1 25 7 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2192/39099/MWalleyBS1062112-180127-11.1.jpg 09407506fa374c4cbc041d97787a034e 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 Walley, Brian Stephen Walley, BS Description An account of the resource 69 items. The collection concerns Brian Stephen Walley (b. 1922, 1062112 Royal Air Force) and contains correspondence and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 51 Squadron before he was forced to ditch his Whitley in the North Sea and became a prisoner of war. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Brian Stephen Walley and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-01-27 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 Walley, BS Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document TARGET BERLIN 7 NOV 1941 – 51 SQN WHITLEY ‘F’ FREDDIE – 2ND PILOT BRIAN WALLEY YET ANOTHER MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL AND HIS 1995 VISIT TO GERMAN RESCUER The July issue article on Jack Heckendorf stirred poignant memories for Brian Walley, whose story of his November 1941 time in the bitterly cold water of the North Sea was briefly summated in an earlier issue, based on his story in his excellent book, ‘Silk and Barbed Wire’. That summary recorded how the five-man crew of ‘Freddie’ made a remarkable ditching in mountainous seas at night in winter and they all made it into the dinghy. The Skipper, in a very humble voice, suggested we pray to God for succour. We did so most fervently, each quietly in his own way. The next day, the dinghy capsized. The R/G & WOP vanished beneath those great grey ugly breakers. Herculean efforts saw the Nav roll back into the dinghy & help the other two thoroughly soaked and frozen survivors back into it. But during the next night & day, first the Nav and then the Skipper died. Brian Walley, as the then sole survivor, was reconciled to not seeing the next morning when the seas abated, a German float plane landed beside him and took him to a German hospital to see out the rest of the war as a PoW. Bonus? This year, Brian celebrated his 64th wedding anniversary living in the Bull Creek (W.A.) RAAF development with Mair, the girl he left behind in Vale of Clwyd, North Wales when he went down in the North Sea in 1941. Miracles do happen! Brian wishes he had written a letter to the relatives of his deceased crew as Arthur Hope did to the Heckendorfs. But Brian has since shown very commendable Christian spirit and action as this quote from his recent email shows:- “However, as the sole survivor of my crew, I did return to Germany in 1995, this time as a guest of Karl Tubessing, Uber Feltwebel of their ‘Seenot retungstdienst’ (Air Sea Rescue unit), responsible for my rescue. He took me back to the Island of Nordeney where I and the bodies of my Skipper and Navigator had been brought ashore after two days adrift in the North Sea. We later visited the War Graves Cemetery at Sage near Oldenberg where I was able to pay my respects to my Skipper … and Navigator …, leaving with a very heartfelt RIP. After all, I owed my life to both of them. The Skipper went back into the sinking wreck of the Whitley to cut the umbilical cord tethering us to the now- submerged plane, and the navigator, who managed to climb back in to the dinghy after it capsized the following morning – something none of the other four of us had been able to accomplish. “After my return to Australia in 1995, I thought that relatives of my crew, even after so many years, might like to hear first hand of what happened over those terrible two days. It was Berlin or bust and we bust with a vengeance. “My search hit a brick wall until, out of the blue in January 2010, I heard from Neil Smith of the 51 Sqn History Association listing names and addresses of my entire crew. Since then I have followed them all up successfully and have located SQNLDR Dickenson’s son and daughter, now living in NZ; PLOFF Simpson’s relatives, three sisters in Canada; SGT Chambers also has three sisters in Canada and the nephew and niece of SGT Carpenter in the UK, all of whom now have a copy of my book… “I started this venture with much trepidation, not knowing how the relatives would feel about being reminded of their tragic loss. I need not have had any qualms as, without exception, all have been touched and truly grateful, particularly those of SGTs Chambers (RCAF) and Carpenter (RAF), who had only been told they had been lost without trace, even though I had, on two occasions, given the full story to the Red Cross representatives while a PoW. They are now remembered on the walls of Runnymede.” One of the real pluses, emphasized by Brian Walley’s account is the fraternal feeling exhibited by both his rescuer and him, fifty years after the ditching experience – enemies no longer, now friends, and, no doubt, Brian has always been extremely grateful to that Air Sea Rescue pilot. Another plus is that, if any of our members are in doubt about passing on information to relatives of colleagues lost on operations, take the risk and act. 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 Target Berlin 7 Nov 1941 Description An account of the resource Brian Walley's ditching in the North Sea and the loss of his crew members. He describes his return to Norderney in 1995. Later he made contact wit the families of his crew. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1941-11-07 1995 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Germany--Berlin Germany--Norderney Germany--Oldenburg Great Britain Wales Australia New Zealand Canada England--Runnymede England--Surrey Germany Europe--Frisian Islands Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Royal Australian Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One printed sheet Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MWalleyBS1062112-180127-11 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription. Under review Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tricia Marshall 51 Squadron air gunner air sea rescue aircrew bombing ditching memorial navigator pilot prisoner of war Red Cross Whitley wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1903/36303/PSparkesW17010013.1.jpg 306ab35ca94e40b156eebe9d544add88 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1903/36303/PSparkesW17010014.1.jpg 8fdf1070f557630d8d5164f05317c7e8 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 Sparkes, Ned William Sparkes W Sparkes 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 2017-07-16 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. 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 Sparkes, W Description An account of the resource 56 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant William "Ned" Sparkes (1601722 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and an album with photographs, newspaper cuttings and documents including descriptions of his operations. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 431 Squadron. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Clive Sparkes 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 Bomber Command: We'll film the facts Description An account of the resource Article about the Bomber Command Association plan to mark the contribution Bomber Command made to the final victory in the war. Planned to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. Both sides of cutting. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1995 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 Civilian Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One newspaper cutting Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending review Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PSparkesW17010013, PSparkesW17010014 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 Sparkes, Ned. Album Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Sparkes, Ned. Album https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/711/17247/PBlairJJ1604.1.jpg c402b95bd16c724adb623b8bbdaec3ef 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 Blair, John John Jericho Blair J J Blair Description An account of the resource 38 items. The collection concerns John Jericho Blair DFC (1919-2004). He was born in Jamaica and served in RAF from 1942-1963. He flew a tour of operations as a navigator with 102 Squadron from RAF Pocklington. The collection includes numerous photographs of him and colleagues, several photographs of Jamaica, a document detailing his life and an interview with his great nephew Mark Johnson. The collection also contains three interviews with Caribbean veterans including John Blair recorded by Mark Johnson. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mark Johnson and catalogued by Barry Hunter. 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 2016-05-09 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 Blair, JJ 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 John Blair DFC Description An account of the resource Black and white full-length portrait photograph of John Blair wearing civilian clothes with medals on his left breast, in front of a large, white building with portico. There are various people behind him: one is dressed in the uniform of a British Guard Regiment. Submitted with caption; 'Flt Lt John Blair DFC of Jamaica and formerly of No 102 Sqn RAF Bomber Command, attending the VJ Day Parade in London, 1995'. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995 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 PBlairJJ1604 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 Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--London 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 Language A language of the resource eng Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1995 102 Squadron African heritage aircrew Distinguished Flying Cross Victory over Japan Day (15 August 1945) https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2836/57351/BGaddPGaddGEv1.jpg f98d85b14ee62b534e7e4089a9e5cd07 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 Gadd, George Edward Gadd, G E Description An account of the resource Five items. The collection concerns Sergeant George Edward Gadd (b. 1923, 1216729 Royal Air Force) and contains documents and correspondence. He flew operations as an air gunner with 101 Squadron and was killed 3 April 1943. <br /><br />The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Philip Gadd and catalogued by Andy Fitter. <br /><br />Additional information on George Gadd is available via the&nbsp;<a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/108281/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-04-16 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 Gadd, GE Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource George Edward Gadd Description An account of the resource Personal research on George Edward Gadd by his younger brother. It describes how he died and how his parents found out about his death on their way to visit him. It also mentions his amateur boxing and engagement to Kathleen Smith, a farmer's daughter. The research includes some details of one of George's brothers, who joined the Royal Navy and took part in the D-Day landings. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Phillip Gadd Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1988 1995 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Yorkshire 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 Navy Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Personal research Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One printed page Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BGaddPGaddGEv1 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. air gunner aircrew anti-aircraft fire childhood in wartime final resting place ground personnel Home Guard killed in action Lancaster love and romance Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) padre sport https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/704/31013/LBeethamMJ19230517v5.1.pdf 79b756146af2bf6cfb9db9921ce7ce20 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 Beetham, Michael Sir Michael Beetham M Beetham Description An account of the resource Five items. The collection concerns Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL (1923 - 2015) and contains his five flying log books. He flew a tour of operations as a pilot with 50 Squadron. After the war he flew on the goodwill tour of the United States with 35 Squadron. He remained in the RAF and rose in rank until his retirement in the 1980s. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Sir Michael Beetham and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. 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 2015-09-09 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 Beetham, MJ 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 Michael Beetham pilot's flying log book. Five Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Log book and record book Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LBeethamMJ19230517v5 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending review Review Oct 2024 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 Description An account of the resource M J Beetham’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book covering the period from 25 May 1964 to 10 July 2005. Detailing his flying training and operations flown as pilot. He was stationed at RAF Gaydon (232 OCU), RAF Thorney Island (242 OCU), RAF Khormaksar, RAF High Wycombe (HQ Strike Command) Aircraft flown in were Valiant, Argosy, Beverley, Hunter T7, Belvedere, Twin Pioneer, Andover, Shackleton MR2, Whirlwind, Wessex, Dakota, Nimrod, Puma, Basset, Jaguar T2, Pembroke, Hercules, Harrier T2, Lancaster, Chipmunk, Scout, Buccaneer, Lightning T5, Phantom, Gazelle, Hawk, Tornado GR1, HS 125, Jet Provost T5, Jetstream, F-111, Airtourer, Sea King, Victor K2, Bulldog, Chinook, VC-10 and Squirrel. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Yemen (Republic) England--Buckinghamshire England--Warwickshire Yemen (Republic)--Aden 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 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Terry Hancock Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1964 1965 1966 1969 1970 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1987 1990 1993 1994 1995 1998 1999 2005 aircrew C-47 Lancaster pilot RAF High Wycombe RAF Khormaksar RAF Thorney Island Shackleton https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2332/50242/LClarkeGH3003034v1.1.pdf 96282cb54ab000086f11748ff19357c4 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 Clarke, Geoffrey Herbert Description An account of the resource Two items. The collection concerns AC2 Geoffrey Herbert Clarke (10457, 3003034 Royal Air Force) and contains a log book and service documents. <br /><br />His brother, <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2492">Brian Edward Clarke </a>was killed 14 January 1944.<br /><br />The collection was donated to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Carole Clarke and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.<br /> <p>Additional information on Brian Edward Clarke is available via the&nbsp;<a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/104293/">IBCC Losses Database.</a></p> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-08-01 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 Clarke, GH 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/. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Title A name given to the resource G. H. Clarke’s RAF Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LClarkeGH3003034v1 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. Description An account of the resource Cadet G. H. Clarke’s RAF Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, from 28 July 1942 to 23 May 1996, with a handwritten amendment stating “This logbook is an unofficial document”. It records flights and other civilian flying activities, some as an engineer and some holidays. Also records various exam results and sporting achievements. Aircraft flown in include Anson, Blenheim, Mitchell, Oxford and Dominie. He qualified as an “efficient Cadet” on 1/1/41 with No. 10 ATC Squadron, and notes that he volunteered on 14/1/44 and was enlisted in the RAFVR on 21/1/44. Also notes the loss of his brother B.E. Clarke, who failed to return from an operation targeting Brunswick on 14/1/44. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource George Clarke Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1941-01-01 1942 1943 1944 1952 1956 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1972 1974 1975 1977 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Germany Great Britain Australia New Zealand United States Germany--Braunschweig Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Diary Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Anson B-25 Blenheim Dominie Oxford York https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1416/32276/MLeavissED1818433-151116-250001.2.jpg 18d00ec8c6051ca496456c34359fe0a4 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1416/32276/MLeavissED1818433-151116-250002.2.jpg 89d6683e798cfc489fdf6029892f23ba 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 Leaviss, Ted Edward Derek Leaviss E D Leaviss 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 2015-11-16 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. 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 Leaviss, ED Description An account of the resource 42 items. The collection concerns Warrant Officer Edward 'Ted' Derek Leaviss (1818433 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents memorabilia and photographs. He flew three Operation Manna operations as an air gunner with 460 Squadron. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Irene Leaviss and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle. Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [underlined]OPERATION MANNA[/underlined] For almost six long years Bomber Command took the war to Nazi Germany, helping to force the enemy on to the defensive and steadily weakening his powers of resistance. Towards the end, however, it was becoming clear that missions of a different type would be essential once hostilities ceased: in particular there would be tens of thousands of prisoners of war in urgent need of relief and repatriation. Then by April 1945 it was apparent that a desperate situation had developed in the densely populated areas of the Nether1ands. The persecution of the Jews and the deportation of industrial workers, among other things, had been causing bitter hostility to the German occupation forces; in September 1944 the Dutch transport workers had gone on strike in the attempt to help the Allied forces during the Battle of Arnhem, and this had led to the Germans ordering an embargo on the movement of food to the urban areas; then during the hard winter fuel supplies too had virtually run out. Yet amid this situation the Germans were determined to hold on, not least because their V2 rocket offensive against London could be mounted only from the Dutch launch sites. So as the Allies advanced into the heart of Germany in March and April, cutting off the strong German forces based in the Netherlands, the great majority of the Dutch people faced starvation. For some time before this Queen Wilhelmina, in London, had been leading urgent pleas for Allied help in avoiding "a major catastrophe", and the possibility of using Bomber Command's Lancasters to drop food supplies had been carefully examined. One thing, however, was certain. Flying by day at low speed and little more than treetop height they would be sitting ducks, and only if the Germans undertook not to open fire would the operation be remotely feasible. Such were the objections to doing any sort of a deal that not until 24 April, with the local situation now critical, did General Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, feel able to force the issue by contacting the German commander and announcing his intentions to the Dutch people. There followed an interchange of messages in the attempt to ensure the bombers safe passage but when Allied and German delegations first met formally on the 28th none of the necessary guarantees was forthcoming. Air Commodore Geddes, who as Director of Operations and Plans, Headquarters 2nd Tactical Air Force, was to mastermind the operation, was full of foreboding. Yet further delay was out of the question; stem warnings were given of the consequences should the Germans try to interfere; and on 29 April - amid understandable apprehension on the part of the crews - the first missions of Operation Manna were launched. After the dropping zones had been marked by 18 Mosquitos the first Lancasters delivered their loads, a total of 258 sorties being flown on that first day. The Germans responded sullenly but the anti-aircraft guns which were trained on the bombers and could so easily have shot them down remained silent; only the shaking of fists and the occasional burst of small arms fire marked their frustration. For the local inhabitants on the other hand, it was an unforgettable moment. As a Dutchman, then a young schoolboy, later wrote: “We heard them coming, Each Lancaster opened its bomb doors and out came a cloud of bags like confetti. My father and lots of other grown-ups were sobbing like children. It may have been the sound of the engines, but it was probably because now they knew they would stay alive". For the aircrew, sometimes flying as low as 100ft, the sight was unbelievable. People were going mad, screaming with delight; waving previously hidden flags, tablecloths, anything they could grab; rushing towards the sacks, some of which had burst, and eating the contents straight off the ground. Over the next ten days Bomber Command doubled its daily effort, greatly extending its dropping zones, and the Flying Fortresses of the United States 8th Air Force shared the task in what they called Operation Chowhound. On 7 May the Germans surrendered, thus enabling land and sea supply to take over, and the next day the last drops took place. Altogether, despite bad weather having restricted them on several days, 33 RAF squadrons [page break] had carried out 3,191 sorties, delivering 7,000 tons of food, and a further 3,700 tons had been dropped by 1 O USAAF bomb groups in some 2, 189 missions. It was an operation which has remained etched in the memories of all who took part. As a 576 Squadron navigator recalls: “All the crew took along something extra, a bat of chocolate or bag of sweets, to throw out to the kids. I slipped mine out of the sliding window above the nav table. It was one of the big emotional experiences of my life." Instead of bearing death and destruction he and his comrades had at last been able to switch to missions of mercy, and what they did is recalled to this day with the deepest gratitude by those who received the help they delivered. Not long afterwards, by remarkable coincidence, Dutch men and women were among the beneficiaries of a second operation, far less remembered but just as critical for those involved. Code-named Mastiff, this was undertaken in August and September by Dakotas and Liberators of Air Command South-East Asia to bring relief to prisoners-of-war and where possible to internees who had survived the appalling rigours of being held captive by the Japanese during the Far East war. Here too the airmen were at last able to tum their skills to humanitarian tasks, setting a pattern for so many similar operations that have been undertaken by the Royal Air Force in the subsequent half century. Air Commodore Henry Probert 1995 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 Operation Manna Description An account of the resource An account of how the operation came about and evolved. Describes the events leading up to the need for food relief in Holland, a brief account of how the operation was set up and executed. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Air Commodore Henry Probert Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two typewritten pages 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 MLeavissED1818433-151116-250001, MLeavissED1818433-151116-250002 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Netherlands Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1995 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource 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. B-17 B-24 C-47 Holocaust Lancaster Mosquito Operation Manna (29 Apr – 8 May 1945) V-2 V-weapon