1 25 63 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1122/19947/BSharrockRSharockRv1.pdf f5e83a6a82a0bba9867d936091a72c7f 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 Sharrock, Bob Robert Sharrock R Sharrock Description An account of the resource Six items. An oral history interview with Flight Sergeant Bob Sharrock (1924 - 2019, 2210141 Royal Air Force), his log book, a photograph and documents. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 428 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Bob Sharrock 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 2018-03-19 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 Sharrock, R Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document Bob Sharrock June 1943- Feb 1946 (A brief career in the RAF) l joined the Air Force in June 1943, aged 18, and reported to the Lords Cricket Ground in London. We were billeted in blocks of flats nearby. Here we were issued with uniform, given numerous inoculation pbs,. initiated into drill exercises and introduced to canteen food. Not a bit like home cooking About 2 weeks later we were posted to Torquay for Initial Training Here we endured physical training, some theoretical training into navigation, drill, Morse code, even skeet shooting on Daddy Hole Plain. When we moved from one site to another it was either running or at a marching pace faster than the army used. This lasted for about six weeks and we were fortunate to have good hot weather Most of the time it was very enjoyable The next posting was to St Athan in South Wales Here we started our technical training Most of us were allocated the Halifax bomber, others the Stirling, the Lancaster and a few to Sunderland flying boats. I was disappointed not to be one of the latter. All these were four engined aircraft and it was only these that had a Flight Engineer. Most of the time was spent in lecture groups and my notebooks give an idea of the type of information we were given. We also had drill, P.T., swimming and other recreational activities It was about this time that when on leave, I went to a dance at the Parish Rooms at Prescot and met Dorothy Marsden. The following March (1944) l was posted to 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit at Dishforth. This was where we met up with aircrews that had trained on two-engined aircraft and were moving on to heavy bombers. ln this case they were Halifax bombers. We had further practical training and were attached to a crew. They were all Canadian with a pilot by the name of Willard MacKeracher. The unit was in 6 Group, operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, which occupied the area of North Yorkshire. We did six exercises of Circuits and Landings. These were a series of take off, fly round the airfield and land. They were mainly to familiarise the pilot and engineer with handling the aircraft. This took about 10 hours A further hour was spent doing three engined landings Three further trips were made to give the Gunners and the Bomb Aimer some practice but it was on this third trip that we crashed on landing. It was apparent and subsequently reported that we had suffered an engine failure which slewed us over to miss the runway. It was a miracle that not one of the crew was killed. All I remember is being knocked about and then opening my eyes to see that I was a few yards in front of the nose of the aircraft. The first person to reach me was an Italian prisoner of war who helped me to get out my parachute harness. Help soon arrived and four of us were taken by ambulance to Northallerton hospital. Examination showed that I had a compressed fracture of the vertebrae in the lumbar region. A plaster of paris jacket was applied which extended from the groin to the neck I had a few days in bed while the jacket hardened and dried and then I was able to walk about fairly normally. The only difficulty was that J could not bend down. I was then given a couple of week's leave, which I spent at home. I was then posted to a convalescent home in Hoylake on the Wirral This was called The Leas and was previously a girl's school. It was provided to recuperate injured aircrew and there were a number of chaps wearing plaster jackets similar to mine 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 Bob Sharrock June 1943 - Feb 1946 A brief career in the RAF Description An account of the resource Bob's memoirs in the RAF. He details his training, starting at Lords cricket ground then RAF Torquay, before Technical training at RAF St Athan, where he met Dorothy. In March 1944 he was posted to RAF Dishforth where his aircraft crashed and he damaged his spine. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bob Sharrock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One typed sheet 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 BSharrockRSharockRv1 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 Canadian Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--London England--Torquay England--Merseyside England--Yorkshire England--Devon England--Lancashire Wales--Glamorgan 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. 1943 1944 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource David Bloomfield Maureen Clarke 1664 HCU 6 Group aircrew crash flight engineer Halifax Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing love and romance RAF Dishforth RAF St Athan RAF Torquay training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/315/15275/LPayneAJ1315369v1.pdf 90d2332a7f81b01d7511af5b65d85690 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 Payne, Alan Alan John Payne Alan J Payne Alan Payne A J Payne A Payne Description An account of the resource Two items. An oral history interview with Alan John Payne DFC (1315369 and 173299 Royal Air Force) and his log book. He completed 18 operations as a bomb aimer with 630 Squadron. 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 2015-08-11 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 Payne, AJ 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 Alan Payne’s South African Air Force observers or air gunners log book Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mike Connock Cara Walmsley 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. 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 LPayneAJ1315369v1 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. Egypt France Germany Great Britain Middle East--Palestine Poland South Africa Atlantic Ocean--Kiel Bay Egypt--Cairo England--Devon England--Essex England--Leicestershire England--Merseyside France--Amiens France--Clermont-Ferrand France--Tours Germany--Berlin Germany--Braunschweig Germany--Frankfurt am Main Germany--Magdeburg Germany--Nuremberg Germany--Stuttgart Middle East--Palestine Poland--Szczecin Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway South Africa--Queenstown Wales--Gwynedd France--Mailly-le-Camp North Africa England--Sussex England--Lancashire Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1943-12-02 1943-12-03 1943-12-04 1943-12-29 1943-12-30 1944-01-01 1944-01-02 1944-01-05 1944-01-06 1944-01-14 1944-01-15 1944-01-20 1944-01-21 1944-01-22 1944-01-27 1944-01-28 1944-01-30 1944-01-31 1944-02-15 1944-02-19 1944-02-20 1944-02-21 1944-02-24 1944-02-25 1944-02-26 1944-03-01 1944-03-02 1944-03-10 1944-03-11 1944-03-15 1944-03-16 1944-03-18 1944-03-19 1944-03-30 1944-03-31 1944-04-20 1944-04-21 1944-04-22 1944-04-23 1944-04-24 1944-04-25 1944-04-26 1944-04-27 1944-04-29 1944-04-30 1944-05-01 1944-05-02 1944-05-03 1944-05-04 1944-05-07 1944-05-08 1944-05-19 1944-05-20 1944-05-21 1944-05-22 Description An account of the resource South African Air Force observers or air gunners log book for Alan John Payne, navigator, covering the period from 7 November 1942 to 8 August 1946. Detailing his flying training, operations flown, instructor duties and post war squadron duties. He was stationed at RAF Torquay, RAF Eastbourne, RAF Brighton, RAF West Kirby, Queenstown, Port Alfred, RAF Dumfries, RAF Turweston, RAF Silverstone, RAF Winthorpe, RAF East Kirkby, RAF Husbands Bosworth, RAF Llandwrog, RAF Saltby, RAF Matching, RAF Great Dunmow, RAF Aqir and RAF Cairo West. Aircraft flown in were, Anson, Oxford, Botha, Wellington, Lancaster, Halifax and C-47. He flew a total of 18 night operations with 630 Squadron. His pilots on operations were Flying Officer Probert and Flight Lieutenant McDonald. Targets were Berlin, Stettin, Brunswick, Magdeburg, Stuttgart, Clermont-Ferrand, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Tours, Mailly-le-Camp, Amiens, and Kiel Bay. This was followed by glider, troop carrying duties and prisoners of war transport with 620 Squadron. The log book also contains a menu from 10 February 1943 with signatures of those on the course. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1661 HCU 1665 HCU 17 OTU 620 Squadron 630 Squadron 85 OTU Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson Berlin Campaign (23 August 1943 – 25 March 1944) bombing bombing of Mailly-le-Camp (3/4 May 1944) bombing of Nuremberg (30 / 31 March 1944) Botha C-47 Halifax Heavy Conversion Unit Ju 88 Lancaster Me 109 navigator Operational Training Unit Oxford prisoner of war RAF Aqir RAF Dumfries RAF East Kirkby RAF Husbands Bosworth RAF Llandwrog RAF Saltby RAF Silverstone RAF Torquay RAF Turweston RAF Winthorpe training Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1534/59018/BHemmingsKHemmingsKv1.pdf e15585ade02bca2d1a5e958f053acef6 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 Hemmings, Kenneth K Hemmings 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 2016-09-04 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 Hemmings, K Description An account of the resource Three items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Ken Hemmings (b. 1925, 1868109 Royal Air Force) and contains his memoir and photographs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 192 Squadron. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Colin Ballantyne and catalogued by Barry Hunter. 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 Ken Hemmings Autobiography Chapter 5 (1943 to 1947) Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--York England--Scarborough England--Whitby Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man England--Birmingham England--Wetherby England--Leeds Norway Norway--Tønsberg Germany Germany--Flensburg Netherlands Netherlands--Texel Germany--Kiel England--Norwich Denmark Denmark--Copenhagen Germany--Cologne Germany--Bonn Germany--Essen England--London Belgium Belgium--Blankenberge Germany--Celle Germany--Braunschweig Germany--Hamburg Germany--Berlin Germany--Sylt Germany--Hameln Belgium--Brussels Austria Austria--Hartberg Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BHemmingsKHemmingsKv1 Description An account of the resource A detailed autobiography of Ken's RAF service. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ken Hemmings 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 59 printed sheets Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription 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. 100 Group 1663 HCU 192 Squadron 463 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit air gunner aircrew Anson anti-aircraft fire B-17 B-24 Beaufighter bomb aimer briefing C-47 Catalina Cook’s tour demobilisation Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Service Order FIDO flight engineer Flying Training School Gee ground personnel H2S Halifax Halifax Mk 2 Harvard He 111 Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Ju 88 Lancaster Me 109 Me 110 Me 163 Me 262 Me 410 medical officer mess mid-air collision military discipline military living conditions military service conditions Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy Mosquito navigator Navy, Army and Air Force Institute Oxford Photographic Reconnaissance Unit pilot prisoner of war Proctor radar RAF Benson RAF Burnaston RAF Calveley RAF Foulsham RAF Heaton Park RAF Hornchurch RAF Locking RAF Melksham RAF Paignton RAF Rufforth RAF St Athan RAF St Eval RAF Torquay Schräge Musik searchlight Spitfire sport Stirling Sunderland Tiger Moth training Victory in Europe Day (8 May 1945) Wellington Window wireless operator Women’s Auxiliary Air Force York https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1346/27054/LHughesCL133498v1.pdf 6dbdb18ffd3e62614751663a964af340 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 Hughes, Clarence Clarence Lindsay Hughes C L Hughes Description An account of the resource 34 items and two sub-collections. Collection concerns Clarence Hughes' (1334982). He flew operations as a navigator with 427 Squadron. Collection contains his flying and navigators logbooks, photographs of people and aircraft, documents, correspondence, identity disks, decorations, mementos, and items of uniform. One sub-collection is photograph album covering his time training in the United States and Canada and family back in England, The other contains precis of subjects covered on the officer's advanced training school. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Christina Jones 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 2016-06-02 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 Hughes, CL 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/. 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 LHughesCL133498v1 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 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending review Review Oct 2024 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. 1942-12-20 1943-01-21 1943-02-16 1943-02-17 1943-02-24 1943-03-03 1943-03-26 1943-03-27 1943-03-28 1943-03-29 1943-04-04 1943-04-05 1943-04-08 1943-04-09 1943-04-10 1943-04-11 1943-04-14 1943-04-15 1943-04-16 1943-04-17 1943-05-29 1943-05-30 1943-06-11 1943-06-12 1943-06-13 1943-06-21 1943-06-22 1943-06-24 1943-06-25 1943-07-09 1943-07-10 1943-07-13 1943-07-14 1943-07-24 1943-07-25 1943-07-26 1943-07-27 1943-07-28 1943-07-29 1943-07-30 1943-08-10 1943-08-11 1943-08-23 1943-08-24 1943-09-05 1943-09-06 1943-09-07 1943-09-22 1943-09-23 1943-10-03 1943-10-04 1943-11-03 1943-11-11 1943-11-12 1943-11-18 1943-11-19 1943-11-20 1944-01-31 1944-02-07 1945-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Clarence Hughes observer’s and air gunner’s flying log book Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Canada France Germany Great Britain Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay Atlantic Ocean--North Sea England--Cumbria England--Durham (County) England--Gloucestershire England--Shropshire England--Yorkshire France--Cannes France--Lorient France--Saint-Nazaire Germany--Berlin Germany--Bochum Germany--Duisburg Germany--Düsseldorf Germany--Essen Germany--Hamburg Germany--Hannover Germany--Kassel Germany--Kiel Germany--Krefeld Germany--Leverkusen Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein Germany--Mannheim Germany--Munich Germany--Nuremberg Germany--Stuttgart Germany--Wilhelmshaven Germany--Wuppertal Prince Edward Island--Charlottetown Scotland--Moray Germany--Ruhr (Region) Prince Edward Island Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mike Connock Description An account of the resource Observer’s and air gunner’s flying log book for Clarence Hughes, Navigator, covering the period from 8 January 1942 to 18 July 1945. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and instructor duties. He was stationed at 32 Air Navigation School RCAF Charlottetown, 2 (Observer’s) Advanced Flying Unit RAF Millom, 20 Operational Training Unit RAF Lossiemouth, 427 Squadron RAF Croft and RAF Leeming, 19 Operational Training Unit RAF Kinloss, Empire Air Navigation School RAF Shawbury, and 21 Operational Training Unit RAF Moreton-in-Marsh. Aircraft flown in were Anson, Wellington, Halifax, Whitley, and Stirling. He flew a total of 29 and a half operations with 427 squadron. Targets were Lorient, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, Duisburg, Saint Nazaire, Kiel, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Bochum, Krefeld, Elberfeld, Essen, Nurnberg, Berlin, Munich, Hannover, Kassel, Cannes, Ludwigshafen, and Leverkusen. His pilots on operations were Wing Commander Burnside and Flight lieutenant Rodwell. 1659 HCU 19 OTU 20 OTU 21 OTU 427 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit Air Observers School aircrew Anson Berlin Campaign (23 August 1943 – 25 March 1944) bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943) Halifax Heavy Conversion Unit navigator Operational Training Unit RAF Croft RAF Kinloss RAF Leeming RAF Lossiemouth RAF Millom RAF Moreton in the Marsh RAF Shawbury RAF Torquay Ruhr Campaign (5 March – 10 July 1943) Stirling training Wellington Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1706/38586/LWebsterE2210797v1.pdf 4dcaeec521f934426817a50ddf7c359f 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 Webster, Edward Webster, E Description An account of the resource 18 items. The collection concerns Edward Webster (2210797 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, objects, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 61 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Margaret Diane Butler and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-01-21 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 Webster, E 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 Edward Webster's Royal Air Force navigator’s, air bomber’s, air gunner’s and flight engineer’s flying log book Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force 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. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LWebsterE2210797v1 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-08-08 1944-08-12 1944-08-13 1944-08-14 1944-08-15 1944-08-18 1944-09-05 1944-09-10 1944-09-11 1944-09-18 1944-09-19 1944-10-23 1944-10-28 1944-11-01 1944-11-04 1944-11-26 1944-12-04 1944-12-18 1944-12-19 1945-01-01 1945-01-04 1945-01-05 1945-02-13 1945-02-19 1945-02-24 1945-03-03 1945-03-05 1945-03-07 1945-03-11 1945-03-23 1945-03-27 1945-04-04 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Belgium France Germany Great Britain Netherlands Norway Poland Germany--Ruhr (Region) Belgium--Houffalize England--Lincolnshire England--Nottinghamshire France--Brest France--Châtellerault France--Givors France--L'Isle-Adam France--Le Havre France--Royan Germany--Bremerhaven Germany--Darmstadt Germany--Dresden Germany--Essen Germany--Homberg (Kassel) Germany--Ladbergen Germany--Munich Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia) Germany--Rheydt Germany--Rüsselsheim Germany--Stuttgart Germany--Urft Dam Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia) Germany--Wilhelmshaven Netherlands--Vlissingen Netherlands--Tilburg Norway--Bergen Poland--Gdynia France--Châtellerault Germany--Giessen (Hesse) Poland--Gdynia Germany--Hörstel Germany--Hamburg Germany--Bremen Germany--Böhlen 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. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Terry Hancock Description An account of the resource E Webster’s Flight Engineers Flying Log Book covering the period 3 August 1944 to 4 April 1945. Detailing his flying training and operations flown as flight engineer. He was stationed at RAF Wigsley (1654 HCU), RAF Syerston (5 Lancaster Finishing School) and RAF Skellingthorpe (61 Squadron). Aircraft flown in were Stirling and Lancaster. He flew 21 night operations and 12 day operations with 61 Squadron, total 33. Targets were Châtellerault, Givors, Rüsselsheim, Brest (2), Gilze-Rijen, L’Isle Adam, Le Havre, Darmstadt, Stuttgart, Bremerhaven, Rheydt, Wilhelmshaven, Flushing, Bergen, Homberg, Ladbergen (3), Munich, Urft Dam, Giessen, Gdynia, Gravenhorst, Royan, Houffalize, Dresden, Bohlen (2),Harburg, Essen, Wesel, Farge and Nordhausen. His pilots on operations were Flight Lieutenant Davies and Flight Lieutenant Millar. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1654 HCU 61 Squadron aircrew bombing bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945) bombing of Luftwaffe night-fighter airfields (15 August 1944) flight engineer Heavy Conversion Unit Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) RAF Scampton RAF Skellingthorpe RAF St Athan RAF Syerston RAF Torquay RAF Wigsley Stirling training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/882/17768/BHorshamESHorshamESv10001.jpg 1498f141e57378d19034478a39f3c1ce https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/882/17768/BHorshamESHorshamESv10002.jpg fa89ca4452609cb8cf940cfdec1f3b52 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 Horsham, Eric Eric Symonds Horsham E S Horsham Description An account of the resource 14 items. An oral history interview with Eric Horsham (b. 1923), 9 photographs, and his memoirs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 102 Squadron from RAF Pocklington. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Eric Horsham 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 2017-01-05 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 Horsham, ES 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 Eric Horsham - Memories [photograph] [inserted] MU/G ENG NAV P B/A W/OP R/G [/inserted] I was born at Woolwich, part of which was Winns Common, Plumstead on 12 June 1923. Winns Common was the open space at the top of our road, 500 feet above sea level. I well remember the Royal Artillery with gun and limber, drawn by four fine horses, carrying out exercises at speed. 1930 came and at the age of 7, I was now taking note of events, for instance, an unusual noise caused us to look up to the sight of a huge elongated balloon. We knew later it was an R101 airship, on its way to London, guided by the Thames. “What a sight!” By 1937 I had joined the Air Defence Corp, later to be the Air Training Corps, 56 Borough of Woolwich Squadron. The year Len Hutton scored 365 runs, not out. As a junior clerk I was attached to the British Railways Press Office at Westminster. I had started work at the age of 14 in the Woolwich Arsenal but later the railway examination was a must. I was called up in 1942, being vetted A1 at Cardington the onetime home of the R101. Being selected for service as a Flight Engineer, a new trade in those days. The new four engine bombers were now appearing. Joining many others at Lord’s Cricket Ground we soon found ourselves at Initial Training Wing (ITW) at Torquay with other aircrew trades. St Athan in Wales was our next home for six months. The next posting was to Number 56 Conversion Unit, Marston Moor, near York, where I made up the seventh member of a crew, here we got together for the first time. Shortly after which we were posted to Pocklington, the home of 102 (Ceylon) Squadron. We were now in a different world, where the realities of the job were very apparent. Men have their different ways of overcoming unproductive thoughts, we now began operations along with some 30 other crews. People came and went but we [page break] were very aware of empty seats at breakfast. There could have been 7 more casualties on the 16 November 1944. Our target was Julich, Germany to assist the Army’s push into the Ruhr. Leaving the target at 18000 feet we were caught by German radar They were very accurate, the word on the intercom was “Dive, Dive, Dive” at the same time there was an almighty bang which destroyed our hearing, I remember tasting the cordite. The skipper had put the aircraft into a steep dive and down, down we went out of range. How comforting it was to feel the plane levelling off. As a flight engineer, I could move around and now saw large holes in the starboard side of the aircraft’s fuselage. The flaps had also disappeared on that side and vapour could be seen in our slipstream as the large petrol tanks drained away. I had to quickly transfer fuel from the port side to the starboard engines. Our mid upper gunner Jim Finney, who came from Hull, had received damage to his leg and needed immediate attention. It was fortunate that by now we were over our own lines and our skipper Edgar Francis (known to us as ‘Fran’) had taken a direct course to the nearest landing strip, Woodbridge Aerodrome. As we approached the coast fog had closed in, fortunately the runway was lit by FIDO (Fog Incandescent Dispersal Organisation) and Fran made a fast circuit to line up the descent. We were without communication with the ground, therefore it was my job, as engineer, to fire warning flares. I loaded the flare gun in the roof of the cockpit and fired continuously as we prepared to land. I was anxious that flying control should know we were there. We had no brakes but luckily this was a very long runway. We were down. The feeling of relief was palpable. Needless to say Jim was whisked off to hospital. As to the rest of us, we joined hundreds of others who found themselves in the same predicament, in the mess very late on this foggy November afternoon. [inserted] DAMAGED LANCASTER WING [/inserted] [photograph] 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 Eric Horsham - Memories Description An account of the resource Eric Horsham's recollection from his early years in Plumstead, training at Lords, Torquay, St Athans, Marston Moor then 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklngton. Included are two photographs, one of his crew in front of a Halifax and another of the damage sustained to the 'Lancaster's' wing (actually a Halifax). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eric Horsham Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two typewritten sheets 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 BHorshamESHorshamESv10001, BHorshamESHorshamESv10002 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 England--Cardington England--Torquay Germany--Jülich Germany England--Yorkshire Wales--Vale of Glamorgan England--London England--London England--London England--Bedfordshire England--Devon 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. 1942 1944-11-16 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Roger Dunsford Maureen Clarke 102 Squadron 1656 HCU aircrew anti-aircraft fire FIDO flight engineer Halifax Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster RAF Cardington RAF Marston Moor RAF Pocklington RAF St Athan RAF Torquay RAF Woodbridge training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/882/17770/BHorshamESHorshamESv2.pdf b71be78eca2ef0e1e40e256ab49eb9c5 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 Horsham, Eric Eric Symonds Horsham E S Horsham Description An account of the resource 14 items. An oral history interview with Eric Horsham (b. 1923), 9 photographs, and his memoirs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 102 Squadron from RAF Pocklington. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Eric Horsham 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 2017-01-05 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 Horsham, ES 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 1 [102 Squadron Crest] ERIC HORSHAM Flight Engineer 102 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF Pocklington [photograph of front cover of Pilot’s and Flight Engineer’s Notes for Halifax III] Handley Page Halifax [photograph of Halifax] I was born in Woolwich on the 12th of June 1923. By 1930 and at the age of seven, I was now beginning to take note of events, for example watching the R101 Airship on its way to London, guided by the Thames. By 1937, I had joined the Air Defence Corp, later to be called the Air Training Corp. In 1942, I was called up and vetted as A1 and selected as Flight Engineer, (A new trade in those days), just as the new four engine Bombers were appearing. Joining many others at Lord’s Cricket Ground, we soon found ourselves at Initial Training Wing (ITW) In [sic] Torquay with other aircrew trades. St Athan, in Wales was our home for the next 6 months and then on to Number 56 Conversion Unit, Marston Moor, near York, where I made up the seventh member of the crew. Shortly after, being posted To [sic] Pocklington, the home of 102 (Ceylon) Squadron. We now began operations along with some 30 other crews. We were always aware of empty seats at breakfast, and losses sustained by 102 Squadron were the 3rd highest in Bomber Command. On The [sic] 16th of November 1944 there were so nearly another seven casualties. Our target was Julich, Germany, to assist the Army’s push into the Ruhr. Leaving the Target at 18,000 ft, we were caught by German radar, the word on the intercom was “Dive, Dive, Dive” at the same time there was an almighty Bang which destroyed our hearing. You could taste the Cordite. The skipper put the aircraft into a steep dive and then eventually levelling out, beyond their guns range. Damage to the aircraft was substantial, I could see gaping holes in the starboard side of the fuselage, flaps had disappeared and vapour trails of fuel could be seen in our slipstream as the fuel tanks drained away. I quickly transferred fuel from the port side to the starboard engines. Our mid upper gunner (Jim Finney) also sustained leg injuries requiring immediate attention. Now over our own lines, skipper, (Edgar Francis) took a direct course to the nearest landing strip, Woodbridge Aerodrome. Coastal fog obscured our approach but fortunately the runway was lit by FIDO (Fog Incandescent Dispersal Organisation). Fran made a fast circuit to line up our descent. We were without communications so I loaded the flare gun and fired repeatedly from the cockpit roof to let flying control know we were there. We had no Brakes, Starboard Flaps, leaking fuel and fog, but fortunately a long runway… WE WERE DOWN, the mid upper gunner whisked off to hospital, and a relief that was palpable. “JUST ANOTHER OP” on a foggy November afternoon. [page break] 2 DAMAGE SUSTAINED TO MY HALIFAX ON THE 16TH NOVEMBER 1944 OPERATION TO JULICH. [photograph] [underlined] OPERATIONAL SUMMARY [/underlined] My Log Book identifies many operations throughout France and Germany and 102 Squadron were often tasked with night time and daytime bombing raids of strategic Industrial targets, such as:- [symbol] Railway Lines, [symbol] Railway Depots, [symbol] Synthetic Oil Plants, [symbol] Storage Depots [symbol] V1 (Doodlebug) & V2 Rocket Launch sites [symbol] Oil Refineries [symbol] Key Industrial Targets [symbol] My Operations included:- [symbol] The Thousand Bomber raid on Essen [symbol] Osnabruck [symbol] Sterkrade [symbol] Cologne, [symbol] Essen (340 Aircraft) Mosquito’s dropped Red Ground Markers, Yellow and Green Sky Markers. [symbol] Duisberg [symbol] Fuel delivery Ops, low level (250 x 5 gallon petrol filled Jerry Cans) for allied troops fighting in Eindhoven and advancing along the Ruhr. [symbol] Raids on V1 (Doodlebug) & V2 Rocket Launch sites In France. (Mosquito Cross beam targeting) [symbol] OPERATION TOTALISE [symbol] Julich (Raid 16th Nov 1944 ([sic] aircraft sustained Flack [sic] damage and mid upper gunner injured). Note:- Flying Officer LEONARD CHESHIRE was posted to 102 Squadron in June 1940 and subsequently awarded the (DSO). Then further awarded the (DFC) with promotion to Fight Lieutenant whilst serving with 102 Squadron [page break] 3 HALIFAX III DY-Q [underlined] Crew- (From left to right) [/underlined] [photograph] Jimmy Finney Mid Upper Gunner From- Hull. Eric Horsham Flt Engineer From- Woolwich. Owen Shirley Navigator From- Carsholton. Edgar Francis Pilot From- Stoke St Michael. John Morris Bomb Aimer From- Highgate, London. Alan Shepherd Wireless Operator From- Ringwood. Ron Alderton Rear Gunner From- London [deleted] 4 [/deleted] [inserted] 5 [/inserted] 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 Eric Horsham Flight Engineer Description An account of the resource Recollection of Eric Horsham from his early years in Plumstead, training at Lords, RAF Torquay, RAF St Athans, RAF Marston Moor then 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklington. Included is a photograph of the damage sustained to the Halifax's wing. He details his operations over Germany and France. He recalls Flying Officer Leonard Cheshire being posted to his squadron. The last page contains a photograph of his crew, with names, in front of a Halifax. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eric Horsham Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three typewritten sheets 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 BHorshamESHorshamESv2 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 England--Torquay Germany--Jülich Germany--Essen Germany--Cologne Netherlands--Eindhoven England--Hull England--Carshalton England--Shepton Mallet England--London England--Ringwood England--London Germany--Duisburg Germany--Osnabrück Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf) England--London Germany Netherlands Germany--Ruhr (Region) England--Devon England--Hampshire England--Somerset England--Surrey England--Yorkshire 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. 1944-11-16 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Roger Dunsford Maureen Clarke 102 Squadron air gunner aircrew bomb aimer Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard (1917-1992) FIDO flight engineer Halifax navigator pilot RAF Marston Moor RAF Pocklington RAF St Athan RAF Torquay RAF Woodbridge V-1 V-2 V-weapon wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2706/48608/BWalkerSDenmanEAv10001.jpg 2e38c6dbc4d13908e760ed80f0f67aa3 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2706/48608/BWalkerSDenmanEAv10002.jpg c5cf724ccc414bb8fab3c744836a2d58 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 Denman, Ernest Alfred Denman, E A Description An account of the resource 16 items. The collection concerns Ernest Alfred Denman (1921 - 2018, 1417142 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents decorations and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 57 and 227 Squadrons. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Jamie Robert Dyson and Stephen William Baker and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-03-06 2021-03-10 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 Denman, EA 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 Eulogy for Ernest (Denny) Alfred Denham Description An account of the resource Gives account of early life and some details of wartime service as a Lancaster bomb aimer in Bomber Command. Includes some mention of training and operations. Continues with account of life after the war up until his death in 2018. Includes an extract from a love letter to his eventual wife. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource S Walker Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1922-01-28 2018-01-29 1950-03-23 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--London England--Devon Norway Norway--Horten Poland Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie) Germany Germany--Hamburg Germany--Halle an der Saale 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 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 Two 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 BWalkerSDenmanEAv1 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 Anson bomb aimer bombing Lancaster RAF Torquay training Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/470/50454/BBarrJBarrJv2.pdf 468941c1ba3cf62d82acebe36c8e87f5 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 Barr, Jamie James Barr J Barr Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Barr, J Description An account of the resource 50 items. An oral history interview with Flight Lieutenant James Barr DFC (159928 Royal Air Force) documents and photographs. He flew operations as a navigator with 61 Squadron. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by James Barr and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-31 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. 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 Flight Lieutenant Jamie Barr DFC Description An account of the resource A biography of Jamie's time in the RAF. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Scotland--Douglas England--Whittlesey South Africa South Africa--Durban South Africa--Oudtshoorn South Africa--Port Alfred France France--Vichy Germany Germany--Nuremberg Germany--Magdeburg Germany--Berlin Germany--Berchtesgaden 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 Text. Personal research Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Six printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BBarrJBarrJv2 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. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke 12 OTU 1661 HCU 29 OTU 5 Group 50 Squadron 61 Squadron 617 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit air gunner anti-aircraft fire bale out bomb aimer Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Medal ground personnel Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster Manchester navigator Operation Dodge (1945) Operational Training Unit pilot propaganda RAF Chipping Warden RAF Coningsby RAF Dumfries RAF North Luffenham RAF Skellingthorpe RAF Syerston RAF Torquay RAF Waddington RAF Winthorpe RAF Woodhall Spa RAF Wyton Tiger force training wireless operator Women’s Auxiliary Air Force https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/627/19786/MPettyD189456-160831-01.jpg 5fbeec3b9f2e7eae44e16d68e954b091 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 Petty, Doug Douglas Petty D Petty Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Petty, D Description An account of the resource 11 items. An oral history interview with Flying Officer Douglas Petty ( 1923 - 2023, 189456 Royal Air Force) documents and photographs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 429 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Douglas Petty and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-08-31 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. Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document Flying Officer Douglas Petty. Flight Engineer 189456 Born 11th Jan 1923 in ShiId on Co DurhamVolunteered for R.A.F., called up June 1943, enrolment in London as A.C. 2 number 1592021.Posted to Torquay to No 21 initial training wing, No3 squadron B flight for basic training. Then to St Athan in South Wales to train as a Flight Engineer .Com p leted course in March 1944 & awarded my F.E certificate no 86 entry dated 8th March 1944 with a 71% pass. Promoted to Sgt & posted to 1659 conversion unit at Topcliffe N Yorks. Crewed up with an all Canadian crew F/0 Claridge, Pilot, Bullen navigator, F/0 Mannion, Bomb Aimer, Sgt Tammela , Radio Operator, Sgt Jodrell, Mid Upper gunner & Sgt Hay, rear gunner. Commenced Flying training on 15/4/44 completed on 1/6/44. Posted to Leeming, flew first training flight on 7/6/44. First operational flight with F/0 Lasik on 14/8/44.Lost F/o Claridge,posted back to Topcliffe for new pilot F/o Mitchell. Returned to Leeming & commenced operational flying on 12/9/44 Completed 31 operation sorties Promoted to Pilot Officer No 189456 during tour then to F/0. Completed tour on 31/3/45. The crew then consisted of 6 Officers & one Sgt the Sgt was wireless operator E Tammela, Four of the crew were awarded D.F.Cs These awards were in recognition of the mining operations They were Pilot ,Navigator, Bomb aimer & Mid upper gunner. Aircraft flown during this time were Halifax 2.3 &5 ,Lancaster 1&3 .Engines were R.R Merlin & Bristol Radial. My details are. 13Hrs 35 mins on Link trainer to act as second pilot. Flying training was 165.24 hrs of which 4 were flying the aircraft including two landings. Operational flying191.25 hrs .These consisted of 7 daylight ,15 night & 9 Minelaying . Carrying 58 tons of bombs .36 canisters of incendiaries & 27 mines. Giving an average load of 10,000 lbs or 4.4 tons Incidents during tour includ ed Sept 44 , cross country training , mixed with German raid on Bristol.12th Oct 44, daylight raid on Wanna Eickel, flack damage with pieces in Engineers panel .27th Nov diverted to Woodbridge (fog) landed with the aid of F.I.D.O fog dispersal system. 12th Jan 45 mine laying at Kiel . J.U 88 shot down by gunners on second attack , we were only aircraft to return. 1st Feb 45 night raid on Mainz returned on 3 engines , One damaged by flak. 31st March daylight attack on Hamburg attacked by Me262s I used nose guns to help repel attacks. Completed tour in April 45, me to Air HQ Delhi the Canadians back home. I returned home in March 47 to one of the worst winters on record. I was demobilised in April 47. 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 Flying Officer Douglas Petty Memoirs Description An account of the resource Brief memoirs recorded by Doug Petty during his RAF service, covering the period from June 1943 to April 1947. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Doug Petty Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One typewritten sheet 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 MPettyD189456-160831-01 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--Shildon England--Torquay Germany--Kiel Germany--Hamburg Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate) India--New Delhi Germany India England--Devon England--Durham (County) 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. 1943 1944 1945 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource David Bloomfield Maureen Clarke 1659 HCU aircrew anti-aircraft fire bombing Distinguished Flying Cross FIDO flight engineer Halifax Halifax Mk 2 Halifax Mk 3 Halifax Mk 5 Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Ju 88 Lancaster Lancaster Mk 1 Lancaster Mk 3 Me 262 mine laying RAF Leeming RAF St Athan RAF Topcliffe RAF Torquay RAF Woodbridge training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2982/54960/OKnoxVD63842-240818-010001.jpg 4f77a0d932f6ad3925816a2af4815cfe https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2982/54960/OKnoxVD63842-240818-010002.jpg 76f034d5cab6e62786a451252c9d1d80 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 Knox, Victor Douglas Knox, V D Description An account of the resource 196 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Victor Douglas Knox (b 27 October 1920, 63842 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, correspondence, documents, objects and photographs. Following his career in which he flew operations as a pilot with 462 Squadron in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa he was Accidents Officer at 4 Group. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Stephen Knox and catalogued by Lynn Corrigan. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-08-18 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 Knox, VD 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 Victor Douglas Knox's service record Form 543 Description An account of the resource Service record for Douglas Knox from 27 June 1940 to 19 April 1941 on his appointment to a temporary commission. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-06-27 1941-04-19 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Devon England--Durham (County) England--Lancashire England--Hartlepool 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. Service material Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two annotated printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context OKnoxVD63842-240818-010001; OKnoxVD63842-240818-010002 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 Flying Training School Initial Training Wing observer pilot RAF Padgate RAF Torquay training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2513/43534/LDavyFR1108748v1.pdf 5dfaf0d8b52f13656728108e8d47146b 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 Davy, Frederick R Davy, F R Description An account of the resource 21 items. The collection concerns Frederick R Davy (b. 1912, 1108747 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 625 Squadron. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Frederick Popoff catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-05-30 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 Davy, FR 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 Frederick Davy's pilot's flying log book. One 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 Great Britain. Royal Air Force 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. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Description An account of the resource Frederick Davy’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book from 14 December 1940 to 30 March 1943 detailing his pilot’s training at 22 EFTS, 12 SFTS, 15 FTS and 15 AFU. Served at EFTS Cambridge, RAF Grantham, RAF Cranwell, RAF Kidlington, RAF Kirmington, RAF Watchfield, RAF Caistor, RAF Leconfield. Aircraft flown were DH82 Tiger Moth, Anson, Tutor, Oxford, Magister. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940 1941 1942 1943 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England England--Cambridgeshire England--Lincolnshire England--Oxfordshire England--Wiltshire England--Yorkshire Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nick Cornwell-Smith Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LDavyFR1108748v1 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1656 HCU 28 OTU 625 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson C-47 Flying Training School Halifax Halifax Mk 2 Halifax Mk 3 Heavy Conversion Unit Horsa Initial Training Wing Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School Lancaster Mk 1 Lancaster Mk 3 Magister Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot RAF Cranwell RAF Finningley RAF Grantham RAF Hemswell RAF Hullavington RAF Kelstern RAF Kirmington RAF Leconfield RAF Lindholme RAF Tilstock RAF Torquay RAF Uxbridge RAF Watchfield RAF Wymeswold Tiger Moth training Wellington Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2513/43536/LDavyFR1108748v3.pdf 135275e7103f2ceced25f493cc8905b1 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 Davy, Frederick R Davy, F R Description An account of the resource 21 items. The collection concerns Frederick R Davy (b. 1912, 1108747 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 625 Squadron. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Frederick Popoff catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-05-30 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 Davy, FR 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 Frederick Davy's pilot's flying log book. Three Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LDavyFR1108748v3 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 Great Britain. Royal Air Force 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. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Description An account of the resource Frederick Davy’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book from 2 April 1945 to 18 October 1945 detailing his post-war career as an instructor at Bomber Command Instructors’ School. Served at RAF Finningley. Aircraft flown were Lancaster, Oxford. Flew two Cook’s Tours to the Ruhr region. Medal ribbons for DFC, AFC, Aircrew (Europe), France Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Service Medal attached to log book. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1945-07-10 1945-07-20 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England England--Yorkshire Germany Germany--Ruhr (Region) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nick Cornwell-Smith Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1656 HCU 28 OTU 625 Squadron 81 OTU Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson Cook’s tour Distinguished Flying Cross Flying Training School Halifax Halifax Mk 2 Halifax Mk 3 Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School Lancaster Mk 1 Lancaster Mk 3 Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot RAF Castle Donington RAF Cranwell RAF Hemswell RAF Kelstern RAF Kirmington RAF Leconfield RAF Lindholme RAF Padgate RAF Tilstock RAF Torquay RAF Uxbridge RAF Wymeswold Tiger Moth training Wellington Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2513/43535/LDavyFR1108748v2.pdf 5676b500bdc68f33ff059b8472e06acc 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 Davy, Frederick R Davy, F R Description An account of the resource 21 items. The collection concerns Frederick R Davy (b. 1912, 1108747 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 625 Squadron. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Frederick Popoff catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-05-30 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 Davy, FR 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 Frederick Davy's pilot's flying log book. Two Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LDavyFR1108748v2 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 Great Britain. Royal Air Force 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. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet Description An account of the resource Frederick Davy’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book from 1 April 1943 to 28 March 1945 detailing his further pilot’s training at 15 AFU, 81 OTU, 28 OTU, 1656 HCU, 1 LFS and operational posting to 625 Squadron. Posted to Bomber Command Instructors’ School in December 1944. Served at RAF Tatenhill, RAF Grove, RAF Ramsbury, RAF Castle Coombe, RAF Tilstock, RAF Wymeswold, RAF Castle Donnington, RAF Lindholme, RAF Kelstern, RAF Hemswell, RAF Finningley. Aircraft flown were Oxford, Wellington, Anson, Whitley V, Horsa, DC3 Dakota, Halifax, Lancaster. Conducted 3 leaflet drops with 28 OTU to Rouen and Orleans. Then 16 day and 17 night bombing operations with 625 Squadron to Boulogne, Domleger, Reims, Ligescourt, Vaires-sur-Marne, Siracourt, Vierzon, Orleans, Foret du Croc, Tours, Sannerville, Gelsenkirchen, Wizernes, Kiel, Ardouval, Stuttgart, Foret de Nieppe, Œuf-en-Ternois, Douai, Brunswick, Volkel, Stettin, Raimbert, Gilze-Rijen, Le Havre, Frankfurt. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-03-24 1944-03-25 1944-03-26 1944-03-27 1944-03-29 1944-03-30 1944-06-15 1944-06-16 1944-06-22 1944-06-23 1944-06-25 1944-06-27 1944-06-29 1944-06-30 1944-07-01 1944-07-04 1944-07-05 1944-07-06 1944-07-12 1944-07-13 1944-07-18 1944-07-19 1944-07-20 1944-07-23 1944-07-24 1944-07-25 1944-07-28 1944-07-29 1944-07-31 1944-08-01 1944-08-10 1944-08-11 1944-08-12 1944-08-13 1944-08-15 1944-08-16 1944-08-17 1944-08-26 1944-08-27 1944-08-29 1944-08-30 1944-08-31 1944-09-03 1944-09-05 1944-09-06 1944-09-08 1944-09-12 1944-09-13 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England England--Leicestershire England--Lincolnshire England--Oxfordshire England--Shropshire England--Staffordshire England--Wiltshire England--Yorkshire France France--Boulogne-sur-Mer France--Douai France--Le Havre France--Nieppe Forest France--Normandy France--Orléans France--Paris France--Pas-de-Calais France--Reims France--Forêt du Croc France--Siracourt France--Ligescourt France--Tours France--Vierzon Germany Germany--Braunschweig Germany--Frankfurt am Main Germany--Gelsenkirchen Germany--Kiel Germany--Stuttgart Netherlands Netherlands--Tilburg Netherlands--Uden Poland Poland--Szczecin France--Œuf-en-Ternois France--Domléger-Longvillers France--Ardouval France--Sannerville France--Raimbert France--Vaires-sur-Marne France--Pas-de-Calais France--Wizernes Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nick Cornwell-Smith Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1656 HCU 28 OTU 625 Squadron 81 OTU Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson bombing of Luftwaffe night-fighter airfields (15 August 1944) bombing of the Boulogne E-boats (15/16 June 1944) Distinguished Flying Cross Flying Training School Halifax Halifax Mk 2 Halifax Mk 3 Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School Lancaster Mk 1 Lancaster Mk 3 Magister Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot RAF Castle Donington RAF Cranwell RAF Finningley RAF Hemswell RAF Hullavington RAF Kelstern RAF Kirmington RAF Leconfield RAF Lindholme RAF Tilstock RAF Torquay RAF Uxbridge RAF Wymeswold tactical support for Normandy troops Tiger Moth training V-1 V-2 V-weapon Wellington Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1058/18690/LPackhamG1214349v1.jpg b15c3d4aa225bb719740649340d90bbd 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 Packham, Geoff G Packham Description An account of the resource Nine items. An oral history interview with Pilot Officer Geoff Packham (b. 1922, 161076, 1214349 Royal Air Force), photographs and documents. He flew operations as a pilot with 550 Squadron from RAF North Killingholme and became a prisoner of war after being shot down in June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Geoff Packham 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 2016-08-25 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 Packham, G Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document RECORD OF SERVICE UNIT DATES FROM TO [Unit] REC. CENTRE CARDINGTON [From] 18.1.41 [To] 20.1.41 [Unit] BRIDGNORTH [From] 21.1.41 [To] 4.3.41 [Unit] ACKLINGTON [From] 4.3.41 [To] 31.5.41 [Unit] BABBACOMBE [From] 31.5.41 [To] 14.6.41 [Unit] TORQUAY. 3. I.T.W [From] 14.6.41 [To] 1.8.41 [Unit] WILMSLOW [From] 1.8.41 [To] 20.8.41 [Unit] 31 E.F.T.S. CALGARY [From] 20.8.41 [To] 16.10.41 [Unit] 31 E.F.T.S. DE WINTON [From] 16.10.41 [To] 24.10.41 [Unit] 34 S.F.T.S MEDICINE HAT [From] 24.10.41 [To] 30.1.42 [Unit] NO 1 "Y" DEPÔT. HALIFAX . [From] 10.2.42 [To] 28.2.42 [Unit] BOURNEMOUTH. 3 PRC. [From] 10.3.42 [To] 25.4.42 [Unit] HARROGATE. 3 PRC. [From] 25.4.42 [To] 4.5.42 [Unit] 12 AF.U. GRANTHAM. [From] 4.5.42 [To] 29.6.42 [Unit] [deleted] 297 Squadron. [/deleted] AFU HURN [From] 30/.6/42 [To] 7/8/42 [Unit] HGCU. Brize Norton [From] 7/8/42 [To] 12/8/42 [Unit] LONG NEWTON. GLOS. [From] 12/8/42 [To] 20/9/42 [Unit] HGCU. BRIZE NORTON [From] 21/9/42 [To] 13.10.42 [Unit] C.G.S. SUTTON BRIDGE [From] 13.10.42 [To] 31.10.42 [Unit] 7 AG.S. STORMY DOWN. S.WALES [From] 1/11/42 [To] 20/11/43 [Unit] 18 O.T.U. FINNINGLEY [From] 23/11/43 [To] 26/12/43. [Unit] RAF. WORKSOP. [From] 26/12/43 [To] 29/3/44. [Unit] RAF. LINDHOLME. [From] 29/3/44 [To] 8/4/44 [Unit] 1667 CON. SANDTOFT. [From] 8/4/44 [To] 13/5/44 [Unit] L.F.S. RAF. HEMSWELL [From] 13/5/44 [To] 24/5/44 [Unit] 550 Squadron. Killingholme [From] 24/5/44 [Unit] No 61 RESERVE CENTRE DONCASTER [From] 29/10/51 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 Geoff Packham's Record of Service Description An account of the resource A list, taken from Geoff's logbook, of RAF stations where he served or was trained. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Geoff Packham Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One printed sheet with handwritten annotations Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Service material Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LPackhamG1214349v1 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 England--Torquay Canada Alberta--Calgary Alberta--De Winton Alberta--Medicine Hat England--Halifax England--Grantham England--Doncaster Alberta England--Devon England--Northumberland England--Yorkshire England--Lincolnshire 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. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Angela Gaffney Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending review 1667 HCU 18 OTU 550 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit Air Gunnery School Flying Training School Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster Finishing School Operational Training Unit RAF Acklington RAF Bridgnorth RAF Brize Norton RAF Cardington RAF Finningley RAF Hemswell RAF Hurn RAF Lindholme RAF North Killingholme RAF Sandtoft RAF Stormy Down RAF Sutton Bridge RAF Torquay RAF Wilmslow RAF Worksop training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/3131/58323/MBatchelderHE1262838-190626-010001.jpg 2795b5cd8754b51d8512d03332dae87c https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/3131/58323/MBatchelderHE1262838-190626-010002.jpg ab63dc9038d65a6f2c9a207fa12ffcfd https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/3131/58323/MBatchelderHE1262838-190626-010003.jpg 32bd63d31926555805fa71235aa7d4f7 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 Batchelder, Harold Emery Batch Batchelder Description An account of the resource 37 items. The collection concerns Harold Emery Batchelder (b. 1920, 1262838 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, correspondence, and documents, objects and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 102 Squadron before becoming a prisoner of war. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Lynn and Peter Greenhalgh and catalogued by Jan Johnstone. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-06-26 2019-09-25 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 Batchelder, HE 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 Harold Batchelder's personal history Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MBatchelderHE1262838-190626-010001, MBatchelderHE1262838-190626-010002, MBatchelderHE1262838-190626-010003 Description An account of the resource A summary listing key events in Harold Batchelder's life from his birth in April 1920 to his retirement in October 1985. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940 1941 1941-10-17 1941-12-28 1942 1942-06-16 1943 1944 1945 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 Three typewritten pages Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Bedfordshire England--Devon England--Torquay England--Lancashire England--Blackpool England--London England--Rutland England--Yorkshire England--Brough Scotland Belgium Belgium--Brussels France France--Boulogne-sur-Mer France--Dunkerque Atlantic Ocean--English Channel Germany Germany--Bad Fallingbostel Germany--Duisburg Germany--Essen Germany--Frankfurt am Main Germany--Hamminkeln Germany--Mannheim Germany--Oberursel Germany--Ruhr (Region) Lithuania Lithuania--Šilutė Poland Poland--Toruń Poland--Żagań England--Torquay 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. 102 Squadron 19 OTU Distinguished Flying Medal Dulag Luft Flying Training School Halifax Initial Training Wing Operational Training Unit pilot prisoner of war RAF Brough RAF Cranfield RAF Driffield RAF Kinloss RAF North Luffenham RAF Topcliffe RAF Torquay shot down Stalag 357 Stalag Luft 3 Stalag Luft 6 the long march training Typhoon Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/193/30991/LYeomanHT104405v1.pdf 49462f7932270d4426f2cd7505956829 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 Yeoman, Harold Harold Yeoman Harold T Yeoman H T Yeoman Description An account of the resource 31 items. Collection concerns Harold Yeoman (b. 1921 1059846 and 104405 Royal Air Force). He flew operations as a pilot with 12 Squadron. Collection contains an oral history interview, a memoir, pilot's flying log book, 26 poems, a photograph and details of trail of Malayan collaborator. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Christopher E. Potts 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 2016-10-28 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 Yeoman, HT 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 Harold Yeoman’s pilot’s flying log book Description An account of the resource Pilot’s flying log book for Harold Yeoman covering the period from 18 November 1940 to 7 November 1942. Detailing his flying training and operations flown. He was stationed at RAF Sywell (6 EFTS), RCAF Moose Jaw (32 SFTS), RAF Bassingbourn (11 OTU), RAF Binbrook (12 Squadron), RAF Moreton-in-the-Marsh (1446 Flight). Aircraft flown in were Tiger Moth, Harvard, Wellington, Anson, Defiant and Lysander. He flew a total of 14 night-time operations with 12 Squadron, targets were Cherbourg, Calais, Le Havre, Paris, Essen, Kiel, Lubeck, Cologne, but was then limited medically to non-operational flying on a ferry training unit. Medical Board 7 January 1943, Category A48 no further flying. His pilots on operations were Sergeant Potts, and Pilot Officer Cook. 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 LYeomanHT104405v1 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. Canada France Great Britain England--Lincolnshire England--Gloucestershire Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea Atlantic Ocean--North Sea France--Calais France--Cherbourg France--Le Havre France--Paris Germany--Cologne Germany--Essen Germany--Kiel Germany--Lübeck Saskatchewan--Moose Jaw Saskatchewan Germany Germany--Ruhr (Region) France--Pas-de-Calais Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940 1941 1942 1941-11-25 1941-11-26 1941-12-07 1941-12-08 1941-12-16 1941-12-17 1942-01-18 1942-01-28 1942-01-29 1942-01-31 1942-02-01 1942-02-25 1942-02-26 1942-02-27 1942-02-28 1942-03-03 1942-03-04 1942-03-09 1942-03-10 1942-03-12 1942-03-13 1942-03-25 1942-03-26 1942-03-27 1942-03-28 1942-03-29 1942-04-05 1942-04-06 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 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 11 OTU 12 Squadron 21 OTU aircrew Anson Defiant Flying Training School Harvard Initial Training Wing Lysander Operational Training Unit pilot RAF Bassingbourn RAF Binbrook RAF Moreton in the Marsh RAF Sywell RAF Torquay Tiger Moth training Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/407/6865/LAnsellHT1893553v1.pdf edfc366bd5e7a30081d45f021fab8420 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 Ansell, Henry Henry Ansell H T Ansell Description An account of the resource 28 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Henry Thomas Ansell, DFM (b. 1925, 1893553 Royal Air Force) and contains his logbook, his release book, a school report, two German language documents and several photographs, his medals and other items. Henry Ansell served as a flight engineer with 61 Squadron and 83 Squadron Pathfinders. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Vicki Ansell and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-07-30 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 Ansell, HT 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 Harry Thomas Ansell's flying log book for flight engineers Description An account of the resource The log book covers the training and operational duties of Flight Engineer Sergeant Harry Thomas Ansell, from 14 April 1944 to 24 May 1945. He trained at RAF Torquay, RAF St Athan, RAF Stockport and was stationed at RAF Wigsley, RAF Syerston, RAF Skellingthorpe and RAF Coningsby. Aircraft flown in were Stirling and Lancaster. He flew 34 operations with 61 Squadron, 15 daylight and 19 night, and 18 night operations with 83 Squadron. Targets in Belgium, France, Germany and Norway were Limoges, Prouville, Vitry, Doullens, Chalindrey, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Caen, Revigny, Courtrai, Kiel, Donges, Saint-Cyr, Lyons, Stuttgart, Cahienes, Joigny-Laroche, Pas de Calais, Bois de Cassan, Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, Secqueville, Châtellerault, Bordeaux, Rüsselsheim, Königsberg, Rollencourt, Brest, Le Havre, Darmstadt, Boulogne, Bremerhaven, Rheydt, Munich, Heilbronn, Giessen, Politz, Merseberg, Brux, Karlsruhe, Ladbergen, Dresden, Rositz, Gravenhorst, Bohlen, Horten Fjord, Molbis and Lützkendorf. His pilot on operations was Flight Lieutenant Inness. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Belgium France Germany Norway Great Britain England--Buckinghamshire England--Cambridgeshire England--Devon England--Greater Manchester England--Lancashire England--Lincolnshire England--Nottinghamshire England--Yorkshire Wales--Vale of Glamorgan Atlantic Ocean--English Channel Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay Atlantic Ocean--North Sea Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea Belgium--Kortrijk France--Boulogne-sur-Mer France--Brest France--Caen France--Calais France--Culmont-Chalindrey France--Châtellerault France--Doullens France--Joigny France--Le Havre France--Limoges France--L'Isle-Adam France--Villeneuve-Saint-Georges France--Saint-Nazaire Germany--Bremerhaven Germany--Darmstadt Germany--Dresden Germany--Heilbronn Germany--Hörstel Germany--Karlsruhe Germany--Kiel Germany--Merseburg Germany--Munich Germany--Rheydt Germany--Rüsselsheim Germany--Stuttgart Germany--Wettin Norway--Horten Russia (Federation)--Kaliningrad (Kaliningradskai︠a︡ oblastʹ) Germany--Böhlen France--Lyon Russia (Federation) France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) France--Secqueville-en-Bessin France--Saint-Leu-d'Esserent France--Châtellerault Germany--Altenburg (Thuringia) Czech Republic--Most (Okres) France--Revigny-sur-Ornain Germany--Borna (Leipzig) Germany--Ladbergen Germany--Leipzig France--Pas-de-Calais France--Saint-Cyr-l'Ecole France--Prouville France--Pas-de-Calais 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. 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 LAnsellHT1893553v1 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 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944 1945 1944-06-19 1944-06-20 1944-06-23 1944-06-24 1944-06-25 1944-06-27 1944-06-28 1944-06-29 1944-07-12 1944-07-13 1944-07-14 1944-07-15 1944-07-18 1944-07-19 1944-07-20 1944-07-21 1944-07-23 1944-07-24 1944-07-25 1944-07-26 1944-07-27 1944-07-28 1944-07-29 1944-07-30 1944-07-31 1944-08-01 1944-08-02 1944-08-05 1944-08-07 1944-08-08 1944-08-09 1944-08-10 1944-08-11 1944-08-12 1944-08-13 1944-08-14 1944-08-26 1944-08-27 1944-08-31 1944-09-05 1944-09-10 1944-09-11 1944-09-12 1944-09-13 1944-09-14 1944-09-18 1944-09-19 1944-09-20 1944-11-26 1944-11-27 1944-12-04 1944-12-06 1944-12-10 1944-12-21 1944-12-22 1945-01-13 1945-01-14 1945-01-15 1945-01-16 1945-01-17 1945-02-02 1945-02-03 1945-02-06 1945-02-07 1945-02-08 1945-02-13 1945-02-14 1945-02-15 1945-02-20 1945-02-21 1945-02-23 1945-02-24 1945-03-20 1945-03-21 1945-04-07 1945-02-08 1945-02-09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944 1945 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1654 HCU 61 Squadron 83 Squadron aircrew Bennett, Donald Clifford Tyndall (1910-1986) bombing bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945) bombing of the Pas de Calais V-1 sites (24/25 June 1944) Distinguished Flying Medal flight engineer George VI, King of Great Britain (1895-1952) Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) Pathfinders RAF Coningsby RAF Skellingthorpe RAF St Athan RAF Stockport RAF Syerston RAF Torquay RAF Wigsley Stirling tactical support for Normandy troops training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2243/40790/BGardnerM-ManuelRWickhamHWv1.pdf a8d29d7ecebbfcb5b1213488b502426a 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 Wickham, Harry William Wickham, HW Description An account of the resource 23 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Harry William Wickham (b. 1919, 124631 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, a biography, service records and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 102 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Lynne Parry and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-06-29 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 Wickham, HW Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document HARRY WILLIAM WICKHAM – written by Mary Gardner & Roger Manu[deleted] a [/deleted]el). Gary (Harry) Wickham enlisted into the Royal Air Force immediately. He was trained as a pilot in Bomber Command. Roger Manuel & I wrote about Gary’s time when he was in training (Roger was training with him). As a sergeant, he started flying missions into Germany. It took many hours to reach there, with dangers from all directions, on the ground and in the air. Many pilots did not return, but those that did had to go back the next day. Garry [sic] continued thus for two years, and at the end became a Squadron Leader, still involved continuously in bombing missions on a Handley Page Halifax MK11 Heavy Bomber with a crew of seven. This included flying missions over the desert in the Middle East. Almost all of his (Many??) pilots were killed. Gary had many recommendations for bravery in the air and was finally awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) (which I have given to Mark, as he is Gary’s eldest grandson). On 11 May 1945, I went with him to Buckingham Palace where King George invested him with the medal for bravery in the air. We are always proud of Gary’s achievements. [page break] Harry’s main aim was to enlist for the Royal Air Force. [italics] At aged 20, he was one of a thousand male volunteers between the ages of 18 and 28 years who assembled at a hall in Babbacombe near Torquay, during early 1940, to commence training as air cadets, holding the ambition to become pilots and to join a squadron with the Royal Air Force. During the next 2 weeks they would undergo an induction programme at this reception unit, which included lectures on RAF rules and regulations for recognising the ranks and seniority in the different services; health and safety; inoculations; how to make beds; as well as the correct procedure to display uniforms and equipment for inspections. The new recruits were housed in a requisitioned motel, with 2 members in each room. Little did any of these recruits realise that, by the end of the war, only 3 members of this group would still be alive (Harry Wickham, Roger Manuel and one other) At the end of the induction programme, the recruits were assembled late one afternoon and instructed to pack all their kit and be ready to depart for an unknown destination. Later that evening, under cover of darkness, the group were conveyed to the local railway station and ushered into specially allocated carriages. The train moved off and yet none of the recruits had any idea where they would find themselves. Sandwiches and drinks were provided and, after thirty-six hours in the train, they reached the town of Aberystwyth, a holiday resort on the west coast of Wales. The train arrived at Aberystwyth around 8am in the morning. The recruits were ordered to parade in front of the railway station and, after a roll call, were marched to their new sleeping quarters. The route to their billets passed though the city centre and, even at this relatively early time of the day, many of the local residents were lined up on the pavements watching them with curiosity, as this was the first ever contingent of aircrew trainees to visit their city. The sleeping quarters proved to be requisitioned hotels located on the waterfront, all the hotels having sea views across the esplanade. There were four beds fitted into a room with the standard RAF bedding. Some hoped for a day’s respite but the discipline of the military followed almost on arrival. After being served a cooked meal, the recruits were required to parade for medical inspection and an FFI (‘Free from Infection’) check. This routine was carried out because the military was constantly careful to ensure that any risk of VD and other infections did not spread among the units. FFI inspections took place every 2 to 3 weeks. Any trainee feeling sick reported to the sergeant in charge, who then arranged an appointment with a doctor. This was the start of their Initial Training Wing (ITW). Immediate Training began after a briefing on their accommodation facilities. Trainees were paraded on the Esplanade and marched to a local school assembly hall where they were briefed on the programme planned for the next few weeks. This programme involved theoretical training which included (inter a lit) theory of flight aerodynamics, navigation, Morse code communications, military practice and procedure, use of an aircraft, aircraft identification, and health and safety rules. [page break] The programme also included physical training and daily drill sessions before the lectures in the morning and on conclusion of the lectures. The drill sessions were conducted on the Esplanade in nearly all weathers and were considered part of their education. The trainees were rostered to stand guard outside the hotels every night in a ‘2 hours on, 2 hours off’ basis. This duty roster brought them on-guard duty about once a week, but enabled the trainees to experience interrupted nights which was a simple way to sample what was to follow. When they became operational, several 10-mile route marches were also included in the training programme. By the end of this period of training, everyone was considered to be fitter and better equipped mentally to face the next phase of the programme in earning to become pilots. One late afternoon, they were instructed to pack their kits and prepare to move, again without any idea of their destination. That evening they were taken to the railway station, boarded a train and off they went again. The same procedure was followed as carried out in their journey from Babbacombe to Aberystwyth. A day later, they arrived at Cambridge railway station. They learnt that the unit had been posted to the Cambridge Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). This was well known during the pre-war period as Marshall’s Flying School. Bad weather had delayed the final hearing of the previous flying course at Cambridge, so there was no accommodation available on the base. As a result, trainees were billeted into private homes for about a week before they were able to move to their own sleeping quarters on the station. It was a pleasant time, but too short a period for many of them, as they were spoilt and well looked after by their hosts. The station quarters they moved to from the private homes were in fact huts, constructed in all probability during World War 1, with rather indifferent or no insulation. Twenty trainees were allocated to each hut. The weather was unusually cold for late September and the low cloud, with rather extended periods of rain, was considered unsuitable for flying. The time was spent usefully receiving briefings on the Tiger Moth they were to learn to fly, local airfield information and regulation requirements for checking an aircraft before flying. As well as physicals, training, kit and medical inspections, the briefings also included the care and use of a parachute and how to evacuate the Tiger Moth in the event of an emergency. In fact the poor weather was well utilised by the instructors. The men were also allotted to flights and introduced to the instructors. Whilst walking around the hanger where several Tiger Moths were being serviced, the trainees noticed what appeared to be patches on some of the planes that they were led to believe were intended for carrying small bombs. In fact, the aeroplanes had been shot at, were full of holes and were patched up. It was mentioned that, during the high invasion risk in August, provision was made to send instructions if necessary for trainees and their instructors to bomb any invaders to the country. It was also implied that this standing [page break] provision could still be current and applied just as readily to the new trainee intake. It was known that a number of Tiger Moths were quite old and that, on landing, some of the engines tended to stall when the throttle was closed on landing. When the weather improved, the trainees were given Air Experience and Familiarisation Flights with the instructors. In most cases, each instructor was responsible for training 3 pupils and this often meant sitting at the flight hut, waiting for a turn to fly. The engines were started by a mechanic pulling the propellor after a standard safety procedure was followed. The safety procedure included ensuring that the wheel blocks were secure so that the aircraft did not taxi forward. The first flight was stimulating, as well as exhilarating, whilst the first lessons in stalling and spinning were somewhat disconcerting for many of the pupils, but soon they adapted to the training and became accustomed to practising the manoeuvres themselves. The next step was to go solo. Just before take-off on the first solo, the pupils were instructed that, in the event of the engine stalling on landing, they were to remain in the cockpit and wait until a mechanic came out and restarted the engine for them. There was a good reason for this advice. There were relatively large numbers of Tiger Moths taking off and landing on the small grass airfield. It was quite intimidating sitting in a small aircraft with a number of rookie fliers trying to take off and land around you. One trainee pilot had not waited for a mechanic. He got out of his cockpit, walked around to the front of the aircraft and pulled the propellor. The engine started immediately and he was chopped to pieces. It was a salutary lesson for all the trainees. After gaining a little experience, the trainees were sent off on a short country fight and also required to practise instrument flying, with the instructor sitting in the rear cockpit. They received regular flight checks and were then told that they had completed the elementary training programme known as AB INITIA training. In early November, they were given the routine kit inspection and then instructed to pack their kit as they were being transferred to Advanced Flying Training School (AFTS). They learned later that the AFTS was located in Cirencester in Gloucestershire, around the Severn valley and close to the Cotswold Hills. The RAF station was an established ‘peace time’ grass airfield with well-constructed buildings and a large parade ground. After a formal welcome on arrival at Cirencester, they were given an outline of the training programme and a general guide to facilities and layout of the station. The training programme included continued instruction on navigation, armaments and aircraft identification, and flying practice. They would have instrument flying practice using the link trainer, which was a very early and somewhat primitive version of a flight simulator. Night flying, cross-country formation and bomber training were also scheduled during the course. [page break] The trainees were given details of their accommodation, including mess rooms and other facilities, then they were shown their accommodation with instructions to report for parade the next morning. About 10% of the group had been selected to live in the extension of the officers’ quarters and would dine in the officers’ mess. The implication was that this selected group would qualify for a commission on successful completion of the course. After breakfast the next morning, they were marched to the hangar where the flight offices were located and introduced to the flight instructors. The group was divided into four flights, each with an instructor responsible for training the students. After a general discussion, each group was taken to their instructor to be shown the aircraft they were to learn to fly. This was the twin-engine Airspeed Oxford, known to hundreds of RAF aircrew as the ‘Ox Box’. The Airspeed Oxford first appeared in 1937 as a military development of the 1934 Envoy Feeder Liner and was the first twin-engine monoplane in the RAF. The first ‘Oxford’ joined the first central flying school in November 1937 and, by the outbreak of World War 2, nearly 400 were in service. The frame of the ‘Oxford’ was constructed from wood, covered with plywood. The first flight in a twin-engine aircraft was a great experience for the trainees, but some men faced problems landing the aircraft. For some reason, the ‘Ox Box’ was reputed to be a difficult aircraft to fly but the trainees learnt that this was mainly due to the problem in making a 3-point landing. Most instructors suggested that a tail-down landing would overcome the problems and most trainees followed this advice. Going solo in a twin aircraft was an exhilarating experience for most trainees and there was animated discussion in the mess room after flights. The trainees had arrived in Cirencester just as the winter weather was evident and, as a result, flying conditions were sometimes quite uncomfortable and hazardous. The variety of weather patterns that they faced during this period, though, proved to be an excellent experience for trainees later as they progressed their careers as pilots. On the first suitable day for flying, the trainees were given demonstrations on taking off, powered approach and landing, before being sent off solo. In most cases, the pupils were sent on their solo flight after between 6 and 10 hours theory instruction. In addition to flying solo, they were sent on a flight with another course member to carry out various flight manoeuvres. The ground lectures also continued and included navigation, regular instrument training on the Link Trainer and instruction on cross-country flying. Later, when the weather was suitable, the trainees were sent on dual flights with different members of the course, to put into practice what they had learnt in the lecture room. They were sent off on cross-country flights in various weather conditions and the exercises included bombing runs at allotted points marked as targets. A system known as ‘Camera Obscura’ was located at these bombing points that recorder the accuracy of the runs over the targets. [page break] The runs also ensured that the trainees were able to map-read and to locate their position and targets throughout their cross-country flights. One day, after completing a flight and whilst wating for transport to take them back to their accommodation, the pupils learnt that two pupils who had been sent out on a dual flight had apparently elected to ‘visit’ their families and were reported to have ‘dive bombed’ a family home, followed by some low flying with a disastrous outcome. Needless to say, the remaining members of the course received stern warnings to avoid such action; in spite of this, there were other casualties before the course was completed. In March, two of the flight groups travelled to a field in Bilbury from where flying training, formation flying and gliding approaches and landings were carried out. The purpose of operating from Bilbury was to familiarise trainees with the airfield and surrounding area at Bilbury prior to commencing night flying. Trainees received training, after which they were sent solo to qualify for a night landing. They were expected to complete 4 powered night take-offs and landings in the same session. Then followed a break of 2 weeks leave then on to their next posting. The other two flight groups travelled to Bilbury a few days later and went through the same procedures. Subsequently, all trainees were given a flight test by the Chief Flying Instructor to verify whether they had reached the required flying standard. Harry (Wickham) was among the few who were given an ‘above average’ assessment. Later, the course members were assembled and told whether they were now entitled to wear the much coveted RAF ‘Pilots Wings’ emblem over the left pocket of their uniform jackets. Over the next few days, a number of other details and procedures were carried out. This included notification of promotion either as Sergeant Pilots or advise to the selected few who had been recommended for a commission as Pilot Officers. The trainees were then granted 2 weeks leave during which time they were told that they would receive details of the next unit station for undergoing further training known as Operational Training Unit (OTU) (This piece written jointly by Roger Manuel and Mary Gardener (Wickham) [/italics] Harry’s Officer Log Book was issued 17 October 1940. The certificate at that time stated that he had been instructed in aircrew in accordance with standard procedure laid down, and was certified to be competent to start up the Tiger Moth without the supervision of an instructor. He had trained as 2nd pilot on Tiger Moths from 29th September 1940, ending up as First Officer Pilot on 28th October 1940. On 5 November 1940, he certified that he understood the petrol, oil and ignition systems of the Oxford type aircraft, also the hydraulics, the emergency system, action in event of fire, and how to abandon the aircraft. On 27th April 1941, he was then certified as ability above average on Whitley 3 and 5 in air tests at Cologne and Hanover. In July he became a member of B Flight 102 Squadron with operations at Calais. He continued as Pilot throughout August and until the end of 1941 always as chief pilot on Whitley 3 [page break] & 5 with bombing at Berlin, & Stettin (Szczecin, Poland, once part of Germany?) operations at Duisberg. This was the time he met Sergeant Bachelder (?) who became his second pilot. They remained good friends throughout the war and also corresponded afterwards for years. [missing letter]n 1942, he concentrated upon training in his favourite aircraft, the Halifax 1 & ll. On 3 December 1941, the first Halifax arrived from Handley Page Ltd. The conversion training started just after the beginning of the New Year and by 22 April 1942, the Squadron was allowed to fly it first air raid with the Halifax. Sadly, just 5 days later, the first two Halifaxes were lost on operations. Harry had started flying Halifaxes on 2 January and was assessed for flying as ‘above average’. He then continued through to April on air tests and operations. The raids noted little opposition. Later operations targeted bombing. From records: 2nd January. Halifax type l. With 2nd officer Anderson, F/O Johnson – familiarity with dual circuits and landings. Solo and overshoot procedure. Summary for January 1942 Unit 28 HCF. February 1942. Halifax ll (2) Calder Driscoll with S.I engine caught fire. Landed Holme. 12 February 1942. Halifax ll with P/O Turnbull & P/O Welch over the night flying rest 2 crew. March 1942. Halifax l 2 crew solo. Summary – course ending 22 March 1942 Halifax O.C. 28 CP(F?)A Flight l & ll. F On 23 March 1942. Assessment of Ability as a Halifax pilot ‘above the average’. Confirmed as officer commanding(?). Cross country Finningley. Bassing Bourne. Worcester. Local flying and country plus air test. Pilot Halifx [sic] ll. F/Sgt Boyd. Davidson. Fantini, Holmes. & Bill Gillies. Ops at Ostend. Target not bombed (bomb sight u/s. Starboard engine failure.) The flying continued on Halifax 11s until 29th April when Bill Gillies joined him as Rear Gunner. He remained with the crew until 16 June 1942 (3?). There were operations in Cologne in May with the results that over 1,000 a/c on target, smoke from burning up to 1500(0?) This was the most successful raid of the war although 43 aircraft were lost. June arrived with further bombing operations at Essen, always with Bill Gillies in his crew. There were air tests and ferrying to RAF Topcliffe in North Yorkshire. Harry completed 44 trips in all up to 25 June 1942. 102 Squadron from 1 May 1942. The 102 Squadron was originally formed as a night bomber squadron on 17 August 1917 at Hingham in Norfolk. By the end of that year, it had flown 32 separate raids and dropped a total of 55, 199lbs of bombs. Later, its role [page break] changed to being a night bomber and, by the end of WW1, it had flown approximately 295 raids. However, with the war’s end, the squadron returned to England in March 1919. On the 3 July 1919 the squadron was disbanded. It did not finish there. With the realisation that the inter-war RAF was lagging behind most of its European neighbours, and the belief that a future war would be fought entirely by bombers, in October 1935 102 Squadron was reformed at the airfield of Worthy Down near to historic Winchester. [italics] With the continuation of night flying and finally operations at Essen and Bremen, ferrying to Topcliffe for further practice, the crew at the end of June had flown 318 operational hours, making 44 trips. Their new assignment was to the Middle East, due to arrive in Cairo on 26th January 1943. [/italics] Several letters have been received with interesting details of 102 Squadron and the movement of Whitleys and Halifaxes in the years up to 1942. The year 1941 started very badly when a Whitley was intercepted and shot down in the North Sea, with deaths of all the crew. However, it would be over three months before any operational deaths occurred. On 13 March, one Whitley crashed on its return to Britain, killing the pilot and injuring three crew. Another two aircraft were lost over Germany with 9 aircrew killed and one taken prisoner. On 3 December 1941, the first Halifax arrived from Handley Page. The conversion training started just after the beginning of the New Year 1942 and by 22 April 1942, the Squadron was allowed to fly it first raid with the Halifax. Sadly, just 5 days later the first 2 Halifaxes were lost in operations. Harry had started flying the Halifax 1 on 2 January, 1942, being assessed for flying as above average. He then continued to April on air tests and operations. Later, operation targets were bombed. Operations at Cologne in May led to results over 1,000 a/c (?) on target ‘smoke from burning up to 15,000 (feet?). Most successful raid of the war. 43 aircraft lost.’ June arrived with further operations at Essen & bombing, still with rear gunner Canadian Bill Gillies (later to be his brother-in-law) in Harry’s crew. This, with the Halifax 11. Also ferrying to Topcliffe. This continued throughout until 25 June 1942 (?), forty-four trips in all. A friend, Sergeant Batchdelder and his crew were shot down in their Halifax and in June 1942 taken prisoners. Harry was able to meet the Sergeant again after the war. One interesting account appeared in Harry’s log book on 31 July 1942: ‘OPS at Tobruk. Returned on two engines SOS went over sea. Unfeathered. Height not maintained. Crashed into desert. No-one hurt. Bailed out. Halifax.’ This relates to the time when Harry Wickham and his crew, including Bill Gillies, were in action in the Middle East and spent time in the Desert Warfare there. At one stage, his aircraft was attacked and he was forced to tell his crew to bail out, before returning to base alone. For this, he was awarded the [page break] D.F.C. (In later years, we were able to smile quietly at the story told by the crew after landing in the desert among the tents of a desert tribe, with many women watching with interest. Harry was not quite sure how the crew were showing their interest.) The official report was as follows: ‘P/O H W Wickham RAFVR no 462. (RAAF) SQU. This officer has displayed fine qualities of leadership and judgement throughout an operational career, which included the ‘1000 bomber’ raids and three attacks on Berlin while operating from this country. On one occasion, when detailed to attack Tobruk, his aircraft was illuminated by searchlights and one engine rendered unserviceable by anti-aircraft fire. While on the return flight and still 160 miles for base, a second engine became useless. Everything possible was jettisoned and the gunners were ordered to bale out. In spite of this, a forced landing in the desert became necessary. This was accomplished so skilfully by P.O Wickham that the aircraft sustained little further damage and was subsequently salvaged.’ His crew, with Bill Gillies as rear gunner, were held in the desert by Arabs (friendly?), and Harry returned to base alone. He continued flying through the remainder of the year, to both Bombay and Tobrok [sic]. Finally the assessment of his ability for that year was given as ‘exceptional’. All this before travelling to Cairo. July and August were quieter by comparison to earlier months whilst September and October saw a slight increase. Autumn now became winter and the war continued unabated as did 102’s casualties. Three aircraft in November and 7 in December. Winter weather was usually an ally for bomber crews and January 1943 was proof of this, only one training accident and operational loss. At that time, the Squadron was fully operational and it was not long before losses began to creep up again. Experienced crew or crews on their first mission, it made no difference. As the Bomber Command’s campaign intensified, so did 102’s losses. In 1943, seven were lost in February, 5 in March, 4 in April, 9 in May, 5 in June and 10 in July. One Flight Sergeant Hartshorn had been involved in 2 accidents in 1942 from which he and his crew walked away unscathed. His crew were unusually popular. . . . always laughing, joking and leg-pulling. However, one night they got straight into their aircraft without saying a word to anyone or to each other. The pilot did the required checks and sat staring into space. Then they took off. They did not return. During this time, Harry managed to fit in a trip to Wales. His rear gunner, Bill Gillies, had decided to get married and asked Harry if he would be his best man. So, between operations, they travelled together to Treforest, a village in South Wales. This is how I met Harry. He was the best man and I was the bridesmaid. I walked up the aisle with my sister, Esme, and there I met Harry. [page break] The wedding ceremony took place on 15 May 1943 at our church in Treforest, situated at the foot of the mountain Eglwysillian, alongside the river Taff. It was in all a happy and picturesque event, despite the ravages of war. Bill had flown with Harry for many missions to Germany, including the time when Harry was forced to leave him with the rest of his crew in the desert. Later Bill and Esme moved (Esme too?) to the Isle of Man and finally returned to Canada with a baby son, John. In June 1943, Harry continued to fly the Halifax for checks and air tests. On 25 July, when searching the seas, they found a small boat containing ten men of the crew of a Flying Fortress, picked up by the enemy and being taken to Denmark. They were eventually able to direct a launch to their rescue. August 1943 was just as bad with 10 aircraft lost, but then losses lessened towards the end of the year – 3 in September, 4 in October, 5 in November and 4 in December. It was therefore hoped that 1944 would continue in the same way. Only one mission was flown in the first three weeks of January and that was a mine-laying trip for 10 crews, all of whom returned. However, 20 January, 1944 came as a terrible shock to the Squadron when 5 Halifaxes were lost over enemy territory, one crash-landed on its return, another crew became lost and baled out over Yorkshire and another badly damaged by a night fighter. In human terms, 16 aircrew were killed or missing and 22 became prisoners-of-war. The Squadron diarist wrote ‘This was an exceptional night of misfortune and unlikely to be repeated’ but sadly it was less than 24 hours later, in an attack on Magdeburg, that another 4 aircraft were shot down, with 18 aircrew killed or missing and 10 prisoners-of-war.’ Only one more mission was flown that month against Berlin, with the loss of 2 more bombers. February 1944 was another 5 losses before the Halifax was withdrawn from operations over Germany. As a result, the months that followed were much quieter, with the Squadron now carrying out more mine-laying trips. In April 1944, the Squadron started bombing targets in preparation for the invasion of Europe. On 10 June, however, disaster struck. One of the pilots had only recently arrived in the Squadron. Not yet 22 years of age, Squadron Leader David Fisher had already been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and the Distinguished Medal. His loss was keenly felt by all. His crew were coming to the end of their tour in June 1944. During their time with the Squadron, they had seen heavy casualties and few crews were completing their tours. The arrival of Squadron Leader Fisher and his crew vitalised the Squadron. Here was a young, well-decorated man starting yet another tour. ‘Some do survive’ was a common comment. When he and his crew failed to return, the effect was devastating. June 1944 was to be 102 Squadron’s nadir. Fourteen aircraft were lost but, in the six months that followed, only a further twelve were lost. Targets now ranged from supporting the Allied advances to targets in Germany, as a result [page break] of Bomber Command being released from Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in mid September 1944. The flying tests were continued through September 1944 to February 1945. As with most winters during the war, the weather hampered operations during this time. Four operations were lost in operations and another crashed in an accident in January, while just two were lost on the same night in February 1945. Re-equipped with the improved Halifax Mark Vl at the end of February, the Squadron could now hit targets further to the east, its first Mark Vi being lost over the Czech Republic on 5 March. Still, the Germans were capable of surprising the Allies. On 3rd/4th March, German night fighters followed those bombers attacking Kamen back to their bases, where they attacked them. Losses on both sides were high but 102 managed to get away unscathed as Sergeant Bill Ollertom remembers: ‘It was very easy until we had crossed the Channel back to the English Coast on our return, then all hell let loose. Aircraft were flying against the mainstream and the cry of ‘ Bandits! Bandits!’ revealed all. The Luftwaffe was attacking aircraft in all stages of airfield approaches. Consequently, no airfield would switch its lights on. There was plenty of confusion and pandemonium, and the ‘Mayday’ channel was overworked. Then we were given a ‘Mayday’ slot and landed on approach of three lights. Then an equally dimly lit black-and-white control van took us around the perimeter on our last drops of fuel’. The Squadron suffered its last operational loss on 18 March 1945, when Flying Officer Royston and his crew were killed. On 25 April 1945, the squadron flew its last operational sortie, remembered by Flight Sergeant Brabin: ‘Wangerooge was an island at the mouth of the Elbe river near Hamburg, on which were coastal gun batteries to protect naval ships and installations in the Heligoland Blight [sic]. They had been particularly destructive to our bombers, so were delighted to hear that there was to be a massive daylight raid on this target. The flak that greeted us was very concentrated as usual but, as our bombs reached the target, the anti-aircraft fire slowed and eventually stopped. We were well back in the stream in a good position to see the effect we wre [sic] having’. Fourteen days later the war in Europe was over. Two days before that, 102 was transferred to Transport Command. In October 1945, it traded in its Halifaxes for Liberators but, just over a year after the war ended in Europe, the Squadron disbanded. It did not die there and then, in response to an increase in Soviet tactical air-power. In October 1954, 102 was reformed, commanded by Squadron Leader Bill Martin. This time the aircraft was Canberra jet bombers, a temporary measure as 102 was disbanded again two years later. The nameplate was given to a Thor Missile Unit. Four years later, 102 Squadron was disbanded for good. [page break] During WW2, 102 Squadron dropped in the region of 14,118 tons of bombs and 1,865 mines, but the cost of human crew lives had been high. Later, Bomber Command came in for criticism for the tactics it employed and, with the benefit of hindsight, it is always easy to criticise. One must never forget the likes of those that flew, fought and died in such squadrons as 102. They died in order that today Great Britain and Europe does not live under a fascist dictatorship. If there are any doubts as to Bomber Command’s worth, a visit to the Allied Forces Memorial to those still missing over north-west Europe will be a stark reminder and will quickly dispel those doubts. This also applies to the kind of life left to the few who survived. 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 Harry William Wickham Description An account of the resource Recalls Harry's joining the RAF and describes his initial, then basic and advanced aircrew training. Follows move to operational training unit, and joining 102 Squadron flying Whitley. Mentions operations to Berlin, Stettin and Duisburg. Converted to Halifax in 1942. Continues with a list of some flights up to completing 44 operations on 25 June 1942. Includes operations to Ostend and Cologne and final sortie to Essen. Mentions some of his crew. Continues with history of 102 Squadron during world war one. Continues history for the war starting in 1941. Harry was then assigned to the middle east (462 Squadron). Mentions operation to Tobruk 31 July 1942. Provides short account of desert operations and award of Distinguished Flying Cross (includes citation) including forced landing in the desert. Continues with history of 102 Squadron with mention of losses. Harry returned to UK in 1943 and account mention his marriage. Story continues with mention of Harry's flying and losses on 102 Squadron though 1943 and 1944. Harry during this period was test flying Halifax. Account of 102 Squadron losses continues until last operation on 18 March 1945. Concludes with some post war 102 Squadron history and overall statistics for the war. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mary Gardner Roger Manuel Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1940-10-17 1940-09-20 1940-11-05 1940-10-28 1941-04-27 1942-04-22 1943-05-15 1943-06 1943-08 1943-09 1943-10 1943-12 1944 1944-02 1944-04 1944-06-10 1944-09 1945-03-18 1945-04-25 1945-10 1954-10 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Devon England--Torquay Wales--Aberystwyth England--Cambridgeshire England--Cambridge England--Gloucestershire England--Cirencester Germany Germany--Berlin Poland Poland--Szczecin Germany--Cologne Belgium Belgium--Ostend England--Yorkshire England--Worcestershire France France--Calais Atlantic Ocean--English Channel England--Yorkshire Germany--Essen Libya Libya--Tobruk Germany--Wangerooge Island Wales--Treforest Germany--Magdeburg Czech Republic Germany--Ruhr (Region) France--Pas-de-Calais North Africa 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 Air Force. Transport Command 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 Twelve page printed document Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BGardnerM-ManuelRWickhamHWv1 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 Paul Ross 102 Squadron 462 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit air sea rescue aircrew B-17 bombing of Cologne (30/31 May 1942) Distinguished Flying Cross Flying Training School forced landing Halifax Halifax Mk 1 Halifax Mk 2 Initial Training Wing killed in action mine laying missing in action Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot prisoner of war RAF Bassingbourn RAF Finningley RAF Topcliffe RAF Torquay Tiger Moth training Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1455/44281/BSturrockHSturrockHv1.pdf 73924fc68af140093010e46b7b61691a https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1455/44281/BSturrockHSturrockHv2.pdf e9536f1209012be822a3cb719f15041c https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1455/44281/MSturrockH[Ser -DoB]-151002-02.pdf 6b5703af43d63eca6617ff070ccb46ca 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 Sturrock, Henry H Sturrock 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 Sturrock, H Description An account of the resource Three items. The collection concerns Henry Sturrock (Royal Air Force) and contains his memoir and photographs. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 640 Squadron. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Henry Sturrock and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle and Lynn Corrigan. 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 Henry Sturrock - Recollections of a Flight Engineer. Version One Description An account of the resource The recollections of Henry Sturrock, of his time as a Flight Engineer flying in the Halifax with No 640 Squadron at RAF Leconfield. He flew on 35 operations, his first on 12 September 1944 and his last on 2 March 1945. He also recounts his experience in the RAF, after his flying career while awaiting demobilisation. There is also a list of the operations that Henry carried out. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Henry Sturrock Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-06-27 1944-08-19 1944-09-03 1944-09-12 1944-09-13 1944-09-15 1944-09-17 1944-09-25 1944-09-27 1944-10-07 1944-10-09 1944-10-14 1944-10-15 1944-10-23 1944-10-25 1944-10-28 1944-10-30 1944-10-31 1944-11-02 1944-11-04 1944-11-06 1944-11-21 1944-11-23 1944-12-02 1944-12-12 1944-12-24 1944-12-28 1944-12-30 1945-01-05 1945-01-06 1945-01-16 1945-02-02 1945-02-04 1945-02-07 1945-02-09 1945-02-13 1945-02-14 1945-03-02 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Devon England--Yorkshire Germany Germany--Gelsenkirchen Germany--Kiel France France--Boulogne-sur-Mer Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia) Germany--Ruhr (Region) Germany--Bochum Germany--Duisburg France--Calais Germany--Essen Germany--Cologne Netherlands Netherlands--Walcheren Germany--Düsseldorf Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf) Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg) Germany--Leverkusen Germany--Hannover Germany--Hanau Germany--Magdeburg Germany--Wanne-Eickel Germany--Goch Germany--Chemnitz Germany--Leipzig France--Pas-de-Calais 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 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 22 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BSturrockHSturrockHv1, BSturrockHSturrockHv2, MSturrockH[Ser#-DoB]-151002-02 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. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending text-based transcription Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke 1658 HCU 640 Squadron aircrew crewing up flight engineer Halifax Halifax Mk 2 Halifax Mk 3 Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Operation Dodge (1945) RAF Acaster Malbis RAF Hemswell RAF Leconfield RAF North Killingholme RAF Riccall RAF Torquay training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2782/49272/LCookeH115312v1.pdf 5e147419a7edc603ddfacd4e1558e652 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 Cooke, Horace Cooke, H Description An account of the resource 34 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Horace Cooke DFC (b. 3 April 1919, 115312 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, training notes, documents, medal ribbons, and photographs. He flew operations as wireless operator and air gunner with 7,49, 99 and 156 Squadrons before training as a pilot. Later he was an instructor with various units. The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by David Drew and catalogued by Lynn Corrigan. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-06-07 2024-02-24 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 Cooke, H 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 Horace Cooke's pilot's flying log book Description An account of the resource Pilot's flying log book for Horace Cooke covering the period 11 April 1944 to 1 June 1945 when Horace served in Canada with 31 Personnel Dispatch, 19 Elementary Flying School, 17 Service Flying Training School and 7 Bombing and Gunnery School. The log book also lists Horace's record of service for the period 2 October 1939 to 19 October 1944 when he was based in England and Scotland. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Canada Manitoba Manitoba--Dauphin Manitoba--Souris Manitoba--Virden New Brunswick New Brunswick--Moncton Great Britain England--Cambridgeshire England--Derbyshire England--Devon England--Lincolnshire England--Manchester England--Northamptonshire England--Northumberland England--Oxfordshire England--Rutland England--Suffolk England--Yorkshire Scotland Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway Scotland--Prestwick 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 Canadian Air Force 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. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One log book Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lynn Corrigan Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LCookeH115312v1 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 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944 1945 aircrew Anson Battle Blenheim Bombing and Gunnery School Cornell Flying Training School Hampden Harvard Initial Training Wing Lancaster Lancaster Mk 1 Lancaster Mk 3 Operational Training Unit Pathfinders pilot RAF Acklington RAF Benson RAF Burnaston RAF Cottesmore RAF Cranwell RAF Finningley RAF Heaton Park RAF Hemswell RAF Oakington RAF Polebrook RAF Prestwick RAF Torquay RAF Warboys RAF Waterbeach RAF Wattisham RAF West Freugh RCAF Dauphin Stirling Tiger Moth training Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/340/11808/BThomasWKThomasWKv1.pdf e5b0b8afc7063253cd39405680e94d56 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 Thomas, Ken William Kenneth Thomas William K Thomas William Thomas W K Thomas W Thomas Description An account of the resource Four items. An oral history interview with William Kenneth 'Ken' Thomas DFC (1022415 and 186493 Royal Air Force), two photographs and a memoir. Flight Lieutenant Ken Thomas flew operations as a pilot with 622 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Ken Thomas and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle. 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 2016-04-01 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 Thomas, WK Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document If you can't take a joke ........ by William Kenneth Thomas DFC I was born in Liverpool on 19th December 1921. I have a sister namely Evelyn Gwyneth born 15th October 1920. My father and mother moved from Liverpool to Beaumaris in 1924 approximately and purchased a well established chemist business in 40 Castle Street. At that time the population of the town was approximately 3000 and there were two chemist shops. I attended the Beaumaris Council School, both infants and seniors. Whilst at Primary School in Beaumaris, I spent quite a lot of time in the summer months on the boats and the sea shore. I also did a fair amount of swimming, and although there was a public swimming baths in Beaumaris, I preferred the end of the pier. I often swam across the Menai Straits which was very dangerous particularly at low tide when the current was flowing at some 12 14 knots. I was on occasions carried under the pier and was badly cut on the barnacles. I also did rowing, sailing and fishing, and used to know the Straits fairly well. The end of the pier was also one of my favourite places for catching crabs and prawns. I got into a terrible state with mud and grime. I remember on one occasion being there when my mother and a very posh friend of hers, namely, Mrs Sircus waiting at the pier wall, dressed up and ready to take the small ferry boat, which in those days plied from Beaumaris to Bangor. Of course, I wanted to go with them, although I was filthy dirty with mud and had no shoes. Exactly what happened next, I do not remember, although I do recall the incident very well, and no doubt caused my mother some considerable embarrassment. I was a poor scholar and frequently in trouble as I got in with a bad crowd, who were generally very poor and appeared jealous of my living conditions in comparison with their own. I was therefore involved in numerous affrays and mischievous pranks. I only just managed to pass the required standards for entry into the Beaumaris Grammar School as a fee paying pupil, and continued to be in trouble as I seldom did my homework, and spent many long hours playing football and cricket. The headmaster of the Beaumaris Grammar School was a man called Frank Jones. He was a real tyrant, and was most unpopular and hated by both staff and pupils because of his general attitude. He walked in a very stupid manner, and I called him "Here's my head, my arse is 1 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] coming!" I was always in his black books, and whenever anything went wrong, I was usually there. I disobeyed many of his rules, such as not kicking or playing football in the school yard, not wearing school uniform cap and blazer etc., throwing fireworks, snowballs, and so on. I smashed one window in the memorial hall as there was a stone in the snowball I played a lot of football and cricket and was in the school's first eleven. I was also a strong swimmer. I carried off many prizes at local and school swimming galas. I must just mention that in the early days all the rubbish in Beaumaris was tipped in a place called the Point. This is now a boat builders' yard, but it used to be infested with rats. Anyone could go there and catch and kill as many rats as possible and obtain a shilling a tail at Beaumaris Town Hall. Since I had a good dog, a Springer spaniel called Glen; I often went there and made a few bob. Sometimes my friend and I would take a few rats home and let them go in the yard and let the dogs chase them. Most of the money we got was spent in the liberal club on billiards and snooker. Having failed at school in Beaumaris, my father made arrangements for my education to be continued at Friars School in Bangor, and this was where I met my first girlfriend namely Eve Bock. I used to see her every day, as we were both catching the same bus to school in Bangor each morning…More about this will be mentioned later. I once again failed to pass the matriculation examination, and by this time, it was plain to see that the Second World War was fast approaching. Since I was 17 plus, I would be obliged to register for military service. I was completely undecided what I was going to do and finally decided to go into the Merchant Navy as a cadet. This all came about after a long discussion with a friend of my father's Captain Morris Jones who was a member of the Beaumaris Lodge of Freemasons. He was incidentally later killed in action out in the Middle East. I was measured up for my Cadet uniform and had passed all the necessary medical and educational standards required. However, by this time, the war had started, and numerous ships were being sunk by submarines. My mother decided that this was not a good idea and stopped me going. I then informed her of the seriousness of the situation, which she didn't seem to quite understand, and I finally persuaded her to let me go into the RAF on the Ground Staff, with the condition that I was not to fly! I duly passed the medical and educational standards required in Caernarvon, and since I was still under `calling up' age, was able to choose the ground course I required, that was, Flight Mechanic. I was finally called up just after the evacuation on Dunkirk, and had to report to Padgate in Lancashire, where I spent three weeks 2 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] confined to camp until I was conversant with RAF Regulations, and able to conduct myself as an airman. l was then transferred to Blackpool south Shore, where I was in private billets for two weeks and we were thinking we were going to have a very nice war! I was then posted to Bridgnorth Shropshire for further training i.e. square bashing, rifle drill, inoculations, guard duties etc. I was there for approximately 3 months during which time Coventry had received its heaviest raid of the war. We could see exactly what was going on and hear and visualise all that was happening over the skyline, because Bridgnorth Camp was situated some distance from the town on the top of a very steep hill. I also remember carrying our kitbags all the way from the station to the camp, and when we got there, the billets had not been prepared for us. Therefore, we had to set to preparing and cleaning the huts, cleaning the floor and stove, and setting up our beds for the night. We were all by this time muttering a few hash words, but we had to take it, and as we went on, we found that the discipline in this camp was very strict by comparison with what we had experienced previously. The instructors and the people in charge of the various intakes were extremely crude and corrupt. One sergeant instructor immediately informed us that they called him `Slim the Bastard', and that if we crossed him, he would show us `what a real bastard was like.' For instance, on one particular day, we had three inoculations one after the other followed by rifle drill on the square. Several of the people on parade either fainted or fell down, and were merely carried away to sick quarters to recover. From Bridgnorth, I went to No7 S of TT (No 7 School of Technical Training) at Hednesford which was situated on Cannock Chase and very high up in the hills. Consequently, it was a very cold camp. My course here lasted about three to four months. Again, there was very strict discipline and since the school had some four brass and silver bands, we had to form up and march back and forth to and from our work and technical school daily. Apart from the school we had to do guard duties, fire and air raid drills, and also gas precautions and action to be taken in the event of an attack. These duties were all done in the evening after school hours. As you can see, there was very little time for recreation and we didn't manage to get out very much. During my stay, an epidemic of scarlet fever broke out on the camp, and this further complicated matters. However, I finally passed out as a Flight Mechanic – AC1 (Aircraftsman First class) but knew comparatively little about my trade. I was immediately posted to Penrhos Bombing School near Pwlleli in North Wales along with a number of other people on my course. Penrhos was a small grass airfield and was really too small for the types of aircraft operating there i.e. Whitleys, Blenheims, Fairey Battles and Ansons. These aircraft were used for the training of navigators and straight air 3 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] gunners and were kept pretty busy. I was looking after the only Whitley fitted with radial `Tiger' engines and experienced considerable trouble keeping it airworthy. There were constant problems with the engine ignition systems mainly due to the exposure of the plug leads which allowed a certain amount of moisture to seep in, causing engines to cut out or lose power. This, on such a small grass airfield, described in many instances by pilots as `like landing on a saucer' proved to be very dangerous and there were numerous accidents. It was quite common to see five or six accidents daily, due to aircraft either overshooting or undershooting the airfield. Some of these were, of course, fatal and aircraft could be seen burnt out around the airfield perimeter. I [inserted] t [/inserted] eventually became apparent that this airfield was unfit for the purpose for which it was being used, and much of the flying was eventually transferred to a new aerodrome that had just been opened near Caernarvon, namely Llandurog. Here there were proper runways and hard standing, and we finally did all our night flying from here. This meant frequent travelling in open wagons and of course it was very cold and uncomfortable in wintertime. We were obliged to exist on such occasions on pilchards, sandwiches and cocoa for many of our meals, and were glad of these. There was only one really bad accident in the whole time I can remember flying from Llandurog. It involved a couple of Whitleys which were both trying to land at the same time. One landed on top of the other causing the deaths of about sixteen personnel on board. It was, of course caused by carelessness on the parts of the pilots of the aircraft and also the people controlling the aircraft from the control tower. I used to get very depressed with life at Penrhos, although I did do some [deleted] night [/deleted] flying on flight tests, and often flew to our maintenance depot at Hell's Mouth . [deleted] This again [/deleted] [inserted] Hells Mouth [/inserted] , was [inserted] also [/inserted] very precariously positioned, which [inserted] & also on cross country frlights with training navigator & gunners [/inserted] accounted for many accidents during landings. [inserted] & take offs [/inserted] In view of the situation, I was frequently at home [inserted] in Beaumaris [/inserted] at weekends, and [deleted]of course [/deleted] [inserted] was often [/inserted] missing from my flight duties [deleted] and [/deleted] [inserted] I [/inserted] [deleted] i [/deleted] t was [inserted] therefore [/inserted] only a matter of time before I would have been caught. I used to break out of the camp at the back of my billet, and climb over the barbed wire entanglements in order to catch the local bus to Caernarvon and Bangor. Of course, this meant I had to get back [inserted] again [/inserted] very early on the following Monday morning and my father had to drive me to Menai Bridge, where I caught a [deleted] small [/deleted] [inserted] local [/inserted] train on a single track line to a place called Avonwen and then on to Pwlleli. The problem then was getting back into the camp without being seen and before roll call. Fortunately, for me, we had a good sergeant in charge of our flight, Sgt. Hudson, and I [deleted] got [/deleted] [inserted] managed to get [/inserted] away with it on all occasions. In order to prevent trouble in the future, I decided to attend night school. I had a very good education officer, and managed to achieve the required standard of education very quickly. I finally had an interview 4 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] with the camp commanding officer Group captain Williamson, and after an aircrew medical examination, was recommended for a Pilot/Navigator [inserted] /Air Gunner [/inserted] course. I was then posted to London ACRC (Air Crew Receiving Centre) where I was given a white flash for display in my forage cap. I stayed in flats in London in a place called Avenue close, St John's Wood, and had to attend various centres for tests in maths and Signals particularly Morse Code. The Morse test was carried out at Lord's Cricket Ground. We had to pass out at 12 words per minute. Fortunately, sitting close at hand were a couple of wireless operator air gunners who were in the course of remustering to Pilot/Navigators. We, naturally, got all our information from them, and so passed the course comfortably. From London ACRC, I was posted to No 4 ITW (Initial training Wing) at Paignton for 14 weeks. Here we had more instruction on mathematics, signals, meteorology, navigation, airmanship, air force law, armaments, aircraft and ship recognition, and of course square bashing and drill. All the hotels in Paignton had by this time been taken over by the RAF, and I was billeted in the Ramleh hotel right on the sea front. The Palace hotel was close by and this was our mess. All lectures and instruction were arranged daily at a very smart country house outside Paignton off the main Torquay Road. No transport was laid on, and we therefore had to fall in and march to attention at 140 paces to the minute, which was quite a fast pace, for quite a long distance. I had to work very hard to keep up with this course as the pass marks on each subject were very high. In subjects such as Morse Code and Aircraft Recognition it was 100%. I was very lucky to get some help at weekends with my studies from a Beaumaris acquaintance, namely Hugh Williams, who happened to have been a headmaster in Manchester prior to the war and had been called up and commissioned in the RAF. He was instructing on Maths and Navigation at an ITW in Torquay where he lived with his family. Our final test in Signals was unique in many respects as [inserted] we [/inserted] were all assembled on the Paignton seafront and had to read an Aldis lamp signal flashed to us from Torbay (Hope's Nose peninsula) a distance of some six to seven miles. During our time in Paignton and Torquay, we had frequent visits from the Luftwaffe fighters, mainly Messerschmidt 109, and Fokkerwolf 190 fighter aircraft, which roared in from the sea on many occasions and dropped their bombs and strafed the sea front and retired. However, all in all, we had a fairly pleasant time in Paignton. I missed the athletic display put on in Torquay for the visit of King George V1 by Air Commodore Critchley. The reason for this was that I got very badly sunburnt, and managed to get out of this very well. Everybody thought it was a waste of time anyway, and we were browned off in more ways than one, for having to go and prepare for this event. 5 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] On completion of the course, I was made up to Leading Aircraftsman, and had the coveted propeller badge on my uniform sleeve. From Paignton, I was posted to Desford near Leicester to do my [inserted] Flying [/inserted] Grading School. This was to see if I was suitable for Pilot/ Navigator/Bomb Aimer. In order to pass as a pilot, I had to go solo by day and also solol by night. [inserted] T [/inserted] His course was completed in the allotted 12 hours and again, I had no real problems, but many [deleted] people [/deleted] [inserted] students [/inserted] were then sorted out. [inserted] as they failed to achieve the required standard. [/inserted] [inserted] All details of my flying at Desford were lost as I had no log book at that time. This was unfortunate as I particularly wanted to know the exact times I required to be “solo” day & night. [/inserted] I then went to Heaton Park, Manchester [inserted] & slept [/inserted] under canvas to await my posting as trainee pilot to Canada. This was also the time of Gwyneth and John's wedding. John was heading for the Middle East, and they decided on the spur of the moment to marry. Under the circumstances, I was unable to attend the wedding. I only stayed in Manchester for some three or four weeks, during which time, I got engaged to Eve Bock. She was also living in the [inserted] symbol [/inserted] Manchester area, as she had not at that time been called up for the WAAF. During my stay at Heaton Park, the Station Warrant Officer who was a bit of a bully , was thrown into the lake and almost drowned. Nobody had much sympathy for him, and I believe he was later removed from office and absolved of all responsibility for airmen, as clearly we were on the verge of rioting. I finally left Manchester late at night by train for Greenock, Clyde Scotland and was taken out to a liner, namely the Thomas H Barrie, by a steamer known to me from my days on the Menai Straits as the St Seriol, which pre war, was a pleasure steamer plying from Liverpool to Menai Bridge during the summer season. I sailed in a large American convoy, which zig zagged its way across the Atlantic in August 1942, and after fourteen days at sea during which one boat was sunk and another set on [deleted] fore [/deleted] [inserted] fire [/inserted] , the convoy arrived in New York. The journey had been fairly unpleasant as we had very little to do and my bunk was situated near to one of the vents from the engine room and it was very hot and uncomfortable. However the food was good and there was plenty of it. Most of the lads had stomach trouble due to the richness of the food which we were not used to. I had severe diarrhoea but I didn't stop eating. There was a large 14 inch gun at the back of the boat on a special platform and this was firing from time to time. It was manned by naval personnel who were also dropping depth charges because of the submarine menace. I can well remember going through the Newfoundland fog bank off the coast of the USA and waking up in the morning on the outside deck soaking wet and very cold. I had little choice but to sleep [inserted] outside [/inserted] most of the time on deck due to the heat from the engine room. On arrival in New York, we saw the liner Queen Mary which was used at that time as a troop ship. She was speeding back to the United Kingdom full of troops and without a convoy. 6 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] We entrained for Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, and stopped at a place called Bangor Maine on the way north. We were allowed to get off the train, and this was the first experience I had of spending American dollars. The journey took about 24 hours to complete and was reasonably comfortable. We had plenty to eat and the seats were large and roomy. Moncton was a very large holding unit, and all RAF aircrew personnel going in and out of Canada had to pass through there. I was only in Moncton for about four weeks and was then posted to Stanley, Nova Scotia No 17 elementary Flying training School ( Royal Canadian Air Force) where all instructors were civilian bush pilots. Here we flew Fleet Finch bi planes which were fitted with a Kinner 5 R radial engine. The machine was roughly twice the size of a Tiger Moth and used for initial training purposes. It was, I think, a very good aircraft on which to commence flying. The instructors were also very good at their jobs. They were conversant with the aircraft and knew the territory over which we were flying. Seldom did they have to refer to any maps, although these were always taken on our flights. Apart from day and night flying, and aerobatics, we had to attend Ground School, and covered Navigation, airmanship, Aircraft Recognition, Meteorology, and Armaments. [inserted] & Signals [/inserted] Altogether, I did some 76.55 hours flying at this station. There were no serious accidents, apart from the occasional ground loop to which these machines were subject in [deleted] the [/deleted] [inserted] a [/inserted] cross wind. [inserted] The remedy to counteract this was a very quick & positive pressure on the rudder bar – to stop the swing to the right - which was a characteristic of this aircraft. My next posting was to No 8 Service Flying Training School at Lakeburn, New Brunswick, another Royal Canadian Air Force station. This was a fairly large aerodrome, and in those days used by civilian aircraft on regular routes throughout Canada. All Staff in our area were Royal Canadian Air Force, and our unit was separate from the civilian sector. Incidentally, our training was carried out under the Empire [inserted] Air [/inserted] Training Scheme. (Later the name was changed to Commonwealth Air Training Scheme) and there was a large notice board to this effect at the camp entrance. I started my training here on Harvard 2 aircraft, but only did some [symbol ] 2hrs 30 [deleted] m [/deleted] [inserted] hrs [/inserted] on these before changing over to the Anson twin engmed aircraft. I flew some 270 hours in total before getting my wings, instrument rating etc. Again it was , hard work, and I had to attend some of the extra instruction [deleted] exercises [/deleted] [inserted] classes [/inserted] in the evening [inserted] s [/inserted]when I wasn't flying. We had no flying accidents during my time here, although the winter was very harsh and the aircraft difficult to control when landing on ice and snow, particularly in any cross winds. Naturally, we had a `Wings Parade' at the 7 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] end of the course. My `wings' were presented by the C.O., namely, Group Captain Hubbard, and I was promoted to Sergeant Pilot. The `wings' presentation was the subject of a telegram home, as I felt I had achieved a positive result of which I was duly proud. Many of my school friends had failed the pilot's course in the early stages, and I don't believe they expected me to pass, in view of the results I had obtained at school. I returned to 31 PD Moncton to await my posting back to the UK, and was fortunate to meet two old school friends from Beaumaris Grammar School, namely David Prewer and Clifford Roberts. David Prewer was a sergeant bomb aimer, and Clifford Roberts was commissioned as a wireless operator/air gunner. Both were on operations late in 1944 and David Prewer was killed in action. Clifford Roberts bailed out over France and was taken prisoner of war. I returned to the United Kingdom on a very fast liner called the Louis Pasteur. We had no escort and were not troubled by submarine activity en [inserted] – [/inserted] route. However, again it was a very uncomfortable few days at sea, and during this time we had to sleep in hammocks and were squashed into one of the lower deck compartments. Had anything happened while we were in transit, we would not have got out. We had no fresh water on board for washing etc. and sanitary arrangements were very primitive. Going to the latrines was a dangerous business since these were merely long troughs with the sea water rushing through, and any careless movement would have been disastrous. We duly arrived in Liverpool after about seven days out of Halifax which was really good going. The customs people checked all our kit and [deleted] other [/deleted] baggage for cameras and other contraband, and several airmen had to pay up or get their goods confiscated. There were no concessions made even in those days. From Liverpool, we went on to Harrogate by train, and were billeted in the town centre in the Majestic Hotel. My intake was settled mostly on the top floor, and we were a mixed batch of pilots, navigators and bomb aimers. There were no lifts in operation and the main staircase had been boarded up to prevent wear and tear and other damages. We were given further tests, and one which I particularly remember was to check on our night vision capacity. Mine was assessed as being above average and this was noted in my log book. We were also given further inoculations and vaccinations, and after one particular dose, I was taken ill and removed to the sick bay. There I remained for two or three days recovering. Upon discharge, I had noticed some suppurating sores occurring on my nose and mouth area. Nevertheless, the M.O. still discharged me, but by evening time, I was re admitted with impetigo. 8 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] This meant isolation for some three weeks, and then of course a period of sick leave. On returning home, I contacted Eve Bock who was by this time a WAAF sergeant, and based in Lewes in the south of England. I went down to see her, but obviously she had found another boyfriend. I decided almost immediately to retrieve my engagement ring. [inserted] & [/inserted] I finally returned home to Beaumaris really sad and fed up. After this, I had several more girlfriends but nothing serious until I arrived at Shepherd's Grove on a Heavy Conversion course on Stirlings. I was home on leave when I met Mary. More will be said about this at a later stage. My first posting in the United Kingdom was to South Cerney near Cirencester, Gloucestershire to an A.F.U (Advanced Flying Unit). Since South Cerney was the `parent' unit, we were almost immediately transferred to satellite units namely Tetbury and Southrop, to do our day flying and night flying respectively. Owing to the blackouts, night flying was very difficult, and we depended on occults and pundits for determining our position when on navigational exercises. ‘Occults’ were green lights flashing a single Morse [delete] character [/deleted] [inserted] characteric and denoted an aerodrome [/inserted] , and ‘pundits' were red lights flashing a two letter character [inserted] [ indecipherable word ] [/inserted] These were changed periodically to confuse the enemy, and all details of these were given [inserted] to us [/inserted] during pre flight briefings. In the event of any air raids in our vicinity, all aerodrome lights were switched off, and when flying we had to stop all transmissions, and fly from pundit to pundit until the raid was over and the all clear given. In the event of any emergency when flying in Training command, the code word [inserted] for aircraft in difficulties [/inserted] was "Darky” as opposed to the international "Mayday" code used by operational squadrons. All these things had to be fully explained to [deleted] all [/deleted] aircrew taking part in such exercises, and this information was given usually in pre flight briefings. The next stage of my training took me to Cranage in Cheshire where I completed a [inserted ' [/inserted]Beam Approach [inserted] ' [/inserted] course which we had to use in extremely bad visibility, conditions where we could not see the surrounding territory [inserted] or airfield [/inserted] . This was quite a difficult procedure, and we found it almost impossible to follow when flying heavy four engined aircraft because of the frequent large course changes which were necessary to carry out the landing procedures. We therefore used a different, system namely QGH, which was a `talk you down' control through [deleted] the [/deleted] cloud, and your aircraft headings [inserted] & height [/inserted] were all given by the ground controller. A similar system is still in use today. [inserted] Another procedure in foggy conditions was called “Fido” comparatively few airfields were equipped with this system. [/inserted] Upon finishing at AFU, I went to Upper Heyford near Banbury - No 16 OTU (Operational Training Unit) on Wellingtons. Here we had to pick a crew of five people out of numerous aircrew milling around. This 9 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] included a navigator, bomb aimer, wireless operator, air gunner, mid upper gunner, and rear gunner. [inserted] My flight engineer was chosen at Heavy Conversion Unit they were only employed on 4 engined A/C. [/inserted] Flying the Wellington, which was classed as a twin engined medium sized bomber, was very different from what I had been used to. [inserted] As it looked very big and of course far more sophisticated from previous aircraft flown to date. [/inserted] Fortunately most of the people I chose as my crew proved reliable and [deleted] very big and of course far more sophisticated [/deleted] efficient, or at least they did at this stage. Further on, in [inserted] training on [/inserted] the different courses, some weaknesses did develop, and more will be said about this later. First of all, Upper Heyford closed down as a Bomber command [inserted] OTU [/inserted] [deleted] OUT [/deleted] and we were all transferred or posted to No 84 OTU at Desborough, Northants again on Wellingtons. This aircraft, [deleted] as already stated [/deleted] was far more complicated to fly because of [deleted] the [/deleted] [inserted] its [/inserted] size and extra instrumentation. We did many cross country flights particularly at night, some lasting six hours or more, and under some terrible weather conditions. Consequently, there were many accidents occurring in OTUs throughout the country. Many of these flights consisted of [deleted] a [/deleted] simulated attack [inserted] s [/inserted] on various towns and [inserted] chosen [/inserted] targets throughout the country, and usually fighter affiliation and [inserted] machine [/inserted] gun firing exercises were included in these flights. Firing the guns at night particularly, is quite an experience at first as we had tracer bullets mixed in with ordinary rounds of ammunition and the idea of this is self explanatory as it enables the gunners to [deleted] fix [/deleted] [insert] set [/insert] their sights on a particular [symbol] target. [insert] and see exactly where their bullets were going [/inserted] However, when first experienced one got the distinct impression that the aircraft's bullets [inserted] when fire in the [indecipherable word] areas [/inserted] were coming straight in at us, in our aircraft [inserted] which was extremely frightening [/inserted] . However, we all completed this course satisfactorily and went on to fly Stirlings Mark I and Mark III at Stradishall in Suffolk, and; [inserted] then [/inserted] on to its satellite at Shepherd's Grove, near Bury St Edmunds. This aircraft was [inserted] again [/inserted] huge by comparison with the Wellington and was classed as a heavy 4 engined bomber, with a particularly bad reputation: Numerous aircrews were killed flying the Stirling which suffered from all sorts of problems. Operationally they were almost useless because of their limited height approximately 12 14,000 maximum with a full bomb [inserted] if you were lucky [/inserted] . The undercarriage and flaps were operated electrically, and the undercarriage particularly [inserted , [/inserted] was in two tiers making the pilot's cockpit position [inserted] when on the ground [/inserted] some 2 [deleted] 6 [/deleted] [inserted] 0 [/inserted] ft above ground level [inserted] . [/inserted] Added to this, the braking system was inefficient and during circuits and bumps many aircraft ran off the runway due to lack of brake pressure. The undercarriage was weak, as already stated, because it was in two tiers, and in a cross wind, it was easily damaged and I [deleted] f [/deleted] [inserted] t [/inserted] often collapsed. [inserted] with catastrophic results. [/inserted] Towards the end of the Stirling course, I was obliged to take a full medical examination. This happened [inserted] to all aircrew [/inserted] every six months to ensure that [deleted] aircrew [/deleted] we [deleted] e [/deleted] [inserted] were [/inserted] in good physical condition. [deleted] On this occasion [/deleted] , [deleted] I [/deleted] [inserted] I [/inserted] t was [deleted] found [/deleted] [inserted] discovered [/inserted] that my blood pressure was. too high [inserted] & [/inserted] I was immediately sent to hospital in Ely. I was kept under observation [inserted] there [/inserted] for some two to three weeks during which time several tests were carried out, as they thought I might have a 10 WKT Memoirs Raised Feb 2005 [page break] [inserted] ** [/inserted] kidney problem. However, nothing was discovered and I was then sent down to London to No 1 Central Medical Board where I was seen by about eight doctors. Once again nothing could be found, and I was posted [inserted] on completion of the course [/inserted] [deleted] back [/deleted] to No 3 LFS (Lancaster Finishing School) at Feltwell in Norfolk. During this time, my crew had all been on leave and had been enjoying themselves. We were lucky in one way, as we missed [inserted] our previous [/inserted] [deleted] a [/deleted] posting on Stirlings to Algiers, and were really quite pleased about this. [inserted] We were not keen on the Stirling because of its operational performance & other major problems taking off & landing due to weak undercarriage & poor brakes etc. [/inserted] However, I still had to complete [deleted] my [/deleted] [inserted] the [/inserted] Heavy Conversion Course on the Stirling and was obliged to do a night exercise which was a simulated night attack on Bristol. This was called a `Bulls Eye' and during the exercise, it was customary to have on board a screen navigator and also a screen pilot. It was [inserted] therefore [/inserted] very important we all pulled together as an efficient crew. Unfortunately, due to a navigational error, our navigator, by the [deleted] m [/deleted] =name of Jack O' Toole, got us to the target too early, [inserted] and In stead of getting me to do a dog leg in order to waste some time, he took us straight to the target, which was enough to fail him on this particular [deleted] course [/deleted] [inserted] exercise. [/inserted] While stationed at Shepherd's Grave, Jack Gambell and I decided to purchase an old Morris 8 Saloon for £50 at a garage in Bury St Edmunds. The car really was `clapped ' and [deleted] s [/deleted] had a hole in the roof [deleted] of [/deleted] [inserted] on [/inserted] the right hand front corner, and when it rained your legs got wet. It also consumed a large amount of engine oil. [inserted] and this was an indication of pending expensive repairs [/inserted] I taught Jack to drive on this car; and he took it home on his first leave from HC unit. Really speaking, the car served its purpose very well as Shepherd's Grove was way out in the sticks. [inserted] and we needed some transport. [/inserted] The next car I bought was a Triumph Dolomite [inserted] ( [/inserted] Open Tourer [inserted] ) [/inserted]. This was in Littleport. I paid £50 for it from the next door neighbour of Mrs Leicester where we went quite regularly for a slap up meal. She always had plenty of eggs on the menu and made good Yorkshire puddings. Many of our Australian and New Zealand crews [inserted] also [/inserted] met here. The first time I took the Dolomite out, it caught fire [deleted] . [/deleted] I got the wiring behind the dash panel renewed on the camp [inserted] at Mildenhall [/inserted] by a corporal from the MT section. I took this car back to Coventry several times, [inserted] and [/inserted] On one particularly cold winter's day, I was just outside Daventry on my way to [inserted] Coventry [/inserted] to see Mary, when coming towards me on the wrong side of the road was a huge Scammell truck. Apparently, the driver was having difficulty getting up the hill [inserted] in the slippery conditions [/inserted] and had [deleted] chosen [/deleted] [inserted] decided [/inserted] to to try the right hand side [inserted] of the road [/inserted] . I couldn't stop because of the ice and snow on the road, and didn't want to hit the lorry, so chose to turn into the left hand hedge and a deep ditch! The car turned over and I was left upside down in the ditch. Fortunately, I was unhurt and my car was pulled out and put back on its wheels and I drove on my way. I didn't even take the offending vehicle's registration number. However, I found 11 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] that the steering was damaged, due to bent track rods and had difficulty getting to Coventry where it was easily repaired. I took this car with me to Feltwell and Mildenhall, but in the meantime, I had acquired a Hillman Minx, which was being sold cheap on the squadron by a F/Lt Parker. I must mention that second hand cars on the squadron were plentiful, and it was customary when crews were shot down and killed, for these vehicles to be auctioned off on the station. The Hillman saloon proved to be the best car I had purchased to date, and in it I covered a few thousand miles. I remember deciding to paint it blue while on leave in Coventry, but after hand painting it, it started to rain. What a mess! Mary's father finally got it resprayed for £20 in grey and it looked quite presentable. I kept it until the end of the war. The Triumph Dolomite was not used much in Mildenhall as I had two cars, and one night my two gunners stole it. They drove to Littleport where the steering broke and it was finally left on the side of the road for several weeks. I finally arranged for it to be towed back by the army. The towing vehicle was a Matilda tank, and by the time it reached our base, it was a complete wreck and ready for the scrap heap. I duly finished my heavy bomber conversion Stirling course at 1657 Shepherd's Grove on Ist September 1944. We all went through to a Lanc finishing School at Feltwell on 14th September 1944 and I did some 12 hours 50 minutes Conversion Course on Lancasters. We found the Lancaster comparatively easy after the Stirling. On completion of the Lancaster course, I was posted to No 622 Squadron at Mildenhall, where I completed further exercises in fighter affiliation, air firing and bombing before going on to actual operations. I started full operations on 23rd September 1944. The first trip I made was a flight with F/Lt Orton to Duisburg in the Ruhr. This procedure was followed on all operational squadrons as it was felt that the pilot required some actual operational experience before taking a complete crew over Germany. It must be mentioned that F/Lt Orton did not do many more sorties after this, and was shot down and killed along with his crew. I did several more flying exercises in Mildenhall consisting of cross country flights, loaded climbs with full bomb load, fighter affiliation etc., before taking my complete crew over Germany. It was during these exercises that my navigator Sergeant Jack O'Toole was assessed to be incapable of navigating with the accuracy required for operations, and was `washed out.' I was therefore without a navigator for some time. I was very lucky in Mildenhall to quickly find another suitable navigator, namely Sam Berry, as most of the spare people were doubtful 12 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] characters, who had either come off operations because of illness, or because of other navigational discrepancies. Sam Berry was a Flight/Lieutenant and was of Indian descent. He had been taken off operations because of being ill, and had at one time been suspected of having tuberculosis. During the time he was in hospital, his original crew who were Canadian, had been shot down and killed. He was a Fl/Lt when I met him and I was a Fl/ Sergeant, but I was in charge of my aircraft, so he was obliged to carry out my orders. Sam flew eleven operations with me before being seriously wounded on a trip to Homberg in the Ruhr on the 8th November 1944. we were flying in aircraft `L' Love. This was the nearest I got to being shot down, although we had various damage [inserted] s [/inserted] on all flights over Germany, mainly due to the accuracy of their anti aircraft fire. The Germans knew that we would normally be flying in at heights between 18 20,000 feet, and they would put up what we would call a `box barrage' between these heights , and obviously they had to hit something or somebody. As a matter of interest, I will describe what really happened on this particular visit to Homberg. I remember remarking to Jack Gambell, my bomb aimer, that there was a very dark cloud over to our starboard side, and of course, he immediately replied that this was our target and that we would be turning right into it in exactly one minute. He was, of course, right, because the next thing I knew was a big bang and we were on fire caused by a direct hit on the starboard inner engine and aircraft fuselage. Sammy, who was sitting directly behind me at his navigating table, was of course hit in the back by shrapnel. By the time Bill Ralph had got to him, it was after we had cleared the target and he was bleeding [inserted] and [/inserted] in a bad way. My starboard inner engine [inserted] had been [/inserted] [deleted] was [/deleted] on fire. [inserted] And in [/inserted] [deleted] In [/deleted] addition, my windscreen in front of me was smashed, and in the panic, I gave instructions to my engineer to feather the starboard inner engine and stand by. Bill Ralph, my flight engineer, feathered the wrong engine, and consequently we were obliged to fly as accurately as possible over the target area on the remaining good engines, and this proved to be very difficult with an aircraft that was fully loaded with bombs and flight crew. However, we managed after losing about 2000 feet in height, and began to assess the damage. As already mentioned, my windscreen had been completely shattered, and the glass had fallen down and cut my face a little bit, but it was not serious. My mid upper gunner had suffered similar injuries in his turret. Fortunately, we all played our part in getting out of this serious situation, and Bill Ralph who had experience in first aid, managed to get Sammy to the bed which was available a mid ships. Sam was awarded an immediate D.F.C. and I was assured that mine would come later. 13 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] My first priority was to keep the aircraft flying and try to get Sammy comfortable. It was not possible, however, to stop his bleeding, and my next consideration had to be to get down as quickly as possible on to an aerodrome on the English coast. I chose Woodbridge emergency aerodrome situated on the east coast, and [deleted] o [/deleted] after considerable difficulty [inserted] in [/inserted] getting the undercarriage down and locked, I made a reasonably good landing, despite having a further two engines pack up on the approach. Fire engines and ambulances were awaiting our arrival as we had called the station up in advance and Sammy was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. We were all examined by the station medical officer and were all back in Mildenhall soon afterwards. My aircraft was written off, and I was obliged to fly the Lancaster that picked us up, back to base. This procedure was always adopted on our squadron whenever air crews had been involved in such actions or flying accidents, in order to restore their confidence. I was later informed that I could not have reached my home base, had I decided to remain with my original aircraft. I didn't get my DFC until after I had left the Squadron in Mildenhall, although I had been told unofficially that I was to get the award [inserted] . [/inserted] [deleted] and could wear the ribband [sic] [/deleted] . This information was given to me by the Squadron adjutant, who contacted me at Chipping Warden, and was also confirmed by Sammy my old navigator, who had by this time returned to Mildenhall after his hospitalisation, and was working at the base headquarters. [deleted] Also n [/deleted] [inserted] N [/inserted] ormally, it would have been presented by the King, but at this time he was very ill and the medal was sent by registered post with a personal letter with his signature. I also received a letter of congratulation from the Beaumaris Town Clerk and Town Council. I went on with my crew to complete our tour of 33 operations, which finished on 22nd February 1945. I did not fly with Sammy again after the eleventh operation and had to fly with many spare navigators who were floating around the squadron, and this was not very easy as some of them were pretty awful. One in particular Fl/Sgt McKay got me lost over Germany on a trip to Leipzig and we got back very late and had been given up as `missing' on operations. [deleted] Fl/ [/deleted] McKay proved to be a complete nervous wreck and mentally unstable. Whatever happened to him afterwards, I could not say, but I believe he was assessed as LMF (Lack of moral fibre) I must say at that time, I had no regrets about bombing Germany, as they were bombing us and I just wanted to return the compliment. Flying conditions over the continent, particularly during the winter, were the cause of many flying accidents and frequently many crews did not find their target. They were initially obliged to depend on D.R. Navigation (dead reckoning). The inaccuracy of aircraft instruments and in many instances lack of flying experience….. [inserted] also took their toll. [/inserted] 14 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] [arrow headed line down left hand side of page] Finding the target depended on evading the enemy fighter [inserted] s [/inserted], and ack ack anti aircraft barrages and searchlights which were particularly fierce in the Ruhr and around all the main towns and cities. As mentioned, navigation depended on D.R navigation initially, and later on new equipment such as radar [inserted] – [/inserted] GEE, G.H and [deleted] H25 and also [/deleted] [inserted] H2S increased accuracy [/inserted] …… Target marking was also important as Jerry often jammed radar and radio equipment. Added to this when flying through a cold frontsome [sic] of the flying instruments ie pilot head, although electronically heated, froze solid and this meant that we had no airspeed indicator or altimeter, and the ice that built up on the leading edges of the wings and on the [inserted] airscrews [/inserted] ………..used to come adrift and crash against the fuselage, which was very disconcerting, and when experienced for the first time, the noise was frightening. [inserted] T [/inserted] [deleted] t [/deleted] owards the end of the war, the main bombing force was assisted by Pathfinders, a specially trained force who marked the target in various ways, again depending on the prevailing weather as sometimes we bombed through cloud and with the GH equipment, we …:[inserted] were able [/inserted] [deleted] with this equipment [/deleted] to bomb to within 50 yards which was considered to be a direct hit. There were occasions when bombs got iced up on the bomb racks due to the cold, and these dropped into the bomb bay when we descended to a lower altitude, usually after leaving th target. The ruling was that in an emergency bombs would be dropped "safe" in certain areas ie the Wash and the Channel but we had to drop all our load in or on enemy territory. We would not land with a bomb rolling about in the bomb bay, and in such cases where we were concerned, a secondary target was chosen on the return route. Prior to any raid, day or night, there were many regulations and procedures to be followed. First of all security on the bomber stations was strict, but even so, it often happened that the people ` [deleted] dwn [/deleted] [inserted] down in [/inserted] the village' knew what was going on. Battle orders were drawn up usually each morning upon receipt of instructions from Bmber [sic] Command Headquarters. These indicated the names of crews affected, the target to be attacked numbers of aircraft taking part. All arrangements for bomb load, rations, fuelling aircraft and briefings of aircrew members, were given to the various sections pilots, navigators bomb aimers, gunners were briefed by their section leaders, and a general final briefing was given by the squadron C.O. and senior staff. A little later, after this general briefing, we were taken out with all our kit to our individual aircraft to carry' out further checks and await take off time. Radio silence was strictly adhered to, and orders to take off were given by means of Aldis lamp or signal cartridge from the control tower. A limited amount of time was taken for take off and taxiing and all aircraft were checked 15 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] and lined up ready for departure. Timing was , of course, all important as all aircraft had t [sic] bomb and clear the target spot on time and on the appointed compass heading to avoid collisions. We usually bombed from 18000 to 20000feet and reduced height by 8000 immediately after releasing our bombs. I would mention that to ensure we all bombed our target, every aircraft carried a camera in the nose, and a photo flash in the tail portion. When the bomb doors were opened over the target area and the bombs released, the photo flash would be released at the same time, and a photograph taken of the target area. The photographs were scrutinised by our Intelligence Department on our return to base and if anyone had not been to the target, they wanted to know why! This was really a .......method to ensure that we all did our job. On completion of my operational tour (33 operations), all of my crew were posted as screen instructors to various OTUs in 3 Group. My wireless operator, Fred Charlesworth and myself were posted to Chipping Warden, and I was awarded my DFC on leaving the station. Prior to going there, I did an instructors' course at Silverstone to get me acquaint [inserted] again [/inserted] with [deleted] t [/deleted] Wellington aircraft on which we were instructing. My time in chipping Warden was very restricted and I did very few trips. The war in Europe ended, and many aircrew were then made redundant. I was not asked, but was posted on a Tiger Moth course at Birmingham Airport. I was not very pleased about this. However, whilst on holiday in Beaumaris, I met Lady Megan Lloyd George at a garden party and would mention here, that my father knew her pretty well. When I explained my situation, she promised to do her best to get me into Transport Command. Shortly afterwards, I had a posting, not to Transport command, but to Ferry Command, which was the next best thing, and I did a short course on airspeed Oxfords at [deleted] Boscombe [/deleted] [inserted] Aston [/inserted] Down. I was then posted to No 5 Ferry pool at Silloth. I flew many different types of aircraft, most of them twin engined and four engined types. On the twin engined aircraft, we carried no crew, but on the four-engined aircraft, we always carried a flight engineer. We were supplied with crystal [inserted] s [/inserted] for the radio transmitter unit and had to tune this equipment ourselves.This was quite an interesting job as we flew all the different types of aircraft arriving on our station. Most of these were taken to the north of Scotland or to Ireland to be put in storage. We were given no instruction on the aircraft we flew. [deleted] We [/deleted] [inserted] But [/inserted] were given a little blue book containing details of all types of aircraft and were obliged to study the respective performance figures prior to take off. Surprisingly, we had only one fatal accident the whole time I was with this unit. 16 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] I was demobbed in August 1946, and completed a course for a `B' flying licence, as I intended to do some civilian flying. However, pilots were very plentiful in those days after the war, and there were problems finding a suitable job. Also, there was my high blood pressure which always came to the fore during the regular six monthly medical examinations, so I decided to seek work elsewhere. First of all, I made a bad mistake and joined the Coventry Police force, serving as a police constable for some twelve months. During this time, I got married, and found the money in those days very tight. I earned £5.00 per week plus a boot allowance, and had to work on shifts. I finally handed in my resignation after twelve months. Again, I experienced considerable difficulty in finding suitable work, as I had no real qualifications apart from flying aircraft. I finally got work in the Standard Motor Company in Canley. I had no wages for the first year as I was a student. I then went on to Service Reception, and was eventually allocated a territory as a service representative. This territory included the whole of the Midlands, South Wales as afar as Aberystwyth and right across to the Wash and East Anglia. This job entailed being away from home quite a lot. However, there were other advantages, such as having a car which was change [inserted] d [/inserted]. frequently every 10,000 miles, and of course, all the maintenance, insurance and running costs were paid for by the company. Eventually, I had the opportunity of going abroad, which was a step forward, and an increase in status and salary, so I jumped at this. My first trip abroad was for three months, and included most countries in Europe and North Africa plus a visit to the oil wells of the Middle East which were at that time operating the Standard Vanguard. On my return,a great deal of service reorganisation and company changes were taking place, and I was posted on a permanent basis with my family to Brussels in the 1950s. This again, meant a great deal of time being spent away from home, and although Brussels was a very good centre, the job, to say the least was a little bit inconvenient, and threw a lot of extra work on my wife Mary. After three years, I was again recalled to the United Kingdom [inserted] because of reorganisation [/inserted] and given the territory comprising Spain, Portugal, all of North Africa, as far as Angola and the Belgian Congo, and the Mediterranean countries as far south as Egypt. These changes of territory were taking place the whole time I was with British Leyland, and I finally ended up with a territory comprising the whole of Asia, Australasia, south America, central America and the Caribbean. This meant going round the world practically every time I did a trip. For this, I was promoted to Service Executive, and awarded an increase in salary for the extra responsibility and inconvenience involved. However, it meant a lot more work for Mary and 17 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break the children. With all the problems it caused at home, the move was not really worth it, but work was difficult in those days. I finally finished up at Land Rover at Solihull. I had by that time completed 33 years service with the company which was then known as British Leyland. The final crunch came when I had reported sick with prostate gland trouble. I was instructed by the company to get the operation completed quickly and they would pay all my expenses. This I did, but the company did not want to pay, and I finally had to foot the costs myself. I was in BUPA, but because I had previously had similar problems, they refused to accept the expenses involved. I felt that the company had let me down, and even the trade union to which I belonged was useless. I felt that nobody had appreciated my effort s over the past years and I got out as quickly as I could. I did manage to buy my company car - a Dolomite Sprint at a special price. Apart from that the company paid nothing and the pension in those days was extremely poor by today's standards. I would also mention that life during my working days in the motor trade was extremely precarious, as the unions were always going on strike and fighting for better conditions and better wages, but the quality of the final product was poor, and often disgusting. As a consequence, our sales, in overseas markets in particular, suffered. This deterioration became more noticeable in later years. The people in top management were most incompetent, and got their jobs not because of what they knew, but because of who they knew. During my whole service with Standard Motor Company, Land Rover, and British Leyland, I can only remember going on strike once, and I vowed I would not do it again regardless of the consequences. It was a waste of time and money. On retirement, Mary and I went to live in Portugal. We had a nice little two bedroomed villa situated some 3 km from Tavira, in a kind of cul de sac. We had all facilities including a swimming pool measuring some 8 x 4 metres. Most of the neighbours were English, and we got on with them all very well. We carried out various modifications during our time there including converting the top floor into a self contained flat with full facilities and capable of accommodating 3 4 people. This flatlet opened on to a flat tiled roof and overlooked the swimming pool. We were very happy living there although we did find the medical expenses there. high, and had always feared the day when we might need to pay for expensive medical treatment and hospitalisation. We were very happy, until Mary became very ill with lung cancer and on her return to the UK, died after only two weeks in Walsgrave Hospital where she was receiving treatment. Unfortunately, she had a bad fall in the hospital ward just prior to her death and smashed all her front 18 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 [page break] teeth, and was badly bruised. I often wonder how much this fall affected her life span, and sometimes wish that I had complained more to the hospital authorities. However, Mary had been a heavy smoker all her life. She would not go to see the doctor because I do believe she knew what he was going to say. Being sick in Portugal was very costly, and I am sure she was avoiding medical attention over there because of the conditions and expenses involved. Being back in the UK would have improved her chances of survival, but I feel that she had left it too late to do anything about her problem. When Mary died, my real life seemed to end and can never be the same again. She was wonderful, always so kind and considerate, not only to me but to everybody she met. Everybody I have spoken to held her in very high esteem. I feel that my life is over now and if it wasn't for my children and grandchildren, I don't think my life would be worth living. They have all been truly wonderful. 19 WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005 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 If you can't take a joke... Description An account of the resource A detailed account of Ken Thomas's life from his early years at school, through his ground crew technical training and his aircrew training, operational tour, short post war service and his civilian career. He revised the account in 2005. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ken Thomas Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-02 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 19 typewritten pages 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 BThomasWKthomasWKv10001 to 10019 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 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending review 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 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Peter Bradbury David Bloomfield Maureen Clarke 16 OTU 1657 HCU 622 Squadron 84 OTU Advanced Flying Unit Anson Battle Blenheim briefing Distinguished Flying Cross flight mechanic Flying Training School Fw 190 Gee ground crew H2S Harvard Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing lack of moral fibre Lancaster Lancaster Finishing School Me 109 mechanics engine military service conditions Operational Training Unit Oxford perception of bombing war RAF Bridgnorth RAF Cranage RAF Desborough RAF Desford RAF Feltwell RAF Heaton Park RAF Hednesford RAF Llandwrog RAF Mildenhall RAF Paignton RAF Penrhos RAF Shepherds Grove RAF Silloth RAF Silverstone RAF South Cerney RAF Stradishall RAF Torquay RAF Upper Heyford RCAF Moncton sanitation Stirling strafing training Wellington Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1545/36135/LKennedyJL19210211v1.pdf 3f86ab857a9f2e2281142d6e63a322d1 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 Kennedy, J L Kennedy, John Lyle 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 2016-10-01 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 Kennedy, JL Description An account of the resource Two items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant John Lyle Kennedy DFC and DSO (1921 - 1998, Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and pilot's notes for Wellington. He flew operations as a pilot with 192 Squadron. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Campbell Kennedy and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff. 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 L Kennedy’s pilots flying log book Description An account of the resource Pilots flying log book for John L Kennedy, covering the period from 2 February 1942 to 30 November 1945. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and instructor duties. He was stationed at RAF Induna, RAF Kumalo, RAF Perth, RAF South Cerney, RAF Wing, RAF Feltwell, RAF Foulsham, RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Lulsgate Bottom. Aircraft flown in were Tiger Moth, Oxford, Wellington, Halifax, Mosquito, Martinet, Harvard, Fairchild, Anson, Master, Lancaster and C-47 Dakota. He flew total of 34 operations with 192 Squadron. Operations flown are listed as Special Duty operations, carrying out radar countermeasures but targets are not named. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942 1943 1944 1945 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain Zimbabwe England--Buckinghamshire England--Gloucestershire England--Norfolk England--Somerset Scotland--Moray Scotland--Perthshire Zimbabwe--Bulawayo 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. Log book and record book Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One booklet 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. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mike Connock Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LKennedyJL19210211v1 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1660 HCU 192 Squadron 20 OTU 26 OTU Advanced Flying Unit aircrew Anson bombing C-47 Flying Training School Halifax Harvard Heavy Conversion Unit Initial Training Wing Lancaster Martinet Mosquito Operational Training Unit Oxford pilot radar RAF Feltwell RAF Foulsham RAF Kumalo RAF Lossiemouth RAF South Cerney RAF Torquay RAF Wing Tiger Moth training Wellington https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/769/9367/YDexterKI127249v1.pdf eaf09649af90b3a0b45e75742d497557 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 Dexter, Keith Inger Dexter, Dec K I Dexter Description An account of the resource 33 items. The collection concerns Flying Officer Keith Dexter (1911 - 1943, 127249, 1387607 Royal Air Force ), a policeman before the war, he flew as a pilot with 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds. He was shot down and killed with all his crew on 16/17 June 1943 on operations against Cologne. Collection contains a dozen letters from 'Dec' Dexter to Phyllis Dexter,There is an extract from the 103 Squadron Operational Record Book on the loss of his aircraft and crew, maps of where his aircraft crashed, official Royal Air Force personnel records, Netherlands official documents, document about his aircraft as well as a photograph of a Lancaster over Lincoln and a crew. There are photographs of his grave as well as a group of people, including Keith Dexter being interviewed as a pilot trainee by the BBC at RAF Hatfield. There are two detailed daily diaries covering his time in the Royal Air Force from from 3 April 1941 to June 1943 which relate activities while training and on operations. There are some memorabilia, a photograph of a Lancaster over Lincoln, a painting, and an <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/770">album</a>. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Lieutenant Colonel Monty Dexter-Banks and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br />Additional information on Keith Inger Dexter is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/106139/">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 2017-08-30 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 Dexter, KI Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [book front cover] [inserted] Engagements [/inserted] [page break] DEXTER. DIARY FROM JOINING R.A.F. [indecipherable] [inserted] Engagements [/inserted] [page break] Memoranda Th. 3 4/41. Attested Euston House. S. 1 6/41. Holiday. Bolton Abbey with Con. M. 16 6/41. Con to Stradishall. M. 28 7/41 joined R.A.F. A.C.R.C. ST. [indecipherable] 28 7/41 – 9 8/41 A.C.R.C. 9 8/41 – To No.1 I.T.W. Babbacombe. Got [underlined] fit [/underlined]. Fairly hard work – interesting. 30 8/41 M.K. Gibbon’s – 12 9/41 Party K. 22 9/41 – 26 9/41 Final exams. 26 9/41 – 29 9/41 leave [deleted] A [/deleted] Party – Stradishall 30 9/41. Travel overnight to No1 E.F.T.S. Hatfield. 1 10/41 Arrive Hatfield. Good grub. Neat [indecipherable]. First sight Tiger on nose in middle of aerodrome. 3 10/41. 1st. trip with instructor. Rather strange at first. Planes seem to go crab fashion below you Ground very hard to read. No ill effects except for bumps. Glad to get back to ground though. Think I’ll like it. Off to Cons. Hitch to Cambs. 4 10/41. Leave - Stradishall. 11 10/41 [indecipherable]. 12 10/41 Cons by car with Phyl. Pick up Mary. Chicken lunch – lovely. [page break] For Week of Monday [deleted] 12th Oct. 1941 [/deleted] [deleted] MONDAY [/deleted][underlined] F. 17 10/41. [/underlined] wonderful hitch to Cambs. 3/4 hour. Got soaked from Haverhill. [underlined] Th. 23 10/41. [/underlined] Went solo. [deleted] TUESDAY [/deleted] [underlined] F. 24 10/41. [/underlined] could’nt do anything right. Reaction after solo? [deleted] A [/deleted] Party – S. Palace. [underlined] S. 25 10/41. [/underlined] up & doing. [underlined] Sun. 26 10/41. [/underlined] B.B.C. broadcast from [deleted] WEDNESDAY [/deleted] Hatfield. After to see Phyl [indecipherable] & Dora. [underlined] M. 27 10/41. [/underlined] 1 hour’s solo. Everything O.K. must have been re-action. [deleted] THURSDAY [/deleted] [underlined] T. 28 10/41. [/underlined] Rumour we’re leaving. F.F.I. [underlined] Th. 30 10/41. [/underlined] Regret left Hatfield. C.O. [deleted] FRIDAY [/deleted] very interested and decent. Very sorry to go. On leave to 5 11/41 repeat A.C.D.C. [indecipherable]. [deleted] A [/deleted] Party. F. 31 10/41. To Cons. [deleted] SATURDAY [/deleted] Sun. 2 11/41 Party W.A.A.F officers mess and Off. Mess Stradishall. [underlined] Mon. 3 11/41. [/underlined] Flip Wellington. ‘F’ Freddie. [deleted] SUNDAY [/deleted] [underlined] Tues. 4 11/41. [/underlined] Left Cons en route A.C.D.C. Saw Phyl & [indecipherable]. Party [deleted] A [/deleted] [page break] Memoranda W. 5 11/41. Arrive A.C.D.C. Manchester. Good homely digs at Wyatts. Fail [indecipherable] Manchester. F. 14 11/41. Spur of moment party – good. S. 15 11/41. 7pm. Air. “Fantasia” Sun. 16 11/41. [indecipherable] lunch (white sauce). [indecipherable] supper. Th. 20 11/41 – 21 11/41 Overnight to Greenock. Embark H.M.T. [indecipherable] at [indecipherable] bound for Halifax Nova Scotia en route for U.S.A. Grounded rather. Sleep hammocks comfortable. Good grub. Harbour interesting. Sat. 22 11/41. Weigh anchor. Depart harbour to Sea. 10.30/am through [indecipherable] to off Scottish Coast. Howard Marshall & Julian Huxley aboard. Also [indecipherable] with Fleet Air Arm [indecipherable]. Sun. 23 11/41. 0830. joined by two freight ships and one destroyer. Set sail in earnest 0930. [indecipherable] Pork lunch. Heaps of people sick. Bit queasy – eat good tea then O.K. Grand on deck - [indecipherable] forward. Green faces. Felt rather homesick. Cautious beer flat – queue for dry [indecipherable] Cigs etc. Very cheap. [page break] For Week of Monday 24th. Nov 1941 [deleted] MONDAY [/deleted] [underlined] MONDAY [/underlined] 24 11/41. Green faces – sick everywhere Sea getting rough. Continue O.K. Good grub – now plenty of it. TUESDAY 25 11/41. O.K. Eating well. Gale terrific pitching and huge seas. Grand fun. Man overboard destroyer – poor devil’s had it. Hove to during night. WEDNESDAY 26 11/41. 3 days out. Sea still high and boat pitching. Took over Mess orderly to dodge guards etc! Green faces. Freighters left us. Grand fun. THURSDAY 27 11/41. 4 days out. Lectures in Officer’s lounge – interesting. People recovering – not so much grub – still good. Big seas. Getting colder. FRIDAY 28 11/41. 5 days out. Snow & sleet. Rumour not far off land – false. Ploughing steadily on. Most people recovered. Food still good. Fully lit ship passes in evening. Destroyer investigates. SATURDAY 29 11/41. Rumours rife – but all false. Still going ahead. No sign of Jerry yet. Saw “Convey” – good. Played Bridge. Man-o-War crosses bows well ahead – exchanges signals with destroyer. SUNDAY 30 11/41. Rumours but no Landor Jerry. V.Cold & uninviting. Handed in £10. Enjoyed trip so far. Moving well now. [page break] Memoranda [underlined] Tuesday 2 11/41 [/underlined] Docked Halifax 8 am. Ashore 1.15pm. Cables sent. Entrained for Moncton for A.C.D.C. 6 hour journey. Arr. 7pm. marched up to barracks. Brand new. Very warm. Most comfortable bed after hammock in tiers of two. Fleet Air Arm still with us. On way here passed through wonderful country. Pines and lakes with shacks seen through trees. Small towns & villages composed of a church always – and houses al in wood. No brick or stone to be seen. Halifax harbour inland a wonderful sight. Good meal served on train and another on arrival. Kitchens on train and A.C.D.C. very open. Strange to see lights again. track single for the most part with passing points. Block of one engine-in-section at a time prevails. [indecipherable] from [indecipherable] to Moncton. [indecipherable] at [indecipherable] dished out apples to troops. Several troop trains going towards Halifax. The [indecipherable] return cargo? Sleep – oh marvellous. [underlined] N.B. RAILWAYS. [/underlined] Not so safe as in England. Queer system of single line working no tables. Track have double line [underlined] holts [/underlined] used either way. Track circuitry no apparent signalling. Centralised control. Points had worked on [underlined] MAIN [/underlined] line. No tank [page break] For Week of Monday 1st. Dec. 1941 MONDAY 1 12/41. Rumour – no land. Not far away now. Cold. Saw shoal of porpoises in afternoon – wonderful. D.R.O says docking tomorrow. Land sighted 10.30pm. TUESDAY 2 12/41. Can sight land & lights distinctly – marvellous sight. Going well ahead now. Destroyer now left us. Docked 8am. Ashore 1.15pm. see opp. Saw Wallace. WEDNESDAY 3 12/41. No work as yet. Posted mail & had look round town. People very decent. Good for shops & repair as you wait [indecipherable]. English tobacco – stacks. Disturbing rumours about U.S.A. THURSDAY 4 12/41. Excellent hygiene here. Drink through straws – paper tissues. Excellent and varied grub at reasonable prices. Restaurants or Grills like “Quality Inns”. People grand though seemingly slow. Evening dinner Town. FRIDAY 5 12/41. Man found to have hanged himself in drill hall. Bridge. 1250 Photos then down Town. Wonderful mixed grill. Had a look at Railway. We’re in the heart of moose country. Told excellent shooting & fishing. Bridge then bed. SATURDAY 6 12/41. Paraded us work. Bridge. Thought we’d hitch to St. John – but decided against. Dave & I 5 mile walk. Scenery very same everywhere. Supper at Bennetts – bed. Wet. SUNDAY 7 12/41. Up late nearly missed breakfast. Nothing to do. Wrote home & cards. Mind everywhere. Snow afternoon. Thick in evening. Drier snow than England. Bridge – bed. JAPAN DECLARES WAR – BOMBS HONOLULU, SINGAPORE ETC. [page break] Memoranda engines. Shunters called “Switchers” and shunting “Switching”. All [indecipherable] carry huge head lights and wonderful drive whistles. Crossings usually not protected by gates. Train uses its whistle continuously to give warning of approach. At crossing a load single gong bell is started when train is 300 feet away and an arm with red lamp swings from a post across the road. All worked by track circuit. All main line engines appear to be 4-8-4 and switchers 0.6.0 or 2.6.0 tender engines. All engines kick up large amount of smoke. All vehicles whether goods or not are bogie. The [indecipherable] have 6 wheeled bogies. [underlined] R.C.M.P. [/underlined] A state controlled body – can operate anywhere. Each province I/C of [indecipherable] & sub-divided into Sub-Divisions I/C of [indecipherable]. Organisation very similar to M.P. Better system of forms. Those required in [indecipherable] already stacked up in the required No. with carbon in between – only require to be put in typewriter. Accident reports are completed by ticking off items which apply on a special form – no long winded typing. Far less forms than in the M.P. to cover a larger field of work. [page break] For Week of Monday 8th. Dec. 1941 MONDAY Heavy fall of snow overnight. More pleasant than wind. Snow seems more powdery & does not wet so much an English variety. Plenty of snowballing. U.S.A at war. TUESDAY 9 12/41 no more snow but plenty about. Paid a visit to R.C.M.P. pleasant welcome invitation to go and drink there. See opposite page. WEDNESDAY 10 12/41 Dodged fatigue’s in morning and in afternoon set out for majestic Hill – found snow too deep. Wonderful scenery. Reports that P of Wales and Repulse sunk by Japs. THURSDAY 11 12/41. Had a hot shower & grub with Solomon’s [indecipherable]. Met Dennis Moyar on way here from U.S.A. passes O.K. being hit [indecipherable] at 200 mph at 5000’ in cloud! After to town & supper at “Windsor Grill”. FRIDAY 12 12/41. After pay parade to town to get silk stockings for everyone and no lipstick. Sent home via [indecipherable] in time for Christmas I hope. After exchanged shoes for 3$ in town. Bridge then bed. Saw G. Wilkinson this morning. SATURDAY 13 12/41. Short parade. Bridge before and after lunch. Too lazy to go out but eventually met Solomon, Charles & Wilkinson. Grub - [indecipherable] – dance – bed. George has failed on landings. SUNDAY 14 12/41. Told we’re supposed to be moving South on Tuesday. Dodged fatigues – Snow turned to rain and a spot of thaw. Bridge all day. [page break] Memoranda no crime Book – just loose leaf binder to hold one copy of crime Report prepared in quadruplicate. Finger prints taken on similar form to ours. System of working – local towns have their own Police and local bye-laws are practically left to them as a matter of courtesy. Mounties deal with State offences – liquor, game, big crime involving districts, travelling criminals etc. Start work 9 am. Patrol according to what is happening – usually 9 am to 6 pm. but are “on tap” for 24 hours. Uniforms – Scarlet full dress worn at Police Court, special & ceremonial parades, otherwise the un-dress of a bluish khaki is worn with the blue breeches (yellow stripe) and brown knee boots – very smart cut & fit. All recruits receive 6 – 9 months training at Regina which appears to be a 1st. class Training School & well appointed. Certainly the saying seems true that “There are only two Police Forces, the M.P & R.C.M.P.” [underlined] SNOW [/underlined] Finer & more powdery than in England. Does’nt wet your clothing. Sun shines quite warmly during [page break] For Week of Monday 15th. Dec 1941 MONDAY 15 12/41. Moving at 6am tomorrow. Changed all [indecipherable] to American currency. Bath and then down Town for an evening meal. Packing. Frost during night – everything frozen hard – dangerous walking. TUESDAY 16 12/41. Up 4.30am. parade 6am march station move 7.55am. Grand trip glorious scenery. ST. John, McAdam, Brownsville (Maine U.S.A.) Montreal 2.30am. Stopped [indecipherable] – beer 1st for 3 weeks! WEDNESDAY 17 12/41. Slept indifferently on seats let back on a slide. Toronto, Ayr 10.30 am, 1/2 hour route march to stretch. Winded through tunnel to Detroit – dirty – Toledo, Cincinnati new [indecipherable] march [indecipherable]. C.P.R. right thro’. THURSDAY 18 12/41. We are to keep the C.P.R. Coaches right thro’. Awoke at Chattanooga Tennessee. Atlanta – Montgomery then Maxwell Field. Scenery all day like the New Forest only more of it. FRIDAY 19 12/41. Reveille 5.45 am. Parade 6 am. Heaps of B/S. We are to be drilled U.S. fashion – also U.S. arms drill. Address by R.A.F. senior officer in hanger in the evening. Very tired. SATURDAY 20 12/41. Up at 6am. more arms drill and U.S.A. foot drill. Told we are to do a ceremonial Sunday parade in public – hence the drill etc. Quite enjoying all this. Grub excellent for climate. SUNDAY 21 12/41. Up 6am. short church parade after breakfast. Early lunch then a complete rehearsal. 3.30pm. parade proper with band spectators etc. We put up a good show. Union Jack carried. [page break] Memoranda the day and slight top thaw occurred. At night as soon as sun goes down it freezes hard & possibly snows also. Makes everything look marvellous. All the local people are at once prepared for it. Cars have chains and the bodies of hand carts etc. are taken off the chassis and put on a chassis equipped with runners – all [indecipherable] a land of snow. In spite of warm days local people wrap up well – they know. During day often an icy wind which makes your ears literally freeze – and ache. When sun is out the snow looks a wonderful colour of blue – reflecting the blue of the sky. Real need to wear tinted glasses if out for any length of time – Snow falls a lot End of November to December and lasts until end of March to April. Never seems to get slushy like good old England. No hills round here for winter Sports – pity. All sleighs or for that matter horse drawn carts have small bells attached to the traces. Snow ploughs used on roads & footpaths as well as railways. Whether it is reflection or what I don’t know but when the sun is shining the sky is a glorious greeny-blue [page break] For Week of Monday 22nd. Dec. 1941 MONDAY 22 12/41. Up 6am. as usual! P.T & drill in the morning. Lecture after lunch – fell asleep. Treated myself to a new pen! Spot of bridge. Wrote K. TUESDAY 23 12/41. A heavy tropical type of thunder storm overnight. Sheets of rain. No outside parades. Re-shuffle of quarters. Still with Dave & Thomas. An evening Christmas sing-song in hanger – R.A.F excelled. Good fun. WEDNESDAY 24 12/41. Open post cancelled – rumour Japs A/C Carrier in Mexican Gulf. Troops fed up. someone sent telegram to Churchill in Washington! Later allowed open post of camp. Bored. Had walk round. [indecipherable] THURSDAY 25 12/41. Allowed open post from 9am to 4.30pm. on guard at 4.30pm. To Town beer, turkey at Morrisons – more beer then guard. Fraternised with U.S. Cadets good fellars. Few drinks. FRIDAY 26 12/41. Guard to 4.30pm – tiring job glad when over. Last tour of duty very hot and heavy on the feet. According to U.S. Regs not allowed to stand – must keep moving! Obviously not complied with. SATURDAY 27 12/41. Parade thro’ Town in Blue-Grey Festival. 10am. Hard work but good show. After beer & grub at Morrisons Then to ball game at Gampton Bowl – disappointing. Later Blue-Grey Ball – lovely. Tommy Trinder’s band. SUNDAY 28 12/41. Returned 1.30am. straight to bed tired. Stayed in bed to 9am. Leisurely shave etc. lunch 11.30. Usual Sunday Parade. R.A.F. colours presented. Bridge wrote home. & bed. [page break] Memoranda and when sun sets the whole sky is a blaze of colour. Snow and roads etc. soon settles down & becomes frozen hard. There is no slush. [underlined] FOOD. [/underlined] Not so unlike English dishes as at first one imagined. Different cuts of meat such as ‘T’ bone steak etc. food generally much cheaper. A whole supper @ 45c the same price as one ice cream sundae or fancy effort at the Soda fountain. Method of ordering is to choose the main dish which are priced on the menu and usually grouped together in price order. Menus all in English! Then you choose the soup or tomato juice etc. course, the sweet also the vegetables, for the main dish & last coffee, tea or milk. Having fixed the price of the meal by the main dish the rest is thrown in by the management! Usually lashings of all the kinds of vegetables on the menu and an extra cup of coffee if required. All restaurants are usually “Bennett’s Grill” or “Alison’s Grill” with “Art Bennett. Prop” under the name! some are called restaurants but usually grills. The interior is much the same. Always a soda fountain then snack bar with tall seats, and the rest [page break] For Week of Monday 29th. Dec 1941 MONDAY 29 12/41. Usual day – parade in the afternoon. At 7.30pm. O.C. Capt. Luper lectured on the U.S.A. “Honor” System in hanger. Troops got and enlightened him on the British code of honour. He was shot down in flames! Cable K. TUESDAY 30 12/41. Usual day. Rumour that we’re going on the 11th. Shan’t be sorry. [underlined] Japs take Manila. [/underlined] Damned [indecipherable] lectures up to now ore History & Geography (U.S.A) & Aircraft Rec. bridge – bed. WEDNESDAY 31 12/41. Usual day. We won the Sqdn. Competition! After parade into Town. Drinks – eats – flicks (“Yank in R.A.F. – good) drinks. Got bored at 11pm & returned 11.30pm. Went to bed. Heard New Year come in. Cable from Con. THURSDAY 1 1/42. Reveille same time. Period of P.T. excused drill owing to winning Competition. Raining. Open post after lunch to 7.30pm. did’nt go out. Rumour we’re going on 6th. Spot of trouble over the [indecipherable] damage. Honour at stake. FRIDAY 2 1/42. Received five letters & one parcel (Con) all via Heaton Park & [indecipherable]! makes things look a bit rosier. Bridge – prepared room for inspection next day. SATURDAY 3 1/42. Presentation of American Wings to Advanced Class – lucky devils – address by Gov. Weaver O.C. U.S. Air Corps. Open post 12.15pm – 12.15am. Town. Meal – Tommy Horsfall. Dance Intro. Saxons. Invite next Saturday. SUNDAY 4 1/42. Reveille usual time. [underlined] Wrote home [/underlined], A.W.Smith, Rly. Mag. Macs. Gilletts, Phyl. Went into Town – just had a look round museum at Capitol – tea & home. [page break] Memoranda divided into knife board partitions to hold four – similar to the Quality Inns. Iced water and a plate containing rolls, biscuits or cookies as they are called, with butter are always provided with a meal. To choose a complete meal is cheaper by far than to order a la carte. Incidentally Bennett started in Moncton 5 yrs ago with 50$! [underlined] HEATING. [/underlined] all houses large or small are “steam heated”. Indoors in Moncton is stifling far too hot. They do not seem able to strike a happy medium. Even the buses are heated by hot pipes. Probably accounts for the T.B. going from humid atmosphere to the freezing cold outside. Still – in each house however small there is a boiler in the cellar. Then according to the wealth of the owners there is a proper radiator system or just pipes lead off to all the rooms blowing in hot air. The wooden houses are much hotter than the brick variety – also wood is cheap and easy to get. The Canadians do not seem to have frost difficulties as in England. They don’t seem to take any special precautions but expect the “steam heating does the trick. [page break] For Week of Monday 5th. JAN 1942 MONDAY 5 1/42. Received a parcel from Rice with tobacco and one from Con with long letter all via Manchester & Moncton – very nice. TUESDAY 6 1/42. Find we’re on the move on Saturday. Ring Saxons and re-date for Wednesday. Spot of bridge. No B/S parade. WEDNESDAY 7 1/42. Definitely going Saturday think its Tuscaloosa. Make date with Saxons – have a good evening. Nice large house with big log grate & logs! First home I’ve been into – for 2 months! THURSDAY 8 1/42. List definitely up for Tuscaloosa. Leave Saturday 13.15hours. Get out kit bags etc. Glad we’re going. Practice B/S parade for visitation tomorrow. FRIDAY 9 1/42. Up 5.30am. B/S parade at 9 am for Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles Portal who arrived by a Douglas. Packed kit etc. Open post to 10pm after lunch went down Town. SATURDAY 10 1/42. Left at 1.30pm for Tuscaloosa by motor coach. Good journey 147m in 3 1/2 hrs. Tuscaloosa a change from Maxwell. Good billets, grub fair, less B/S. SUNDAY 11 1/42. A day of ‘Pep’ talks & lectures from 6am to 8pm! Settled down in rooms. I rather like the place Similar to Hatfield not so good. [page break] Memoranda [underlined] THE JOURNEY SOUTH [/underlined] 16 12/41 – 18 12/41. C.P.R Coaches with adjustable seats which also swivel so that you can face the window or turn right round for cards, etc. Told we get America state at Detroit. Start at 7.55am. Usual scenery to ST. JOHN. Diners attached and we climb & climb. Scenery very grand and glorious along St. John river. Climbing hard with occasional easy. Changed our Canadian national 4.8.4 for a C.P.R. 2.8.4 at St. John with smaller wheels. [indecipherable] different toned whistle. Stock rides well and silently but terrific jolts on starting. Arrive [deleted] Ma [/deleted] QADAM short 2.30pm and change engines for another of same type. Climbed onto cab but driver said it was against law to give footplate trips – pity. Away again – soon cross a small river by bridge and we are in the U.S.A. – we cross the state of Maine to reach Montreal. Stop at Brownsville – get cigs & chocolate. Playing bridge scenery now rather flatter and covered with small farms. American cottages although of wood do not seem to be so well built as the Canadian version. Coaches are very warm – too hot really although there is plenty of snow about. Continue to climb to majestic [page break] For Week of Monday 12th. JAN 1942 MONDAY 12 1/42. Lectures to lunch. Flying at 12.30pm. M. [indecipherable]. Power off & P. on Stalls. S & L 40 mins. Stearsman P.T.17’s heavy & clumsier than moths. Decent Instructor. [indecipherable] – does’nt [indecipherable]. 40 mins. Wrote home TUESDAY 13 1/42. Lectures. Flying at 12.30pm 35 mins. Not good can’t do anything right. P.T.17 heavier to handle than Tiger. Rudder and bank to be put on together! Fair landing. Feel a bit fed up. WEDNESDAY 14 1/42. Lectures – flying 12.30pm. made a much better job of it. Getting used to the P.T.17. good take off & landing. Felt better and more confident. K. THURSDAY 15 1/42. Flying 12.30pm. 1 1/2 hours. Made a fair job of it. Did circuits and bumps at faster [indecipherable] of solo. Flick show at the station – quite good. Wrote G.H.W. FRIDAY 16 1/42. Flying 12.30pm. Only did 2 circuits & bumps – to make up for yesterday. Fair. Wrote to Wilkinson. Open post – did’nt go out. Wrote Sal. SATURDAY 17 1/42. Flying 12.30pm. [indecipherable] then circuits & bumps Fair [indecipherable] of solo. Open post went down town to Methodist Hall – poor. Snack then beer at Ellis Club. SUNDAY 18 1/42. Actually allowed to sleep on to 9.30am. what a treat. Wrote home, Sheila, Cyril & Nora, Charlie. Rested rest of day. Did not fly today. [page break] Memoranda Stop here for 20 mins. We’re now in the Province of Quebec therefore we dash to an hotel conveniently near the station and grab three bottles of beer each. Had to ask for cigs in French! Beer not bad rather light in colour & on the palate. Was double headed and away we go – through the Town. We now move in two C.P.R. diners with kitchens end to end in relays. Grub excellent and plenty of it. Waiters very obliging. Scenery now much grander and the two engines are working hard to lift us over the hills. No tunnels – just heavy gradients. Engines not suited for double heading and we are going slowly with jerks. Don’t like these central buck-eye couplers. We have crossed the top of the U.S.A. province of Maine to reach Majestic. Darkness falls with glorious colours among the pines, hills, frozen lakes and general splendour. We play bridge until bed time then make ourselves as comfortable as possible for the night on our slide back seats - 3 men to 4 seats sandwich fashion. 17 12/41. Wake up to find a [indecipherable] cold [indecipherable]. The heat is full on and the doors which we opened have been closed. Still better after a [page break] For Week of Monday JAN 19th 1942 MONDAY 19 1/42. Flying 7.A.M. SOLO 4 [deleted] 3 [/deleted] Circuits & fair landings. Very glad – performed at Tuscaloosa. TUESDAY 20 1/42. Flying 8.30 am. 2nd SOLO at Rice. 3 circuits & fair landings one wheels first. Feel quite happy on my own. Rice very small “cabbage patch“ – good fun. WEDNESDAY 21 1/42. Flying 7.30am. 3rd SOLO at Tuscaloosa. 4 circuits & 3 fair one bump landing. Seem to have lost the knack of holding-off. Hope it will come back. THURSDAY 22 1/42. Flying 7am. Over to Rice to shoot 1st stage. 6 circuits 3 fair landings 3 W.F. Think I must be getting a little stale. Still not too bad. Satisfactory “Stage”. Flick – Alexanders Rag Time Band. FRIDAY 23 1/42. Flying 8.30am. Bad visibility – no solo. Up to 3000 and stalls etc. Instructor did two slow rolls. Hanging in straps – could’nt stop laughing. Open Post – flicks. Beer in Town. SATURDAY 24 1/42. Open post after the B/S inspection. Went into Town after lunch. Met Mrs Jones – car ride round & met Foster. Nice people. More beer & bed. SUNDAY 25 1/42. Up 5.30am. Flying 9.15 am. Bad visibility earlier. Over to Rice shot a “Satisfactory” stage. 7 Circuits. 5 landings O.K. 2 W.F. wrote home & to W/C. Pyke. [page break] Memoranda wash and a breath of fresh air on the platform. The coaches – called cars – are heated as usual from pipes running from a boiler and the end. The windows which are as usual [indecipherable] do not open. The coach really gets too hot and everyone is in shirt sleeves. Well we seem to have left the grand woods & lakes for the flat farm country south of Montreal which we passed at 2.30 am. I am told. We are now on the western bank of Lake Ontario which looks just like the sea, with a horizon complete. From the map one does’nt realise the real size of the lakes. Via Brownsville to Toronto where we all pile out. We exchange our 4.6.4 for a C.P.R. 4.6.2 No. 8256 of the same class as No. 8250 which headed the Royal Train. Snow now definitely left us and it seems warmer. Now move to Ayr and stop for a half hour’s route march to get some fresh air and stretch the old legs. Surprised to find some snow all slushy on the road. On again and we have lunch. Country very flat here – all farming, except for the farm buildings it might be England except the ground has that queer brown colour. We are travelling along the western bank of Lake Erie though we cannot [page break] For Week of Monday 26th. JAN 1942 MONDAY 26 1/42. Flying afternoon 1hr. dual. Usual exercises. Not to brilliant still a little progress. Good flying weather. TUESDAY 27 1/42. Flying afternoon – if any. Low cloud 10/10 strong variable wind. Collins had one hour but instructor said it was no good. Gripe committee. WEDNESDAY 28 1/42. Flying afternoon. Still 10/10 at 3000’. Had 52 mins dual and went above cloud. Glorious at 5,500’. Did some Slow Rolls, Roll off loop, chandelles or rather instructor did. Flick – good. Two letters K. THURSDAY 29 1/42. Flying afternoon. Good vis. 40 mins dual – pylon eights. 45 mins solo out of traffic. Got used to spins etc on my own. Enjoyed it. [indecipherable] FRIDAY 30 1/42. [indecipherable] & Ford ([indecipherable]) crashed on Birmingham Road. [indecipherable] died at 8.59pm – poor devil – badly smashed up. Ford two broken legs & crushed foot. Cause not known. Bad luck. Did’nt fly. Open post. SATURDAY 31 1/42. Usual B/S Inspection. One jig. Believe Ford will lose his foot. No flying – too rough. Open post. Flick then to St. John’s Hall after to Ellis. Thomas & his medal – damn funny. SUNDAY 1 2/42. Stayed in bed to 9.30 am. oh joy. Wrote home & to Stella, Saxons. Went for a walk with Jack round the hills & woods – quite enjoyable. [page break] Memoranda see any of it as we’re too far inland. We pass thro’ stations with names like London, Chatham etc. We reach Windsor, C.P.R. the end of the Canadian part of our journey. The New York Central R.R now hook on two electric locos to take us under the Detroit River – joining to Hudson and L. Eire – by tunnel into Detroit Station. We are still in C.P.R coaches though we lost our Pacific at Windsor. We apparently change coaches at Cincinnati to U.S.A. Stock. A N.Y.C 4.6.4 hooks on and away we go. Different toned whistle again. Detroit is a dirty hole and is in the heart of the industrial area. Country very flat and somewhat uninteresting. We play bridge until tea time. We’ve collected a N.Y.C. diner at Detroit and find we’ve waited on by coloured servants immaculate in white [indecipherable] set off by their black faces. I’m impressed by their silent service. They never speak unless spoken to or ask if you want this or that – and when doing nothing stand to attention waiting to do the next job as it presents itself. The diner is in charge of an American white head waiter who just supervised. Grub is excellent. The decoration of the diner soft and pleasing. Sitting 4 and 2. You are expected to eat American fashion and have only [page break] For Week of Monday 2nd. FEB 1942 MONDAY 2 2/42. Met new instructor. Seemed decent chap & satisfied with my 50 mins flying except for rudder fanning! PARCEL OF SOCKS & LETTER FROM Con –great. On the air 7.45 in R.A.F. Cadets broadcast – O.K. TUESDAY 3 2/42. No flying – bad visibility. Seniors beat juniors at Volley ball. No gripe committee. Wrote letter – thunder a lot we all felt heavy. K. WEDNESDAY 4 2/42. Gusty day but went up with Instructor – fair. Stn. flicks in evening – Alice Faye in a most boring picture. THURSDAY 5 2/42. Fair weather. 30 mins with instr. then out of traffic again for 45. Good fun though a trifle bumpy – good landings. FRIDAY 6 2/42. Only 15 mins dual. Very gusty & sudden squall. 3 blokes out solo caught in it – all landed O.K. Wind so strong it nearly lifted the plane over. Open post – got roped into rotten party. PARCEL FROM CON. CYCLONE. SATURDAY 7 2/42. Open post after inspection. Went to see Ford – getting along O.K. though knocked about. Flicks then grub & beer. Tommy quite merry – damned funny. SUNDAY 8 2/42. Flying this morning. did 6 circuits & bumps solo – Could’nt get a really decent landing – safe. Seem to lose height on glide turn. Wrote to Con. [page break] Memoranda a knife, folk and small spoon. Main [indecipherable], potato, carrots, with specially prepared lettuce, hot roll, butter & marmalade. Also fresh fruit salad & cream. Damn good. More bridge then we’re told we’re to change at Cincinnati and to be ready at 10.15pm. after supper – Americans only have three meals a day – I thanked the head waiter who was very decent and told me to come back later for some coffee if I wanted it. I did and one of the waiters very cautiously asked me how we made our tea in England and when I answered him in a normal manner they all seemed relieved that I’d talk to them and became quite chatty. The one with the tea query said he’d seen the film Mr. Chipps and when Chipps makes his tea he seemed to have too many pots round him. Those n***** were interesting. We arrive at Cincinnati and prepare to change train only to be told that we were to have the C.P.R all the way. We fell out and marched up to the main Hall of the station which is supposed to be best looking station in U.S.A. Certainly a huge arched roof of vast proportions with booking windows on one side and shops round the other. Markey floor and [indecipherable] splendour everywhere. We marched [page break] For Week of Monday 9th. FEB 1942 MONDAY 9 2/42. Two letters CON. 1 SHEILA. 55 Dual 30 solo. Landings etc. fair. Learnt chandelles – good fun – nice feel I’m progressing a little. TUESDAY 10 2/42 2 Letters CON. 1 Syd. 1.00 Solo. Stalls, spins, chandelles, etc. eights etc. quite enjoyed it. Fair progress. WEDNESDAY 11 2/42. No flying – low cloud & bad visibility. Lousy film in the evening THURSDAY 12 2/42. 40 Solo. 35 Dual. practice for 900 stage. Landings only fair. Made a mess of two at Rice when dual. gripe committee. FRIDAY 13 2/42. Letter G.W. he sounds fed up – poor devil. Failed 900 stage at Rice. 18 A/C going round at once – hard to pick a spot in which to land. Open post – Town Seniors beat juniors at Soccer. SATURDAY 14 2/42. 2K. Satisfactory 900 stage at Rice. Just caught 4.30 bus for B’ham Good time. Met Jones, Smith, Mann who took us to Road House. Good fun. Stayed at Bankhead Hotel. SUNDAY 15 2/42. Slept well – had hot bath – great treat. After breakfast bought tobacco & caught 1.30 bus back. Rather tired but well worth it as a change. [page break] Memoranda round in Flights and halted in the main Hall to the admiration of the American people there who clapped their hands in applause when we marched away - they genuinely meant it. We re-embark and a Southern engine hooks on and away we go. We've changed our diner for a Southern one. Getting much hotter and after a spot of bridge turned in again - left all the doors open got nice thro’ draught. 18 12/41. Awoke at Chattanooga in Tennessee where we changed engines. Went along to breakfast in the Southern diner - very similar to N.Y.C. but waiters did’nt seem so efficient. Excellent breakfast. Appears to be some early morning fog but when it cleared we found ourselves in beautiful scenery. Reminiscent of the New Forest undulating country with plenty of timber - fir, spruce, etc. Amazing colours in the brown - red grass and red soil to the dark green of trees and bushes etc. Strange to see leafless trees with an English summer sun and equivalent temperature. Small farms with plenty of cotton fields which are ploughed in S’s. Also some apple orchards. Plenty of darkies and still the houses seem to be rather ramshackle. Getting hotter and we leave off a sweater! [page break] For Week of Monday 16th. FEB 1942 MONDAY 16 2/42. No flying - bad visibility. Went to ALA University. Morgan Hale and heard Rev. Michael Coleman on “There’ll always be an England”. Very fine speaker. Vicar of All Hallows in the City. Informed I was next G.C. TUESDAY 17 2/42. Cloudy day but got in 1.15 dual, weather cleared a bit & then 40 solo. Fair. WEDNESDAY 18 2/42. No flying – bad visibility. Bridge in evening. THURSDAY 19 2/42. Damned cold. Flying 9 am. 1.35 Solo. Fair – nearly frozen. 25 dual – Satisfactory progress check. Film “Honeymoon in Bali” Madeleine Carroll – good. FRIDAY 20 2/42. Warmer. 1.45 solo. Unsatisfactory 1800 side stage. W.F. landings – blast. Down Town open post. Beer at Elks – Senior term dance at University – lousy. SATURDAY 21 2/42 Satisfactory stage (1800 side) at Moody. Also enjoyed lazy eights & pylon eights afterwards. Open post – beer & bowls – good fun. SUNDAY 22 2/42. Making arrangements for intake of new cadets. Think everything will be O.K. No flying today. wrote Con. New crowd arrived 7 pm. rather rush but K O.K. [page break] Memoranda We arrive at Atlanta in Georgia at 10.50am. – put watches back one hour last night. Loose [sic] our Southern 4.6.2 with it’s [indecipherable] crew for a 4.6.2 painted black no [indecipherable]. We cleaned the outside of our windows which had become dirty with the morning fog. A 15 minute wait and away we go. Since the [indecipherable] speed has been good – round the 60 mark. Track with exceptions round the bigger cities is single throughout. We have an excellent lunch in the well equipped diner same arrangement as before but of course different crew and not quite so quick as the N.Y.C. We rattle along and it gets hotter. We are then told that if we cannot pack our greatcoats we are to wear them! Good old R.A.F same old B/S. Scenery has’nt changed a great deal since this morning except to get a little more open and this afternoon we went slowly thro’ a station which evidently had a war weapons week. Flags everywhere and at least two brass bands in the most brilliant of Scarlet uniforms! We arrive in Montgomery and after a pause in the station proceed to some track beside [page break] For Week of Monday 23 FEB 1942 MONDAY 23 2/42. A day of hard going looking after the Junior Term & getting them to about half a dozen lectures! Everything now O.K. Had a letter from Cherry. No flying bad weather – rain. TUESDAY 24 2/42. Kept on the go all day – no time for lectures. Everyone wanted me all at once – what a life. No flying – bad weather. B/S parade not bad. I forgot to give Order Arms! WEDNESDAY 25 2/42. Things getting more normal now. Practice 3600 overhead & liked it. Had “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” in evening – much better than of late. THURSDAY 26 2/42. 2.40 hr. solo. good practice – fair progress. Cold & bumpy. Gripe committee in evening. Junior term seem to be settling down O.K. Good B/S parade. FRIDAY 27 2/42. Unsuccessful 3600 stage (32). Very bumpy & higher wind made judgement difficult. Afterwards solo practice. Slow snap rolls – good fun. After open post. University – for records good & after to Elks. SATURDAY 28 2/42. Good (considering) B/S inspection & parade. After open post. Bridge in afternoon then to supper & saw “They lived dangerously” – good. To Elks & home. Ran out of beer! SUNDAY 1 3/42. Satisfactory stage at Foster (24!) one line. Better day & not so bumpy. Stayed in bed to 10.30 am – lovely! Wrote CON. [page break] Memoranda Maxwell Field. We disembark overcoats and full webbing – whew! and are met by U.S. Air Corps Officers who lead us to our new quarters. Forgot to mention that I had a chat with the “Conductor” on the N.Y.C portion of the journey. He corresponds with our “Guard” but has one or two “brakemen” to assist with various duties, such as uncoupling a car, changing points or “Switches”. He said that we were matey compared with the last lot he’d taken along towards Montgomery. They were very quiet and would’nt talk at all. Quite a decent fellow. Also being that one does’nt converse with negros which accounts for the interest of the waiters when they saw I would talk. [underlined] MAXWELL FIELD, MONTGOMERY. [/underlined] This is the Cranwell of the U.S. Army Air Corps. A well laid out place with the usual one storey long barracks six to a room with a locker each and wash basin in each room. Comfortable beds. A veranda or “stoop” runs the whole length of one side. Plenty of B/S but I find it rather amusing. Can’t think that in any detail the U.S. armed forces are smarter or a patch on the average British Regiment. think [page break] For Week of Monday 2nd. MARCH 1942 MONDAY 2 3/42. No flying – rained solidly. Pity because we’re to get 58 hrs in by 14 3/42 – practically 2 hrs a day. No retreat parade. Played bridge. No letters? TUESDAY 3 3/42. Better day but cold. Got in 2.25 mins solo. When I got back found that the beacon had been on for over an hour! High wing – good sport. Still no letters. WEDNESDAY 4 3/42. No rain but low mist. No solo. 30 mins dual. leant loops. Polished up hazy lifts. Pass in evening, saw Dumbo – good. THURSDAY 5 3/42. Raining again – looks [inserted] K [/inserted] like no flying. TWO LETTERS FROM CON. Played bridge in morning as there is no flying. Worried about getting time in. FRIDAY 6 3/42. Fog & mist all morning no flying for morning class. Cleared away in afternoon. Open post – went into Town, flicks & a beer. Pay day. SATURDAY 7 3/42. Coiling about 2,500 got in 1.40 solo 50 dual. satisfactory stage 1800 overhead the base! Getting smoother with my air work. Open post saw “Hellsapoppin” very funny. SUNDAY 8 3/42. Stayed in bed to 11 am – marvellous wrote Con. Went to concert at University. Played Tchaikovsky’s Bb Concerto – good. Saw “Suspicion”. [page break] Memoranda arms drill does not help smartness. Many sloppy movements carried out too fast. Same with their fast drill – the executive work of command is the wrong type of word, such as “face” or “Post”, “at ease”, “rest” etc. instead of “take – post”, “stand at – ease” etc. to which we’ve been used. Their dress of the usual tailored shirt and belted trousers does’nt look too smart though must admit that the R.A.F tropical drill we have been issued with is far from well fitting. The “Field” or aerodrome in English is well laid out. All personnel apparently live on the station and are allocated separate houses which vary in size and design with the rank of the occupier. Each has a yellow metal notice outside giving the No. and rank & name of the occupier. The design of the houses favour the red tiled roof with white walls and a balcony with iron railings. Also includes a veranda. All verandas and windows have fine gauge gauze over them to keep away flies etc. The standard of flying here which is an advanced school is high. One sees R.A.F. pupils pulling down Howards in prefect 3 pointers. Also some good formation flying. [page break] For Week of Monday MARCH 9th 1942 MONDAY 9 3/42. Good flying – 2.15 hrs Solo & dual – starting aerobatics good fun but hard work on the stick. A bit awe inspiring upside down hanging in the straps. TUESDAY 10 3/42. Army & Civilian checks [inserted] K [/inserted] both in the same afternoon! Rather a poor effort on my part for the Civilian one but made up for it on the Army which was good – bumpy. Letter from CON. WEDNESDAY 11 3/42. More aerobatics – getting used to it now & quite like it. Makes ordinary flying seem a bit tame! Bing Crosby film in evening. THURSDAY 12 3/42. Still more aerobatics & polishing up my flying generally. Don’t think I’ll have any more checks. Meeting of the troops who decided to have a dinner farewell party. Asked to speak at rally FRIDAY 13 3/42. No flying owing to rain & bad conditions. Went into Town to fix up dinner at Country Club. O.K. Pusay stood me a lunch. Open post – spot of flick & beer. Prepared speech. SATURDAY 14 3/42. Good S.M.I. submitted speech but not now required – Col. From Atlanta instead. [indecipherable] & [indecipherable] annoyed – seems rather silly on their parts. Speech will do for Monday night. Date of dinner fixed SUNDAY 15 3/42. Stayed in bed to 9 am read some Kipling. ([indecipherable]) Did’nt fly – not good weather too much time in. wrote to CON, PHYL, SHEILA, JACKO, B.M. [page break] Memoranda We are termed “United Kingdom cadets” and the rank is “Aviation Cadet”. Time off is limited and we are not allowed out of camp except Saturday afternoon and Sunday to 3 p.m. each Sunday there is a drill parade with band to which the public is admitted. Quite a palatial show colours are carried including the Union Jack as well as Squadron guidons. A march past is carried out in “mass” formation – i.e. 12 deep. Mass formation is formed by bringing three squadrons in fours in column alongside each other. Good system of repeating the [deleted] Squadron [/deleted] C.O’s cautionary command by the Squadron C.O. to avoid mistake. The band is not so smart or slick as the British equivalent. No swinging or stick display with exception of the drum major who carries his mace upside down with the other hand on his hip & kind of beats time with it. He also carries a whistle permanently in his mouth with which he signals to the band. Marches mostly [indecipherable] [page break] For Week of Monday 16th. MARCH 1942 MONDAY 16 3/42. Cross country flight low ceiling. Fixed up for Country Club for our dinner on Thursday. Spoke to A.R.P meeting. TUESDAY 17 3/42. Solo & dual – good spot mostly aerobatics. Invited everyone to dinner. Arranged menu. Practice blackout. WEDNESDAY 18 3/42. Went up in front cockpit & “instructed” my instructor – good spot. Went over to Eutaw with him. Simonds for a car load of beer. Supper with Pusay. 500 bottles of beer. THURSDAY 19 3/42. More front cockpit circuits. To Eutaw with McKindey for whiskey. Dinner a great success – everyone merry. All enjoyed it hugely. FRIDAY 20 3/42. Somewhat thick headed still finished off my flying. After borrowed Simonds car & return beer bottles paid bills etc. Concert by Cincinnati Symphony Orch. – excellent. SATURDAY 21 3/42 S.M.I. after on leave to Thursday. Hitched to Birmingham. Jones, O’Neill & I. went to see Elizabeth & Elanise & had drinks. Met Sutcliffe. Colonel – [indecipherable]. Roped in to ladies convention – dreadful. Poor hotel. SUNDAY 22 3/42 Up at 11 am. lunch. 2 pm. hitched to Bessemer via Steel hills. Then to Demopolis. Then to Livingstone. Pick up with Judge Alexander to Jackson who put us up. marvellous old Southern house. [page break] Memoranda [underlined] Blue – Grey Football Game. [/underlined] Saturday 27th. December 1941. On the whole somewhat disappointing. The game is slow compared with British Rugby on account of its closed play. Only the two ends the centre and the four backs are allowed to handle the ball. Then after each “down” lasting approximately 10-15 seconds there is a pause while the players go into a huddle. There is no scrummaging after a player is tackled the ball then becomes dead and is placed at that spot on the grid for the next down. We rarely saw any real constructive play and short passing is ruled out on account of a rule which prohibits a player who receives the ball from a down passing the ball if he has run more than five yards. The side consists of 11 players. 7 linesmen – Left-End, Left tackle, Left Guard, Centre, Right Guard, Right tackle and Right End – all heavyweights. A quarter back, two half backs and a full back – usually faster men. The object of the game is to confuse the opposite side so they do not know who has the ball. The strategy is worked out beforehand and controlled by numbers – a certain number being the executer. The captain [page break] For Week of Monday 23th MARCH 1942 MONDAY 23 3/42. Hitched to the [deleted] College [/deleted] Camp. Then to [indecipherable] – Kentwood. Via Clinton to Baton Rouge, thence to New Orleans. Met Geo. Taylor & Paul Lansing good booze up. they got us rooms in Roosevelt Hotel. Excellent party all round – street car! TUESDAY 24 3/42. Up 10.30 am. pick me up – lunch. More drinks then to “Red’s” office – made dictaphone record. Then French Quarter. Grub in French Restaurant – more drinks - [indecipherable] – night club & floor show. Bed 4.30 am! WEDNESDAY 25 3/42. Up 11 am. feel quite fresh! Had lunch. Found Paul had gone to work. Hitched to Hattiesburg. Had grub then same beer. Took pity on Eugene Plake. All three slept in one double room at Divine Tourist Cabins! Good fun. THURSDAY 26 3/42. Up 9.30 am. and on at 11.30 to [indecipherable]. From there all the way to Tuscaloosa with bloke towing another car at 50-60 m.p.h. Good leave. Wrote [inserted] K [/inserted] CON. FRIDAY 27 3/42. Spent the day messing about and waiting, getting packed up etc. somewhat tired after our spot of leave. Had letters from London, CON, & parcel from Phy [sic] containing socks. SATURDAY 28 3/42. Finished packing & handing in flying kit etc. Last S.M.I. & P.I. – quite good. In afternoon went into Town, had a meal, saw a flick & then bed. SUNDAY 29 3/42. Up early, checked baggage then at 8.40 left by coach for Gunter Ann 12.45. Looks like Maxwell & is under Army discipline. Don’t seem too bad expect we’ll settle down all right. [page break] Memoranda decided on which strategy to use in the huddle. The players then line up. 7 on the line with the centre’s hands on the ball and the backers in formation behind. The numbers are then called out and on the execution the ball is flicked back to one of the backs. All the linemen then “block” which means obstructing the opposite side as much as possible to give the man with the ball as much scope as possible. He can’t pass if he has run more than 5 yards but runs in the direction determined in the strategy performed. For instance to fool the opposition as soon as the ball is out another player may run across just behind him and appear to take the ball from him and continue to run with his arm crooked as though he has the ball. He may draw some of the defence while the bloke with the ball crashes straight on. The defending side are allowed to tackle with their arms but the attackers can only block with their bodies by falling in front of an opponent and bringing him down. [underlined] Note [/underlined]:- the person blocked does not have to have the ball. The object is to keep as many of the opposition out of the play as possible. The rule for offside appears to [page break] For Week of Monday 30th MARCH 1942 MONDAY 30 3/42 up 5.30 am – missed Reveille parade. Mostly drill & P.T. B/S seems a bit hectic. Second lot of P.T. & drill in the evening. American Executive Officer a [indecipherable] apparently. TUESDAY 31 3/42. Up 5.30 – missed Reveille Parade again! Rather same sort of rush as at Maxwell. Flying. American instructor – quite good fun – like the planes especially closed cockpits. WEDNESDAY 1 4/42 got on Reveille parade at last. Went thro’ the 10 types of stall. Find landing rather strange – expect we’ll get used to it. Meeting of cadet officers. WROTE ALEXANDER, SYD,SOLOMON, WELLS. THURSDAY 2 4/42. Getting good at getting up! More stalls – fair. Weather excellent but a bit hazy. Find the glare rather trying must get some sun glasses. Meeting of cadet officers with Flt/Lt. Philips – good bloke. [inserted] CNG K. [/inserted] FRIDAY 3 4/42. STALLS – flying on Maxwell been good fun but did’nt quite get the hang of it. Useful to get you home if you’re lost. Link trainer tonight. LETTER FROM CON, PIKE, MOKE. SATURDAY 4 4/42. Elementary eights, spin and forced landings. Wish I could get the sequence of the gadgets. But expect it will come. [indecipherable] of solo. open post in Montgomery – bought some glasses. SUNDAY 5 4/42. Stayed in bed to 10 am – blissful sleep. Wrote to CON & CHARLIE. Went for walk in afternoon – lift to town then stn. flicks. [page break] Memoranda be that no player on either side may cross the line of the “line up” until the ball is in play i.e flicked back by the centre. There are also other infringements to do with blocking, “tipping” which is falling across the back of a man’s legs when he is running. The penalty usually is loss of territory by the offending side. The field is 100yrs. long x 70 yds wide and divided into 5 yd lines – called the grid. The goal posts are 20 yds to the rear of the “goal” line – rather similar to being placed on our dead ball line. A gain of 10 yds in one down is considered good and the game slowly moves towards one end or another. One side kicks off and then commences a series of 4 downs for each side one after another – unless the opposing side recover the ball which has been dropped when the immediately commence the next series of [deleted] touch [/deleted] downs. If a side gains more than 10 yds in 4 downs it continues with the next 4 and so on. The time is divided into 4 quarters – 2 in each half – of 15 minutes each, making the game 60 minutes in all. At half time players leave the [page break] For Week of Monday 6th APRIL 1942 MONDAY 6 4/42 WENT SOLO much to my surprise & had 45 minutes out of traffic. Good spot – fly better without instructor nattering. Fell foul of Lieblich for not wearing tunic – a most unpleasant individual. TUESDAY 7 4/42. Another three circuits & bumps solo then back. Instructor hard to satisfy – says I’m getting sloppy in my work! especially after he made me put the nose down so that she bounced. Shotbolt died after crash last night. WEDNESDAY 8 4/42. No flying owing to a low ceiling. Instructor seems to be in a better temper however. Very hot & sultry – think there’s thunder about. Shotbolt’s funeral – did’nt have to go. [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] THURSDAY 9 4/42. Lieblich stopped W/E leave this week – troops a bit livid. Don’t blame them. Rained like nothing on earth but cooler. Wrote to TOM. letter from Phyl. FRIDAY 10 4/42. Had an hour’s solo then dual. kept Davis waiting for 5-10 mins so he made me walk round the field with a parachute. He was very sarcastic & snotty eventually took me off un-supervised solo. I told him if he did’nt think I could fly to wash me out so that I could fly in Canada. He shut up. SATURDAY 11 4/42. Two killed yesterday, 1 last night. Davis very sweet & gentle today the hypocrite – still he put me on solo again! Glad I did’nt answer him back yesterday. Think this engine failure is Sabotage. 4 killed in 14 days & [indecipherable] SUNDAY 12 4/42. Had a wonderful sleep up 10.30 am. Met Kelly in Drill Room last night got some gin re Advanced. In afternoon went to Kings & dosed in sun – very pleasant. Parcel to Con yesterday. [page break] Memoranda field and on this occasion a High School band containing both girls & boys with very “gorgeous” uniforms all bobbles & things came on the field. They did perform some extraordinary manoeuvres for a band marching at double quick time and forming themselves into letters such as “DIXIE”, “BLUE”, “GREY” and “U.S.” when they played the “Star Spangled Banner” – U.S. national anthem. Other school bands were stationed in the stands mostly at the corners – including the U.S. Air Corps Band – and throughout the match struck up stirring [indecipherable] marches in turn. The ball is similar to a rugger ball in shape but smaller and can be thrown long distances. Some of the interesting parts of the game occurred with these passing movements. The ball shot back to a Quarter back who paused a few seconds – being protected by efficient blocking by the linemen – until the Ends or other backs ran up to the opposing goal line. The ball was then thrown to one of them who tried to catch it and touch down, amidst a general scramble. [underlined] N.B. [/underlined] Only the Ends & backs can handle the ball. Kicking or [indecipherable] as it is [page break] For Week of Monday 13th. APRIL 1942 MONDAY 13 4/42. Stalls & spirals this morning [inserted] L.K. [/inserted] – Instructor pleased! Had a letter from Con, Nora. TUESDAY 14 4/42. Shot a 900 stage – O.K. Spot more instrument flying – fair. Letter from Charlie & Barbara – funny as usual. Can’t keep awake in lectures after P.T – dreadful. Heard about new Budget at home. WEDNESDAY 15 4/42. Shot another 900 stage. Seniors finish on Friday so should get some time in. Had a plane which kept running into high pitch & would’nt climb – not very pleasant. Saw “Captains of the Clouds” – good. THURSDAY 16 4/42. Did some stalls and spirals. Good day – Davis quite pleased – must go & spoil it by winding down flaps too soon on base leg! Scorching hot. FRIDAY 17 4/42. Instrument flying – all went well until I tried to straighten out after glide. Davis bawled – only to be expected. Hoping Sgt. Ridley will be next G.C. – too much of a strain quite willing to assist. SATURDAY 18 4/42. Got in 3.15 hrs today the Seniors are on leave more planes. Stage – instr – solo. good day all round especially instruments. Open post – in town for a drink. [inserted] PAR K [/inserted] SUNDAY 19 4/42. Got up at 10 am. Lovely sleep wrote to Con. Went to see some baseball – quite good fun – just like rounders. [page break] Memoranda called is long but owing to the handling rules one saw the ball bouncing on the ground with three or four opposing linemen standing round it waiting for someone to come and pick it up – The defence of course blocking the Ends & Backs to prevent them doing so. There is no foot play equivalent to our forward rush. Each team or “Squad” as it is called is in charge of three coaches who more or less control the players, send out reserves to rest tired men and also give advice as to weaknesses in the opposing side. It is permitted to bring on a kicker to kick goals. A touch down gains 5 points & the goal kick 1 point. A goal kick in play is 3 points. To kick a goal the goal kicker gets ready with another back on one knee ready to receive the ball. The ball is flicked back from the down to the back who places it on the ground almost simultaneously with the kickers foot. The linemen block to stop the opponents charging it down. It is all very quick and in this match was carried out in play. Same procedure after a touch down. The game is controlled by a [page break] For Week of Monday 20th.APRIL 1942 MONDAY 20 4/42. Tried a spot of formation flying – not too good. Find it a lot harder than it looks. Still I’ll get the hang of it. Also an hour’s solo. been made Group Adj – hard work – damn. [inserted] L.K> [/inserted] TUESDAY 21 4/42. One hour’s instrument [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] today – not too bad. Told we’re to have 20 hours instrument at basic – Lordy, Lordy, what a bind. Rumours flying as to change in instruction programme. Don’t believe them. WEDNESDAY 22 4/42. No solo today. Instructor O.D. so no flying – 1 hr link. Heard of the Saxons thro’ Addington must get in touch. THURSDAY 23 4/42. 900 stage at Taylor Field. fair got balled at for nearly landing alongside control plane – windy lot these Yanks. Letter from STELLA. FRIDAY 24 4/42. Cross-country to Columbus & back 73 miles. No difficulty just kept going on course & bobs your Uncle. Letter from Stella Open post into town. SATURDAY 25 4/42. Open post – rang up Saxons – met them in Town and after a spot of beer went back to their place. Grand in daylight. Letter from CON. [inserted] Seed for Cheeky. [/inserted] SUNDAY 26 4/42. Flying this morning had a pre-check flight. Instructor balled as usual – think I’ll put in for a change after this 20 hr check. Wrote to CON, BILLY, WELLERS. Night flying. OK [page break] Memoranda referee and three assistants each apparently watching a section of the play each. The players are dressed in the usual jersey with breeches reaching to the knee, similar boots to ours and a crash helmet, painted different colours to show what position he plays in. the shoulders, thighs & back round the kidneys are padded with sorbo rubber for protection. In spite of all this they move quite fast and certainly play hard. It seems to be the rules that are at fault and the restricted play which makes it not half the game to watch as our good old English Rugby. [underlined] N.B. [/underlined] to illustrate time wasted there is a large clock over the score board showing the exact amount of playing time taken up to one quarter of 15 minutes. This clock is stopped if the ball is dead. The game of 60 minutes playing took 2 hours 15 minutes. The referees use a system of tick-tack with their hands to indicate what the whistle has been blown for. [page break] For Week of Monday 27th. APRIL 1942 MONDAY 27 4/42. Spot more instrument flying. Started the system of two cadets taking each other for an instrument ride – one as observer. Good sport. TUESDAY 28 4/42. Spot of solo – tried stalls & chandelles and lazy eights. Not night flying tonight. Think I got the hang of it on Sunday. Instructors sight from above. WEDNESDAY 29 4/42. Cross country to Clanton & Atlanta – good sport and managed to find my way correctly. Seniors left for Selma & Maxwell. Went to rehearsal at Huntingdon College THURSDAY 30 4/42. Observing – formation and spot of team instrument with Fallows. I think I’ll get the hang of formation. Hellish busy afternoon & evening organising the Juniors. Practice Blackout. FRIDAY 1 5/42. Nothing but instrument with Galer observing – bumpy. Met Saxons in the evening. Woman upset beer over my trousers – had to borrow a car to go back to change. Spent night (Jones & I) with Saxons. SATURDAY 2 5/42. Up a bit too early went into Town with Saxons. After lunch to Huntingdon College – good show. Evening to dance at the Whitley – we invited the Saxons. Good fun. Parcel to CON. SUNDAY Did’nt feel much like flying spot of instruments. Spent day with Saxons – grand lunch – such a treat in a house. Watched young Elizabeth ride – nice people. [deleted] WE [/deleted] Mention Socks – Baseball game – letter to Con [page break] Memoranda [underlined] Montgomery – Alabama U.S.A. [/underlined] Can quite imagine the place springing up as at [sic] town of shacks, later consolidated into buildings. Streets – wide and of course laid out in squares. Quite good shops – some of decent size. The ordinary things such as cigarettes, handkerchiefs etc not expensive. Not a big town but of medium size – like Maidstone – with two fair sized hotels, four picture houses and one theatre. Food is good – definitely. We patronised a cafeteria called “Morrisons”. You wait your turn in a queue along one side collect a tray and then pass along in front of lashings of good food all labelled as to type and price. You help yourself ending up with hot things such as meat etc. The whole is then added up and a slip is placed on your tray. You then go on ahead & select your table while a darkie waiter bring along your tray and puts the things down for you. You are issued with a knife fork &spoon rolled up in a table napkin. You should eat American fashion as your meat is on one plate and all your vegetables are on little round dishes placed round it. The method is to cut a portion of [page break] For Week of Monday MAY 4th. 1942 MONDAY 4 5/42 did’nt fly – bad weather. B.24 in R.A.F Colours landed overnight – apparently amazed the town who thought a B.T. was coming in. Pilot an interesting man who flew in last war. On way to England – be here tomorrow evening – lucky devil. WROTE CON. TUESDAY 5 5/42 Only a team ride this morning [inserted] WK [/inserted] bad weather earlier. Passed final morse sending & receiving so now excused from morse class – bags of sleeping hours. WEDNESDAY 6 5/42 Gave Davis bad instrument ride and he threatened a failing grade! He does’nt know how to settle a student down on a bad day. MacDonald (RAF) & P/O Bolter killed night flying. L.L. [indecipherable]. THURSDAY 7 5/42 Instrument team rides and 900 stage – complimented on landings – not by Davis of course. Got the hang of stalls under the hood. Hear Paddick who was fooling around with Butler is under arrest pending C/N. FRIDAY 8 5/42 Gave Davis a good ride under the hood today – but he waited after each turn to find something to bind about. Night flying last period – 1.30 am – 3 am. Tired but went up to Control Tower – interesting. SATURDAY 9 5/42. Did’nt get up until 10.30 am then breakfast. Went to see baseball game which was good and on the way back met the Saxons. Had a drink, meal then to flick to see “The little foxes” – excellent acting. SUNDAY 10 5/42. Just got up in time to go to flying. Tired but did 2 hours formation & an instrument ride. WROTE CON. Sleep in afternoon – then to town saw “Shadow of the Thin Man”. [page break] Memoranda meat with your knife, lay your knife at right angles to you on the further edge of the plate, pick up your fork and eat away, taking forkfuls of vegetables as required. The process is repeated when more meat is required. The same fork or knife or spoon is used throughout the meal. For instance you eat your sweet & stir your coffee with the same spoon & butter your bread and cut your meat with the same knife. The quality & quantity of the food is good. One can have as many varieties of vegetables as desired. The British Cadets have a club in the Whitley Hotel and the American Cadets ditto in the Jefferson Davis Hotel, where one can drink eat and otherwise make merry. There are no drinking hours in Montgomery. The only stipulation is that you must drink sitting down. The bars close down when everyone has had enough apparently. One misses the homely atmosphere of an English pub. A bar here being used to supply waiters. You can buy over the bar, but they don’t like it and you have to take it to a pew afterwards. Police quite freely walk into the bars to detect any offence – or to have a quick one. [page break] For Week of Monday 11th. MAY 1942 MONDAY 11 5/42. Instrument & team rides all morning. Instructors now have every other morning off! Wrote to SHEILA, PHYL & CHERRY. Lecture by S/L. cancelled in favour of accidents talk by C.O. TUESDAY 12 5/42. No flying – low cloud. Spent morning chatting to the instructors. WROTE TO MACKS ([indecipherable]) Steve. No night flying – bad weather. WEDNESDAY 13 5/42 No flying again owing to weather – no night flying for same reason. Damned nuisance may cut down leave. Torrential rain & thunder in evening. Wrote to W/Cmdr Pike. THURSDAY 14 5/42. Still bad flying weather but managed to get in 1 1/2 hours dual instruments – mucked up flying [indecipherable]! A lot of thunder about & cloud. FRIDAY 15 5/42. Raining when we woke so did not go to flight line until later. No flying. Cleared up during day. Down for night flying. Waited till 1.30 am the did’nt get any – should have been open post – livid. SATURDAY 16 5/42. Rang up Saxons in the morning met them for lunch & went out for the afternoon with Edwards. Had supper then a few beers – became a Cardinal! Good evening. Weather seems to have picked up. parcel Con. SUNDAY 17 5/42. Actually got some team instrument in. Night flying tonight. Wrote to CON. Quite enjoyed night flying black out landings not so hard as I thought. [page break] Memoranda Transport is provided by single decker buses with pneumatic doors fore and aft and the engine at the back or taxis ranging from the “Dive” taxi to more expensive but better kept taxis. Dive taxis take you anywhere in the city for a dime. Others like the “Black & White” advertise 25c for two miles and [deleted] of [/deleted] are fitted with a meter. There are three or four “Night Clubs” which are not so good as the English variety – there being no point in going there except to dance. Also there are a fair number of brothels – I’m told Prostitution is more or less legal here and certain parts or streets of the city contain these places. One is not bothered by [indecipherable] in the street – its just there if you ask the policeman the way. Rather sordid and quite naturally the decent blokes don’t interest themselves. General procedure on “open post” is to amble in to town – hoping to be invited home by some family. If unsuccessful one goes to a flick has some grub then some serious drinking and totter back to camp in a cab, to sleep until lunch time on Sunday. 1st: parade on Sunday is 3.30 pm N.B. The beer here is light like lager [page break] For Week of Monday 18th. MAY 1942 MONDAY 18 5/. Had my 40 hour check – seemed to be satisfactory rest of the time on instrument flying. TUESDAY 19 5/ Supposed to be on a cross country but cancelled owing to bad weather coming up. Did some team & finished off night flying – plane would’nt go into high pitch! WEDNESDAY 20 5/. More instrument – put Davis right through [indecipherable] of silence twice! He was quite pleased. Changed over to afternoon flying permanently. Weather getting worse. THURSDAY 21 5/. 3 dead (Lear, Overton & Randall) crashed on night part of cross country. Out of 35 planes only 5 got back 2 baled out & several forced landings including O’Neill. Letter from CON. Given Open Post. FRIDAY 22 5/ Helped pack up dead mens clothing all yesterday – rotten job. Now 6 dead (Peachell Peattie & Maddick) Love still missing. Got in dual instrument. SATURDAY 23 5/. No flying this morning – low cloud. Funeral of the six poor lads – everyone attended and large crowd of people light formation flying – good fun. Flew with Wagner – nice chap new here. SUNDAY 24 5/. Open post at last. Rang up Saxons went out with Edwards for lunch. Motor round in afternoon – made tea for them. Spot of shooting practice in garden Good day. [page break] Memoranda and sold in tins mostly or bottles. One cannot get draught beer in any form from a barrel. Its a bit gassy but safer to drink than Rum or Whiskey which is very potent. The whiskey is rye mostly though Scotch such as Johnnie Walker, Black & White, Vat 69 is obtainable, sold in small bottles. The Americans seem to drink either whiskey or mixtures which are iced. They also have a kind of cream drink called an “Egg Nog” which consists of whipped cream & white of egg flavoured with spirits. [underlined] TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA. [/UNDERLINED] About 145 miles N.W of Montgomery in the heart of the cotton country. Fair sized town consisting of one main street & fair shops. University town of Alabama. Lacking in entertainment & not so big as Montgomery. One decent hotel, 3 picture houses, a number of café’s and drug stores. Served by three railways, two passenger carrying and one goods only. In a “dry” county but we can get beer at the Elks Club and there is a rather sordid club called the “Riverview” – not to be recommended. People fairly hospitable and the [page break] For Week of Monday 25th. May 1942 MONDAY 25 5/. They’re still searching for Love. A. poor devil. Went to flight line all day – got in 50min. dual instrument this afternoon. Went to Stn flicks – quite good “Rio Rita”. Wrote to CON. TUESDAY 26 5/. Had final instrument check this morning & third cross country this afternoon. Night flying cancelled – only that to do. LT. Patterson found Also Love – dead – in swamp poor devil. [inserted] L.K. [/inserted] WEDNESDAY 27 5/. No flying all day but did night cross country tonight. [indecipherable] – 4 lights each way nothing in it. Made good landing – complimented from the Tower. Flying over – thank god. THURSDAY 28 5/. Messed about all day hoping in vain for open post. The organisation here is foul! Went to Doris’s house for supper & a few beers afterwards to [indecipherable] Room. FRIDAY 29 5/. No official notice has yet been posted re leave but got a pass to Monday midday. Met Saxons in evening – could’nt fix fishing party so we’re to go out there tomorrow. Slept at Camp. All IN [indecipherable]. SATURDAY 30 5/. Got up late went into Town met the Saxons went out to Elmore lazed around in the sun and thoroughly relaxed. Saxons made us very welcome. We bought a present for [indecipherable]. PARCEL TO CON. [inserted] LK. [/inserted] SUNDAY 31 5/. Got up at 9.30 am. lazed in the sun – shot a lizard. Young Elizabeth came over in afternoon. We all went into Town & had grub. Played solo to 1 am. [page break] Memoranda various churches run entertainments in their church halls or a few post nights dancing, games etc. As in other places in America the girls seem to be either 16-18 or elderly married women & therefore of no interest except the married women who generally can talk sense but are full of how wonderful the Americans are or what they did in the last war & what they’re going to do in this. About time they got going, I think. The Alabama Institute of Aeronautics or A.I.A for short at Van de Graaf Field is the local airport where we do our training under the auspices of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The C.O. & the [indecipherable] officers are U.S. Army Officers who look after the administration & do “Army” checks. The instructors & the C.F.I. are civilians and are a fair crowd on the whole. Some find others are more persuasive in their methods but they seem to want to get you through. The exercises are different to England though the basic principles are much the same. Took some time to get used to their [indecipherable] technique – not to keep it on in the [indecipherable] – but otherwise seemed to adapt quite well. The planes are the Steadman P.T.17 heavier & clumsier than the redoutable [sic] Tiger Moth, and need rather harsher [page break] For Week of Monday 1st: JUNE 1942 MONDAY 1 6/42. Came into Town with Mrs. Saxon, then to camp. Packing – not sorry to leave this badly run camp – still no official notice about leave (Harley won’t cross us the food list so we get no subsistence allowance). Letter CON. TUESDAY 2 6/42. Had a few beers last night – open post. Up early – got cleared left for Tunisfield. Phillips remarked – “Damn good Adjutant” & shook hands – nice bloke. One of the coaches [indecipherable] & can [indecipherable] otherwise uneventful. Arrived 10.30pm. WEDNESDAY 3 6/42. Does’nt seem too bad a place rather more B/S and sound worthy. Definitely twin engine stuff. Told we’re not starting flying until Saturday – R.A.F. instructors not ready! Wrote to CON. THURSDAY 4 6/42. Did’nt get up for Reveille! Medical exam all morning & afternoon. Damn blunt needle for blood test. Very hot & sticky here – seem to sweat glue. Bridge in evening. FRIDAY 5 6/42. No Reveille again! Lounged all morning & read “Escape”. Paraded for flight line after lunch – usual lectures detailed to instructors – mine R.A.F P/O thank goodness. Sq/Ldr Rothwell keeping eye on things. SATURDAY 6 6/42. Did’nt get up for Reveille Start flying this afternoon. Went up in twin engine [indecipherable] excellent fun. Found taxiying [sic] difficult on the engines! Saw “Ships with Wings” – poor in station flicks. W.K. SUNDAY 7 6/42. Flying this morning. Weather good – hot. Went up in Harvard with LT. LOGAN. Not much faster than B.T.13 but narrower undercarriage. Plane would’nt start 2nd period so could’nt do any landings myself. [page break] Memoranda use of controls. Good trainers. The circuit consists of patterns each one being either right or left hand according to whether its away from the hangers. Circuits or patterns are numbered 1-8 and controlled by a moveable Tee, which should point into the wind. You must take off & land into tee which makes it sometimes cross wind. There are also definite methods of entering traffic – 450 downwind leg or straight onto base leg. Supposed to be safer than the Circuit at home – doubtful but you soon get used to it. B/S not so bad as at Maxwell. Rooms have to be just so & beds correctly made but you soon get used to it. Three nights a week there is a Retreat Parade but that only lasts 10 minutes. Otherwise only marching is to & from lectures. Cadets do one broadcast a week from local station called “In Camp Tonight”. Usual collection of persons of same interest – George Medallists, Policemen, Soldiers etc. Open post is good. One night mid-week to 10pm if flying in afternoon & each alternate Saturday of Sunday together with Friday to 10pm or 2 am according to whether you’re flying Saturday morning etc. Quite a good spot & I think we’re enjoying it here. [page break] For Week of Monday 8th. JUNE 1942 MONDAY 8 6/42. Flew the 17 this morning. Instr. said fit to go solo. Did circuits & bumps – think I’ll manage all right. Played bridge in evening – wet afternoon. TUESDAY 9 6/42 Still raining. No flying this morning. O’Neill turned sick. Had to take the poor lad to Hosp. Temp 102! Pulse 108. – said to be flu. Got him some [indecipherable] etc. WEDNESDAY 10 6/42. No flying – low cloud & thunderstorms. Solo in evening. – not much good. Letter from CON. THURSDAY 11 6/42. No flying – low cloud until about 11 am. So instructors took up Duncan. Went to see O’Neill – looks a lot better. Usual solo in evening – did’nt do much good. FRIDAY 12 6/42. 50 mins Circuits & bumps in A.T.17 to make up 5 hours. Now can go solo. got a touch of “Athletes foot” got treatment. Saw O’Neill – much better. Pay day. Solo improved in [indecipherable]. Rain. SATURDAY 13 6/42. Went up in A.T.6 in front cockpit – made a muck of traffic pattern – let myself get pushed out too much. Saw O’Neill much better. Fed up – no open post. Letter from Mr Wells dated 7/1/42 SUNDAY 14 6/42. Been in A.T. 17 quite good above cloud. Wrote to CON. Lazed about. [page break] Memoranda [underlined] LEAVE [/underlined] – 21 3/42 – 26 3/42. We set out for a hitch party. O’Neill, Jones & I (the Three Musqueteers). First to Birmingham then to New Orleans if we could get that far. I had 35 dollars, O’Neill 25, & Jones 12 so we could’nt afford to pay much. We were delayed by official [indecipherable] and got away at 12 Noon on Saturday 21 3/42. Jones & I went to see the “Target for Tonight” once again, met Pat at 3.30 walked a mile out of town on the B’ham road & thumbed. At 4.30 a decent old [indecipherable] of [indecipherable] picked us up in his huge Oldsmobile & took us right into B’ham. He owned a kind of cattle ranch in [indecipherable] and said he might be going to Mobile next day & would give us a lift. This, however, fell through. In B’ham we had a drink in the [indecipherable] & Pat rang up his friends Elizabeth & Louise. We were promptly invited up for a drink & there met an Englishman, Bill Sutcliffe, from Liverpool, who had been in America for some time. The party was going quite well when [indecipherable] arrived with a pompous American Colonel & fat little man who was his “Yes” man. Colonel, who really suffered from an American inferiority complex, proceeded to take the floor and we were not [page break] For Week of Monday 15th. JUNE 1942 MONDAY 15 6/42. Visit by Balfour & Air V. Marshall did’nt see them myself. Did a spot of formation in the 17. Quite good [indecipherable] time. 1st. effort a bit rough landing. Feel more like flying. Hope killed – engine on fire! [inserted] L.K. [/inserted] TUESDAY 16 6/42. No flying owing to rain. Got open post and had 1st. day in town. Went to “Fred’s Office” good spot. S/L Rothwell & F/LT. Judge there & had a chat. Fears of O.T.U confirmed by Rothwell. To be ready by August – damn! WEDNESDAY 17 6/42. Wet morning but cleared [inserted] L.K. [/inserted] up at lunch. Hope’s funeral – did’nt go – hate [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] funerals. Cross country Eufaula, Butler. Not bad but have’nt got the hang of the approach yet. Letter from CON. THURSDAY 18 6/42. Spot of inst. Under the cloud fair though you don’t get any feel on the stick Approach still a bit shaky – must show some improvement. FRIDAY 19 6/42. Got dates wrong. Wednesday was link only. Thurs. cross country & Friday [indecipherable] SATURDAY 20 6/42. Open post - [indecipherable] managed to get out of it. To Radium Springs had a good swim. After grub in Town and some beer at Freddie’s office. Chat to Rothwell. SUNDAY 21 6/42. No work this morning Slept to 10 am.! Longest day of year. Spot of instrument flying in A.T.6A. Through care of silence twice! Wrote to CON. [page break] Memoranda sorry when the party broke up & they went to feed. We did likewise and went into the [indecipherable] for another drink. There we were pounced upon by a woman in evening dress who made us come upstairs to a kind of women’s convention meeting which had broken up & wanted dancing partners. We soon excused ourselves & made tracks for a bed – picked the wrong hotel and paid through the nose for a mediocre room. Sunday 22nd. Got up at 11 am. had brunch & at 2 pm started to thumb for New Orleans. First lift was to Bessemer, 12 miles away, but our drive took us via the Steel mills – most interesting. Second was in a big Oldsmobile via Tuscaloosa to Demopolis reached at 6 pm. Grub at a roadside café then short lift of 5 miles & we started to walk in the dark. Several cars passed us but at last one stopped & we reached Livingstone. Here we saw a car with “Mississippi” plates & boldly asked him to take us to Meridian if of course he was going that way. He was. He told us he was Judge Alexander & wife who had been visiting their son in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Maxwell. They were going to their home at Jackson and asked us to go on with them & spend the night there – gladly accepted. The house turned out to be a wonderful old “Southern” home with some lovely old furniture. We [page break] For Week of Monday 22nd. JUNE 1942 MONDAY 22 6/42. No flying owing to bad weather so Ted went in & we got Open Post. Went in town for a drink ran into S/L Rothwell in Freddie’s Office with P/O [indecipherable] had a good cheery evening. Told we might get back home for O.T.U – good. TUESDAY 23 6/42 No mail from home thunder heads about so no flying again today. Did’nt ask for open post. Read book called “Mrs Miniver” – jolly well written. WEDNESDAY 24 6/42 Ted & Duncan off on Cross country as pilot & navigator. I got a spot of link trainer – did good beam work. Started to read “For whom the bell tolls” – about Spanish Civil War queer book. THURSDAY 25 6/42. Ted & I scheduled for Cross country but when we got out to plane it was cancelled owing to the thunder & we had a bad storm in evening. Played bridge. FRIDAY 26 6/42. Spot of instrument flying beam – better approach & landing than normal. Should possibly have gone on cross country but weather not too good. SATURDAY 27 6/42. Ted & I got our cross country at last. Made quite a fair show of landings at the auxiliary dromes. Ted good navigator. Open Post not given so Gabbie & I had a “friend” down from [indecipherable] & had evening in Town. SUNDAY 28 6/42. Open Post given from 11 am to 2pm ridiculous everyone fed up with B/S & tripe Gabbie & I went into town still to see our friend but we had to get back for [indecipherable] at 4.30pm. What a bind. [page break] Memoranda All were given separate rooms with our own bathroom and the most comfortable box spring beds in America. Did we sleep. We had travelled 258 miles! Monday 23 3/42. Much refreshed, nice real bath, and breakfast at 8.30 am. Judge Alexander was a perfect host & most charming in manner, also Mrs [deleted] Jackson [/deleted] Alexander and made us most welcome – even to making tea English fashion which was excellent. Eggs & bacon toast etc – good breakfast. Hardly had she dropped us on our road when another huge car stopped & a lady & gentleman hauled us in for a lift to McComb, half way to New Orleans. The country to Demopolis had been similar to our surroundings here but when we saw Jackson in daylight the weather was warmer and the gardens were full of azalias [sic], camellias & magnolia bushes the size of small trees a riot of colour. The country was more green & good farm land and spring seemed to have arrived much earlier. It looked grand with crops beginning to show green & trees in bud & some in leaf. From McComb where we had lunch we got a short lift to Magnolia and another across into Louisiana to Kentwood. After a short wait we picked up by a Mr D.H. Langins, of Silver Creek, Miss! a traveller who took us via Clinton to Baton Rouge where we cross the Mississippi over a magnificent rail & road bridge [page break] For Week of Monday 29th. JUNE 1942 WROTE CON MONDAY 29 6/42. Trouble about that parade yesterday apparently someone was outspoken about the U.S.A. their parades etc. and Air Corps in particular! Duly reported to the Yanks under the honour system. F/L Judge in a rotten position – had to make apology. Inst. Flying. [inserted] LK. [/inserted] Letter from Con dated 26th. Feb! TUESDAY 30 6/42. Saw Rothwell re O.T.U in England. No one came forward re yesterday’s affair enquiry [indecipherable] remark made outside Post Theatre 4 days ago – informant cannot identify. Yanks obviously jumped too soon. Saw Judge & told him so. Transition on the A.T.9. WEDNESDAY 1 7/42. Went before the Commissioning board today – they were quite decent – think I’ve got one. I’m to see Rothwell about other matter tomorrow. Spot of transition on the A.T.9. THURSDAY 2 7/42. No flying today low cloud & [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] thunder – though we were supposed to start night flying. Saw S/LDR and heard that more of us are to stay here for O.T.U. – cheers. Think I’ll get out of Instructor. No open post – this W/E – LIVID. FRIDAY 3 7/42. CON’S BIRTHDAY – BLESS HER. Wish I could give her a good hug. Started real transition on the 9. Usual talk of lack of judgment – think Instr. must be wrong or have a queer sense of judgement himself. SATURDAY 4 7/42. More transition and one exam on [deleted] pre [/deleted] flight at 6.45 a.m! Damn fine lecture on ops by S/LDR in afternoon. Wangled Open post if no night flying left us hanging around till 12 midnight! SUNDAY 5 7/42. Good lay in until 10 am much enjoyed the rest. Wrote to CON Transition with Sandison – no talk of bad judgement. Went up later with Dale & made some car hops! [page break] Memoranda with clover leaf crossovers at either end. The river here was about 1/2 mile wide. We were also taken to see the Louisiana State Capital building – a magnificent structure surrounding [sic] by gardens full of azalias [sic] in bloom. From here we picked up a lift into New Orleans down the straightest road I have ever seen. It was straight as far as the eye could see. The scenery was now flatter and produced market produced [sic] (Truck country) – ratter different from the wooded country further North and the farming country around Baton Rouge. We arrived in New Orleans at 8.30 p.m. having travelled 259 miles. We strolled up the main street of many lights, called Canal Street. The street cars run down the centre of the road and on the outskirts this is grassed over with azalia [sic] & magnolia bushes. The road is lined with palm trees. In the centre there are some large Hotels & bank buildings and masses of lights, near signs etc. We were tired but intent on seeing if we could get hold of some Southern hospitality so we entered the bar at the JUNG Hotel – no good. We strolled down the street a bit further & ran into some more of the lads, who seemed to be having a good time. So we went into the bar of the largest hotel – the Roosevelt – and bought a drink, stared [page break] For Week of Monday 6th. JULY 1942 MONDAY 6 7/42. Cross country to Crestview – Pike lost us we nearly reached the Gulf – looked wizard. Found ourselves then on way back P lost his may! So we came back on beam. No night flying – weather. TUESDAY 7 7/42. Spot of link today. Raised [inserted] 4L.K. [/inserted] subject of Open Post with F/LT. Judge – he could’nt get any satisfaction. We could’nt get passes signed so had a beer in camp. F/LT going to see Col. WEDNESDAY 8 7/42. F/LT. Judge saw Col re Open Post with S/L. Blank refusal! He’s very fed up. Too bad – guess they were not well received. Link again – spot of night flying in the 9 – fair. Spot of skeet shooting. THURSDAY 9 7/42. Did’nt fly today. in the evening Gabbie & I pitched a story about buying stuff to take home & wangled two passes! Met S/L & F/LT in Freddie’s Office they were delighted and invited us out to lunch at the Gables – excellent evening. [inserted] L.K [/inserted] FRIDAY 10 7/42. Somewhat heady today! Did a T & D problem back in formation. Spot of night flying at Liesberg in the 17 – fair. SATURDAY 11 7/42. Link only today. Open post granted – blow me down! Went into Town – ran into S/L & F/LT – to the Gables again – good evening. Bought some more silk stockings. SUNDAY 12 7/42. Two Letters from CON – so glad. Spot of team with Edwards & formation later in 9. Spot of night flying at 1.40 a.m. Hellish tired made rotten landings in the 9 [page break] Memoranda round the bar and stood talking – in hopes. On the way in I was stopped by an American who asked who we were. We were almost giving up hope when a quiet voice said at O’Neill’s elbow “Drink that one up & have one with me”. From then on we never looked back. He was a bloke named George Taylor & his friend Paul Lansing who had stopped me as we came in. when they heard what we were doing & that we’d made no arrangements to sleep, George disappeared to return later and blandly announce he had got us all a room in the hotel, the best in Town! We went on drinking until about 12 o’clock then we thought of food and went over to a restaurant in the French Quarter for some bacon & eggs. We were hailed over to speak to a Norwegian sailor & when we returned to our table we found our companions had paid the bill & gone! Could’nt find them anywhere until we discovered they had staggered on to Canal Street & in their cheerful condition had tried to drive a street car full of negroes. Very tired – to bed. Marvellous room – two single & a truckle bed with bathroom complete. Wonderful beds – slept like nothing on earth. Tuesday 24 3/42. Awoke 9.30 – bit of a head. Rang up George & Paul & we all got up & met in the bar over some “O hair” pick-me-ups – quite good. Then we had [page break] For Week of Monday 13th. JULY 1942 MONDAY 13 7/42. Had the whole morning to sleep – excellent – now flying day & night one day and having the next day as regards flying off. Felt hellish tired went to bed early – saw Stn. flick Chas Ruggles – good. Wrote to CON. TUESDAY 14 7/42 Cross country then a spot of team formation. Had trouble with a gusty cross wind on landing – rt. Wing stalled about 10’ from ground came in heavy. Night flying in A.T17 – all good landings. WEDNESDAY 15 7/42. Another morning in bed – very good too. Gabbie & I tried to get out to “do some shopping” but were told we’ll probably get Open Post on Friday – hope so. THURSDAY 16 7/42 Spot of team T & D – O.K. day [inserted] WK. [/inserted] for All flight though I’ve never soloed in a 6 – cancelled when we returned. Letter from TOM. quite cheery though think the old boy is getting old. Night flying. FRIDAY 17 7/42 Stayed in bed all morning! Spot of ground school then Open Post. Bought some more stockings & had a good party in Freddie’s Office with S/L & F/LT. Asked to arrange farewell party. SATURDAY 18 7/42 Flying in the morning and then ground school. Saw F/LT re party arrangements. Info that we’re finishing on 5th. August. Night cross country – 1st. off – in bed by 12.30. SUNDAY 19 7/42. Up 10 am & Open Post! Went into Radium Springs & lazed all day with a sandwich lunch. Afterwards saw [indecipherable] – excellent acting by Leslie Howard. [page break] Memoranda brunch & returned to the bar where we were joined by some more Americans. We drank Gin & tonic – good for us. George left on the 1pm train for the north but Paul announced that our room was ours for as long as we could stay & the party for the day was on him. They would’nt let us pay for a thing the night before. So we ambled over to the offices of the “Mississippi Valley Barge Line” for whom he worked but found “Red” Rutgar, the boss was not in. So we set about making a rude Dictaphone message for him when in he walked so we finished it off for George & mailed it to him! In the afternoon Paul got us some tickets for a motor tour round the old French Quarter. We visited the old Cathedral, rather like St. Marks, [indecipherable]. Saw the old [deleted] fre [/deleted] French houses with the patios, containing lovely flowers, behind the French Market, the ruins of a Spanish house and generally got sober. It was most interesting especially as New Orleans was the centre of pirating in the 18th. Century when Pierre Lafitte & his [indecipherable] used to come in there. Met [deleted] Gales & [indecipherable] & later [/deleted] Paul who had a dinner date but insisted on taking us to a French Restaurant where he at last let us pay for our dinners. We arrived there in a horse drawn [indecipherable] complete with negro coachman [page break] For Week of Monday 20th. JULY 1942 MONDAY 20 7/42. Flying this morning did a Cross country under the hood – not brilliant. Rumour we’re to finish on 26th. – leave? Night cross country – team. Got 60 hrs in & over 210 total. Sent for Schick bead. WROTE TO CON. TUESDAY 21 7/42. Mosely killed at Liesberg last night. Reynolds – two cracked knee caps & bruises. Apparently ran into a riggers hut at end of runway – did’nt have enough flying speed to take off – bad luck. Ted, [indecipherable], Gab & I went into [indecipherable] for beer party. WEDNESDAY 22 7/42. Spot of formation. Mosely’s funeral. Some of the lads got into hot water for missing & being late for Retreat last night. 20 & 10 tars respectively! No night flying – weather not suitable for XC. THURSDAY 23 7/42 Good nights [sic] rest – got up fairly early. Went with O’Neill to see F/LT re [inserted] 2LK. 1C [/inserted] tars (Americans only given 3 [indecipherable] for same thing). Rained this afternoon – no P.T. or Retreat horay [sic]!) Saw “Take a letter darling” – excellent – Rosalind Russell. FRIDAY 24 7/42 No flying this morning – low cloud. Had letters from Con (2) Phyl, Syd, Mr. Wells, Billy last night excellent! No night XC tonight storms about so early to bed. Rumour that 11 instructors are to be kept back. seems [indecipherable]. SATURDAY 25 7/42. Edwards & I saw S/L. [indecipherable]. Had a chat that I’ll get back O.K. – they’d rather have volunteers. Went into Radium Springs – to 3.30pm. Rain threatening so returned to town, flick, supper beer – bed. SUNDAY 26 7/42. We all over slept a bit this morning! Did 4.45 hrs flying excellent – fair effort tho’ formation seriously criticized! Nearly finished my time – got 60.40 in. wrote to CON. Got new razor head – better than old one. [page break] Memoranda in a silk hat. At every crossroads the horse shied & had to be led across. An Army Colonel who had hired the affair before us described it as a “Stubborn horse & a stupid n*****”. However Paul kept us in fits of laughter the whole time. The meal consisted of a seven course dinner for a dollar – excellent. We strolled through the French Market smoking cigars & then returned to the hotel where we met Gales & [indecipherable] & later Paul, who whisked us off with his friend Mac & another bloke to a Bowling match where we drank beer. Then we came back to a night club for a floor show including a spot of strip tease – extraordinary performance. We also visited the old Absinthe House (before going to Bowling) and tried some absinthe. Queer muck – rather like peppermint and milky white in colour. There was also a fat n***** who had a wonderful touch on the piano. A most interesting relic of pirate days. After a visit to a few more night life spots we went to bed at 4.30 am & soundly slept. Wednesday 25 3/42. Up at 10.30 found Lansing had got up early! & gone to his office. Went out & had brunch & ran into Paul & thanked him for the whole show. Took cab to road 11 & started to thumb, intent on getting to Mobile. However Bob Southrey stopped in a huge Hudson & picked us up bond for [page break] For Week of Monday 27th. JULY 1942 MONDAY 27 7/42 Got up fairly late went into see F/LT. re party. Instructors required now 15 – S/L saw everyone, accepted my excuse, also Ted Gabbie & Dai to stay, O’Neill? Rotten luck but thank God I’m going back. TUESDAY 28 7/42. Spot of instr & formation. O’Neill going home good! Also finished off night flying now have 74 hours in here only inst. to do. Party fixed for Sat. night. WEDNESDAY 29 7/42 Did’nt get to bed till 4.30 am so not up till 11.30. Gabbie unable to get out of it. Trouble over P.T – due to bad instructions from Ridley – exhibition by him in F/L’s office! Saw rotten flick in Stn. Flicks. Party altered to Sunday. THURSDAY 30 7/42 Finished inst with fairly good check. Rumour now that we’re to do 10 more landings in the 9! Finish & got wings on Wed. & straight off to Canada – good egg!!! Shall be delighted to go. Night flying FRIDAY 31 7/42 Party arranged for Sunday night. Assessment in log book – below average – rather disappointed – but S/L said no need to worry – just to indicate to next instructor what I’m weak in. Record O.K. Open post – few beers with Gabbie. SATURDAY 1 8/42 Finished off my flying. Went in on Open Post met S/L & F/LT went out to Gables – good party. Had chat about assessment – nothing to worry about – he’s had dozens of B.A’s. all get though all right. SUNDAY 2 8/42. Got up to go to flight line not required so back to bed! Trouble over night flying – can’t put party off! Party fixed. good effort No night flying. Good time was had by all. Barbeque rather disappointing though grub good. [page break] Memoranda Hattiesburg so we altered our plans. We had a good run across the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and so north. Country became flat, then wooded and slightly hilly arrived at Hattiesburg at 6 pm. Put up at Dixie Tourist Cabins – three in a double bed[deleted] s [/deleted] three musqueteers with a vengeance and somewhat warm. Had a spot of beer in a bar & supper in town. Sorry to find a girl of 18 working in a bar which is full of soldiers. Found they had to get a job in that particular County or go to jail to keep the women out of mischief. Nice kid named Eugene Plaka who was saving up to get out of it & jet home so took pity on the poor wench. 121 miles. Thursday 26 3/42. Up at 9.30 then breakfast. Southrey met us at 11 am and on. Stopped for lunch at roadside cabin – good. I drove to Meridian – terrific car nearly hit a wandering car & some line engineers dropped a cable across our wireless aerial. From Meridian we got a lift right to Tuscaloosa by a bloke who was towing a car – they just couple the cars together & let the wheel swing! But travel at any speed. 187 miles. So home to Camp again. Total distance 879 miles – all hitched! [page break] For Week of Monday 3rd AUGUST 1942 MONDAY 3 8/42 Open post all day. Went in town. 4 parcels to CON. 3 food 1 cheeky seed. Missed John Bliss who is an Instr. at [indecipherable] – pity. Went out to R/H with S/L. Rothwell – back to Freddie’s for a spot & had party in S/L Hirst’s room. Tried to get arrested by gate guard – no luck! TUESDAY 4 8/42 Open post till 6pm. Packing. Open post extended to 12 night. Went into town. Saw S/L Hirst & F/L. – to 43B’s B.B.Q. with S/L Rothwell. Then back to Freddie’s with S/L who took me up to his room and gave me a pair of R.A.F. Wings! Best present yet. More fun with Gate Guard – no clink. WEDNESDAY 5 8/42 Up early – getting squad up. WINGS PARADE. Caught 1.20 train. Said reluctant good bye to S/L & F/L they were sorry too. Route via Atlanta Chatt. Cincinnati where we join rest of party. Rather dirty uncomfortable coaches. Cold at night. THURSDAY 6 8/42 Did’nt sleep much. Up 6 am. Arr. [indecipherable] 8.30 am. 5hr wait. Into town to Schicks – beer look round station – photos. Dep. 3.10 complete party Arr Detroit 11.30 pm. change to C.N.R. switched coaches. Fiddled sleeper – sheets – comfort!!! Cost $1.50. FRIDAY 7 8/42 Slept fair – well worth it – a bit cold & stiff – 5 in compartment 6’ x 8’. In Canada passed Toronto at 5 am. (Dai & Co [indecipherable]). Wizard scenery. Stopped Montreal beer good – St. Lawrence – homesteads – all the gang crowded in our cabin – good fun. Slept well. SATURDAY 8 8/42 Woke at Campbellton – top route all R. St. Lawrence then S.E to Moncton arr. 12.30. Train taken into 31P.D. found we’re potential officers – kind of officers mess. In town to Ellis (beer) – Bunnetts – Ellis. [indecipherable] three fruit machines! SUNDAY 9 8/42 Did’nt get up till 10.30. After lunch we hitched to Point de Chene [Pointe du Chêne] 20 miles away for a spot of sun bathing – grand. Met the Jones family who very kindly waited to bring us back. wizard scenery – good day. [page break] Memoranda [underlined] BASEBALL. [/underlined] Much the same as rounders though the rules are tightened up to make it harder. Each team consists of nine players. One team fields the other strikes and goes on until 3 members are out then they change round nine times i.e 9 innings each. The pitcher bowls, the catcher is the wicket keeper, there is a baseman for each of the three bases and the remaining men field either deep or at short stop. The plate is the home base shaped [inserted sketch] and for a fair ball it must be pitched at a height between the knees and the shoulders & pass over the plate. It is called a “strike” if a foul it is a “ball”. The hitter can have three ‘strikes’ but if he does’nt hit the 3rd he’s out. The pitcher is allowed 3 ‘balls’ on the fourth the hitter gets a free run. The ball must be hit into the field ie between the lines of Home – 1st. base & Home 3rd base. He can never be caught out on a foul strike behind the wicket. To be out the ball may be caught or thrown to a baseman who has one foot on the base before [page break] For Week of Monday 10th. August 1942 MONDAY 10 8/. Drew a [indecipherable]! Good sign? Rumour [inserted] L [/inserted] life as usual. Went into town after supper. Wet day – to Ellis – poor luck on machines – foolish but good fun. O’Neill got Jackpot! – after we’d gone. TUESDAY 11 8/. Went out in the afternoon after cashing cheque for £5 with Wild. Bought powder & some underclothes for myself. Went to a flick met Charlie & Co & stooged back to Camp. More trained personnel in today. WEDNESDAY 12 8/. Saw [indecipherable] today with wing up on way back. Played bridge in evening – nothing to but! Pay parade for everyone but us on Friday. THURSDAY 13 8/. Went out to Point de Chene with O’Neill this afternoon. Got a good lift both there & back. good fresh air – excellent. Slept like a log. Saw “The Reluctant Dragon” – jolly good. FRIDAY 14 8/. Stuck around all day with absolutely nothing to do. Bored with all the hanging around. Played bridge in evening – then drink in the mess. SATURDAY 15 8/ Sat around reading all day – did nothing. So fed up went for a walk in evening with Edwards then back for drink in the mess. SUNDAY16 8/. After lunch hitched out to Point de Chene with Bailey & Edwards. Good hitch out – walked down [indecipherable] track. Rather a job hitching back – walked a lot 3-4 miles. Got going just before dark. Pleasantly tired. [page break] Memoranda the hitter reaches it, or a runner can be touched by an opponent with the ball between bases. A hitter who strikes the ball into play must run to 1st. base wherever the ball goes to. If there’s a man on 1st base he must run to second & so on. So that by smart fielding the ball can be thrown to 2nd base and get that man between 1st & 2nd & thrown to the 1st. baseman to catch the hitter who had not yet reached 1st. base. Indeed it is possible to get 3 men or even 4 by quick & hard throwing. Each man goes in to hit in turn. A home run is one where the ball is hit so far that the hitter gets round in one run. If a baseman (men) runs from one base to another or a ball which is caught he must return to his original base and is often thrown out. The game as a whole is faster than cricket though totally different and not so [indecipherable]. It is however good fun and quite a good afternoons entertainment especially when runners dive for their bases to beat the throw. The game is run by an umpire standing behind the catcher and a Referee who looks after the problem of close shaves or getting home to a base before the ball is caught. [page break] For Week of Monday 17th. August 1942 MONDAY 17 8/. Stuck around as usual. Went down town with Bailey & made enquiries about thicker stockings for Con. Decided to sell two pairs & buy two more here. A few beers in mess. Letter CON. TUESDAY 18 8/. Hitched out to Point de Chene with Bailey followed by Reas & Gabbie. Got a lift on a sand lorry & had great sport in the water mostly duck fighting. Got an invite on lift back for next week. Met Conner – rumours. WEDNESDAY 19 8/. Rumour correct draft going [inserted] 2L. [/inserted] tomorrow & Friday – bailey only one of our Crowd going lucky devil – all very broke & disappointed. Have to stay in till Friday – do hope they give us time to get things THURSDAY 20 8/. Went down with [deleted] Bailey [/deleted] Ted to have beer at Ellis with Bill who is off tomorrow. Met Jim, Bailey’s pal, who took us to his home after billiards at the Ellis. Nice people English settlers, he’s a civil servant. (P.O) FRIDAY 21 8/. Pay at last! Get $40 went down [inserted] IL. [/inserted] town and got lipstick, face cream & some thicker stockings for Con. Supper at Bennetts & some beer at the Ellis. Rather fed up. started “This above all” – good book. SATURDAY 22 8/. We thought we’d go to Point de Chene but it was so windy we just lazed around & read until after supper when we went into town for a beer etc. SUNDAY 23 8/. Did some packing this morning & got things organised. C.O. dropped lists of moving soon – do hope he’s right. Went down to see with Jones and found the [indecipherable] a [indecipherable] – spent evening with them. [page break] Memoranda All players wear a glove and the catcher and umpire wear protective padding and a face grill. The pitcher who really works the hardest stands on a little mound of sand in the centre of the arena. Quite a good game and I believe very exciting between two 1st. class sides – mostly professional. The Americans go nuts over it. [underlined] THE JOURNEY NORTH. [/underlined] 5 8/42 – 8 8/42. 5/8/42. Up early and got ourselves cleared with flying kit bedding etc. Finished packing but unfortunately my laundry was returned un-washed owing to a mistake of some kind. At 10.30 am we marched up to the Camp Theatre with arms swinging in good old Babbacombe style for our “Graduation Ceremony”, when we received a pair of tin wings and a certificate amidst much band playing and flag wagging. After a photograph and lunch we all boarded trucks for the station – damned glad to be at last on our way home, seems almost too good to be true. I pinned on my R.A.F wings, which S/Ldr Rothwell had given to me the night before and which I prize muchly - damned [page break] For Week of Monday 24th. AUGUST 1942 MONDAY 24 8/. Stuck around all day played bridge – read “This above all” grand book. Spot of beer in the mess. No gen yet – though hints are coming out. Lecture by C.O. TUESDAY 25 8/. Lecture by C.O. no gen yet. still more hinting. Spot of bridge. Letter from CON. I wish we could get a move on. Went to see the Jones with Gabbie – all arranged on the spur of moment. Letter CON WEDNESDAY 26 8/ Did nothing all day until afternoon. Went in to change some stockings for Con. Played bridge in the evening. We’re all damned bored. Beer. THURSDAY 27 8/ Played a spot of bridge to keep us going. Went out after supper with Gabbie. Saw a spot of amateur soft ball. Came back to the mess for a beer. FRIDAY 28 8/. Did nothing all day. Went to see the Jones again with Gabbie – quite a cheery evening. Rumour we’re going soon – good. SATURDAY 29 8/. Gabbie gone to Shediac with Edwards & O’Neill. I joined Whitfield & Clark. Flicks, spot of supper then beer. Good blokes. SUNDAY 30 8/. Went to Church with same lads & introduced to Mrs O’Dwyer. Out to Shediac with them. Met Guntry’s etc. Very nice people – good breeding – English. Wish we’d met them before. [page break] Memoranda decent of him. At the gate of the camp we gathered all our passes together and scattered them out of the back of the truck to the tune of “All coppers are B—ds!!” at the station we found we had two special coaches & a van for luggage and we were hooked onto the back of the “Flamingo” as far as Atlanta. The coaches were filthy and not too comfortable. We said reluctant good bye’s to S/L & F/Lt and thanked them for all they had done and got on the move at 1.45pm Scenery typical Georgia with Pecan & Peach trees, farm corn & so on all the way to Atlanta. Track single most of the way with passing loops & automatic sectional signals. At Atlanta we were shunted from the “Central of Georgia” to the “Southern” up to Cincinnati. We got going at 7.45pm. We had had supper at the C of G before Atlanta. The scenery now began to get more interesting as we climbed up through the Appalachian Mts towards Chattanooga. Soon it was dark and we put down our seats and tried to get some sleep. We were wearing summer kit and had no [indecipherable] or blankets. It was warm at first but soon got [page break] For Week of Monday 31st. AUGUST 1942 MONDAY 31 8/. Rumour strong – supposed 150 going on Thursday. No ‘gen’ yet. still plenty of time. Went in with the lads to a flick. Nearly got payed [sic] by mistake. Some Blokes did! TUESDAY 1 9/. Definite gen this afternoon. WE’RE GOING ON THURSDAY At last – gen right for once. Got some pay & bought of stuff got packed. Went to Rockaway with Mrs O’Dwyer. Saw the Guntry’s there. E & G made a four – for me beer. WEDNESDAY 2 9/. Eldin got it bad. Put out deep sea kit – gen talks – we’re to leave at 5.30AM tomorrow via NEW YORK! Rumour it’s the Queen Mary. Said good bye to Mrs O’Dwyer Spot of beer with Fl/LT Judge who is up here. THURSDAY 3 9/. Up before dawn away 5.30 am. Via St. John, McAdam, crossed the border at Vanceboro. Proper sleeping equipment this time & good grub. Stopped at Portland in U.S.A. for an hour then bed & a good snore. Clocks back 1hr. FRIDAY 4 9/. Breakfast at 5 a.m. due at N. York at 8.30 am. Usual business [indecipherable]. New [indecipherable] R.R. electric locos. Arr. Pennsylvania Stn. 8.45 am. To New Jersey by tunnel. Then by tender to the QUEEN MARY!! Saw the Statue of Liberty. [indecipherable] on her side. SATURDAY 5 9/. Good bunk in stateroom – good sleep. 14,000 U.S. Troops on overnight. Funnels smoking – rumours rife. Good breakfast. Off 2.45pm! passed skyscrapers & out thro’ basin to sea. Then what a bow wave & how wizardly she sails. Grub excellent = 2 meals day [inserted in margin] Co 1360 to 190 [inserted in margin] SUNDAY 6 9/. Slept like a log – good breakfast rough guess we’re covered 500 miles already. Going well in huge zig-zags no escort. Plenty of armament on board. Steward says [indecipherable] on Thurs. good egg!! [inserted in margin] Co 090 [inserted in margin] [page break] Memoranda Chilly and we none of us slept much. We got up at dawn. 6/8/42. We arrived at Cincinnati at 8.30 am. Detrained and had a good breakfast in the Station restaurant. We had to wait for the remainder of the 42G [indecipherable] who were due to arrive at 12.30 so Gabbie & I went into Town as did the remainders. Gabbie went for a shave. I went along to Schicks Service to get my razor serviced and had a shave there. After we tried innumerable shops to get Gab a pair of R.A.F wings without success. On return to the Station we heard that the others were not due until 2.30pm so we had a beer and then Ted & I went down onto the station & took some photos. It is much the same as Carlisle was in pre-grouping days and is jointly owned by the several railways using it. We got some good shots – though the majority of the American engines look much the same in general designs except of course the streamlined ones. The signalling is group controlled from a central signal box with track indicator electric chart. Signals are rather few and the [indecipherable] are placed on track level like [indecipherable], the [page break] For Week of Monday 7th. SEPT 1942 MONDAY 7 9/ Still moving at a good fast rate. Never seen the sea look so beautifully blue – deep blue marked by white – where our huge wake leaves a pattern. Halfway at approx. 6.30 pm. Getting very excited. (turkey). Saw flying fish last night. [inserted in margin] Co 090 [inserted in margin] TUESDAY 8 9/ weather a bit colder & more cloudy – sea rather a swell on and she’s rolling. Later sea quite big and we’re pitching & rolling somewhat – everything creaking. Sea quite heavy towards evening. [inserted in margin] Co 045 - 000 [inserted in margin] WEDNESDAY 19[sic] 9/ Lovely rumours – “Tirpitz got out” and “the Q.M sunk 500 miles out of New York. Sea quite heavy with a good deal of spray. Excellent fun. Still going a good lick. [inserted in margin] Co 045 [inserted in margin] THURSDAY 10 9/. Rumours yesterday that we’re to be in tonight! No sight of land. Sea still big swell – boat rolling heavily. Gen now that we’re in early tomorrow. Think we’ve taken a round about route. FRIDAY 11 9/. Up early & behold we [indecipherable] up the Clyde! Scenery looked wizard. Anchored at 9.50. off boat 1.30. Entrain 5.30 & away at 6.00. via Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Carlisle, Crewe [indecipherable], Clapham Jc. B’mouth [Bournemouth]. Rode on footplate from Carlisle – Crewe [indecipherable]. SATURDAY 12 9/. Arr. B’mouth 9.45 & off to billets at Hazlewood Hotel. Good messing. In search of uniform. Starting cold in head. Spot of beer - [indecipherable] – not bad. Slept like a log. Could’nt get thro’ to Con – 2hr. delay. SUNDAY 13 9/. Rang Con this morning – wonderful to hear her voice. Went to Christchurch this afternoon – concert at Pavilion in evening. Saw Bailey just back from leave. [page break] Memoranda latter do not appear to be used except for important crossovers or from sidings onto M/L. at 2.35 in came the rest of the gang, some riding on the footplate the remainder leaning out of the window – all in good spirits. We spent some few minutes sorting out people we knew & had’nt seen for some time and off we went again. This time the Baltimore & Ohio took us to Detroit & gave us a good lunch, in fact grub on the journey was good. The scenery was good. Pleasant farm country with the usual hooting for gateless crossings. Bags of corn growing tall and although cooler it was still warm. We rattled along well. We reached Detroit at 11.30 pm and bye-passed the station to some sidings where we transferred to the C.N.R. Proper old stock with hard seats – three men to a seat so that one had to sleep on the wooden canopy up above – with no blankets or bedding for two days! I did’nt think it was good enough – still we got going at last and went along to the diner for grub. The train had obviously been fitted up specially as a troop train as the diner had been stripped of its chairs & tables and [page break] For Week of Monday 14th. SEPT 1942 MONDAY 14 9/. Hellish queues for uniforms – decided to go to Gieves – excellent stuff even if more expensive. To flicks in the evening & then a whiskey & bed. Cold rather bad – gone to chest. TUESDAY 15 9/. Feel better today – cough looser. Still waiting for deep sea kit. Paid £5 went out to Christchurch for a drink. WEDNESDAY 16 9/ Deep sea kit arrived at last. Went to see Coles at New Milton & borrowed a case. THURSDAY 17 9/ Collected flying kit & handed in Airman’s kit – got ourselves packed up & ready. On leave tomorrow. FRIDAY 18 9/ Usual queue for passes arrived in London too late to get down to [indecipherable]. SATURDAY 19 9/ Caught the 11.55 and got a [inserted] K [/inserted] lift to Stevensons Farm on an Army lorry beautiful to give Con & Phyl a good hug & wizard to be home again. Cottage looks fine & still some roses. SUNDAY 20 9/. Pottered about in the morning Had chicken for lunch. Arthur & Sheila came in. went up to aerodrome for supper at the W.A.A.F’s run in the mess. Met Gibson & S/L Bill Greenslade told all about G.M.R. [page break] Memoranda we all sat at long tables placed length-ways with forms as seats. The food was quite good and it was good to see the friendly British faces of the dining car crew. After grub Gabbie & I went along to see if there were any [indecipherable] where one could sleep (we’d both got the top bunk which was damned hard.) we found a sleeper or rather a day car fitted with proper mattresses between the two diners for the use of the crew. At one end was a kind of smoke room with a long settee with two easy chairs. Just what we wanted! so we tackled the coloured conductor. He said that we could have [underlined] beds [/underlined] in the “drawing room” at the other end as there were five of us – we had been joined by three others. He wanted $2 for the complete but agreed to take $1.50. One bloke dropped out so I went & fetched Charlie Hare – it was a pity we could’nt have got rid of the other two & got Edwards & O’Neill in there as well. I went along to say cheers to Dai who was in the last coach & was to be slipped at Toronto about 6 am. He seemed alright though somewhat depressed. I was sorry he’s not coming with us. And so to bed [underlined] between sheets [/underlined] [page break] For Week of Monday 21st. SEPT. 1942 MONDAY 21 9/ Went up to look round a Stirling & an Oxford. Two sqdns on the camp now – 214 (S) & 101 MkIII Wimpeys. Operate most nights now. Troops don’t like the Stirling much – all [indecipherable]. Up to mess for a drink TUESDAY 22 9/ Sick & diahaerr [diarrhoea] all night. Spent morning in bed – germ floating about. Lovely quiet evening with Con over the fire. Don’t feel too well – too much excitement perhaps. WEDNESDAY 23 9/ Better today – over fields to Sheila’s with Con. Flip with Gibson this afternoon in Oxford – good. Tiny [indecipherable] & Jean in to supper – nice girls – chicken supper & spot of beer. Stomach quite recovered. THURSDAY 24 9/ Off this morning – wish we had another week. Went down to Hammersmith & saw Wadson, Williamson [indecipherable] etc. good evening. FRIDAY 25 9/ Back from leave – mouldy hole. Don’t seem to have said or done anything I’d planned to do on leave. It was too short. SATURDAY 26 9/ went out to Mrs Cole to return the suitcases. Her sister at St. Howards missing after bomb hit her flat – bad luck. Met Whitfield & his wife. SUNDAY 27 9/. Went to concert at Pavilion this afternoon. Out to Christchurch for a drink. [page break] Memoranda I slept alongside old Gabbie who tossed about a bit but did’nt snore too much – much refreshed in the morning though 5 in a room 6’ x 8’ was rather stuffy inspite of a fan & the top ventilators open. (We could’nt get the side windows to open). 7/8/42 Found we’d passed through Toronto overnight or rather in the early morning and we were going through marvellous scenery towards Montreal. So much fresher than yesterday’s in America and much better farmed. Lovely firs & hills with trees & little clearings. Now and then we rumbled over a stream all rock strewn & occasionally quite a decent sized river. We were running parallel to the St. Lawrence on our right. We had a got [sic] breakfast & just after an equally good lunch stopped in Montreal. We had an hour to wait so we all went in search of a beer. Found a pub – quite English looking – called a “Taverne” – and the beer was, I think, the best we’ve had this side of the drink. It was much cooler then America and the air clean & fresh. Such a pleasant change. We collected a big 4-8-4 with a [page break] For Week of Monday 28th. SEPT. 1942 MONDAY 28 9/. Posted to No. 6 A.F.u Little Rissington. [deleted] Oxfordshire [/deleted] Glos [Gloucestershire] so not too far from London & Stead. Spent the day messing about – to Kings Head for a drink. TUESDAY 29 9/. Off to Little Rissington via Reading, Didcot, Oxford, and bus from Kingham. Good station & nice mess. used to be an S.F.T.S. Shared room with Edwards & O’Neill. WEDNESDAY 30 9/. Damned cold, shivered in lecture room & had “pep” talk – drew flying [indecipherable] etc. Assigned to auxiliary aerodrome at Akeman St. – go out in a bus daily – no grd school. Rang Con. THURSDAY 1 10/. Up 6 am – phew! damned cold. F/Sgt as Instructor – murky weather – did’nt fly. Did some cockpit drill. Getting 48 over W/E. [deleted] Rang Con [/deleted]. Signed up to get away. FRIDAY 2 10/. No flying today – got away early. Hitched to Oxford. SATURDAY 3 10/. Met Con & Phyl & Phyl’s flat [inserted] K [/inserted] – grand to see them again. Saw Davis & later to Hammersmith saw Wadson & later Price & Co at the Signals Mess. slept at Mai’s. SUNDAY 4 10/. Breakfast at Canteen. Phyl’s for lunch with chicken – wizard. Nora came over in the afternoon so nice to see everyone again – like old [indecipherable]. 8.5 train back. [page break] Memoranda wizard [indecipherable] hooter, looked pretty clean & well kept – or just out of the paint shops. After leaving Montreal we crossed the ST. Lawrence by a long girder bridge and carried on parallel to the river on the east side through wizard country mostly made up of small farmsteads which looked rather like original settlers homes – just a small square wooden shack with about 20 acres of land all laid out in long strips. Grand seems pretty futile and O’Neill said it looked good for farming. We followed the St. Lawrence along though we could’nt see it and we bye-passed Quebec though we saw the famous bridge standing up there with the “Heights of Abraham” behind. Scenery much the same & we rattle on along the single track. When we went through last December we went through Maine (U.S.A) & did not go thro’ or near Quebec. Also this part of the journey was at night. I can see we missed a good deal. This time we follow the St. Lawrence to “Mont Peli” and turn off there via Campbellton to Moncton. That night Edwards & O’Neill piled into our “drawing room” [page break] For Week of Monday 5th. OCTOBER 1942 MONDAY 5 10/. Fly round – quite like the Oxford. We fly in all sorts of weather. TUESDAY 6 10/. Circuits & precautionary landing. Oxford not bad to land but the aerodrome is somewhat bumpy. WEDNESDAY 7 10/. No flying – weather awful. Walked down to Bourton-in-the-Water [sic] and put down & [sic] odd pint in the “New Inn”. THURSDAY 8 10/. Cross country under the head – then find out where you are & fly home – fairly successful. Flow back to Rissington with Instructor. FRIDAY 9 10/. Flip with Instr. this morning took S/L to Rissington. Latter pleased with my [indecipherable]. Not a very good effort at landing. Later up with F/LT. Kerridge after Solo (2 circuits) Regaining confidence lost by Pink. SATURDAY 10 10/. Bad weather this morning. Dual with tight turns & single engine operation then on hours solo – wizard. I feel full of confidence again now. To “New Inn” for a spot. SUNDAY 11 10/. Did a spot of local map reading Country looks grand from the air – Oxford especially Had one x country as passenger to Hereford & into Wales. Came back over Dick’s place at Alvington. [page break] Memoranda really to play cards but when we found the conductor had put the beds down we just lazed around smoking and talking. After a lot of persuasion we got rid of them & turned in. 8/8/42 we woke up after a good night – not so many kicks from Gabbie – at Campbellton on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I don’t think we covered a lot of ground overnight. Still we had breakfast and got packed up, we were due in Moncton about noon. The scenery all along the Gulf was grand. We kept passing little bays & short views of the sea – it looked grand. We saw inland and into good farming country and on E.T.A arrived at Moncton. It looked somewhat more civilised without the snow but it was a real pleasure to see the cheery & friendly faces. This time they backed down passed [sic] some sidings then went forward into a spur which led right into the camp – a new arrangement since we were here last. We went into a Drill Hall and then as potential Officers we were singled out from the [indecipherable] & taken to the Transient Officers Mess. As we got off the train another [page break] For Week of Monday 12th. October 1942 MONDAY 12 10/. Nav. test. Hatfield & to Oakham. Went down to 500’ to have a look at the place – grand – just the same as ever. Enjoyed the whole thing very much passed test without much trouble. TUESDAY13 10/. Our 1st solo cross country to Harwell – [indecipherable] -Alcester & back. got round fine. “shot up” by 9 spits west of [indecipherable] & ran into fog near Alcester good experience – got through O.K. WEDNESDAY 14 10/. 2nd solo cross country today when I got up found ceiling at 1000’ so went on at 800 – all the way. Found ST. Ives (Hunts) & passed 24 Fortresses on way to Evesham. Got lost in Glos and eventually landed to ask!! THURSDAY 15 10/. Went as Navigator complete with plotters, charts etc with Hodgkinson as plot XC to Ellesmore etc. Kept accurate log as poss. & Flt Commander very complimentary. Said it was the best he’d seen. Sending it to Stn Nav Off. FRIDAY 16 10/. Posted to Wattisham for BAT. Near Stead! Bit of a wangle. Had to bring 11 Sgts & [indecipherable]. All arrived O.K. Rang up Bank on way thro’ London – pleasant surprise £83!! Mess here rather quite – full of Yanks. SATURDAY 17 10/. Link then some beam flying – not bad for an initial effort. Spot of beer in the Mess and so to bed. Invited to Mess Party thrown by the Yanks to-morrow night. Rang Con – bless her. SUNDAY 18 10/. Flying early this morning – fair. Good party with good beer. Met some nice people. Yanks tight all over the place – knew it would happen. Majority all right though. Rang Con. [page break] Memoranda batch of fellars [sic] complete with gas masks came down to get in the train to go on to Halifax – lucky devils. We had apparently just missed a draught – damn, had we been on it I’d have seen Con’s roses by the end of August. [underlined] JOURNEY HOME [/underlined] 3 9/42 – 12 9/42. We’re away at last in C.N.R [indecipherable] stock but as officers with pukka beds etc. this time. Journey via St. Johns, into U.S.A via Malden &across the border at Vanceboro & following the coast to New York. We stopped for an hour at Portland and then on. Climbed into my top bunk which was extremely comfortable with mattress & sheets & slept well. Next morning we were on the New Haven R.R and being hauled by an electric loco. The scenery reminded us very much of good old England, especially when we passed the usual early morning business people waiting for a local to New York. Soon we began to pick up the suburb – not so slummy as London & run into the big arterial roads. Saw some wonderful clover leaf crossovers & of course the usual mass of cars. We crossed the Hudson by a girder bridge & seemed to be skirting the city when we started to go downhill. [page break] For Week of Monday 19th. October 1942 MONDAY 19 10/. Somewhat sore headed this morning. (11 pints) – thank god not on link ‘till 10 am. Clamp to 50’ Jerry stooging around – alerts one after another. Yanks flying to shelters we made to do likewise interrupted our lunch. Ensa show at Naafi – poor. No flying today. TUESDAY 20 10/. Lovely morning got in some flying – poor effort swung too much on beam – Instructor does’nt seem to mind Yorkshire F/LT – clever bloke. Rang Con. WEDNESDAY 21 10/. Flying coming on O.K. getting the hang of it now. Had a look at a battered Wimpey on the ‘drome. THURSDAY 22 10/. Finished flying this morning should get away by lunch tomorrow. Rang Con. FRIDAY 23 10/. F/LT Stevens came over and picked me up just after lunch. Home for tea – lovely supper went up to W.A.A.F Mess collected Tiny then to Ladies Room for some drinks. SATURDAY 24 10/. Mrs Isaac left this morning. Tiny came in for lunch – nice girl. Had a look at my models. Got lift to Haverhill & so back. SUNDAY 25 10/. Squared up – believe we’re night flying tomorrow – could have stayed another day. [page break] Memoranda Everyone was looking for the skyscrapers but I only got a glimpse in the mist as we dived into a long tunnel coming out into the Pennsylvania Station right under New York. We were all grabbing at rumours that it was & then it was’nt the Queen Mary & so on, so that when another electric engine backed on and we got going into New Jersey our spirits drooped. However we piled out at a reception centre on the water’s edge, boarded a tender & chugged up stream. It was quite misty with the sun behind it. Suddenly the Statue of Liberty loomed up looking somewhat green in the strange light. Its a terrific size and one can walk up steps into the torch! We were all straining to see the famous skyline when suddenly one or two skyscrapers loomed out of the mist gradually followed by the rest as we got nearer. It was magnificent. We followed East River round and ran along the big boat piers. Was it the Q.M. on we went – then there was the terrible sad sight of the Normandie on her side. All her upper works have been removed prior to righting her. On the west pier behold the Q.M. For once our ‘gen’ was pukka! We pushed off next day at 2.45 pm backed out into the River tugs pushed us round & off we went thro’ the basin & out [page break] For Week of Monday 26th. October 1942 MONDAY 26 10/. Night flying – foul weather back in Mess at 8.30 played darts & billiards. TUESDAY 27 10/. Got in a spot tonight – easier than in the States. Glide path indicator a great help. Did a spot of A.C.P. WEDNESDAY 28 10/. Helped to lay out flare path & A.C.P first period. Got in one XC when clamp set in and we went back. THURSDAY 29 10/. Low cloud & rain. Hung on till midnight – no flying. Going down to see Con for W/E as I can spend Monday travelling. FRIDAY 30 10/. Went to Akeman St all dressed for flying instead of leave & missed a possible hike to London. Still we were back in the Mess at 8 pm for party with ENSA people SATURDAY 31 10/. Up early taxi to Kingham 7.49 to London. Via Gieves to 11.55 and then via Army lorry to Con at 3 pm. She was delighted so was I. Walked to Hampstead to order fowl. Sheila home. SUNDAY 1 11/. Lovely morning country looked [inserted] K [/inserted] grand. Rollo razor seized up – had to take it [indecipherable]. Sheila came in for lunch had to catch the 4.50 back. Rode up in Guard’s van to L’pool [Liverpool] St. [page break] Memoranda to sea. We passed & had a last good look at the skyline with its huge buildings. As we went passed [sic] most of the windows of the skyscrapers were full of waving people – we had 17,000 U.S. soldiers on board. Once out to sea she ramped along at 29k. by day & a bit more at night. It was a wizard trip – eight to a cabin & good food though only 2 meals a day owing to the huge No. The Q.M rolls very badly in the swell – probably as she was not using gyros in wartime – and it was quite amusing seeing some of the Yanks who are not sailors rolling off chairs or sliding about on deck. It was a nice slow sort of roll but she used to go over a dickens of a way. Whilst we were bowling along the Nazi claimed to have sunk us 500 miles out! on the radio! Friday 11 9/ we steamed up the Clyde & one got some impression of her grace & speed when one saw a destroyer pushing up a terrific bow wave to keep up with us be [deleted] docked [/deleted] anchored at 9.50 & tenders came alongside. It was wizard to see green fields & stone buildings again. we got ashore at 5.30, entrained & off at 6 pm. At Carlisle I was talking to the driver (Starkley of Carlisle) & was asked to ride on the footplate to Crewe! It was wizard, the engine was No.5468 St. Helena, a 5XP, and it was a wonderful experience at night, down Shap & through Westmoreland & [indecipherable]. We arr at B’mouth [Bournemouth], via Willesden & Clapham Jc at 9.45 am [page break] For Week of Monday 2nd. NOV. 1942 MONDAY 2 11/42. Watch to Moores, Pike to Edward. Bampton flyer to Akeman St. Tiring day. Night black as pitch flew very badly – everyone the same. Two killed at Rissy. Girls. TUESDAY 3 11/42. Breakfast in bed – good Went down but not flying – grand mist got back by 11 pm. Beer and then bed. WEDNESDAY 4 11/42. Misty morning – [indecipherable] N/F. No N/F. to New Inn. Walked down with Hodgkinson. THURSDAY 5 11/42. No N/F. FRIDAY 6 11/42. Still no N/F. Extremely misty SATURDAY 7 11/42. Got off solo at last fair effort. Much easier then at Tunis Field U.SA. SUNDAY 8 11/42. Got in a XC & a spot of solo tonight. Weather conditions seem better. Wrote to Con. SEE NEW DIARY. [page break] [1941 CALENDAR] [1942 CALENDAR] [page break] [book inside back cover] [page break] [book back cover] 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 Keith Dexter diary. One Description An account of the resource Day by day diary recording events from his joining the Air Force in April 1941 up until 8 November 1942. Covers time at 1 Initial Training Wing and No 1 Elementary Flying School at Hatfield including interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation. Followed by crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Halifax, Canada on route for pilot training in Alabama, United States. Covers training in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery on PT17 and BT13. Award of wings in August 1942, trip back to the United Kingdom and time at 6 Advanced Flying Unit at RAF Little Rissington. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 104 page diary Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Diary Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context YDexterKI127249v1 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--Devon England--Hertfordshire Canada Nova Scotia--Halifax United States Alabama Alabama--Montgomery Alabama--Tuscaloosa Nova Scotia Louisiana--Baton Rouge Louisiana Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1941 1942 1941-04-03 1942-11-08 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keith Dexter 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 Steve Baldwin aircrew entertainment Flying Training School Initial Training Wing military living conditions military service conditions pilot RAF Hatfield RAF Little Rissington RAF Torquay training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/247/7274/EDorricottLWVarious41-42.pdf d201580e6e4068cc2fc47fb041c3d9d0 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 Dorricott, Leonard William Leonard Dorricott Len Dorricott L W Dorricott Description An account of the resource 72 items. An oral history interview with Rosemary Dorricott about her husband Flying Officer Leonard William Dorricott DFM (1923-2014, 1230753, 1230708 Royal Air Force). Leonard Dorricott was a navigator with 460 and 576 Squadrons. He flew 34 operations including Operation Manna, Dodge and Exodus. He was one of the crew who flew in Lancaster AR-G -George, now preserved in the Australian War Memorial. He was a keen amateur photographer and the collection contains his photographs, logbook and papers. It also contains A Dorricott’s First World War Diary, and photographs of Leonard Dorricott’s log book being reunited with the Lancaster at the Australian War Memorial. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Rosemary Dorricott 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 2015-10-07 2015-11-05 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 Dorricott, LW 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 Regents Park. Page 1 Torquay Page 12. Eastbourne. Page 59. Canada Page 70 Miami U.S.A. Page 74 [Page break] LEAVES Nov 14th to Nov 21st 1941 from Torquay Feb 28th to March 2nd 1942 from Eastbourne March 8th to March 14th from Eastbourne March 18th to March 21st from Eastbourne. [Page break] 1 Sept: 1, 1941. 1230753 A.C2 Dorricott, No1 ACRC 16/10 Flight, Stockleigh Hall, Abbey Lodge, Park Rd London. Dear Ma, Pa, and Nibs, I arrived at Lord’s at 12.45, had to fill up at least half a day on forms, and then watched a cricket match, Then we were marched up to our billets. Doesn’t it sound posh?, but its only a block of modern flats. We had dinner at 3 o’clock – the cabbage was not too good, but we enjoyed the pud (plenty of sugar). We can go out within a 5 mile radius from 6 – 10-30 pm any night, but about once a fortnight, two of us have to look after the billet. I forgot to say we had dinner in a cafe in Regents Park which is just outside. We shall be issued with uniforms tomorrow, should have been today, only there were too many of us. Everyone is [sic] our flight is going to be an Observer. They re not a bad lot of chaps, and weve got a [inserted] negro [/inserted] with us. He talks good English, & has come [Page break] 2 from Canada. We shall probably be here from 2 weeks to a month. Cheerioh for now, Len. Sept 4th. Dear Mum, Dad, & Nibs, I have not put the address this time, as it takes up too much room. I have just finished helping scrub the floor of our room, quite a mucky business. We had our uniform issued to us on Tuesday, but the tailor has had to alter our coats, etc, so we shall not wear them till tomorrow. We had a night vision test today, we had to wear very dark glasses, for 1/2 an hour, without taking them off and then went into a blacked-out room for a 1/4 hour, and then had to describe dimly illuminated objects on a screen in front of us, hardly anyone could name them. Soon we shall have umpteen innoculations [sic] and vaccinations, and am I [Page break] 3 delighted? We have had to get tons of brushes, marking ink, and cleaning tackle today, and all the fellows are busy cleaning their buttons and marking their kit. Two kitbags full, 3 shirts 5 pairs socks, (very hairy and all standard size) 2 vests, 2 pants, 2 towels and yards of other stuff. I don’t know what we’re gonna do about laundry. Most of the other chaps send theirs home, as you don’t get your own back, if you send them to the laundry. The Church Army van comes round at 7.30 pm to sell cakes and tea, our last meal is 5.15 pm. That cake came in very handy for us. Blow this writing pad its just like blotting paper. I shall be sending a case with my clothes in, as soon as I get my uniform, Cheerioh for now Len. 8.9.41 Stockleigh Hall. Dear Mum, Dad and Herbs, Im still having a pretty good time here. Yesterday we attended a [Page break] 4 Church Parade at Mount Zion Presbyterian Church, St Johns Wood, it was quite a nice service, started at 9.25 A.M. Later in the morning and in the afternoon I went with Gilbert Fairhead, one of the lads in my room, to the Zoo, we watched the keepers feed the lions, penguins, sealions etc, and had quite a good time, it is open free to Service men on Sundays. In the evening both of us went to the Allied Services Club in Marylebone Rd, and read and played cards, till 8.30. P.M. We’ve had a very slack day today, the only thing we did wad attend a lecture for 1/2 an hour this morning. Tomorrow morning we have two innoculations, one for typhoid, and the other for tetanus, one vaccination, and a blood group test. The M.O said we would not feel the effects till 10 days later. We don’t get paid till next Friday, single blokes get 30/- a fortnight, and married ones only 20/. By the way, that is not Acne in my address, but A. C. R. C (Air Crew Receiving Centre), ever been had I. Ive just had a letter from Grandma Dorricott [Page break] 5 I have not got Grandma Comptons address, so I could write them. All of us are sending our “civvies” home tomorrow, but I think I will keep my case as it is handy to keep my cleaning tackle, pygamas [sic], and writing pad in, its such a mess having to hunt in a kit bag every time you want a thing. Several of the chaps in our Flight live in, or have relations near London, so they went home, we are free after Church Parade, so Gilbert and I were about the only two left. I don’t think I told you, but next door we have half a dozen Ex-Met. Policemen, and theyre the best pals you could have. The Corporals in charge of us are very decent, we are supposed to do so many hours drill, but so far we have not done one hour. They tell us to go to our rooms, and do what we like, as long as we co keep [sic] from the windows, in case the Squadron leader sees us. We are having our photos taken in a group, I’ve ordered one and will send it when I get it. There are about 5,000 cadet pilots, and observers here now, and another 1,000 are coming today, we in uniform [Page break] 6 feel like veterans when we see them in civvi [rest of word missing] We might be posted to I.T.W. [Initial Training Wing] this week, but I doubt it, some chaps have been here 8 weeks. Tell ‘Gay Gay, that the A. T. [missing word] kids guard some of the blocks of flats on Sundays. There are about 6 great blocks of flats along Prince Albert Rd, and all are occupied by the Air Force, I bet Gay-Gay wishes he was here. Well I must toodle on now. Cheerioh, Len Tuesday, I did not have time to post my letter, so I m adding some more to it. About 11 AM I had to go to the Dentist, all he did was fill one tooth, the other two he will probably do tomorrow, up to now I have had no toothache but when he got the drill on, he nearly murdered me. Immediately after I went for Inoc, etc. it made about 5 fellows faint. There was one right behind me, and I had to hold him up because he was swaying. The whole thing was [Page break] 7 well organised, we had to walk round several tables, while the doctors jabbed us. I think Dr Brynne Quinne must be here because there was a notice on one of the doors signed, B Quinne H.P. We shall have two more Inocs in 6 weeks time. We get one weeks leave every 3 months while training, but when we get on operational duties we get much more. Also there are 48 hours a month, but it is usually kept till your weeks leave. We’ve got nothing to do all day now but read or sleep, I feel as fit as a fiddle, but two of the policemen have taken it badly, and are in bed sweating it off. Thursday. I didn’t half have a rotten time of it yesterday. I kept going hot and cold, and felt so bad, I didn’t have tea, but went to bed at 5.30 pm & slept till 6 AM next morning. I don’t feel too grand today, so am staying in tonight. We got paid today30/-, we might get posted to I.T.W. this weekend, if not we shall go to posting wing here. I’m going to bed now, so Cheerioh, Love, Len. [Page break] 8 P.s. Don’t write to this address again, as I might be moved, I’ll send the next address Len “P” Squadron. Avenue Close, Avenue Rd London N.W. 8 15.9.41 Dear Mum, Pop, Gay-Gay, Janet and the little Shrimp, Ow be thee a-g-ettin on, Oi be foine We have been moved to Posting Wing, and are in another block of flats, about 50 yards from the others. Its like moving from a Mansion to a Corporation house. We are crowded, there are two other chaps in my room, and yesterday afternoon we had to mess about with the wash basin in our room, as it was stopped up. Many Happy Returns of the Day Mum, Ive just remembered its your birthday tomorrow. On Friday night Gilbert and I went to the “State” Cinema, Kilburn, it is at least twice as large as any Cinema I’ve been in. We saw “Great American Braodcast” a Dr Kildare picture, second portion of that captured Nazi terror film, also a film of Air Sea Rescue. We had had a lecture on this [Page break] 9 subject a few days previous, at the Odeon Cinema, by a Wing Commander. On Saturday night, Gilbert, Allen and I went rowing on the Lake in Regents Park, and had a fine time On Sunday, Gilbert and I went to the Zoo again, while Allen went to his relations at Luton. This morning we’ve had a medical lecture at the Odeon, and this afternoon a kit inspection, its bedtime now so I ll close with Love Cheerioh, Len. Avenue Close Friday Dear Mum Pop & Niblets Ta, muchly for the parcel, which I received tonight, the other letter which which [sic] you sent previously with the 5/- has not reached me yet. Thanks so much for the cake, I thought your birthday was the 16th, but we’ll celebrate tomorrow. We leave for Torquay sometime after breakfast, it’s a bit farther from home, but it’ll be a nicer place than London. I’ll be glad to leave here, [Page break] 10 as you can’t go anywhere without spending. From 9. AM Thursday till 3 P.M. this afternoon, we did 30 hours guard, 2 hours on and 4 off, We have to patrol up and down the main Rd, in real “sentry go” manner, so we can’t do much slacking. It wasn’t so bad at night, because providing no-one was coming, you could sit down on a low wall outside the flats. I don’t know our exact address yet, but will write as soon as I get to know it. We’re darn lucky to leave here so soon, usually you have to wait 3-6 weeks. There are 1,700 civvies coming here on Monday, so they have had to clear us all out. On Tuesday night 3 of us went to the Rudolf Steiner Hall, run by the Church Army, for a quiet evening. Then on Wednesday we went to the Odeon to see Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour in “Caught in the Draft” you ought to see it if it comes to W. hampton. Most days this week we have had P.T, and o are the backs of my legs aching! I have not seen anyone from W. hampton here yet. It seems as if I have known the chaps here ages [Page break] 11 We’re C.B. tonight, normally since we were the guard yesterday, we should have had all today off, from 9. AM., so you see it’s a bit of bad luck for us. We have an excellent way of pressing trousers, we damp the creases, and put our ‘biscuits on top of them, and sleep on them, and hey presto! you have a knife edge crease that will last. We’ve got a small Naafi here, buy [sic] you can only buy cleaning stuff, cigs and slab cake. I’m sending a Zoo book for Sylvie, those news-paper cutting [sic]were interesting, send me as many as you like, we only get the London papers here. Most of the shops in London close at 6 pm, except cafes, so we can’t do any shopping. At Avenue Close weve been having brekker at 6.15 AM. , then a break at 10.30 AM. So we could go to a Cafe for something to eat, you begin to get hungry then. The quality of the food is not bad, but the cooking is. Today, for instance, 3 out of 4 of my spuds were bad. They’ve started dishing out suppers now, you get a helping twice what you get for dinner, it’s the left-overs from dinner [Page break] 12 warmed up, sometimes its not too bad, but its mostly the other way round. Anyway when we get to Torquay, the grub’ll probably be much better. Some chaps have come back from Torquay to here for eye training, and they say this is a lousy hole. It will be much stricter at I.T.W. but we’ll get used to it. I can’t understand why the post is held up, I have had your first letter and this parcel, however all the rest should be sent on to us. Well I’m very tired now, and am gonna go to bye byes, Cheerioh, Len Sept 23rd 1941 1230753 A.C 2. DORRICOTT “A” Flight No 4 Squadron Beacon House No 3 I.T.W. Torquay, Dear Mum, Dad, Gay-Gay Janet & Baby Sylvie, As you see I’ve changes my address again, you could not wish for a nicer place than Torquay. All around the [Page break] 13 bay and harbour are hills, with hotels and boarding houses upon them, and trees and foliage in between. We are in a boarding house 15 yards from the harbour, its only a third rate place but we have beds, and washbasins in each rooms, and a tall locker each, like a wardrobe We have meals in a hotel next door, in a room which used to be a Dance floor. The food is cooked ten times better than at Regents Park, the spuds are either cooked in their jackets or else properly peeled and mashed. When we came yesterday, we had, half a steak & kidney pud, two big roast spuds, some carrots and a saucerful of beetroot, and a big plate of rice pud. This morning we had Shredded Wheat, sugar & milk, pork sausages, fried tomatoes & gravy, and a pint of coffee. Dinner today was a large slice of beef steak, roast spuds, & cabbage, and after prunes and custard, hows that for a start. It took us 5 hours yesterday to get here, its about 2.20 miles from London. Its quite warm today, I wish you could all be here [Page break] 14 to enjoy I shall get through my course in 6 or 7 weeks, if I work hard, and then I shall have a weeks leave. The officers and N.C.Os say that the civilian volunteers mostly go abroad if they pass, while ground staff airmen, who have transferred to Air Crew, or Army transfers have to stay in England. Its going to be jolly hard work, plenty of discipline, but we need that! There’s plenty of drill, P.T, games swimming etc. We pay 2/- for the whole time we are here and can go to the Baths free, use the Recreation room, listen to the Wireless, have some of our clothes washed, and have several odd jobs like that done. The Officers and N.C.Os are very decent chaps, so we should get on O.K, I’m on fire picket tomorrow, I think I stick around, and don’t do anything till the sirens go. We had the “Sirens” last night, but the “All Clear” went into 1/2 an hour [sic] In receiving wing at Stockleigh there were 4 chaps besides me in my room, at Avenue Close, I was in a room with the two oldest, and here I am in a room with the two [Page break] 15 younger chaps. Theres Gilbert the youngest in the Flight (ten days younger than I), and Allen who’s nineteen. Allen is Methodist, so we had to go to the Congregational along with the other Denominations, we are going again tonight. Gilbert is Church of England, so he is going for a walk instead. That cake’s lovely, the five of us have shares in it. We don’t get suppers here, so as I said before it comes in handy. We have to wear white ceremonial belts here, and have to blanco them every day. We have Morse and signals here, navigation, maths, armaments, and Aircraft identification every day. We have to know 90 different planes but the navigation is by far the hardest subject in the whole course, or so the Officers say. We’ve got to learn to swim, and will not be able to play football till we can swim 2 lengths, I don’t mind a bit. We’re not having much time for going out, what with homework etc, its up to ourselves now. We wake at 6. AM, brekkies at 7 AM. – 7.30, lessons start at 9, half hour break about 10, then on [Page break] 16 till 1 o’clock. From 1 till 2 pm. Is dinner, then work till 6 pm, then tea, and we are free till 10 pm, 11 pm Saturdays. We can have a late pass till midnight once a week if we want it. Couldst thou send me one or two of they blue hankies, the white ones show the dirt so easily. I’ve got quite a large sore over my vaccination mark. I’ve got a cold: I’ve got a headache! And my “stitch” has bleeded this afternoon, all the effects of the vaccinations. Even with the hard work, I think I shall enjoy myself here. Lets know all the noos as soon as possible. Tell bruvver Gay-Gay that if he goes in the R.A.F. to go as Pilot, its ten times easier than Observer. Cheerioh, Len. Beacon House, Dear Mum, Dad & Infants, Ow be things agoin on at No 10? I’ve just had a p c. from Shrewbury [sic] sent on from London, but that lost letter [Page break] 17 has not turned up. That [underlined] was [/underlined] a nice cake we all enjoyed it & no one refused a slice. Couldn’t send me some peanuts?, if you could get them, we can’t get sweets or chocs here, although we can get cakes at the Naafi. I’ve had some sweet cider, guess the price! 5d a pint. Tell Gay-Gay, if he wants a good Aircraft Identification Book to get Aircraft Recognition, by R. A. Saville-Sneath, it’s a Penguin Special, and only 6d. You can tell how good it is, one morning we were having A./C Recog, when the Officer recommended this book, and asked who wanted it, he counted how many, and then walked to the bookstall at the station, and nearly bought the shop out. He said they were the best 6d worth you could get. Monday morning, we had clay pidgeon [sic] shooting with 12 bore shot guns, Clay discs were skimmed in the Air & we had to hit them, we had 9 shots, standing in three different positions, and I hit 4, the highest was 5, by a copper. We can mostly [Page break] 18 get a second helping of pud but one day I got 3. I already had had two when the cook asked who wanted any more? No one answered as they had had enough, but he caught my eye! And beckoned, and he gave me twice as much as the other helpings. We’ve all had interviews with the C.O, and he wanted to know if we had any objection to going abroad after I.T.W. He said I was very good at Maths & to keep it up. We can sent [sic] our stuff to the laundry here, it should be Ok. We went swimming in the Salt Water Baths, I swam 3 separate widths, more than I’ve ever done before. Were supposed to swim 2 lengths before we leave here. Gilbert’s jolly hard up, he’s only got 7 1/2 d to last him till a week tomorrow. I was on Fire Piquet [sic] Monday night, we are only supposed to stay awake if the sirens go. They went on Sunday and Tuesday, but not on Monday, so I was Ok. My legs are pretty tired today, weve had drill, P.T, Swimming, walked up nearly all the hills in Torquay, besides tramping up and [Page break] 19 down 6 flights of stairs, I’m on the [letter deleted] top story. Lets know all the news as soon as possible Give my love to thyself, Pop, Gay-Gay, Evelyn Jeanne Althea and Sylvia June Toodle-pip, Len xxxxx Monday Morning, I have not had time to post this letter yet, but will do so tonight, thanks ever so for your registered parcel, the ten shilling has come in very handy, also thanks for the suck, I can easily manage on 15/- a week, but its unexpectedly having to go another week that’s done it. Gilbert isn’t so well off, hes had to borrow 10/- from his Pop, he’s got no mother, its my lucky day today. I’ve had a parcel from Ede at Shrewsbury 7 blocks of chocs & 2/-, I think its because I went to Chapel twice yesterday. I don’t think I told you, but we heard they gave free teas at the Airmen’s Rest on Sundays, so three of us went. Half way through a bloke got up and said, “We will now sing [Page break] 20 a hymn. It proved that they have a Salvation Army meeting after tea. We waited till 1/2 way through, about 5 to 6 o’clock & then bunked, Allen & I went to the Congregational & Gilbert went to Toc H. Today we went into the Gas Chamber, they use C.A.P. Tear Gas. My nose tickled a bit, but my eyes did not water at all. In Aunty Ede’s letter, she says that although Uncle Ern has not named the day, the wedding will probably come off in the near future. They have asked Ede to be bridesmaid, but she says she does not know where to get the coupons from. It’ll probably be a very quiet affair, what with food and clothes rationing. Well thanks again for your parcel, but don’t rob yourself of sweets, Give my love to everyone Ta Ta. Len xxxxx I’m sending on this photograph, John Hart gentleman farmer, David Anderson, clerk to the Westminster Bank London, Gilbert Fairhead Map maker Chelmsford, and Allen [indecipherable word] [Photo missing] [Page break] 21 wages clerk, Loughborough Len Torquay, Dear Mum Pop, & Erbs, As you say I ain’t arf ‘aving a birthday, I got your cake & nuts yesterday, and another letter today. That cake is even better than the last one, if you’d taste them before hand, it would perhaps teach you to keep one for yourself once in a while. When I ask Gilbert or Allen to have a lump they never refuse. Last night the mice nibbled through the Cardboard and silver-paper to get at it, I’m putting it on the top of my locker tonight. Those nuts came in very handy, I was chewing them all through Signals class this morning. I’ll probably be sending another large photo of “A” Flight soon, we had our photos taken on Monday. Tell Gilly Hart that in 6 weeks time, I’ll probably be 4.A.C. with rise in way, if I pass my exams. Then I’ll most likely get two weeks Embarkation leave, before we go abroad. I don’t think we have had any baked beans here yet. You can’t [Page break] 22 grumble at the grub here. One day we had for breakfast fried egg on toast, porridge, bread and butter and jam. The best of it is at dinner, you can mostly get a second helping of fruit or dinner. Tell Padden of the Home Guard, that if he wants to go as Pilot or Observer to swot up Arithmetic, elementary Algebra, Morse (we have to pass out at 6 words a minute), and if possible try and learn to recognise British & German Aircraft, also Antigas Precautions. Its all pretty easy, the Arith & Algebra we did in first and second year at school. We have Maths and Morse every day, and at the end of last week 90% of us could send and receive at 4 words per minute. We had our laundry back yesterday, What a sight! the sleeves of my shirt have shrunk at least two inches, and the starched collars are only just big enough, also half the buttons are off. This afternoon I went to the Baths & swam 2 lengths and several widths They re salt water baths, shallow end 4’10” deep end 7’6”, I think I shall go in the sea next time. We got paid today, I got 34/- but [Page break] 23 there’s still a weeks money to come. We had a lovely tea today, Cheese & potato mash on toast, cake trifle, bread & butter & jam and currant cake & tea, hows that? And its only supposed to cost 1/ 5 1/2 a day to feed an airman. We had our Anti gas Exam yesterday afternoon, 6 questions on Respiration, Effects of gasses & First Aid, decontamination, Gas Defence Scheme & Gas detection. The official questions had not come, so the Gas N.C.Os had to set some. It’s the biggest twist out, they set easy questions that anyone could answer. Our Pilot Officers had to take the exam as well, so we didn’t find it so difficult. I’m writing letters nearly every night, but can only manage one at a time, as we get Arith Homework every night. I’m about the best in our Morse and Maths classes, There are two classes 24 in each. Cheerioh for now Love to one an orl Len xxxxx [Page break] 24 Torquay Dear Mum, Pop and the three babies, Thanks very, very, very much for your parcel of sweets, You’ve no idea how pleased I was when I opened the parcel, I’ve been dying for something to chew for the las [sic] 3 or 4 weeks. You can get plenty of cakes at the Naafi, but nowt chewable, Thanks very much for the hanks, also thank Aunty Alice for the sardines and biscuits. I havnt eat [sic] the sardines yet, as I’ve got to get some bread from somewhere I’ll probably be able to slip a slice in my gas mask haversack when I’m up the canteen. I’ve still got two packets of sweets, after giving Allen & Gilbert some, oc [sic] I’ve kept myself well in hand, by not eating them all in a day Ive just had a letter from Loreen & Joyce so I will write them on Thursday when I get my pay. I’m sure weve got mice, because on Friday morning, I opened my locker & pulled the biscuits out. We had one each and then I noticed a little pile of what proved to be bits of paper. And then I found a little [Page break] 25 hole in the cardboard, and I remembered the biscuits had looked a bit crumbly, then one of my hankies had been bitten through in 4 places. When we were at Regents Park I thought it funny I hadn’t had a letter from you for nearly a fortnight. I’ve had a letter from Shrewsbury & one from Loreen redirected from there, but no sign of your two. I reckon there are about 800 Airmen in Torquay, pilots and observers. Weve got our Antigas Exam on Wednesday, and Maths Exams on Oct 8th. The maths Exam is like we did in IIs & IIIs at school, so I should walk the Exam. About laundry, we can send 1 shirt, 1 pair pants, 1 towel 1 vest, 1 pair socks & 3 hanks each week to the laundry, free of charge. Yes we do use sleeping suits, and if you can send another pair its O k by me, anytime will do, no hurry. Thanks muchly for the E & S cuttings, it seems ages since I was in W. hapmton. I’m writing to Grandma Compton & Mr Nicholls as soon as I can, thanks for the addresses. You want to know what woollies I will [Page break] 26 need, Well if were going to be here a couple of months, I won’t need as much, as if I was in Scotland. However, I think socks are the main thing, we get 5 pairs, but they’ve got to last as long as were in the Air Force. Thank Janet for her letter, tell her the innoculations [sic] were in my arm & two in my chest. You ought to see the scab on my vac, its bigger than a tanner. If Gay-Gay wants some girls tell him to come here, theres ‘undereds & fahzends of um. We had a mock gas raid yesterday afternoon. We were doing drill when the gas rattle sounded, we had to rush to shelter put gas masks cap covers & capes on & run back to our billets. Then there was a mock fire in one of the rooms, and we had to go into the street. I’m on the top floor of a four storeyed house, you can guess I puffed and panted. This morning we went to Congregational Chapel, then went & sat on seats on the Prom & swotted our Anti gas stuff this afternoon. By Jove, it wasn’t half hot, I’m quite sunburnt. [Page break] 27 This evening Allen & I went to Congregational, & they invited us to a Table Tennis Club, on Wednesday, I ve got exactly one bob to last me till Thursday, so I shant be able to get drunk this week. Ill write again as soon as I get time Love to everyone at No 10 Ta Ta, Len xxxxx PS Janet asked for a long epistle she’s got one Torquay, Dear Mum, Pop & Erbs, Ta ever so for your parcel which I received today. We will be able to have supper of that cheese & biscuits I’ve been just as lucky this monday [sic] as last Monday, Ive had a parcel of choc & a few sweets from Brenda & a letter from Mr Nicholls. On Saturday afternoon 6 of us went to the Baths, I didn’t do so good as last time, only single widths; we mostly have to go in in football shorts, as we have no trunks or costumes, sometimes we can borrow [Page break] 28 them from the Baths. On Saturday night Gilbert and I went to Toc H, and had a plate of chips sausage, fried bread and tea for 5d. Then we played Darts & table Tennis. If you want any buttons sewing on, or any clothes stitching, you can get it done while you wait at Toc. H. On Sunday morning we went to the Congregational for Church Parade. The following Sunday, however, the service will be held in Union St Methodist. After Church Gilbert and I had a boat out on the sea. There was quite a large swell, and the boat kept rocking up and down. We were out for an hour and I got three blisters on my hands from rowing. Then in the afternoon we went to the Baths, and I did 3 widths straight off, getting quite good ar’nt [sic] I? Gilbert managed 1/2 a width. After tea Allen and I went to Union St Methodist, it’s a lovely place, and so modern, much longer and wider than Bethel. Then we went to Toc. H. and met Gilbert there. We had to order our photos today, so I ordered a big one, and [Page break] 29 I will send it on as soon as I get it. Now that we’ve finished Anti-gas, we are starting on the Vickers Gas-operated Air-Machine gun. We’ve got to know how to take it to bits, & put it together again. We had a Morse and Maths test today. In the last Morse test, I was one of the three in our class who got it all correct. The former test was 4 words per minute, and the latter 4 1/2 words per minute. I think I’ve got everything right in the Maths test as well. We get our Maths Exam on Wednesday, & if we get less than 60% we fail on the whole issue, and have to go ground staff. I should get 100% if I go carefully, as it is very easy stuff, its gets [sic] Gilbert bottled though. Our Officer has been telling us that Torquay I.T.W. is the strictest in England, and that any one from here is supposed to be the goods. If we did so much saluting anywhere else as we do here, everyone would think us batty. However, I’m not browned off yet, and weve [Page break] 30 got the best to come. Air Commodore Critchley the Greyhound Racing and Boxing Promoter is over our Group, and his word’s law. I think it must be the food, but I feel constipated, I have taken 3 Beecham Pills and a desertspoonful of Andrews liver salts, without effect yet. I had a letter from Auntie Ede, & she wanted to know if you had had those films developed. I weighed myself yesterday, and I was 11st 12lbs, and I’ve put on 3 to 4 lbs. The sun’s been brilliant today, it was as much as we could do to stagger up the hills to lessons. We have Morse at a Place called Rock End, & it’s a darn good name. You have to march 1/4 mile up two steep hills, and then along a rocky footpath, you don’t feel like lessons after that climb. Well I must buzz off and see what I can do. Cheerioh Len Dear All, I’m just adding a bit more [Page break] 31 to Mondays letter. It was boiling hot yesterday, and we had to march up to Rock End in our Gas-masks. This morning Commander Bullock of the American Navy inspected us drilling. It was quite a big event, they had the band out to serenade him. We had our Maths Exam this morning Its easy enough, and I think Ive got ‘em all right. Gilbert will just about go 60% just enough to pass. Cheerioh Len, I’m writing this lunch-time, so you’ll have to excuse the writing. Torquay Dear Mum, Dad & Erbs I’m not sending this letter till tomorrow, as we get the results of our Maths Exams about 11 am. If we pass we should get our flyin [sic] kit sometime tomorrow. Yesterday we had a 6 w p.m. test in Morse with buzzer and I got everything right, I can do 12 words easily sending. Gilbert and I go to Toc H every night for supper. You can get [Page break] 32 sausage, bacon, baked beans, tomatos [sic], chips and fried bread and coffee for 11d, but we don’t usually have so much as that. We went swimming last Saturday afternoon, and I did four widths without touching side or bottom. So I should be able to do two lengths by the time I finish my course. I had to do a bit of sewing yesterday, we have to swing our arms to shoulder height when marching to attention and the seam of my jacket came undone under the armpits. Ask Pop if he’s ever made his boots shine with spit and polish, that’s how we do ours here, and I can almost see my face in mine. On Saturday morning I had a tooth [indecipherable word], and theres still one more to be done. Monday Thanks very much for the parcel of sweets. I should be home two weeks next Sunday, whether I pass out or not We had our Vickers gun Exam last Wednesday I thought I had made a mess of stripping the gun, and naming the parts, although I got the stoppages right, but I heard after [Page break] 33 wards that I had 84%. We’ve had our flying kit issued to us, it fills a kit-bag. If we go abroad, we shall have to give it up, but will have another issue on the other side. We have been learning the American Winchester rifle this morning, & will be [deleted] fl [/deleted] firing it next lesson We have not got to pass an Exam on this, so its nothing to worry about. I was on Fire Picquet last Tuesday, & on a guard last Friday, There are four of us on guard, and one has to act as Guard Commander, we had to toss for it, and I lost, so I had to have the job, and all the other chaps were over 25. Last Thursday I was supposed to go to the Dentist at 12 noon, but the Dentist had too many there, I had to go back, the same thing happened this dinnertime, so I’m still waiting Tell Gay, we have a lot of A.T.C. Officers down here for training, you ought to see them doing drill, its better than going to the “flicks”. Last Sunday Reg Shaw (one of the cops) and I were going for a row, but we could not get a boat, so we walked to Paignton [Page break] 34 and bussed back just in time for tea. Its getting colder down here, we get plenty of warm sun during the day, but its at night & early morning we feel the cold. We breakfast while the moons still out, and it isn’t very light when we have Inspection at 7.30 am. Some of the chaps are very tired, they go to sleep in Navigation and law lessons, and although the masters are in between. Pilot officers & Flight Lieutenant, they don’t mind, but tell the sleeper to wake up when they have anything important to say. How would you like to do P.T on a cold morning, with only shorts socks & slippers? Sometimes we have to lay flat on the dewy grass, to do some exercises. One P.T lesson last week it was raining, so we put shorts and vests on, then went for a cross country run, I enjoyed it more than P.T. Hows Gay getting on with his Morse and aircraft recognition? If he can’t read more than 6 words p.m, and doesn’t know more than 75% of the planes on the list I sent him, I shall want to know the reason why when I get home. [Page break] 35 Torquay is O.k., the only thing, they. don’t half sting you for food, I spend nearly all my money on coffee and cakes and supper at night. We get plenty of grub at the canteen, but we always seem to be hungry, I suppose it’s the hard work we do (Don’t laugh). Well I think this is all the news for now, so Ill quit the cackle, love to all at No 10, Toodle pip, Len xxxxx Tuesday Evening, We don’t know for sure the Maths results even yet, but our officer says we’ve all passed. Monday morning we had a March past Air Commodore Somebody of the [indecipherable word] Air Force, we marched behind the band from Rock End, This afternoon we had to walk up to Daddy Hole plain behind Rock End in our Gas-masks, but when we got there, we lay on the grass for 1/2 an hour and eat black berries. I’ve had stomach ache all day today I think its something Ive eaten. I havent had a letter from anyone since your parcel last [Page break] 36 Monday. Im sending my mac and case home this week, it is only in the way here, we have lockers here, whereas in London we had nowt Well, I must close now Love to all Cheerioh Len Torquay Nov 1st Dear Mum Pop and Nibs, Thanks so much for the oranges and sweets. They were the first oranges Allen & Gilbert had tasted this year. It’s bitter cold here now, except in the sun, anyway we did P.T in pullovers this morning, instead of stripping. I had a lovely day on Thursday. We should have had games in the afternoon, but I had to have a Medical Exam like the one at Cardington, then I had a tooth filled, and at 5.30 we all had two innoculations [sic] In the arm, it does not hurt as much as when we had it in the chest. but my left arm is all swollen and red from shoulder to elbow. This morning we had a flying kit parade, and we had to put every [Page break] 37 thing on to see if there was anything that did not fit. It was lovely and warm in them. Yesterday afternoon we had rifle practice, and had to fire rifles which were almost the same as the Home Guard 300’s. We had small targets at 25 yards and I got 25/25 for grouping, and 24/25 for hitting the centre, which wasn’t bad considering I had to aim 3” below the bull. We’ve had the photo’s dished out, so I shall bring mine when I come home on leave. Our officer says we will probably get only four days leave, which is not so good considering how far some of us have to travel. We take our navigation exam a week next Friday morning, and I believe we catch the train about 12 noon, as soon as we’ve finished the Exam. Our flight are on guard next week, but it’s a good job its not a week later when we take our Exams. You’ll have to excuse my writing, as I m writing this in my bedroom, and my fingers are nearly frozen, Love to Pop and the nibs Cheerioh Len xxxxx [Page break] 38 Torquay Dear Mum, Pop and Nibs, How do you like my notepaper We had 6 sheets of paper and 3 envelopes given us [sic] from our Squadron Comforts Funds. That’s all we’ve received so far although we’ve paid a bob into it. I’ve had a rotten sore throat since Monday, it probably began on Sunday when I was walking with another cadet to Babbacombe because my nose started bleeding. I could hardly speak on Tuesday but I did not report sick, as I did not want to miss the party, so I went sick yesterday. All the M.O gives me is [indecipherable word] whatever that is, 3 times daily for 3 days, but I’ve bought a box of Iodised Throat Tablets. I’m writing this letter in Drill lessons, I asked Corporal if I could be excused P.T, and drill, and he said O.K. I should have been on guard on Tuesday, but its been changed to Sunday night. We had a lovely time on Tuesday night, the party took place in a Posh Hotel called the St George, Marychurch near Babbacombe. The C. O, Pilot Officer in [Page break] 39 charge of flight and Corporal Hayton were present, and I think they enjoyed themselves. It wasn’t a dinner, but a running buffet, but I think we all had plenty to eat. One of the cadets made up some verses about different members of the Flight including the C.O. a P.O. who asked for a copy of the song afterwards. It was a Stag Party, so there were plenty of good jokes flying about. We finished about 11.20 pm, so had to walk 3 miles home & got in just before 12. Theyve started having supper now in our Canteen, last night was first night, but I went to bed at 8 and missed it, anyway its only bread and soup. “A” flight is the best in 4 Squadron, and up to yesterday no one had been put on a charge, and the P.O i/c “B” flight was jealous! Well we were up Rock End yesterday morning, some of us were in a cold room doing nothing while the rest were on the range, firing. We had been told not to smoke, but as no one was taking us, and it was very cold, some of the cadets lit up. That rat of a P.O. [Page break] 40 came snooping round and caught two of them so they got 7 days C.B. [Confined to Barracks] When our Corporal heard, he said he’d make it hot for B. flight. Dear Mum and etc’, Thanks very much for the parcel which I received yesterday, we heard yesterday that we definitely have 7 days leave, we had to fill our leave passes up, ready for the C.O’s signatures, and we had to put 7 days leave on from midday Friday to midnight the following Friday. I received the invitation to the wedding yesterday and am replying now. The C.O. told us that we are liable to recall at a moments notice should our Posting come through, but its very unlikely. I saw the corporal yesterday about chit for pygamas [sic], and he told me to see the C.O tomorrow Reg Shaw (one of the cops) and I went to the pictures yesterday, the first time I’ve been since I’ve been here. We went for tea to Toc. H., then went to the “Regal” to see “Penny Serenade”. It’s the only decent cinema in Torquay. Then we went to the W.V.S. for supper, then to the Marine Tavern for a glass of cider, then to the chip [Page break] 41 stall for some chips. We really enjoyed ourselves Its very windy today, the seas the roughest I’ve seen since we’ve been here, the spray comes up to 20’ to 30’ over the pier. I’m on guard tonight, I hope it is not so rough as now. Then we have Morse Exam tomorrow morning. Air Commodore Critchley, the chap who makes us wear white belts (were the only 4 squadrons in Brittain [sic] who have to wear them) is coming to inspect us next week, so we’ve got to jump about a bit. We’ll [sic] I’ll tell you all the news when I get home. Cheerioh, Len xxxx The Senior man in our flight has just been round with a form, on which we have to put our destination station, and route for when we go home, 8 days more. I should be doing my navi exam about this time, If I get the 11.55 am train from here, I shall probably be in W ton by 6.45 AM. For the next week we will probably be swotting every night or going to evening classes. Well I cant think of [Page break] 42 anything else to tell you about so give my love to everyone, Cheerioh Len I’ll be seeing you soon Nov 27th Torquay Dear Ma, Pa & Nibs, So sorry I have not written before, but I have been feeling pretty rotten. I went to the M.O., and he told me to bathe my arms in hot permang, and put some ointment on, and also to inhale menthol every day for a week, I’m feeling much better,. although I still cant smell. Well, I’m not L.A.C yet, [indecipherable word] just heard we’ve got to pass everything at 6 [indecipherable word] in Morse, but it won’t take me long to pass that, there are only 8 chaps in our Flight who have passed. Everyone has passed in Navigation, but now have got to take laws or [indecipherable word] again. We look like being here over Xmas according to our C.O. who says everything slows down in winter. He did not say anything about leave, but we are optimistic. We don’t do much work now, the only lessons being Navi, Morse, Drill P.T and Games [Page break] 43 The rest of the time we just hang around. I was on guard on Tuesday from 7 morning to 7 evening [sic]. Its a lot better than night guard, although you have to run a few errands for the N.C.Os. Im on Fire Piquet again on Saturday night, which means I can’t go out. Our Pilot Officer has left us to go abroad. He was a decent chap, and we are sorry to lose him. Allen’s confined to bed today with a cold, he’s got a temp. of 102°F. I had to fetch his tea from the cookhouse tonight. I went clay pidgeon [sic] shooting this afternoon, instead of going swimming. It was drizzling and although it was windy as well, I hit 7 out of 15 pidgeons [sic], the highest score was 8. Although its windy down here, it isn’t very cold, and I don’t have to wear a pullover, I’ve stayed in every night this week so there isn’t any more news. Give my love to everyone, Cheerioh Len Dec 4th 1941 L.A.C. DORRICOTT Torquay Dear Mum, Dad & Little Twerps, I received the requested [Page break] 44 parcel yesterday, and oh boy! was I pleased with the contents. Allen has got a wallet something like mine, but his is not so big, or such good quality. Thank you for a pukka Christmas present. Thanks also for the photographs, I think they have come out O.k. I’ll see that Grandma, etc. get one at Christmas. Sylvias getting quite an artist isnt she? You will have to send her to the Art School. I was on Fire Picquet last Saturday night and we had to clean out the Flight Sergeant’s and C.Os office. There were four of us on the job, and when we had finished we started nosing round to see if we could get any “gen” about posting. We didn’t find anything about that, but John Deas found a notebook, indexed with names of cadets who could do anything, carpentering and painting etc, in fact anything that could be useful on the station. Under the heading Draughtsman was my name and another cadets. As I have not told the C.O. I could draw, someone else must have told him. On Monday afternoon we went [Page break] 45 out on the motor boats instead of doing Navigation in classes. The weather was awful: it was misty, pouring with rain, and there was a heavy swell in the bay. We had to plot our courses on a chart, find the current and steer the boat. I stayed outside the cabin all the time and John Deas did the plotting for the 6 of us. Two of the chaps in our boat were sick, both Scots. One of them got a bit muddled with the compass and read it the wrong way round, so that he was steering the boat in the opposite direction he should have gone. It so muddled up the course, that on returning, I had to steer at right angles to the course we had been told to use, else I should have rammed the cliffs. Gilbert and Allen left there [sic] dinners behind, but I enjoyed it, although I got wet through. I think we must be expecting Gas attack [sic], because we have orders to wear gas. masks for 10 minutes every morning coming back from lessons as well as our usuall [sic] Gas Drills. Well, I have not retaken Morse but an L.A.C. at last. The C.O heard from Wing H. Quarters that all those who took the Morse Test before [Page break] 46 Dec 1st, had only to pass at 4 wp.m., I think we will get our L.A.C. pay from Nov 15th, at least that is the latest rumour. John Deas was one of the chaps who passed Morse at 6 wpm & was promulgated to L.A.C. after we came back from leave. But this afternoon we heard he has got to take the Prop down, because he failed his Armaments. Tuesday afternoon we had to scrub our stairs and landings, as A. C. Critchley was going to inspect us on Wednesday. We practiced March past and Eyes Right, but he did not come yesterday or today. I saw in the paper yesterday that they are going to conscript men up to 51, does Dad come into this? We went on a run with the Flt. Sg.t yesterday, and when he say [sic] run he means Run. Our ordinary P.T corporal lets us run or walk alternately for not more than 1/2 a mile, but the Flt, Sgt. Made us run 1 1/2 miles, and walk 1/6 mile and run 1 1/2 miles back all round Rock End. We all enjoyed it I think, although our muscles ache today. Well I think this is all the news, so I will put a sock in it. Cheerioh Len. [Page break] 47 Sunday Dec: 14/ 1941. Torquay Dear Mum, Pop, and Nippers, Thanks very much for the parcel you sent, it was a good idea you sending those crayons. I am sorry I have not written before, but over half of our flight have been posted to Eastbourne, on the south Coast They went yesterday, early morning and we have been celebrating. Allen’s one of those going, so we went to the pictures Thursday night, in case they were C.B. Friday night. As it happened we were told they were going Friday midnight, instead of Saturday afternoon, as we had been previously told, so Gilbert and I went out and brought back some lemonade, cakes and chips, and we had a little feast. The Ex-policemen had previously arranged to have a “beano” on Friday night, but that was knocked on the head Reg Shaw, the only copper who is not going away, was fed up so he and Dick Carr went on the booze. They came back just before 11; and you could see Reg had been rolling in the dirt, he was so drunk. He staggered upstairs to where [Page break] 48 we were shaking hands and saying “Good-bye to one another, and when we saw how merry he was, we started joking with him. He tried to walk up the next flight of stairs, but he could not keep his balance, and walked backwards downstairs, bumped into the bannisters, and fell over them, onto the ground, 4 flights of stairs below. It’s a spiral staircase and what saved him was the fact that he struck the other bannisters farther down, which broke his fall a little, and then landed on his side in the dustbin. We raced downstairs, took him into a room, and sent for the M.O. He was quite O.k. and said “I likesh fallin down shtairsh”, and walked upstairs to his room. Then he started dancing a hornpipe, and singing, but when he saw the M.O. he sobered down a lot. All he had wrong with him was a bruised thigh. He’s the first chap I’ve heard of who’s fallen down 25’ and then got up and danced. Those of us who are left had to join the remaining half of “B” flight, so we’ve had to go into another part of the hotel. Sgt Cleverlys in charge of us and none of us like him. [Page break] 49 I had a parcel yesterday from the “Women’s own There were a pair of socks, packet of stamped envelopes, writing pad, Xmas card, and a nice letter from Mrs Bickley. I’m afraid there are no leaves or postings before Xmas. Those of us left are almost certainly for overseas, so before we go we should get at least 7 days leave. Four out of our Flight have got 17 days leave, as they are going abroad, but they are only to make up another squadron who are posted overseas. A new flight came in yesterday, and all new flights are having their courses extended from 8 to 14 weeks, so they will have to wait longer for their leave. I suppose we will have to do a lot of drill, and gardening up at the R.A.F allotments at Rock End. Its raining “cats and dogs”, and I got wet through looking in shop windows, coming back from Chapel. I think I’ve told you all the news now but I will write again before Xmas Love to everyone Cheerioh Len 50 1230753 LAC. DORRICOTT “A” FLIGHT 4 SQUADRON ST JAMES HOTEL TORQUAY. 24.12.41 Dear Mum Pop & Nippers, At last I have found time to write and thank you for the parcel of cake and sweets. We have eaten almost half of us [sic], but I am saving the rest for tomorrow. Everyone said the cake was delicious. I‘m on guard today from 7 am to 7 pm, but I don’t mind as I don’t have to do drill or anything. We are going to have a lovely dinner tomorrow, roast turkey, roast pork, baked spuds sprouts & carrots, Xmas pud and plenty of other stuff. Tomorrow morning we have to do a March Past for Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Longmore, Ye Gods! If thoughts could kill! Then in the afternoon we can either go to the Good Companions Party, or the R.A.F. Canteen Xmas Dinner, also we have a late pass till midnight, so it wont be so bad after all. What do you think of this? A week last [Page break] 51 Monday afternoon we should have had games , but as we were Duty Squadron, 24 of us were sent to Rock End to do gardening etc. Well three others and myself had to cart pig muck from the piggeries to the dump, while the others just swept a few leaves from the path. Next day we were told that we would have to go up their [sic] on Saturday afternoon, as we had not given the pigs the swill. We explained everything to the Flight Sergeant, and he got us off. Pretty decent of him wasn’t it? Well Mum, I hope you like the presents, I didn’t have much choice, as we didn’t have much time to get them, I had to do most of the shopping in the dinner-time. I’ve just received your letter and Xmas card, and Aunty Alice’s purse, also a card from Ede & Gert. I’m getting L.A.C’s pay now, 5/- a day, so Im buying a Savings Certificate every fortnight, and sending a £1 a fortnight for you to get things for yourself, Pop and the Erbs’. Since 1/2 of our flight and half of B flight have been posted to Eastbourne, the rest have been formed into B flight, under Sgt. Cleverly, and P.O. Foley, the [Page break] 52 worst N.C.O. and officer in the Squadron. We’ve now got to leave out the name of the hotel & 3. I.T.W. from our address and just put St James Hotel. Our daily programmes have now been revised , so now we needn’t rise till 7 am. We parade at 8.15 am, break at 10.30 till 11.00. dinner 1 pm-2. 5pm and finish at 5.30. All our new flights have had there [sic] courses decelerated from 8 to 14 weeks, also an hour less lessons every day. We are mostly able to go to the “flicks” two nights a week now, as we have no swotting to do. I don’t think we’ll be posted for a while yet, as this Japanese business has probably knocked American postings on the head, however I should get another leave before a months out. Cheerioh, Merry Xmas and a Happy New Years Len. Sunday Jan 4th ‘42 ‘B’ Flight 4 Squadron St James Hotel Torquay Dear Mum, Pop & Nibs [Page break] 53 Thanks muchly for your letter, which I received on Thursday. I’m so glad you all liked the presents. I received the 10/- P.O. from Shrewsbury and bought a fountain pen with it. The purse I had from Aunty Alice is the same sort of leather as the wallet you sent me. I don’t think I written [sic] since Xmas Eve when I was on guard. Since then I’ve done Squadron Day Guard on Tuesday, St James Armed Guard on Wednesday night, New Year’s Eve, and Squadron Fire Piquet [sic] on Thursday night; so I think I’ve done my fair share of Guards for a bit. Xmas week, I went to the “flicks” 5 times with Gilbert, while he went another two by himself. On Wednesday afternoon we had a “pep” talk from the “Boss”, Air Commodore Critchley, and on Friday morning we had to march past him. There were about 3,000 cadets in the March Past, including Polish and Turkish Airmen. The Old Boy gave us all the day off, so he can’t be a bad old stick. Friday afternoon, Gilbert and I went to the Odeon to see Charles Boyer in “Hold Back the Dawn”, and in the evening to the [indecipherable word] to see “Ships with Wings” [Page break] 54 We saw the latter film twice, it was so good. When it comes to Wolverhampton, Gay-Gay should go to see it. Its about the Fleet Air Arm, and although some of the scenes are faked, its quite good. I’m afraid there will be no leave till we’re posted, which may be weeks or months, unless I can get a 48 hours pass. Critchley told us that while he was in the U.S.A. he had arranged for a greater flow of cadets but that had been knocked on the head with the Japanese attack. Still we’re not doing so bad here, so it won’t hurt us to stay a little longer. I don’t think theres any more news for the present, so I’ll pack up now, Love to everyone at No 10. Cheerioh, Len. 24. 12 . 41 Torquay Dear Mum, Pop & Nippers, At last I have found [deleted text] time to write and thank you for the parcel of cake and sweets. We have eaten almost half of us [sic], but I am saving the rest for tomorrow. Everyone said the [/deleted text] [Page break] 57 [deleted text] has probably knocked American postings on the head, however I should get another leave before a months out. Cheerioh, Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, Len. [/deleted text] St James Hotel Torquay Sunday Dear Mum Thanks very much for your parcel which I received on Friday. I ve got a bit of good news in this letter. It’s almost certain we get a weeks leave after we’ve been here 10 weeks, which is a week on Friday I shouldn’t bank on it, but its highly probable. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get any 48 hours leave, as they are only being granted on compassionate grounds. 13 more cadets out of “B” flight were posted to Eastbourne last Friday, leaving the young unmarried cadets. Our officer told some of the boys that there was a big Rhodesia posting in 3 weeks time and that we would probably in it. Gilbert and I are trying to [Page break] 58 get permission to go in Reg Shaw’s room, in place of those boys who were posted. Its on the ground floor, so we won’t have to climb any stairs. I was on Day Guard on Friday, and on Fire Piquet [sic] at Haldon Manor tonight. We are now allowed to wear great coats on first parade in the morning, when there is always frost on the ground In the afternoon the sun is out and it is quite warm. I don’t think there is any more news this week, so I’ll pack up, Cheerioh Len. ps The boys liked that Flap Jack Tuesday Dear Mum & all, I’ve kept this back till I’ve known something definite about leave. I should be in W. hampton at teatime a week on Friday for 7 days. We might be able to get 9 days, but its not definite, anyway the 7 days is O.k. Last time Scotch boys were granted two days travelling time, but they are not getting it this time. Well, cheerioh for now, I’ll write again later. [Page break] 59 Wednesday morning, Dear Mum, Our P.O has just old us that our leave is cancelled & we are being posted to Eastbourne on Saturday. So it will be [indecipherable text – possibly erased] 8 more weeks before we get any more leave. We’re all terribly disappointed, and you want to hear the language some of the boys are turning out. Well, it can’t be helped, Cheerioh Len Jan 21 st R.A.F. Eastbourne Sussex Dear Mum Dad & all, I arrived at Eastbourne 11 am Saturday. We left at 10 pm Friday, so it was 13 hours travelling. We had to wait at Newton Abbot for 2 hours, then at London for 1 1/2 hours. At Brighton, Reg, Dickie Gilbert and I got out of the train and walked to the sea front. We are billeted at the best Hotel [Page break] 60 in Eastbourne, and there are a few score here I can tell you. Its called the Grand, and Oh boy, it’s a lovely place. Reg, Dickie Gil & I and 5 others are in a room 3 times as large as the sitting room at home, there are two radiators, one at the side of my bed, and pink satin curtains at the windows. The only thing that’s wrong is that we have no lockers or cupboards, so we have to put our stuff in our kitbags. The grub is about as good as at Torquay, only there is not quite so much. We have a “Naafi” inside the Hotel, so don’t need to go out at night, we have compulsory study 4 nights a week anyway. We work till 5.30 pm Mon to Saturday, and have all day Sunday off, except once a month when there is Church Parade. The Officers & N.C.O’s are all observers and are all pretty decent blokes. Our main subjects are Astro Navigation & Meteorology, we have been dished out with watches & sextants once between 5 cadets, and if they get lost they will cost us £30 each. Its going to be hard work for the next 6 weeks although we have an advantage over the previous 1/2 of our flight as we did a little [Page break] 61 astro-navi. at Torquay. This place is No 1 Elementary Air Observers School, and under a New scheme all air crew cadets have to come to an E.A.O.S. before going abroad for Flying Training. Eastbourne is a big place with scores of Cinemas of which only two are open, so if we had every night off, there would be nowhere to go. I don’t think we will get leave for another 11 weeks, & no 48 hours passes for the next 6 weeks. We can have a pass from 5.50 pm on Saturday till 10.30 pm Sunday, but we can only go 100 miles. I saw Allen & several other fellows of the Old A. flight today, and their hotels are only about 1/2 a mile away along the sea front from us. This morning a German J.U. 88 flew low over our hotels, although the sirens did not go. Well, I don’t think theres any more news, and as I want to get to bed early, I will pack up now Cheerioh Love Len [Page break] 62 Feb 2 nd Eastbourne Dear Mum, Dad & Erbs Thanks very much for the cake which I received this dinnertime. I don’t think we are doing so badly down here except for the grub. We nearly always have cornbeef [sic] or stew for dinner except Sundays. One teatime we had fishcakes made out of Icelandic Cod or Salt Ling and Oh boy! did they stink. We almost made one chap sick, by saying it was made out of pus from a discharged ulcer. Tonight we had cheese and potato and chopped up half cooked beans all mixed together and it tasted vile. The last couple of days, we have come back from lessons to dinner a bit late, and there has been a queue 50 yards long, so yesterday the four of us went to the Violet cafe and had two welsh rarebits, cake and tea, and it cost us 2/7 each. The food is not half so plentiful as at Torquay. At night we can go down to the N.A.A.F.I. which is in one of the ground floor rooms, and have minced steak and onions, or mixed grill, which does not cost us so much as when we go out to supper. [Page break] 63 At Torquay during break between lessons in the mornings, we would go to the Cove cafe, and spend as much as 1/6 on cream buns, etc, but here a NAAF.I. van comes to the College, and also there is a stall inside the Hall, so we only spend 3d or 4d on tea and penny buns. We have lessons in Eastbourne College, so we’re getting quite toffs, aint we? We have 24 hours of navigation a week, including astro-navigations, when we use a bubble sextant to find out latitude & longitude from the stars. We have to measure the altitude of a star to a 1/60 of a degree, and take the time of the observation to the nearest second, otherwise we are miles out in our position. Then we take Meteorology, and have to tell the state of the weather, by the forms of the clouds etc, We learnt the Vickers gun at I.T.W. and now we are doing the Browning machine gun, which is twice as difficult. Its a lot colder here than at Torquay. From the day we arrived till last Thursday, the roads were 6 inches deep in snow, then it [Page break] 64 rained on Thursday night, and on Friday to Sunday, we had hot hot sunshine all day, now its just as cold as ever. The officers and N.C.Os down here have all got there [sic] observer wings up, and are all good chaps. At I.T.W. it was mostly ex school-masters who took us for Navi and although they could make us understand better than our instructors here, they had no actual experience. Most of them are down here for a rest, after being on operational duties for a few months. Our P/O was the only survivor of a Wellington that crashed. One of the sergeants who has got the D.F.M. is walking about and doing normal duties with a broken neck. One thing if you get injured in Air Crew, you get better medical attention than anyone, plastic surgery, etc, that would cost hundred of £1 [sic] in peacetime. Dear Mum, I wonder if you could get a new winder put on my watch, as it would be very useful for taking star positions. We have been dished out with £30 watches, one between 5 cadets. They never vary except for 2 & 3 seconds a day. Also we have £50 sextants, so they must trust us. [Page break] 65 We had our photographs taken yesterday, but it will be a fortnight before we get them. I wonder if Gay-Gay would like to go to the Library for me and look for a book on astronomy its a smallish blue one, I don’t know who its by or who are the publishers, but if he sees it, you could perhaps send me the name of the author & publisher etc. We dont get any leave till we have been here six weeks, but I think I can get a 48 hour pass in a week or two, so if I do, I ll get home, if its only for a few hours. We have plenty of fun in our room, there’s not a night but somebody’s bed collapses under them, because someone has put the legs at an angle. Another trick is taking all the springs out of a bed, so that the victim drops thro’ the bottom when he gets in it. A few nights ago Dickie and Terence carted Gilberts bed out to the end of the corridor and left it there, so he pinched George Cators bed, and started to make it. When George came in he pinched it back again and thanked Gilbert for making it! Gilbert thought I’d take [Page break] 66 his bed away, so he tipped me out of mine, I’ll have to do something about tonight, I think. We have inspection only once a week, so we only had to clean our buttons twice a week. Would it be Ok if I sent my laundry home to be washed, as the laundry don’t clean them at all well. My socks are so short that the heel comes under the instep, but I washed a pair myself last week, so they are normal now. Well, I think I have said enough for this letter, so I’ll quit the cackle, Love to everyone Cheerioh Len P.s I saw Neville Gardner form the Intermediate in the Barbers’ today, he came down here the same day as I. R.A.F. Eastbourne Feb 10. 1942. Dear Mum, Pop & Nippers, Thanks muchly for the reg. letter I received on Friday, the astronomy book you sent was not the one I meant, but it’s a very [Page break] 67 good one, and I’m already half way through it. I’m hoping to have 48 hours leave about 12 pm – 1 am Friday night, I shouldn’t bank on it, as you never know what the powers-that-be are going to do, In any case, I can find my way from the station, so you needn’t wait up for me. Well I’ve been in sick quarters last week, from Wednesday dinner-time to Friday dinner-time with a high temp. The grub was a lot better, we had a roaring fire and plenty of books to read. I’m sending a photograph we had taken in front of Eastbourne College, a week or so ago, it isn’t very good though. [Photograph missing] We had a Meteorology test this afternoon, it was pretty easy, and I think everyone has passed. We had plenty of fun last night. George Cator went out to the “pub” to see his pals who were going abroad, and while he way away [sic], we put his ground sheet in place of his sheet. Then we bent the legs of his bed, and tied them together, so that when he pulled one leg, the others collapsed. Later on, ”Billy” Bennett and the Irish boy nicknamed “Shamus” started talking in their sleep. Then Billy fell out of bed [Page break] 68 and when we put the light on, he was still asleep on the floor. When we woke him up, he accused us of pushing him out of bed. He was asleep 5 minutes later and still talking. I dont think there’s any more news, so here’s hoping, Love to all, Len. Feb 24 th Eastbourne Dear Mum, Pop & Nibs, I’m so sorry I haven’t written before now, but at present we’re swotting hard for the Exams. We’ve got to get 18 star, sun, moon, and planet sights by next week, also we get Armaments and Morse Exams on Friday & Saturday. I shall most probably be coming home leaving here a week next Saturday or Sunday, Ill let you know the exact time later. We’ve got our ration card that we should have had for our 48 hours, so I’m dating mine for next weekend. Dear Mum, you’ll have to excuse me, as this is a short letter, I’m writing it during Navigation, & I shall be swotting all next week. Anyway, I ll [Page break] 69 tell you all the rest of the news when I get home. Love to everyone Cheerioh for now Len. Eastbourne Tue. March 17th Dear Mum, The Flight Lieutenant has just told us that we are being posted abroad on Monday next, and that we are getting 48 hours leave from Wednesday to Friday night, so you can expect me Thursday morning. We might possibly be going to Heaton Park before we embark & & [sic] might possibly get extra embarkation leave from there. I’ll tell you all the news when I get home. Cheerioh Len We leave here 2.36 pm Wednesday, so might get home before 10 pm. [Page break] 70 April 9th 1942. c/o. R.C.A.F. Ottawa. [underlined] Canada [/underlined] Dear Mum, Dad, & Nippers, As you see Ive arrived safely in Canada. I’m sorry I could not get a letter away at Heaton Park, but we were there only 3 days, and during that time had innoculations, clothing parades, and lectures, as you see, we didn’t get much time for writing. We were billeted at 25 Wellington St. East, Salford, near the Jewish District of Cheetham Hill. The Manchester people made us welcome, and were always willing to help us, exactly opposite to Eastbourne. We had a very quiet trip across the Atlantic, although the sea was rather rough for 3 days. Gilbert was so seasick, that he ate no food for 3 days. We slept in hammocks, and at night when we slung them, we were packed like sardines. The cigarettes sold on board were very cheap, Woodbines 3d for 10, and Players 4d for 10. What I liked best were the tins of fruit and salmon and blocks of chocolate, which we could buy in [Page break] 71 unlimited supplies. We disembarked at an East coast town, and are now at Moncton, New Brunswick. The scenery we passed through by train was lovely: Blue sky above, fine trees covering the hills, with small wooden houses scattered about. Whatever the size of the villages we passed through, whether they contained 5 or 100 houses, they always had a small wooden chapel or church built in a prominent spot. You don’t see many brick buildings out here, except in the town centre. The food here is marvellous, although pilots who have come back here, after finishing there [sic] course elsewhere, say it is the worst place for food. We get plenty of eggs, butter and jam, and the bread is just like sponge cake, in fact I could make a meal of bread and butter alone. At Eastbourne it was a pain to queue for meals, but here it is a pleasure. The worst [deleted] place [/deleted] thing about this place is that when you go up town, you can’t help spending money. When you see the Restaurants dishing up turkey, steak or pork, you can’t resist going in and sampling some. The price of food isn’t bad, but we were [Page break] 72 staggered when we had to pay 45c/ or 2/- for a hair cut, and 15 c/ extra if you had a little hair oil put on. The “Dead End Kids” thats Reg Gilbert, Dicky, Shamus & I bought a folding camera for 30/-, so we shall take as many photographs as we can. We’ve all bought corn-cob pipes, and yesterday got a railwayman to take a photograph of us smoking them, standing above the cowcatcher of a locomotive. We shall not be staying here long, but will be most probably [sic] posted to where the cadets went who had their photos printed in the “Express & Star”. I would like to write to Mums aunt in Windsor, but I have not got the address. We’ve had to change our English money into Canadian Dollars, and so far we’ve managed OK with the coinage. Those 12 sided 3d bits are rare over here and in the U.S.A, and cadets often get invited out for the evening if they give a civilian one. The people were [sic] them on their watch chains. Every where we go little urchins pester us for English pennies for souvenirs, Im rather late, but wish Gay Many Happy Returns of the Day [Page break] 73 for me , please. Its nearly lights out now, so I’ll pack up. Tell Grandma I’ll write as soon as possible, but when we get posted, we’ll have to work hard, so there won’t be much time for letterwriting. The next course should last about 6 months, so I should be home again before Xmas. Cheerioh for now Len. Picture Card from New York, written on top of Empire State Building. Wed 13th May ’42. Dear Mum, I’m writing this on the way down to Miami. I m having a fine time so far. At Moncton I met a nice family called MacDonald, & used to stay at their house. Bill & Dorothy are writing Gray & Sylvia. Letter following Love Len [Page break] 74 British Cadet Dorricott, Room 306. Hotel San Sebastion, 348 Santander, Miami, Fla. June 2nd 42 Dear Mum, Pop, & Erbs, Thanks very much for your very welcome letters, the Air Mail which I received yesterday and the ordinary mail today. I don’t think theres much difference however you send it, although ordinary mail is not censored. That bit about the Home Guard in your Air Mail was censored. Well I’m glad everything is O.k. at home, and that you are getting plenty to eat. By the way, before I forget, if you send me the sizes of your stockings & the kids, I’ll bring some Nylon ones when I come home, also if theres anything you want, just let me know, and I’ll get it. Theres nothing you can’t get in Miami. Boy, its hot down here, hotter in the shade than it is in the sun on an English Summer Day. My arms & face are getting quite brown [Page break] 75 and at the weekend I’m going bathing at Miami Beach, so I should soon be brown all over. At the University there used to be a lot of fellows & girls taking different courses, but they went last week, so we’ve got the place to ourselves now. While we are down here, we are given the same treatment as an officer. We are waited on at table, have our rooms cleaned out by the maids, and don’t have to clean our shoes even. However, we have to work hard, although so far its been pretty easy, as we did all the stuff Eastbourne, We get plenty to eat, in fact, as soon as one dish of food is finished, the waiters rush up to refill it. Imagine eggs, bacon, chicken etc lying on the tables as the fellows are too full. The national drink down here is “iced tea” but we always have hot tea. Over this side of the Atlantic, the people use there knives just for cutting their food, then transfer their fork to their right hand & drop the knife. It looks funny to us, but I guess we appear just as funny to them. Shamus & I go to Central Baptist Chapel, and we’ve met hundreds of nice people. Its one of the nicest [Page break] 76 chapels I ve been in. We go up in the gallery and the ladies dresses, and waving fans make a lovely sight. After the service people come up to you, and almost fight as to who is to take you home to dinner. Shamus & I have met two very nice girls from the Chapel, his is Kay Porter, chief telephonist and radio telephonist for Eastern Air Lines, she’s pretty rich, and owns a ranch in Texas. I go with her pal Betty Denham, who works at the same place. Last Sunday, Shamus & I went to Chapel with Betty, had dinner at a Cafe, & then she showed us round Miami Beach She works from 4 pm to midnight, so we didn’t have much time. Then we went to the Airport with her, and met Kay as she came off duty. Next weekend we are going bathing, so should have a grand time. I’m sending you a few photos of various places & people [photographs missing] & will send some more in my next letters. I’ve bought 4 shares out of 5 in that camera we bought on the boat, and I’m hoping Shamus will sell me his share. One or two girls who have stayed on for the Summer Session at the University, [Page break]] 77 have formed a dating Bureau, the C.O has O’ked it, so its perfectly legal, the entrance fee is a dollar. I’ve not joined yet, although tonight Shamus is out on a “Blind Date” with a girl the Bureau have chosen for him. Gay-Gay would be in his element down here, the fillies are darn good, tell him. Tell him not to go by Betty as she is pretty lousy as regards looks & figure. I cant think of much else to say, its hard work thinking what to put down in this heat, even though I’m finishing this letter at 9. Pm with the windows and doors wide open. Still, I ll keep the rest of the “gen” (“pukka & Duff”) for my next letter, remember me to every one at home, including mrs Pugh, and let me have a letter from you as often as poss. We hang around the post-office 3 or 4 times a day, waiting for letters, So cheerioh. Love from Len. Miami Fla’ May 16th Dear Mum Pop & Nippers, [Page break] 78 MAY 16 1942 Well, as thou seeest, I’ve arrived in Miami at last, We reached here yesterday morning at 7 o’clock, and even at that early hour we were melting with the heat. We left Moncton 3 pm on Tuesday, and out first long stop was St John’s, New Brunswick, where we had tea, or supper as it is called here, in a restaurant. Then we had a walk round the town. Being a seaport, it was almost as dirty as Manchester, and not half as nice as Moncton. We had a very uncomfortable night, as we had no mattresses and only 1 blanket, so we were up at 5 next morning. Our next stop was Boston, Masserchusetts [sic] in the USA., where we changed stations, and had a lovely meal in the large Station Cafe. Then we walked round the town, and took photos of the War Memorial. We only had an hour here, otherwise I would have like to have seen the [indecipherable word] commemorating the Boston Tea Party. However, an old man, who was born in North Devon showed us around the State House. It was a lovely building; it had the flags used in the Civil War. We also visited the House of Representatives, [Page break] 79 and the Senate Chamber. While I was there I bought a Camera, which takes 16 pictures on a [sic] 8 film roll, so I’m taking as many photos as I can. Our next stop was New York (I believe youve heard of it). The first thing we did after tea, was to [inserted] pay [/inserted] a visit to the top of the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the world. It was one of the most wonderful sights I’ve ever seen. We could see the Normandie lying on her side in the harbour, the Statue of Liberty, the Chrysler Building, and other skyscrapers in Manhattan. One thing that amazed me was that all the streets with few exceptions, ran North-South, or East-West. We only had 4 hours in New York, so with the rest of the time, we walked down Broadway and other main streets. We spent an even more uncomfortable night on the train, as we had to sleep sitting up in the train, and as we were farther south, the heat was far worse. The next morning at Richmond, we were coupled to 2 streamlined Diesel engines, the “Florida Special”, and “Vacationers”, and were soon flying along at 70 miles ph. with 24 coaches in tow. [Page break] 80 That night we stopped for an hour and a half at Jacksonville, and as it was too dark to take photos, the “Gang” went into an Amusement Park, and had a game of “bowls” or Skittles as it is called in England. I ve never touched a bowling ball before, but I knocked 81 skittles down our of 100, Norman was next with 55 so I didn’t do so bad. Well. As I said before we arrived here yesterday morning. The food is marvellous, you get more than you want, the meals are served up as good as any hotel (serviettes etc), in fact its better than an officers mess. At every meal we get 5 drinks, water milk, grapefruit, coffee & tea. We have not been in the town yet, but what buildings and scenery we have seen is very picturesque, we are being allowed out to Coral Gables tonight and I shall take some more snaps, and get those I’ve already developed taken. Now I ll tell you about the Macdonalds. One Sunday in camp at Moncton, the Padre asked for 25 cadets to go to a free supper at Moncton First Baptist Church on the Monday night, so [Page break] 81 [inserted some of us [/inserted] [deleted] and I [/deleted] volunteered. Well we enjoyed ourselves there, and a scout invited me up to his house, so I went the following night, and every evening I was at Moncton. Mr & Mrs M[inserted]acdonald [/inserted] oncton welcomed me as if I had known them for ages, I think they are the most hospitable family I’ve met yet. I went there every night before 7 pm and didnt leave till 11.55 pm on weekdays, and 1.55 am early Sunday morning. If I hadn’t had a tropical kit parade on Sunday morning, they would have made me stay the night. The first night I was doing Bill’s, Murray’s and Ida’s homework. Bill is about 16 years old, and I think he’s already written to our Jeanne. Murray is about 14 & Dorothy nearly 13. Dorothy is the image of Sylvia in her looks and manners, I’ve told her to write to Syls’. Ida is 17, left High School after taking Matric Course, and is now learning Shorthand & Typing at a Business College. She’s a very nice girl indeed. On Monday night before we left, I took my camera to take some snaps, we told Mrs MacDonald we would only be half an hour, but we walked so far [Page break] 82 and were feelish [sic] peckish coming home, so we had supper at a Grill, and didn’t get home till turned 11 pm. Of course, I took some photos, but did my usual trick of forgeting [sic] to wind the film after each photo, but I think at least one photo of Ida will be O.k, so I’ll send you one when I get them developed. When I’ve finished the course here, and go back to Moncton, Mr MacDonald is going to take me deer hunting, so I look like having a good time. After this weekend we’ve got to start working overtime, especially as [deleted] its [/deleted] the hottest part of the season is just starting I don’t think theres much more I can write about without being censored, so I’ll pack up now. Remember me to both Grandma’s in case I don’t get time to write much, Love to all at No 10. Lets have all the news as soon as possible Cheerioh Len xx July 4th Miami, Fla. Dear Mum, Dad & Erbs, Gee, T’anks for your 3 rd letter which I received last Tuesday. I’m glad [Page break] 83 to see you’re carrying on O.k, & hope you are getting enough to eat. A funny thing happened last Tuesday: Gilbert received a parcel from home with a tin of oxtail soup in! The parcel had been addressed to Eastbourne, so you see how it came about that the British are sending food to America. I think I ve beaten Graham is [sic] flying , as my first flight was a week yesterday, and I also had a longer flight yesterday. I had a good time, but on the first flight, Gilbert was up to his usual tricks, & was the only one sick on our flying boat. He was O.k yesterday, although it was much bumpier. It was a good job we had that course at Eastbourne, as it has helped us very much, and we mostly manage to get our homework done in class. I think the exams will be easy enough, although we’ve got to get 80% to pass. We had our Met. Exam this morning, and I think I’ve got on O.k. In another few weeks I should be able to put my “wings” up, although I don’t think we get our “stripes” till we arrive [Page break] 84 home. We are now Senior Course down here & shall not have to do any more orderly duty. One good thing, we don’t get any P.T. or Drill down here. We will do our first bit of parading (other than meal or pay parades) tonight. We’ve got to march round Coral Gables to celebrate Independence Day. I’ve met another nice girl from Chapel, her name is Jackie (short for Jacqueline) Hutto, & she’s good looking, as you can see from the photo [photograph missing]. I’ve introduced Shamus to her blonde pal Mary Jane Fannin, Jackie & I see each other every weekend, but Shamus & I only met Mary last night. After going to the ‘flicks’, we all went & had a game of carpet golf. Up to last night Jackie was champ, but last night I was the winner, did 3 holes in 1. The girls are coming over to watch us marching, & then we’re going to meet them afterwards. The last fortnight we’ve been almost bitten to death by mosquitos, although they are nearly all gone now. The ones they get down here, are what we call gnats or midges in [Page break] 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 Leonard Dorricott's wartime letters to his parents Description An account of the resource Note book containing 84 pages of letters covering the period 1 September 1941 to 4 July 1942. It covers his training in the UK, Canada and the USA. He describes, in detail, his social life and eating arrangements but very little about the actual training he received. (The notebook is incomplete.) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonard Dorricott Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 84 handwritten sheets Language A language of the resource eng Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EDorricottLWVarious41-42 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--Devon England--Torquay Canada Florida--Miami England--London United States Florida England--Eastbourne (East Sussex) Florida England--Sussex 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. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1941 1942 Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Pending review entertainment Initial Training Wing military living conditions military service conditions Navy, Army and Air Force Institute physical training RAF Torquay recruitment training