Chiswick, and Sergt. A. C. Goulder, of Southport, were captain and wireless operator of a third plane in the Wilhelmshaven raid. Their attack was delivered from a few feet above the docks. Both win the D.F.M. for “conspicuous courage.” Yet another D.F.M. goes to Sergt. L.A. White, of Derby. He showed a high degree of skill, clear thinking and quick judgement as rear gunner of a plane attacked by three enemy aircraft over Wessel aerodrome. Two of the enemy were sent down out of control. 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 Hero of 21 RAF raids gets DFC Subject The topic of the resource World War (1939-1945) Great Britain. Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Description An account of the resource Distinguished Flying Crosses and Distinguished Flying Medals issued to aircrew, with details on the operations. From: The People, 4 August 1940, p. 6. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940-08-04 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One newspaper cutting Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NBeltonSLS151120-07 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 New Zealand Air Force Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource David Bloomfield Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive The People 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. 1940-08 aircrew bomb aimer bombing Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Medal navigator