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Interview with Ronald Last
Ronald Last grew up in Dorset and worked as an apprentice for the local Gas and Water company before volunteering for the Air Force. He attended the reception centre at Lord's Cricket Ground and describes the medical tests and inoculations recruits…
Interview with Edward George Key
Ted Key was a flight engineer. He was born to a large family in London which he remembers coming down from Norfolk to visit. His father was in the Navy as a chief petty officer and away a lot. Ted was in the air defence cadet corps before he joined…
Interview with Jack Jarmy
Jack Jarmey was born in Romford, Essex. At the age of five, following the death of his father, Jack moved to live with his grandparents in Ilfracombe. Despite achieving excellent results in all his subjects at Grammar School, Jack left school at 15…
Interview with Colin Hynd
Colin Hynd joined the RAF in November 1943. Upon completing initial training, he was posted to RAF St Athan, where he trained as a flight engineer. He struggled to bond with his first crew, so instead worked as an instructor, before joining a…
Interview with Arthur Hulyer
Arthur Hulyer talks about his experience in the RAF and recalls working in an engineering firm before joining the Air Force. He was sent to America for pilot training in Oklahoma and tells of how he trained to become a pilot but then ended up as a…
Interview with Janet Hughes, One
Janet Hughes’ father, Reginald Charles Wilson, volunteered for the RAF in August 1941. In January 1942, he was posted to America under the Arnold training scheme and was later re-mustered to train as a navigator in Canada. After forming a crew at RAF…
Interview with William Hough
Bill Hough came from a farming background, went to a local grammar school in Northwich and was a member of the Air Training Corps. He joined the RAF in 1943 and describes his initial training at RAF Bridgnorth. This was followed by continuation…
Interview with Fred Hooker. Two
Fred Hooker was a mid-upper gunner on 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklington, where he flew three operations before being shot down. Born in Hartley Wintney in 1924, Fred’s first experience of the RAF was visiting RAF Odiham as a member of the Air Training…
Interview with Rachel and John Gill
Peter Hazeldene lived in Wales and joined the RAF when he saw a poster encouraging people to see the world from a different perspective. He trained as a wireless operator and, during training, suspected a couple of incidents of sabotage on the base.…
Interview with Richard Franklin
Richard Franklin served as a wireless operator and flew 34 operations in Bomber Command over Germany. He recalls the only operation on which he risked being killed, when his aircraft was attacked by a German night fighter over Frankfurt. Richard…
Interview with Thomas Aiden Davidson
Born in Gateshead, Thomas was an apprentice railroad engineer. With the war beginning three days after his 16th birthday, Thomas feels very passionately about the British experience of the Second World War, as his only brother was killed. He claims…
Interview with John David Pennington Cotter
John was born in Hendon, London and his family fell on hard times in his early years. John and his brother, Paul, joined the RAF in 1941 as a pilot and wireless operator, respectively. After initial training at RAF Brize Norton, John was trained in…
Interview with Cecil Harry Chandler
Cecil ‘Chick’ Chandler trained as a flight engineer and was posted to 622 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall. On his first flight the undercarriage failed. He was horrified to find that it was different to the model he had been trained on and he had to have…
Part of a letter to Alex Duke re his book 'Odd Man Out'
In the letter he refers to an operation to Schweinfurt described in the book. They received damage over Reading from 'friendly' anti-aircraft fire. They jettisoned the bomb load in the Channel then headed home via Harwich at 3000'. Despite warning…
Interview with Stanley Bradford
Stanley Bradford was working in a Reserved Occupation until he volunteered. The three services were considered but the army and navy both rejected him because of his work. The RAF said that since he was in Reserved Occupation he could only join as a…
Interview with David Berrie
David Berrie joined the RAF and served as a wireless operator. He flew six operations with 576 Squadron from RAF Elsham Wolds and shares his experience of living on the station with Polish crews. David remembers crashing twice in 24 hours and, on…
Was it all a Dream
Bill Bailey's wartime memoirs, from enlistment, training in UK and Canada and detail of each of 31 operation in Bomber Command. After completion of his tour he was transferred to Lossiemouth to train Free French aircrew. After successful progress he…
Interview with Andy Andrews
Andy Andrews worked in a gentleman's outfitters shop and volunteered for the Air Force in 1941. He trained at RAF Cardington and RAF Blackpool and, after crewing up, he flew operations with 10 Squadron from RAF Melbourne. He discusses the members of…
Interview with Douglas Robinson
Douglas was in the Local Defence Volunteers before joining the Royal Air Force as a pilot. After RAF Babbacombe, he did initial training at RAF Scarborough and then in Rhodesia. Initial flight training in Harare on Tiger Moths was followed by service…
Interview with Doug Petty
Doug Petty was born in Shildon, County Durham and was a car maintenance apprentice before joining the Royal Air Force in 1942, as a flight engineer. He completed technical training at RAF St Athan, where he met Betty, his future wife. From there Doug…
Interview with Thomas Peter Payne. Two
Tom joined the Air Training Corps as a deferred service airman, even though he was under-age. In April 1942 he received his call up papers to report to the Air Crew Reception Centre at St John’s Wood, before being posted to Ludlow. He then went to…
Interview with Hugh Parry. One
Hugh Parry was born in Oswestry and joined the Air Force in April 1943 and volunteered to be an air gunner. Knowing that there was a height restriction of six feet on air gunners, he hid his height by wearing baggy trousers. After training, he was…
Interview with Bluey Mottershead
Bluey was born on a farm in Shropshire. His best friend, from his youth, joined the Royal Air Force as aircrew and was killed at RAF Honington when a German aircraft bombed the station. A desire for revenge made him enlist for flying duties in…
Interview with Walter Morris
Walter Morris was born in Kettering and started work in 1939; after a while, older workers disappeared, mostly to join the Territorial Army. He enlisted in the Air Training Corps, 101 Squadron, based at RAF Grafton Underwood. Walter reported to…
Interview with Bob Lasham
Bob Lasham began an electrical engineering apprenticeship with British Thomson-Houston before volunteering for the RAF in 1941, aged 20. He trained at RAF Babbacombe and RAF Wilmslow before completing his pilot training in Clewiston, Florid. On…