Trained at No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School, 12 Operational Training Unit. Operational posting to 103 Squadron in August 1940. In May 1941 posted to Overseas Aircraft Delivery Flight followed by operational posting to 216 (Bomber Transport) Squadron in Egypt carrying out transport duties conveying freight, ammunition, petrol, passengers and collecting casualties. In April 1944 posted to India with a detachment from 216 Squadron carrying out supply dropping operations to India and Burma, in addition to normal freight and passenger duties. In June, returned to Egypt.
In December 1944 posted to Central Mediterranean Forces as Signals Briefing Officer with various units including 130 Staging Post (Pomigliano), 107 Staging Post (Hassani), No. 282 Wing, 216 Group, 205 Group, before returning to England in 1947. Released from the RAF on 1st September 1950.
Served at RAF Yatesbury, RAF West Freugh, RAF Benson, RAF Penrhos, RAF Newton, RAF Kemble, RAF Heliopolis, RAF El Khanka, RAF El Adem, Landing Ground 224 (Cairo West), RAF Khartoum, RAF Agartala, RAF Topcliffe, RAF Middleton St. George, RAF Watchfield, RAF Pitreavie.
Aircraft flown were Anson, Battle, Wellington, Bristol Bombay, Vickers Valentia, Hudson, C-47 Dakota.
With 103 Squadron he flew 18 night bombing operations. His target were Boulogne, Calais, Ostend, Rotterdam, Bremen, Gelsenkirchen, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, Lorient, Kiel, Brest (to attack the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau), Berlin, Cologne and Mannheim. His pilots were Pilot Officer Thorougood, Squadron Leaders Tait and Blome-Jones and Sergeant Muggeridge.
When flying with 216 Squadron he flew 9 night and 22 day supply dropping operations in addition to his normal transport duties in the Middle East, Burma and India. Named targets included Leros Island, Bongyaung, Mokokchung, Thingai, Indaw, Tsemmy, Sakhai, Kohima, Meluri, Lake Indawgyi, Kidzematuma, Cheswezum, Wokha and Nerhema.
His pilots were Squadron Leader Archbell, Flying Officer Rustom, Sergeant Hersey, Pilot Officers Cody and Vickery.
During his time with 216 Squadron in the Middle East he was involved with a search for force landed Wellington which was found and the aircrew successfully recovered. Whilst transporting a repair crew to this aircraft he found and recovered the crew of a second Wellington which had also force landed. 7th and 13th July 1942))
On the 14th October 1942 the undercarriage of his aircraft collapsed on take-off. The aircraft caught fire and became a write off. No injuries.
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Reeks has added a hand written list of the aircraft he flew, where, how many flying hours and radio type. This list is also typed. Also added is a list of his postings with duties and remarks.
Also included is a US Office of War Information booklet entitled “How to get along with the Kachins, Shans and Burmans”.
There is also a propaganda leaflet with cartoons written in Arabic entitled “The Story of King George and His Minister”.
Note: times given in the log book are all GMT even when overseas.
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Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]>
Nick Cornwell-Smith]]>
eng]]>
Text]]>
Text. Log book and record book]]>
Artwork]]>
Royal Air Force]]>
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
Great Britain]]>
England--Durham (County)]]>
England--Gloucestershire]]>
England--Nottinghamshire]]>
England--Oxfordshire]]>
England--Wiltshire]]>
England--Yorkshire]]>
Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway]]>
Scotland--Dunfermline]]>
Wales--Gwynedd]]>
Belgium]]>
Belgium--Ostend]]>
Netherlands]]>
Netherlands--Rotterdam]]>
France]]>
France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]>
France--Brest]]>
France--Calais]]>
France--Lorient]]>
Germany]]>
Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]>
Germany--Berlin]]>
Germany--Bremen]]>
Germany--Bremerhaven]]>
Germany--Cologne]]>
Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]>
Germany--Hamburg]]>
Germany--Kiel]]>
Germany--Mannheim]]>
Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]>
Egypt]]>
Egypt--Cairo]]>
Libya]]>
Libya--Tobruk]]>
Sudan]]>
Sudan--Khartoum]]>
Greece]]>
Greece--Leros (Municipality)]]>
India]]>
India--Kidzematuma]]>
India--Kohima]]>
India--Mokokchung]]>
India--Nāgāland]]>
Burma]]>
Burma--Bongyaung]]>
Burma--Indaw]]>
Burma--Mohnyin]]>
1940-09-17]]>
1940-09-18]]>
1940-09-21]]>
1940-09-22]]>
1940-12-21]]>
1940-12-22]]>
1940-12-28]]>
1941-01-03]]>
1941-01-09]]>
1941-01-15]]>
1941-01-16]]>
1941-02-28]]>
1941-03-01]]>
1941-03-13]]>
1941-03-14]]>
1941-03-21]]>
1941-03-22]]>
1941-04-08]]>
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1941-05-01]]>
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1941-05-06]]>
1942-07-09]]>
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1942-07-11]]>
1942-07-13]]>
1942-10-14]]>
1942-10-23]]>
1942-10-24]]>
1943-11-14]]>
1943-11-15]]>
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1944-05-16]]>
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1944-05-29]]>
1944-05-31]]>
1944-06-02]]>
1944-06-03]]>
1944-06-05]]>
1945]]>
1946]]>
1947]]>
1948]]>
1949]]>
1950]]>
Bob Butler]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]>
Pending text-based transcription]]>
eng]]>
Text]]>
Text. Correspondence]]>
Royal Air Force]]>
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
France]]>
France--Boulogne-Sur-Mer]]>
Great Britain]]>
England--Cambridgeshire]]>
England--Norfolk]]>
England--Suffolk]]>
1941-02-23]]>
1941-02-25]]>
1941-02-26]]>
1941-02-27]]>
1941-02-28]]>
1941-03-01]]>
Pietro Commisso]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]>
Marco Dalla Bona]]>
Maureen Clarke]]>
ita]]>
Sound]]>
Civilian]]>
Italy--Codroipo]]>
Italy]]>
1941-02-28]]>