1 25 9 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2266/40909/LBeerSW176975v1.1.pdf 20cdc389f45a88b063783f2120fd5a98 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 Beer, Stanley Walter Description An account of the resource 29 items. The collection concerns Stanley Walter Beer (b. 1920, 176975 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, decorations and photographs. He flew operations as a wireless operator with 419 Squadron. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Stephanie Christine Alpin and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-10 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 Beer, SW 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 Stanley Beer’s Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book Description An account of the resource Stanley Beer’s Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book from 10th November 1942 until 4th August 1944. Trained as a wireless operator and air gunner at No. 4 Signals School, No. 1 Air Gunnery School, No. 2 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit, 23 Operational Training Unit and 1664 Conversion Unit. Posted to 419 Squadron for operations as a wireless operator in July 1943. In March 1944 posted to 424 Squadron. Served at RAF Madley, RAF Pembrey, RAF Millom, RAF Pershore, RAF Croft, RAF Middleton St George, RAF Skipton on Swale. Aircraft flown were Dominie, Proctor, Blenheim, Anson, Wellington, Stirling, Halifax. With 419 Squadron he flew 20 night bombing and minelaying operations. Targets included Hamburg, Mannheim, Nurnberg, Milan, Peenemunde, Mönchengladbach, Berlin, Munich, Montluçon, Modane, Bochum, Kassel, Hannover, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Bay of Biscay, Rochelle. With 424 Squadron he flew 11 bombing and minelaying operations (3 day, 8 night). Targets included Frankfurt, Kiel Canal, Berlin, Paris - Noisy-le-Sec, Lens, Brest, Lorient, Aachen, Oisemont, L’Hey, Paris - Bois de Casson. His pilot for all operations was Squadron Leader Westland. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Great Britain. Royal Air Force Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Cumbria England--Durham (County) England--Herefordshire England--Worcestershire England--Yorkshire Wales--Carmarthenshire Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay Germany Germany--Ruhr (Region) Germany--Aachen Germany--Berlin Germany--Bochum Germany--Düsseldorf Germany--Frankfurt am Main Germany--Hamburg Germany--Hannover Germany--Kassel Germany--Kiel Canal Germany--Leipzig Germany--Mannheim Germany--Mönchengladbach Germany--Munich Germany--Nuremberg Germany--Peenemünde Italy Italy--Milan France France--Brest France--La Rochelle France--Lens France--L'Isle-Adam France--Lorient France--Modane France--Montluçon France--Noordpeene France--Oisemont (Canton) France--Paris 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 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 LBeerSW176975v10001 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 1943-07-29 1943-07-30 1943-08-09 1943-08-10 1943-08-11 1943-08-12 1943-08-13 1943-08-17 1943-08-18 1943-08-30 1943-08-31 1943-09-01 1943-09-05 1943-09-06 1943-09-15 1943-09-16 1943-09-17 1943-09-29 1943-10-03 1943-10-04 1943-10-08 1943-10-09 1943-10-22 1943-10-23 1943-11-03 1943-11-04 1943-12-03 1943-12-04 1944-01-05 1944-01-20 1944-01-21 1944-02-04 1944-03-18 1944-03-19 1944-03-22 1944-03-23 1944-03-24 1944-03-25 1944-04-18 1944-04-19 1944-04-20 1944-04-21 1944-04-22 1944-05-08 1944-05-09 1944-05-24 1944-05-25 1944-06-21 1944-07-24 1944-08-04 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 1664 HCU 419 Squadron 424 Squadron Advanced Flying Unit air gunner Air Gunnery School aircrew Anson anti-aircraft fire Blenheim bombing Dominie Halifax mine laying Operational Training Unit Proctor RAF Croft RAF Madley RAF Middleton St George RAF Millom RAF Pembrey RAF Pershore RAF Skipton on Swale Stirling training Wellington wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1976/37223/LDowdingAF159677v1.2.pdf 8a4ec135f65d52a1402206e6df37946d 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 Dowding, Alexander Francis A F Dowding 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 2017-10-30 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 Dowding, AF Description An account of the resource One item. The collection concerns Pilot Officer Alexander Francis Dowding (48333, 159677 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 428 and 424 Squadorns. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Stewart Dowding and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff. <br /><br />Additional information on Alexander Francis Dowding is available via the&nbsp;<a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/207686/">IBCC Losses Database</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alexander Francis Dowding’s 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 Royal Canadian 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 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 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LDowdingAF159677v1 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1943-07-03 1943-07-04 1943-07-09 1943-07-10 1943-07-24 1943-07-25 1943-07-26 1943-08-09 1943-08-10 1943-08-11 1943-08-12 1943-08-13 1943-08-17 1943-08-18 1943-08-28 1943-08-29 1943-08-30 1943-08-31 1943-09-01 1943-09-05 1943-09-06 1943-10-22 1943-10-23 1943-11-11 1943-11-12 1943-11-22 1943-11-23 1943-11-25 1943-11-26 1943-12-08 1943-12-09 1943-12-29 1943-12-30 1944-02-15 1944-02-16 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France Germany Great Britain Italy England--Durham (County) England--Yorkshire France--Cannes Germany--Mönchengladbach Germany--Berlin Germany--Cologne Germany--Frankfurt am Main Germany--Gelsenkirchen Germany--Hamburg Germany--Kassel Germany--Leipzig Germany--Mannheim Germany--Nuremberg Germany--Peenemünde Italy--Milan Germany--Ruhr (Region) Description An account of the resource A F Dowding’s Flight Engineer’s Flying Log Book covering the period from 06 June 1943 to 16 February 1944 when he became ‘missing-death presumed’. Detailing his flying training and operations flown as a Flight Engineer. He was stationed at RAF Leeming (1664 HCU), RAF Middleton St George (428 Squadron RCAF ) and RAF Skipton-on-Swale (424 Squadron RCAF). He flew seventeen night operations with 428 Squadron and one night operation with 424 Squadron, eighteen in total. Aircraft flown in was Halifax. Targets were Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Mannheim, Nuremberg, Milan, Peenemünde, Nuremburg, Mönchengladbach, Berlin, Kassel, Cannes, Frankfurt, and Leipzig. His pilots on operations were Pilot Officer Reilander and Squadron Leader Suggett. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form: no better quality copies are available. Conforms To An established standard to which the described resource conforms. Review Oct 2024 1664 HCU 424 Squadron 428 Squadron aircrew Berlin Campaign (23 August 1943 – 25 March 1944) bombing bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943) bombing of Kassel (22/23 October 1943) bombing of Peenemünde (17/18 August 1943) flight engineer Halifax Halifax Mk 3 Halifax Mk 5 Heavy Conversion Unit killed in action missing in action RAF Leeming RAF Middleton St George RAF Skipton on Swale Ruhr Campaign (5 March – 10 July 1943) training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/2146/37068/PFieldPL19080004.2.jpg 783192d0561aeccc8bb38f77ca4d8914 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Field, Peter L and Cynthia G. Photograph album 5 Description An account of the resource 13 items. Photographs of wartime colleagues, Cook's tour aerial photographs of bomb damaged German cities, and family and friends as well as two letters home. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-19 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 Field, PL-CG 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 Parties at Leeming and squadron board Description An account of the resource left page: Top left - large group of people in service and civilian dress at a party. Captioned 'WAAF Sgt party Leeming Dec 1944, note tinsel strips back left to form letters on curtain - "window" dropped over enemy territory to distract enemy radar. My letter to mother 1:12:44 thanked her for sending [...]'. Top right - large group of people in service and civilian dress at a party. Captioned 'WAAF sgts mess party Dec 1944 Leeming. Shoulder flash denotes a Canadian airman - most are aircrew, some English others ground staff eg Jock charming Canadian older than rest 4th from back'. Second row left - large group of people in service and civilian dress at a party. Captioned WAAFs sgts party Dec 1944 Leeming RCAF "Roger the lodger the S--- spelt out on blackout curtain in "Window" from a dubious ditty "Roger" [....]wearing sleeveless pullover at front of other photograph'. Second row right - large group of people in service and civilian dress at a party. Captioned 'WAAF sgts mess party Leeming Dec 1944, L standing Molly of the farewell Molly squadron board photograph of 4.8.45, Betty Lennon with Roger C, front with [....]'. Third row left - three members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force one standing by and two sitting on lorry running board with an airman standing to the right. Bottom left - a man and three women sitting on a swinging bench seat. Right page: Top - photograph of squadron operations boards for 429, 424 and 433 Squadrons with 'Farewell Molly, Best Luck, Always' and other messages. Bottom - smaller version of the same photograph with caption 'Squadron board at RCAF Leeming 4.8.45 "Farewell Molly". Only 427 and 429 Squadrons left at t he base, 424 and 433 were now at satellite stn "Skipton-on-Swale"'. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-12 1945-08-04 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-12 1945-08-04 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Yorkshire Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Eight b/w photographs mounted on two album pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PFieldPL19080004 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Language A language of the resource eng 424 Squadron 427 Squadron 429 Squadron 433 Squadron ground personnel RAF Leeming RAF Skipton on Swale Window Women’s Auxiliary Air Force https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1772/31069/MCleggPV[DoB]-150819-04.pdf f455e2dd94dd4a5af08ae3e4cb11a33d https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1772/31069/MCleggPV[DoB]-150819-04.pdf f455e2dd94dd4a5af08ae3e4cb11a33d 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 Clegg, Peter Vernon. Aldborough Dairy and Cafe Description An account of the resource Collection contains advert for Mudd's choicest butter, details of Aldborough Cafe, photograph, newspaper cuttings and many pages of visitors signatures. an index of visiting Canadian and American airmen, some notes on signatures and details of the death of those signing the book. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-02 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. 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 Clegg, PV Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [underlined] DETAILS OF THE DEATH OF THOSE SIGNING THE BOOK [/UNDERLINED] [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 7th 1942] Athol Herbert JENNINGS F/S RCAF Killed Aug 28th/42 408 Sqn [crew and operation details] 408 Sqn – Hampden I – P1244 EQ-Y – Op: Kassel Sgt A H Jennings Killed Sgt L G Chaston RCAF Killed Sgt C H Thompson RAAF Killed Sgt J W Todd Killed T/o 2005 Balderton. All are buried in Hannover War Cemetery. [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 7th 1942] Sydney Clarence CAMP Flt Sgt RCAF Killed Jan 15/42 51 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 8th 1942] Eric John RICHARDS Sgt RAF Killed Jan 15/42 51 Sqn [crew and operation details] 51 Sqn – Whitley V – Z9424 MH-R – Op: Emden Sgt E J Richards Killed Sgt H C Needham pow F/S S C Camp RCAF Killed Sgt G S Booth pow Sgt W D Muirhead pow Sgt R J White Killed T/o 1758 Dishforth. Shot down by a night-fighter (Uffz Zipperlein, 4./NJG1) and crashed 2215 between Achtkarspelen and Rottevalle (Friesland) the latter being 4 km N of Drachten, Holland. Those who died are buried in Smallingerland (Rottevalle) Protestant Churchyard. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 8th 1942] Roderick James CHISHOLM F/S RCAF Killed Jan 6/42 35 Sqn [crew and operation details] 35 Sqn – Halifax II – R9439 TL-A – Op: Emden Sgt S E Davies Killed Sgt H Thomas Killed P/O T J Taylor RCAF Killed F/S R L Bradshaw RCAF Killed F/S R J Chisholm RCAF Killed Sgt A Squires Killed T/o 2319 Linton-on-Ouse. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Sgt Davies hailed from Buenos Aires, Argentina. [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 8th 1942] Frank OLIVER DFM F/S RAF Killed Sep 30/42 51 Sqn (No details known) [Squadron with Coastal Command, May - Oct 42] [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 9th 1942] Douglas FORBES Sgt RAF Killed Mar 8/43 61 Sqn [crew and operation details] 61 Sqn – Lancaster I – W4903 QR-P – Op: Nürnberg F/L C A Giles DFC RAAF Killed P/O K D Babington-Browne Killed F/O F Richards Killed P/O B J Gunter Killed F/S G Mitchell Killed Sgt E Carr Killed F/S D Forbes Killed T/o 1930 Syerston. Believed crashed in the general vicinity of Fürth, a large town just to the NW of Nürnberg. All were buried at Fürth on 10 March, but since the war their bodies have been taken to Durnbach War Cemetery. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 10th 1942] Jack Vage KERR F/S RAF Killed Oct 16/42 51 Sqn (No details known) [Sqn with Coastal Command, May - Oct/42] [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 10th 1942] Frank Lewin LUFF Sgt RAF Killed Aug 12/42 51 Sqn (No details known) [Sqn with Coastal Command, May - Oct/42] [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 10th 1942] Norman VINER Sgt. RAF Killed Jan 21st/42 51 Sqn [crew and operation details] 51 Sqn – Whitley V – Z9311 MH-J– Op: Emden P/O B Sides Killed Sgt D A Richards Killed F/S B L Hart Killed Sgt N Viner Killed Sgt J J Clarke Killed T/o 1734 Dishforth. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. [visitors book entry. Page No. 3 – Date of entry January 13th 1942] William Moreton JAMES Sgt RAF Killed Jul 12th/42 51 Sqn (No details known) [Sqn with Coastal Command, May - Oct/ 42] [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 4 – Date of entry January 23rd 1942] Stanley WOOLHOUSE W/O RAF Killed Oct 3/43 51 Sqn [crew and operation details] 51 Sqn – Halifax II – HR728 LK-D – Op: Kassel F/L W T Irwin Killed F/O J A Grundy Killed P/O W J Watson Killed F/O J J Dawkins Killed F/O R T Watkinson Killed W/O S Woolhouse Killed Sgt J Dixon Killed Sgt J F Gordon Killed T/o 1810 Snaith. Crashed at Wietersheim on the E bank of the Weser, 4 km SSW of Petershagen. All are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. F/O Grundy was an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects. [visitors book entry. Page No. 4 – Date of entry 27th January 1942] Arthur Hugh Steyning BROWN P/O RAAF Killed Oct 16th/42 51 Sqn (No details known) [Sqn with Coastal Command, May - Oct/42] [visitors book entry. Page No. 4 – Date of entry 28th January 1942] Douglas Ronald FREEAR Sgt RAF Killed Apr 10/42 158 Sqn (No details known) [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 4 – Date of entry January 28th 1942] John David William STENHOUSE F/S RAF Killed Mar 1/43 51 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 4 – Date of entry February 15th 1942] Ronald Arthur Bertram WILLMOTT P/O RAF Killed Mar 1/43 51 Sqn [crew and operation details] 51 Sqn – Halifax II – BB223 MH-C – Op: Berlin F/S J D W Stenhouse Killed Sgt C Avery Killed Sgt W Colangelo RCAF Killed Sgt A Beauchamp Killed F/S R A B Willmott Killed Sgt A Howe Killed F/O J B Duncan Killed T/o 1830 Snaith. Shot down by a night-fighter (Lt August Geiger, III./NJG1) and crashed 0008 Voorst (Gelderland), 5 km NW of Zutphen, Holland. All are buried in Voorst General Cemetery. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 5 – Date of entry February 20th 1942] Alan Kenneth FARLAM W/O RAAF Killed Aug 14/43 19 OTU [crew and operation details] 19 OTU – Anson I – N9671 XF-P – Training W/O A K Farlam RAAF Killed F/O H H Kirby DFC Killed Sgt E S A Gray Killed Sgt F J Pellatt Killed Sgt R Brown Killed Sgt K Ashmore Killed T/o 1435 Kinloss for a navigation training detail. At approximately 1505, the Anson was seen diving, with both engines running at full power, from 4,000 feet and failing to recover before hitting the ground roughly a mile E of Arbroath airfield, Angus. An examination of the wreckage revealed that most of the fabric had peeled away from the starboard wing. All rest in cemeteries scattered across the United Kingdom and it seems likely that the funeral for W/O Farlam of Neutral Bay in New South Wales was arranged by relatives as he is buried in Surrey at Cheam (St. Dunstan) Churchyard, Sutton and Cheam. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 5 – Date of entry March 18th 1942] Edward Maurice TAYLOR Sgt RAF Killed Jun 17/42 24 OTU [crew and operation details] 24 OTU – Whitley V – BD358 – Training F/S W T Rushton Killed P/O L Rowlinson Killed Sgt G E Hibben Killed Sgt E M Taylor Killed Sgt A F Alcock RCAF Killed Sgt Harris inj. LAC H G Foot Killed AC2 J Murray Killed T/o 1525 Honeybourne for a navigation exercise involving the crew, which was made up of a screened pilot and wireless operator, four trainees and two passengers, in overwater flying. At 1955, the bomber returned to base and was seen, while on the cross-wind leg, to lower the flaps. As it did so, so the nose appeared to rise quite sharply. Immediately, the flaps were retracted and the Whitley continued with its approach but as it turned finals, and the flaps were once again lowered, the nose pitched up and the aircraft stalled, plunging to the ground on the boundary of the airfield, where it burst into flames. Those who died rest in various cemeteries across the United Kingdom. This was the first major accident involving an aircraft from the unit since its formation in mid-March 1942. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 6 – Date of entry July 28th 1942 Roderick John HEATHER P/O RCAF Killed Mar 12/43 427 Sqn (No details known) [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 7 – Date of entry September 18th 1942] Thomas Donovan COPELAND F/O RCAF Killed Mar 11/45 434 Sqn [crew and operation details] 434 Sqn – Lancaster X – KB834 WL-Y – Op: Essen F/L R J Fern RCAF Killed P/O W T Jones Killed F/L A G Rowe DFC RCAF Killed F/O T D Copeland RCAF Killed F/O J R Latremouille RCAF Killed F/O G Scott RCAF Killed F/O J A H B Marceau RCAF pow T/o 1138 Croft. Hit by flak and crashed within seconds of completing its bombing run, plunging into the target area. Six bodies were later recovered from Plot B at the Süd-West Friedhof and taken to the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. F/O Marceau RCAF was very badly wounded and was to undergo many years of hospital treatment. Apart from 37 year old P/O Jones, who had served previously with 419 Squadron, the crew were on their second tour of operations. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 8 – Date of entry September 19th 1942] Eric Raymond PRICE F/O RAF Killed Oct 22/43 77 Sqn [crew and operation details] 77 Sqn – Halifax II – JD121 KN-O – Op: Kassel F/O J S Barber Killed Sgt D W Stribley Killed Sgt R O Hand Killed F/O E R Price Killed Sgt I M Smith Killed Sgt J Pretsell Killed Sgt H A Weber RCAF Killed T/o 1802 Elvington. Crashed at Tietelsen, 9 km SE of Brakel. All rest in Hannover War Cemetery. [visitors book entry. Page No. 8 – Date of entry October 14th 1942] Peter LANE Killed Jan 18/43 97 Sqn [crew and operation details] 97 Sqn – Lancaster I – R5575 OF-L – Op: Berlin Sgt G H Rowson Killed Sgt P Lane Killed Sgt J E West Killed Sgt J Bell Killed Sgt J C Brittain Killed Sgt G A Axup Killed F/S H C Beebe RCAF Killed T/o 1703 Woodhall Spa. Crashed in the Waddenzee. Sgt Brittain's body was recovered on 9 April and buried a week later in Ulrum General Cemetery. The rest are named on the Runnymede Memorial. At 40, F/S Beebe RCAF was amongst the oldest RCAF airmen to die on operational service with Bomber Command. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 8 – Date of entry October 23rd 1942] Arthur Lawrence FAIRBROTHER Sgt RAF Killed Feb 15/44 77 Sqn [crew and operation details] 77 Sqn – Halifax V – LK726 KN-O – Op: Berlin F/O G Bodden Killed Sgt J L Green Killed F/S N F W Gooding Killed Sgt W H Beere Killed Sgt R C Hall Killed Sgt J Smith Killed Sgt A L Fairbrother Killed T/o 1730 Elvington. Crashed at Buskow, 7 km S of Neuruppin. All were buried at Buskow on 17 February, since when their remains have been exhumed and reinterred in the 1939-1945 War Cemetery at Berlin. Sgt Fairbrother's service number indicates he was accepted for pilot training in the pre-war volunteer reserve. [visitors book entry. Page No. 8 – Date of entry November 27th 1942] Derek VOLLANS Sgt RAF Killed Apr 15/43 425 Sqn [crew and operation details] 425 Sqn – Wellington III – X3763 KW-L – Op: Stuttgart P/O A T Doucette DFC RCAF Killed Sgt A Jones Killed P/O J O L Desroches DFC RCAF Killed Sgt D Vollans Killed P/O G P H Ledoux RCAF Killed F/S P P Trudeau RCAF Killed T/o 2107 Dishforth. Crashed at Mussey-sur-Marne (Haute Marne), on the W bank of the Marne, 8 km S of Joinville, France. All rest in Mussey-sur-Marne Communal Cemetery. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 10 – Date of entry January 17th 1943] William ("Bill") HENDERSON P/O RCAF Killed Apr 14/45 419 Sqn [crew and operation details] 419 Sqn – Lancaster X – KB866 VR-M – Op: Kiel F/S C C Maclaren RCAF Killed Sgt G A Livingston RCAF Killed F/O D W Wincott RCAF Killed F/O C R Loft RCAF Killed WO1 W Henderson RCAF Killed F/S E R Wightman RCAF Killed Sgt G J Jones RCAF Killed T/o 2022 Middleton St. George similarly tasked. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. At 36, F/S Wightman RCAF was amongst the oldest Canadians killed on bomber operations in 1945. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 12 – Date of entry February 21st 1943] James Henry ("Smudge") EVANS F/S RCAF Killed Aug 10/43 405 Sqn [crew and operation details] 405 Sqn – Halifax II – HR872 LQ-K – Op: Mannheim F/L K MacG Gray RCAF Killed Sgt D A Black RCAF Killed F/O A J Middleton RCAF Killed Sgt J H Evans RCAF Killed Sgt H King Killed Sgt C W Pickering RCAF Killed Sgt J Hanna RCAF Killed T/o 2252 Gransden Lodge. Shot down by a night-fighter (Lt Norbert Pietrek, II./NJG4) crashing 0100 at Awenne (Luxembourg), 9 km NW of St. Hubert, Belgium. All are buried in Florennes Communal Cemetery. F/S Gray RCAF and F/O Middleton RCAF both came from Medicine Hat in Alberta. [visitors book entry. Page No. 12 – Date of entry February 21st 1943] William John Ross DAVIES F/S RCAF Killed March 5/43 426 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 12 – Date of entry February 21st 1943] Cyril Randolph TRASK P/O RCAF Killed March 5/43 426 Sqn [crew and operation details] 426 Sqn – Wellington III – BK401 OW-M – Op: Essen P/O C R Trask RCAF Killed P/O C E Chapman Killed Sgt W J R Davies RCAF Killed SGT N F Paterson RCAF Killed Sgt G Walen RCAF Killed Sgt R E Williams RCAF Killed T/o 1910 Dishforth. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Note. A reliable private source in Holland indicates this Wellington may have crashed in the IJsselmeer, 10 km E of Amsterdam. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 14 – Date of entry April 17th 1943] Albert Frederick HOPLEY F/S RCAF Killed May 14/43 426 Sqn [crew and operation details] 426 Sqn – Wellington X – HE697 OW- – Op: Bochum Sgt J A Thomson RCAF Killed Sgt A F Hopley RCAF Killed Sgt J P O Ethier RCAF Killed Sgt N Hudspith Killed Sgt T F How Killed T/o 2334 Dishforth. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed 0253 near Nederhorst den Berg (Noord Holland), 16 km SE of Amsterdam. All are buried in Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery. [visitors book entry. Page No. 13 – Date of entry March 31st 1943] Sidney Leon MURRELL D.F.C. Flt/Lt. RCAF Killed June 22/43 405 Sqn [crew and operation details] 405 Sqn – Halifax II – JD124 LQ-P – Op: Krefeld F/L S L Murrell DFC RCAF Killed Sgt A W Nichols BEM RCAF Killed P/O F W Hodge RCAF Killed P/O J H T J Lemieux RCAF Killed P/O R A Livingston DFC RCAF Killed F/S E D Rowe RCAF Killed Sgt R L Robinson RCAF Killed T/o 2336 Gransden Lodge. Crashed in the vicinity of Mönchengladbach, where all were laid to rest in the Städtfriedhof on 24 June. Sgt Nichols RCAF now lies in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery; the rest have been taken to Rheinberg War Cemetery. F/L Murrell RCAF was a Texan from Gainsville. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 16 – Date of entry July 3rd 1943] John Henry STEVENS Sgt RAF Killed Oct 3/43 44 Sqn [crew and operation details] 44 Sqn – Lancaster III – ED433 KM-V – Op: Kassel P/O H G Norton RAAF Killed Sgt J H Stevens Killed Sgt S D Stait Killed Sgt F Thompson pow Sgt E E Greenfield Killed Sgt W A Whalley Killed Sgt R G Martin Killed T/o 1831 Dunholme Lodge. Crashed in the Söhrewald, 10 km SE of Kassel. Those who died are buried in Hannover War Cemetery. [visitors book entry. Page No. 15 – Date of entry May 7th 1943] Donald James ELLIOTT F/O RCAF Killed Jan 1/44 405 Sqn (No details known) [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 17 – Date of entry July 16th 1944] Lloyd William Wesley JONES P/O RCAF Killed Jan 22/44 427 Sqn [crew and operation details] 427 Sqn – Halifax V – LL139 ZL-D – Op: Magdeburg S/L D M Arnot DFC RCAF Killed W/C A N Martin RCAF Killed P/O R A N Rondelet RCAF Killed P/O L W W Jones RCAF Killed F/O W V Thom RCAF pow P/O R Dawson Killed P/O L S Gray RCAF Killed P/O R O Nickerson RCAF Killed T/o 2000 Leeming. Attacked at 19,500 feet by a night-fighter while clearing the target area. The order to abandon was given, but before the crew could react, the Halifax exploded, throwing clear F/O Thom RCAF. The others are buried in Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. W/C Martin RCAF was the CO of 424 Squadron and had been attached for operational experience. P/O Rondelet RCAF was a Belgian, born on 21 November 1915 at Seraing in the SE suburbs of Liege. [visitors book entry. Page No. 17 – Date of entry July 24th 1944] David Neville COTTON P/O RCAF Killed June 29/44 427 Sqn [crew and operation details] 427 Sqn – Halifax III – LV938 ZL-A – Op: Metz WO2 A J King RCAF pow Sgt H Morgan pow F/O W A Wilson RCAF pow P/O W M Pookay RCAF evd F/S R E Mowbray pow F/S S K Vallieres RCAF pow F/S D N Cotton RCAF Killed T/o 2145 Leeming similarly tasked. Hit by flak and crashed at Juvincourt-et-Damary (Aisne) some 24 km SE of Laon. F/S Cotton RCAF is buried in Juvincourt-et-Damary Churchyard. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 18 – Date of entry August 26th 1943] Nick VENBER P/O RCAF Killed May 1/44 420 Sqn [crew and operation details] 420 Sqn – Halifax III – LW476 PT-J – Op: Somain F/L E Northern DFC RCAF Killed Sgt L S Franklin RCAF Killed F/O F W Morrison RCAF Killed WO1 N Venber RCAF Killed F/S C H Lines Killed Sgt W H Young RCAF Killed F/O A H B Hall RCAF Killed T/o 2115 Tholthorpe to bomb rail installations. Presumed crashed in the sea. F/O Morrison RCAF is buried in Cayeux-sur-Mer Communal Cemetery, F/O Hall RCAF rests at St-Valery-sur-Somme Communal Cemetery, while the other members of crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 19 – Date of entry August 27th 1943] William Edward MARTIN Sgt RCAF Killed Dec 11/43 26 OTU [crew and operation details] 26 OTU – Wellington III – BK440 – Training F/S A Merridew Killed Sgt S Wilson Killed F/S N Doherty RAAF Killed Sgt E W Brown Killed Sgt W E Martin RCAF Killed Sgt A W Ellis Killed T/o 0645 Little Horwood for a navigation sortie. Exploded 0800, or thereabouts, and crashed near Park Farm, Hindolveston, 8 miles ESE of Fakenham in Norfolk. Five were taken to Cambridge City Cemetery, while Sgt Brown is buried in Rushden Cemetery. In the years since this tragedy, various items of debris have been recovered from the fields and the more important pieces are now with the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 23 – Date of entry January 4th 1944] James Archibald WILSON Sgt RCAF Killed Jan 21/44 419 Sqn [crew and operation details] 419 Sqn – Halifax II – JD466 VR-E – Op: Magdeburg F/L A G Hermitage RCAF Killed Sgt J A Wilson RCAF Killed F/S R H Walton RCAF Killed F/S W B Tobin RCAF Killed WO2 J B Chess RCAF Killed Sgt R Shields Killed Sgt R W Edwards RCAF Killed T/o 1941 Middleton St. George. Crashed at Borne, where all were buried on 26 January. Since the cessation of hostilities, their bodies have been brought to the 1939-1945 War Cemetery at Berlin. [visitors book entry. Page No. 23 – Date of entry January 4th 1944] James Coulter COPELAND P/O RCAF Killed Dec 6/44 429 [visitors book entry. Page No. 23 – Date of entry January 4th 1944] William Edward Heaton BARTY P/O RAF Killed Dec 6/44 429 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 23 – Date of entry January 4th 1944] Stephen Lawrence NOREJKO P/O RCAF Killed Dec 6/44 429 Sqn 429 – Halifax III – MZ900 AL-K – Op: Boulogne F/O J M Prentice RCAF F/S F P Platt F/O T A Wilson RCAF F/S S L Norejko RCAF Lt F M McRoberts USAAF F/S W E H Barty F/S J C Copeland RCAF inj T/o 0714 Leeming similarly tasked. Hit by flak which damaged both starboard engines. Unable to maintain height, F/O Prentice RCAF put the bomber into the sea off the French coast. F/O M Lanin RCAF in Halifax III MZ303 AL-R witnessed the ditching and he remained overhead until an ASR Walrus, escorted by two Spitfires, arrived on the scene at 1019. All were picked up, F/S Copeland RCAF being slightly injured. Overladen, the Walrus was eventually met by an HSL which took the crew in Newhaven. P.T.O. [See next entry] [page break] [crew and operation details] 429 Sqn – Halifax III – MZ463 AL-J – Op: Osnabruck F/O J M Prentice RCAF Killed F/L H D O/Neil RCAF Killed P/O E S C Clark RCAF Killed F/O T A Wilson RCAF Killed P/O L Norejko RCAF Killed Lt F M McRoberts USAAF Killed P/O W E H Barty Killed WO2 J C Copeland RCAF Killed T/o 1619 Leeming. Lost without trace. The six RCAF members of crew, along with P/O Barty, are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial while Lt McRoberts USAAF is named on his country's memorial to its airmen with no known graves. It will be recalled that six of the crew had been involved in a dramatic ditching incident while operating against Boulogne in September. Apart from F/L O'Neil RCAF, who was flying his first sortie, all were about two-thirds of the way through their tour. [visitors book entry. Page No. 23 – Date of entry January 7th 1944] Frederick Peter CAMMAART P/O RCAF Killed Apr 23/44 424 Sqn [crew and operation details] 424 Sqn – Halifax III – LV780 QB-M – Op: Dusseldorf WO2 W F Vornbrock RCAF Killed Sgt L Walters Killed F/S J S Laird RCAF Killed WO2 F P Cammaart RCAF Killed Sgt L Hanson Killed Sgt J J Renning RCAF Killed Sgt F P Morrisey RCAF pow T/o 2230 Skipton-on-Swale. Crashed near Goirle in Noord-Brabant, 4 km S of Tilburg, Holland. Those who died were buried in Goirle Roman Catholic Cemetery, but since 1945 the four RCAF members of crew have been taken to Bergen op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Sgt Walters had been born Lionel Cohen and he came from Golders Green in Middlesex. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 24 – Date of entry February 1st 1944] William Henry PARKINSON F/O RCAF Killed May 9/44 432 Sqn [crew and operation details] 432 Sqn – Halifax III – LW594 QO-G – Op: Haine-St-Pierre P.O S A Hawkins RCAF Killed Sgt H Ibbotson Killed F/O A I Raetzen RCAF pow Sgt M B O'Leary RCAF pow F/O W H Parkinson RCAF Killed Sgt G Hand evd Sgt R B Haxton RCAF evd T/o 0130 East Moor similarly tasked. Shot down by a night-fighter (Oblt Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer Stab IV./NJG4) and crashed 0332 at Grand Reng (Hainaut) a small Belgian town on the border with France some 16 km SE of Mons. Those who died lie in Gosselies Communal Cemetery, where all 102 graves are for airmen who died in Bomber Command service between July 1942 and May 1944. [visitors book entry. Page No. 24 – Date of entry February 3rd 1944] John Tengate TUNSTALL Sgt RAF Killed Jan 7/45 550 Sqn [crew and operation details] 550 Sqn – Lancaster I – NG363 BQ-P – Op: Munchen F/O C J Clarke RCAF Killed Sgt J T Tunstall Killed F/S H E Miell RCAF Killed F/O A L Coldwell RCAF pow Sgt L O Precieux Killed F/S F W Bradley RCAF Killed F/S L A J Gauthier RCAF Killed T/o 1815 North Killingholme. Those who died rest in Dürnbach War Cemetery. Nineteen year old Sgt Precieux was the son of Jules Henri and Marie Alicia Fanellie Precieux of Phoenix on the island of Mauritius. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 25 – Date of entry February 4th 1944] Stanley Allen HAWKINS F/O RCAF Killed May 9/44 432 Sqn (See Page 24 et seq. for details with rest of crew) [visitors book entry. Page No. 25 – Date of entry February 8th 1944] Douglas Anderson HENDERSON P/O RCAF Killed Feb 21/45 427 Sqn [crew and operation details] 427 Sqn – Halifax III – NR288 ZL-F – Op: Worms P/O W R Wilson RCAF pow Sgt J F W Taylor Killed F/O L Webster RCAF Killed WO2 R R Stuart RCAF Killed F/S D A Henderson RCAF Killed F/S L O Foisy RCAF Killed F/S A J McLeod RCAF Killed T/o 1623 Leeming. Those who lost their lives are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 26 – Date of entry February 18th 1944] Robert Fitzgerald CONROY F/O RCAF Killed Mar 24/44 429 Sqn [crew and operation details] 429 Sqn – Wellington X – HE593 AL- – Op: Düsseldorf F/S R F Conroy RCAF evd Sgt G A Leitch RCAF Killed P/O G R Densmore RCAF Killed F/S G A Nelson RCAF Killed Sgt J Burns RCAF Killed T/o 2300 East Moor. Outbound, and while climbing towards 19,000 feet, shot down by a night-fighter. Three are buried in Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery; Sgt Burns RCAF lies in the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 27 – Date of entry February 28th 1944] James Coulter COPELAND P/O RCAF Killed Dec 6/44 429 Sqn [crew and operation details] 429 Sqn – Halifax III – MZ900 AL-K – Op: Boulogne F/O J M Prentice RCAF F/S F P Platt F/O T A Wilson RCAF F/S S L Norejko RCAF Lt F M McRoberts USAAF F/S W E H Barty F/S J C Copeland RCAF inj T/o 0714 Leeming similarly tasked. Hit by flak which damaged both starboard engines. Unable to maintain height, F/O Prentice RCAF put the bomber into the sea off the French coast. F/O M Lanin RCAF in Halifax III MZ303 AL-R witnessed the ditching and he remained overhead until an ASR Walrus, escorted by two Spitfires, arrived on the scene at 1019. All were picked up, F/S Copeland RCAF being slightly injured. Overladen, the Walrus was eventually met by an HSL which took the crew into Newhaven. (Above F/S also signed the Visitors Book on an earlier page (23) on Jan 4th 1944) [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 27 – Date of entry February 29th 1944] Robert Roy CAMPBELL F/O RCAF Killed May 13/44 419 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 27 – Date of entry February 29th 1944] Burdel Frank EDWARDS F/O RCAF Killed May 13/44 419 Sqn [crew and operation details] 419 Sqn – Lancaster X – KB713 VR – Op: Leuven P/O B F Edwards RCAF Killed Sgt J R Carruthers Killed F/O R R Campbell RCAF Killed P/O P Dewar RCAF Killed P/O R S Smith RCAF Killed P/O J A Webber RCAF Killed P/O H E Oddan RCAF Killed T/o 2200 Middleton St. George to bomb rail yards. Outbound, crashed and exploded at Reninge (West-Vlaanderen), 10 km SSW from Diksmuider. On 16 May, P/O Smith RCAF was buried in Coxyde Cemetery, the others lie at Adegem Canadian War Cemetery. Note: P/O Charles SURLES is listed as having been killed the same day as F/O PRITCHARD. He must have been in the same aircraft shown here as he was in Pritchard's crew. He was an American citizen from Louisiana. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 33 – Date of entry July 12th 1944] Gordon Featherstone PRITCHARD F/O RCAF Killed Aug 17/44 420 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 33 – Date of entry July 12th 1944] Charles Pittman SURLES P/O RCAF Killed Aug 17/44 420 Sqn [crew and operation details] 420 Sqn – Halifax III – MZ687 PT-L – Op: Kiel F/O G F Pritchard RCAF Killed P/O R H Davis RCAF Killed Sgt E A J Proud pow F/O F W Moffit RCAF Killed F/O D I Block RCAF Killed WO2 D B H Lorenz RCAF Killed F/S K G Boucock RCAF Killed F/O A G Roski RCAF Killed T/o 2101 Tholthorpe. Crashed in the North Sea from where Sgt Proud was rescued two days later. Of his seven comrades, F/O Moffit RCAF and WO2 Lorenz RCAF are buried in Kiel War Cemetery while the rest have no known graves. Note: P/O Charles SURLES is listed as having been killed the same day as F/O PRITCHARD. He must have been in the same aircraft shown here, as he was in Pritchard's crew. He was an American citizen from Louisiana. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 34 – Date of entry August 11th 1944] J P ("Benny") BENOIT WO2 RCAF Baled out Aug 3/44 433 Sqn. Survived. [crew and operation details] 433 Sqn – Halifax III – HX275 BM-S – Op: Bois de Cassan F/O R H Simpson RCAF Sgt W Purdie F/O R Woodhouse RCAF F/O C M Dandy RCAF inj WO2 J P Benoit RCAF Sgt R E Budd RCAF Sgt O M Brown RCAF T/o 1031 Skipton-on-Swale similarly tasked. Hit by flak while turning from the target area, F/O Dandy RCAF being slightly wounded. The flying controls were badly damaged and at 1440 the crew baled out, no further injuries being reported. Note: "Benny" BENOIT from Toronto, calls himself "The Parachute Kid" – for good reason! Where he landed is not known. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 37 – Date of entry September 19th 1944] Thomas Abercromby WILSON F/O RCAF Killed Dec 6/44 429 Sqn [crew and operation details] 429 Sqn – Halifax III MZ463 AL-J – Op: Osnabruck F/O J M Prentice RCAF Killed F/L H D O'Neil RCAF Killed P/O E S C Clark RCAF Killed F/O T A Wilson RCAF Killed P/O S L Norejko RCAF Killed Lt F M McRoberts USAAF Killed P/O W E H Barty Killed WO2 J C Copeland RCAF Killed T/o 1619 Leeming. Lost without trace. The six RCAF members of crew, along with P/O Barty, are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial while Lt McRoberts USAAF is named on his country's memorial to its airmen with no known graves. It will be recalled that six of the crew had been involved in a dramatic ditching incident while operating against Boulogne in September. Apart from F/L O/Neil RCAF, who was flying his first sortie, all were about two-thirds of the way through their tour. Note: F/O Wilson was in the same aircraft that included the three other crew members that appear on Page 23 previously (and Page 27) [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry October 25th 1944] William ("Bill") Gordon McLEOD F/O RCAF Killed Apr 10/45 433 Sqn [crew and operation details] 433 Sqn – Lancaster I – PB903 BM-F – Op: Leipzig F/O R J Grisdale RCAF Killed Sgt W A J Thurston Killed F/O I B Zierler RCAF Killed F/O W G McLeod RCAF Killed F/S J M Hirak RCAF Killed F/S F G Seeley RCAF Killed F/S D W Roberts RCAF Killed T/o 1317 Skipton-on-Swale similarly tasked. Hit by predicted flak just short of the AP. A fire was seen to break out in the starboard inner engine, though the flames were soon quelled. Height was lost, followed by a small explosion which turned the Lancaster onto its back. Diving steeply, the bomber hit the ground and exploded. All are buried in Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry October 25th 1944] Ernest ("Bill") William WATSON F/L RCAF Killed Jan 16/45 420 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry October 25th 1944] Quan Jil LOUIE F/O RCAF Killed Jan 16th 45 420 Sqn 420 Sqn – Halifax III – NA192 PT-Q – Op: Magdeburg F/L E W Watson RCAF Killed Sgt A K Parker Killed P/O C W Way DFC Killed F/O Q J Louie FCAF Killed P/O W J D Partridge RCAF Killed F/S D J Jacobi RCAF pow F/S T Lynch RCAF pow T/o 1846 Tholthorpe. Those who died are buried in Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. F/O Louie RCAF, for whom no details of his next-of-kin are known, had the unusual Christian names of Quan Jil. P/O Partridge RCAF was the son of the Revd A M Partridge of Napanee, Ontario. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry October 31st 1944] Sydney Dolton HEWSON F/O RCAF Killed Dec 28/44 428 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry October 31st 1944] Robert Allan EBBER F/O RCAF Killed Dec 28/44 428 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry October 31st 1944] Arthur Allen DIXON F/O RCAF Killed Dec 28/44 428 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry November 2nd 1944] Albert Thomas LE BLANC F/O RCAF Killed Dec 28/44 428 Sqn [visitors book entry. Page No. 38 – Date of entry November 2nd 1944] Keith Oscar McDIVITT F/O RCAF Killed Dec 28/44 428 Sqn [crew and operation details] 428 Sqn – Lancaster X – KB798 NA-G – Op: Opladen F/O E W Page RCAF Killed Sgt G F Owen Killed F/O S D Hewson RCAF Killed F/O A A Dixon RCAF Killed F/O R A Ebber RCAF Killed F/O K O McDivitt RCAF Killed F/O A T le Blanc RCAF Killed T/o 0300 Middleton St. George. All are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 40 – Date of entry December 17th 1944] John STREET P/O RCAF Killed Mar 2/45 408 Sqn [crew and operation details] 408 Sqn – Halifax VII – RG472 EQ-T – Op: Koln F/O H R Sproule RCAF pow Sgt A D Dennis RCAF pow F/O J E Moran RCAF pow F/O V D J Mousseau RCAF pow F/S J G Paxton RCAF Killed F/S J Street RCAF Killed F/S V T Hunt RCAF pow T/o 0721 Linton-on-Ouse. Homebound, when hit by flak which killed F/S Paxton RCAF and F/S Street RCAF. The other members of crew baled out just moments before their aircraft exploded and fell near Bad Godesberg on the W bank of the Rhine, SE of Bonn. The two airmen who died were first buried at Bad Godesberg, since when their remains have been taken to Belgium and interred in Hotton War Cemetery. [page break] [visitors book entry. Page No. 42 – Date of entry January 23rd 1945] Harold Keith STINSON, D.F.C. Sqd/Ldr. R.C.A.F. Killed Feb 1/45 433 Sqn [crew and operation details] 433 Sqn – Lancaster I – NG460 BM-A – Op: Ludwigshafen S/L H K Stinson DFC RCAF Killed P/O E H Thompson Killed F/O D J McMillan RCAF Killed F/O A W Belles RCAF P/O J T McShane RCAF Killed P/O R Pierson RCAF Killed P/O R J Thompson RCAF T/o 1523 Skipton-on-Swale. Bombed the AP at 1928 from 17,000 feet and was hit by flak. On return the Lancaster entered turbulent weather while in cloud and control was lost, two of the crew managing to bale out from 2,000 feet before their aircraft crashed near Low House, roughly 1,000 yards NW from the town of Driffield, Yorkshire. The four RCAF officers are buried in Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery; P/O Thompson rests in Hampstead Cemetery, Cricklewood. Note. These were the first casualties sustained by 433 Squadron in 1945 and it was also their first Lancaster write off. Three more would be lost before the end of the war, from which not one man survived. [Source of information: Bill Chorley's 'Bomber Command Losses' Volume 3] 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 Details of death of those signing the book Description An account of the resource Listing by page of visitors' book of personnel who had signed and were subsequently killed with details. 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 Royal Air Force. Coastal Command Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Nottinghamshire Germany Germany--Kassel England--Yorkshire Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony) Germany--Nuremberg Scotland--Moray Germany--Berlin Germany--Essen England--Worcestershire England--Durham (County) England--Lincolnshire Germany--Stuttgart Germany--Kiel Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea Germany--Mannheim England--Cambridgeshire Germany--Bochum Germany--Krefeld Germany--Magdeburg France France--Metz England--Buckinghamshire France--Boulogne-sur-Mer Germany--Osnabrück Germany--Düsseldorf Germany--Munich Belgium Belgium--Haine-Saint-Pierre Germany--Worms Belgium--Louvain France--L'Isle-Adam Germany--Leipzig Germany--Leverkusen Germany--Cologne Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein Netherlands--Zutphen Netherlands Germany--Ruhr (Region) France--Mussey-sur-Marne Netherlands--Drachten Netherlands--Groesbeek Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942-08-28 1942-01-15 1942-06-06 1942-09-30 1942-03-08 1943-05-08 1943-05-09 1942-10-16 1942-08-12 1942-07-12 1943-03-08 1942-10-16 1942-08-12 1942-01-21 1943-10-03 1943-10-03 1942-10-16 1942-04-10 1943-03-01 1943-03-02 1943-08-14 1942-06-17 1943-03-12 1945-03-11 1943-10-22 1943-01-18 1944-02-15 1944-02-16 1943-04-14 1943-04-15 1945-04-13 1945-04-14 1943-08-09 1943-08-10 1943-03-05 1943-03-06 1943-05-13 1943-05-14 1943-06-21 1943-06-22 1943-10-03 1943-10-04 1944-01-01 1944-01-21 1944-01-22 1944-06-28 1944-06-29 1944-04-30 1944-05-01 1943-12-11 1944-01-21 1944-01-22 1944-12-06 1944-09-17 1944-12-06 1944-12-07 1944-04-22 1944-04-23 1944-05-08 1944-05-09 1945-01-07 1945-01-08 1944-05-09 1945-02-21 1945-02-22 1944-03-24 1944-03-25 1944-12-06 1944-05-12 1944-05-13 1944-08-16 1944-08-17 1944-08-03 1944-12-07 1945-04-10 1945-01-16 1945-01-17 1944-12-26 1944-10-31 1944-11-02 1944-12-27 1944-12-28 1945-03-02 1945-02-01 1945-02-02 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Twenty-eight page printed document with handwritten annotation Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Personal research Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MCleggPV[DoB]-150819-04 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource David Bloomfield 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 PV Clegg 158 Squadron 19 OTU 26 OTU 35 Squadron 405 Squadron 408 Squadron 419 Squadron 420 Squadron 424 Squadron 425 Squadron 426 Squadron 427 Squadron 428 Squadron 429 Squadron 432 Squadron 433 Squadron 434 Squadron 44 Squadron 51 Squadron 550 Squadron 61 Squadron 77 Squadron 97 Squadron Anson Berlin Campaign (23 August 1943 – 25 March 1944) bombing of Kassel (22/23 October 1943) Halifax Hampden killed in action Lancaster Operational Training Unit RAF Balderton RAF Croft RAF Dishforth RAF Dunholme Lodge RAF East Moor RAF Elvington RAF Gransden Lodge RAF Honeybourne RAF Kinloss RAF Leeming RAF Linton on Ouse RAF Little Horwood RAF Lossiemouth RAF Middleton St George RAF North Killingholme RAF Skipton on Swale RAF Snaith RAF Syerston RAF Tholthorpe RAF Woodhall Spa Ruhr Campaign (5 March – 10 July 1943) training Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1526/29163/PMilesRJ16010009.2.jpg 2fa13ad0cc208c273c03d93a29715b80 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1526/29163/PMilesRJ16010010.2.jpg 1b2b4820de25841268e80bd667d62bb8 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1526/29163/PMilesRJ16030006.2.jpg 7b501df64e69821bafb6ce413a1e9ae5 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1526/29163/PMilesRJ16010011.2.jpg fdf1fd8faf07a1dde2d2a3e0f29e96d7 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1526/29163/PMilesRJ16010024.2.jpg 2c08e96e996715b613cb8a3e7aab2bfe https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1526/29163/PMilesRJ16040041.2.jpg d263673fc271b6ec0c5a5b4ee947ebec 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 Miles, Reg Reginald J Miles R J Miles 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 2016-07-26 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Miles, RJ Description An account of the resource 102 items. The collection concerns Reg Miles (1923 - 2022) and contains his audio memoir, log book, photographs and documents. He flew 36 operations with 432 and 420 Squadrons. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by R Miles and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [Photograph] [page break] LEFT TO RIGHT. ENGINEER. REG. MILES. ENGLAND REAR GUNNER DOUG. VAUGHAN,.HALIFAX N.S BOMBADIER. RED. BRIDGEMAN. ONT SKIPPER JIMMY TEASE. MAN MID. U. GUNNER YACK. ONTARIO NAVIGATOR. NICK. NICKLEN B.C WIRELESS OP. BAXER. ANT GROUND CREW. LAC JONES MAN. LAC SMITH – TORONTO LAC MILNE – SASK LAC? [deletion] BERRY TORONTO SGT? [deletion] PARKER B.C E. – EASY 420 (SNOWY OWL) SQDN 6 GROUP BOMBER COMM[missing letters] BASED AT THOLTHORPE JULY-AUGUST-SEPT 1944. U.K. [page break] [Photograph] Reg Miles Flight Engineer RAF Doug Vaughan R/Gunner John Bridgeman B/Aimer Jim Tease Pilot Owen Yack M/U Gunner Don Nicklen Navigator Harold Baker W/Operator 420 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force Stationed at Tholthorpe Yorkshire, Photo taken 19.9.1944 when E Easy was taken off operations after 56 trips and left at Dishforth for training new crews. Handley Page Halifax Mark 3 4 engine Bomber. [page break] [Photograph] [page break] [Photograph] Reg Miles Flight Engineer R.A.F. Margate England Doug Vaughan Rear Gunner R.C.A.F. Halifax N.S. Canada John Bridgeman (Red) R.C.A.F. Bombardier Ont. Canada Jim Tease Pilot (Skipper) R.C.A.F. Man. Canada Owen Yack Mid Upper Gunner R.C.A.F. Ont. Canada Don Nicklen Navigator R.C.A.F. BC. Canada Harold Baker Wireless Operator R.C.A.F. ANT. Canada L.A.C. H. Jones Ground Crew R.C.A.F. Gladstone Man. Canada L.A.C. C.A. Milne Ground Crew R.C.A.F. Chamberlain Sas. Canada L.A.C. J.H. Parker Ground Crew R.C.A.F. Chilliwack, B.C. Canada L.A.C. J.A. Smith Ground Crew R.C.A.F. Toronto Ontario Canada Sgt. B. Berry Ground Crew Chief R.C.A.F. Toronto Ontario Canada HANDLEY PAGE HALIFAX MARK III WITH FOUR BRISTOL HERCULES RADIAL ENGINES, BUILD NO LW416 DELIVERED DECEMBER 1943 TO 424 RCAF TIGER SQDN CODE LETTER “L” NOSE ART “LONG SHOT LOU” APRIL 1944 TRANSFERRED TO 426 RCAF THUNDERBIRD SQDN NO OPERATIONS JUNE 1944 TRANSFERRED TO 420 RCAF SNOWY OWL SQDN AT THOLTHORPE YORKSHIRE, NEW NOSE AND TAIL ART PAINTED BY LAC SMITH. JIM TEASE FIRST FLEW HER ON 21st JUNE 1944 AND LAST ON 19th SEPTEMBER WHEN HE AND HIS AIRCREW DELIVERED HER TO DISHFORTH 1659 H.C.U. BEING RETIRED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE AFTER 56 OPERATIONAL TRIPS. “E” EASY ”TAKE YOUR TIME I’M EASY” WAS WRITTEN OFF AND SCRAPPED ON 16th JULY 1945. REG MILES AUGUST 6 2003. [page break] [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 Halifax 'Beryle' Description An account of the resource A Halifax nose with 12 airmen perched on top. Each man is identified by name, trade, air force and home town. The nose art is a cartoon of a woman, painted 'Tak Yer Time I'm Easy'. 56 bombs are painted on. Under the cockpit is 'Beryle'. There is a long caption with the history of the aircraft written by Reg Miles in 6 August 2003. There are three copies without the annotations. A third copy is cropped and has slightly different annotations. Included is a note with each man's name. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2003-08-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Three b/w photographs and one handwritten note Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PMilesRJ16010009, PMilesRJ16010010, PMilesRJ16010011, PMilesRJ16030006, PMilesRJ16010024, PMilesRJ16040041 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--Margate Canada Manitoba Saskatchewan British Columbia--Chilliwack Ontario--Toronto Nova Scotia--Halifax Ontario Nova Scotia England--Kent British Columbia Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource David Bloomfield Angela Gaffney 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. 2003-08-06 1659 HCU 420 Squadron 424 Squadron 426 Squadron 6 Group Halifax Halifax Mk 3 Heavy Conversion Unit nose art RAF Dishforth RAF Tholthorpe training https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1400/27143/SJonesHB1866363v10046.pdf f819a48ae9c636456c8e85f2b51cca9e 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 Jones, Hugh Brenton H B Jones Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-01-11 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 Jones, HB Description An account of the resource 17 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant Hugh Brenton Jones (1925 - 1944, 1866363 Royal Air Force) and contains documents and photographs. He flew operations as an air gunner with 51 Squadron and was killed 18 December 1944. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Rea Camus and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Hugh Brenton Jones is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/214965/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [inserted] EVIDENCE OF COLLISION [/inserted] [underlined] HALIFAX 111 NP934 [/underlined] [underlined] AIR27/493 [/underlined] No. 51 SQUADRON ORBs January-December 1944 Halifax 111 NP934MH-V (F/O D N Twilley) took off from Snaith at 02.58 to attack the primary target. Nothing has been heard of this aircraft since the time of taking off and it is reporteed [sic] missing. F/O B M Twilley Reported missing from operations. [underlined] NOTE:- [/underlined] Information received from 2nd TAF. via H.Q.B.C. the effect that this aircraft was found in a woods at position 0.5099 South of Charlerot (sic). Two persons identified (F/O Twilley and E/O Cassini). The crew of eight killed. [underlined] CONCLUSION from the above information 4 GROUP [/underlined] 1. Halifax 111 LV818 F (F/L G W Body) 10 Squadron This aircraft was not heard of since taking off. Is this the aircrew lost in the battle area by unknown cause? 2. Halifax 111 NP934 MH-V (F/O B M Twilley) 51 Squadron This aircraft found in woods South of Charlerot (sic). This is therefore one of the aircraft lost in Belgium by unknown cause. 3. Halifax 111 NR248 is not recorded in 51 Squadron’s ORBs Halifax 111 NA294 MH-A (W/O W A Bates) 51 Squadron This aircraft was seen to dive at full throttle and blow up in mid air at position E8923 (east of Koblenz – what was it doing this far east?). Is this the aircraft outstanding? 4. Halifax 111 NR239 J (F/O W L Lynd) 158 Squadron This aircraft made a crash landing near Brussels. This is therefore the unknown Halifax from 158 Squadron and the other aircraft lost Belgium by unknown cause. One therefore needs to try and find out more information on the following aircraft:- Halifax 111 LV818-F and Halifax 111 NA294 MH-A Are these the aircraft that are recorded as outstanding and lost in the battle area? Is the aircraft from 578 Squadron that crashed AOT the same as that wrecked in a taxying accident? What has happened to the aircraft outstanding? [page break] [underlined] HALIFAX 11 NR118 U [/underlined] [underlined] AIR27/1865 [/underlined] No. 434 Squadron ORBs with Appendices June 1943-June 1945 On return all aircraft were diverted due to weather conditions at base (Croft). All aircraft returned safely to base later on in the afternoon with the exception of aircraft “U” NR118 with pilot Can. J21853 F/L J M Parrott who became airborne at 02.50 hrs and has sin [sic] not been heard from. Halifax “U” NR118 (F/L Parrott) took off from Croft at 02.50 since then nothing has been heard from it. [underlined] AIR28/176 [/underlined] Stations: Croft ORBs August 1943-June 1945 “X” of 434 Squadron claim one ME 109 shot down and destroyed. We regret to report the following aircraft missing “U” of 434 Squadron. [underlined] AIR14/3470 [/underlined] Bomber Command Aircraft Losses K Reports No. 6 Group Nos 1-1[missing number] December 1944-March 1945 Report No. 6G/h Report on Aircrew landing on allied occupied Territory Squadron: 434 Station: Croft Aircraft: Halifax 111 (sic) NR 118 U This report is based on the story of the sole survivor (P/O Herbert Browne (RCAF) No. J90827) of the crash who is still very shaken and nervous as a result of his experience. His recolloction [sic] of events, times and places is not very clear and there may be some inaccuracies. Shortly after having set course and while flying down England at 8[missing numbers] feet the pilot (F/Lt J Parrott) remarked that he wasn’t feeling well but was well enough to carry on. The aircraft climbed over the channel to the briefed hight [sic] of 17,000 feet. The crew kept asking [missing word] pilot if he was alright. He claimed he was but the crew noticed the aircraft was weaving as though he was unable to hold it steady. The air bomber (F/S A Kurtzhals) left his position and set [sic] beside the pilot so he could help him if necessary. The aircraft was still weaving but they carried on and according to the Navigator (F/O S Pearce) were only three minutes late. Weather was clear, visibility good, no ground defences and no enemy fighters were seen. The Wireless Operator (P/O H Browne) went off the intercom, in order to listern [sic] in on the Group Broadcast (6.30 hrs (by this time they should have been over Duisburg)). Suddenly the Navigator jumped to his feet and folded his seat back, the wireless operator immediately took off his helmet and reached for his parachute, and at almost the same time the aircraft noised [sic] straight up and then fell over on one wing. Browne does not know why Pearce left his seat or why the aircraft nosed vertically up. Browne remembers no more from this point until he recovered consciousness falling free through the air. After pulling the ripcord he lost consciousness again. He recovered consciousness hanging from his parachute in a tree. It was still dark. After walking some time he came to a quarry, and finding himself in Belgium he was taken to a small town. Browne was then taken to Charleroi which was a long drive from the small town. [page break] [underlined] REPORT ON AIRCREW LANDING IN ALLIED OCCUPIED TERRITORY. [/underlined] Squadron – 434 Station – Croft (64 Base) Letter – U A/C No. – NR118 Type – Halifax Mark – III Date – 17/18th December 1944 Target – Duisburg Pilot – Parrott, J. F/Lt J.21253 4 Ops. Killed in crash. Nav. – Pearce, S. F/O J.27503 4 Ops. Killed in crash. W/Op. – Browne, H. P/O J.90827 10 Ops. Injured. Now in U.K. F/Eng. – Janzen, L. Sgt R.98704 4 Ops. Killed in crash. A/B. – Kurtzhals, A. F/S R.110453 4 Ops. Killed in crash. M/U/G. – Divitcoff, A. F/S R.209473 4 Ops. Killed in crash. R/G. – Olafson, G. F/S R.192540 4 Ops. Killed in crash. [underlined] Interrogator’s Comments [/underlined] This report is based on the story of the sole survivor of the crash who is still very shakon [sic] and nervous as a result of his experiences. His recolloction [sic] of events, times and places is not very clear and there may be some inaccuracies. [underlined] Surname [/underlined] – Browne [underlined] Number [/underlined] – J.90827 [underlined] Christian Names [/underlined] – Herbert [underlined] Nationality [/underlined] – Canadian R.A.F. (R.C.A.F.) Shortly after having sot [sic] course and while flying down England at 8000 feet the Pilot remarked that he wasn’t feeling well, but was well enough to carry on. The aircraft climbed over the channel to the briefed height of 17,000 foot [sic] and the crew kept asking the Pilot if he was alright. He claimed he was but the crew noticed the aircraft was weaving as though he was unable to hold it steady. They thought he might be short of oxygon [sic] but a careful check of the oxygen system failed to support this theory. As an added check the Pilot used the oxygen bottles but no improvement could be noted so the A/B left his position and sat beside the Pilot so he could help him, if necessary. Although the Pilot claimed he wasn’t feeling too badly, the Navigator suggested to him that they should turn back. This the Pilot refused to do and when the Navigator repeated his suggestion the Pilot refused again saying that if he did he would be sent to Sheffield. The aircraft was still weaving but they carried on and according to the Navigator, were only three minutes late. Weather was clear, visibility good, no ground defences and no enemy fighters were seen. At this time the W/Op went off the intercom, in order to listen in on the Group Broadcast (0630 hrs). He was nervous and worried, so kept watching the Navigator who was naturally still on the intercom. Suddenly the Navigator jumped to his feet and folded his seat back, the W/Op immediately took off his helmet and reached for his parachute, and at almost the same time the aircraft nosod [sic] straight up and then fell over on one wing (not definite whether to port or starboard.) The W/Op states he does not know why the Navigator left his seat or why the aircraft nosed vertically up. Not being on the intercom, he couldn’t hear anything that might have been said, and so, just reacted automatically when the Navigator moved. The W/Op remembers no more from this point until he recovered consciousness falling free through the air. His head was cut and bleeding and his ‘chute was only clipped on one side. He completed hooking it up, pulled the ripcord and lost consciousness again. He recovered consciousness again hanging from his parachute in a tree. He somehow got out of his harness and down the tree, losing consciousness again on the ground. [page break] [underlined] 2. [/underlined] When he recovered consciousness this time, it was still dark, so waiting until it became light, he started to hunt for help. His head was covered with blood, trousers badly torn and both boots had evidently come off when his ‘chute opened. After walking some time he came to a stone or sand quarry, and finding a workman, was able to ask for help, using his phrase card. From here on things were very hazy, but he dimly recalls being taken into an office, finding out he was in Belgium, that the Belgian police arrived first and later a Doctor who took him into a small town and treated his injuries. Later the American Military Police arrived and took him to Charleroi in an ambulance. He has no idea where this small town is except that it was a long drive from there to Charleroi. The next morning an American Army Officer came in to see him. He stated they had found the crashed aircraft and there were six bodies in it. Five were identified by various means but they were unable to identify the sixth. The W/Op asked the names of those identified and then supplied the name of the sixth member of the crew, the M/U/G, F/Sgt. A. Divitcoff. After a time in different hospitals, Charleroi (one week), Rheims (one week), 170th General Hospital, Le Mans (very doubtful as to the location of this hospital) he was sent to Paris (66 No. Rue du Fauberg, St. Honore) and finally back to England. [signature] (M.G. Elloker) Squadron Leader, Base Intelligence Officer, No. 64 (R.C.A.F.) Base, [underlined] ROYAL AIR FORCE. [/underlined] [page break] [underlined] AN ENQUIRY INTO THE CRASH OF HALIFAX III NP934 OF 51 SQUADRON ON 18 DECEMBER 1944. [/underlined] Squadron identification letters of 51 Sqdn. were MH and this particular aircraft’s letter was V, hence MH-V. Crew – F/O B.M. Twilley (pilot) Sgt. R. Holden (navigator) F/O F.W. Cassini (bomb-aimer) F/Sgt. R. Hall (wireless operator) Sgt. R.C. Challinor (flight engineer) F/Sgt. H.B. Jones (air gunner W/O H.W.J. Hildebrand (air gunner) This crew was on its 20th operation. On this occasion the aircraft was carrying F/O E.H. Baron, a new pilot on the squadron who was there for experience before operating with his own crew. The target was DUISBURG. Two aircraft from 51 Sqdn. were lost that night. I was the only survivor of the other aircraft, MH-A, and I undertook this enquiry on behalf of Mrs. R. CAMUS, the sister of F/Sgt. Jones, who was only 4 at the time of her brother’s death. My own aircraft was attacked and set on fire by a Junkers 88 flown by Leutnant [sic] Walcher soon after the bombs had been dropped on Duisburg. MH-V took off from Snaith at 0258, and I see from my own diary that MH-A took off at 0300, so we were next off after F/O Twilley. On an earlier raid on ESSEN the bomb-load consisted of one 2000 pound high-explosive bomb and 12 SBC’s (Small bomb Containers) each containing 90 4 pound incendiary bombs, and the load on this occasion was probably much the same. The route to the target was Base-Reading-Brighton – across the Channel to France and Belgium – then NE. towards Duisburg. The Bombe [sic] – Command report of this operation states that 523 aircraft were despatched and 8 were lost. Amongst details given it states that “two collided and crashed over Charleroi.” Information that I have gathered from various sources leads me to believe that the two aircraft were MH-V from Snaith [page break] and NR118 from 434 Squadron at Croft. There was one survivor from NR118, P/O H. Browne, the wireless operator, who came down by parachute into territory held by British forces. His de-briefing report should be studied, as it gives a good idea of what actually happened The crash occurred at 0610 on 18 December, and as the time on target was about 0600 it would appear that both aircraft had bombed and were on their way home. As you see from the report, the pilot of NR118, Flt. Lt. Parrett [sic] was in some distress, having complained early in the flight of feeling unwell, which caused much worry to the rest of the crew, and they were understandably nervous. It seems to me that either Flt. Lt. Parrett [sic] had a sudden attack of whatever was troubling him, possible appendicitis, or his nerve gave way under stress, and he was barely in control of the aircraft. Seeing another Halifax on a collision course, he pulled up [deleted] [indecipherable letter] [/deleted] sharply stalled, fell over onto one wing, and plunged down. A consideration of the facts that I have gathered leads me to say that this is the only likely explanation of the incident. I cannot see how the wireless-operator was the only one to get free – the navigator would have been the first to go (which is why I was the only one to get out of our aircraft), then the bomb-aimer then the wireless-operator third. The details concerning F/O Twilley’s crew came to me by courtesy of Eddy Daivier, whose letter is enclosed, as the aircraft concerned crashed in the vicinity of where he lives. Henry Wagner [page break] [underlined] FINDINGS FROM LOST AIRCRAFT ON THE DUISBURG TARGET ON 17/18 DECEMBER 1[missing numbers] [/underlined] [underlined] AIR14/2791 BOMBER COMMAND and AIRCRAFT LOSSES K REPORTS MISSING AIRCRAFT RERISTER [sic] 1943-1945 Records 4 missing aircraft from 4 Group 5 missing aircraft from 6 Gtoup [sic] Namely 4 GROUP 10 Sqn. Halifax 111 LV818 [inserted] X [/inserted] 51 Sqn. Halifax 111 NP934 51 Sqn. Halifax 111 NR248 158 Sqn. Halifax 6 GROUP 424 Sqn. 426 Sqn. Halifax V11 LW209 432 Sqn. Halifax V11 NP699 O 432 Sqn. Halifax V11 NP701 G 434 Sqn. Halifax 11 NR118 U These are borne out in the following records:- [underlined] AIR14/3457 [/underlined] BOMBER COMMAND REPORTS ON OPERATIONAL SORTIES September-December 1944 4 Group (1/10, 2/51, 1/158) 6 Group (1/424, 1/426, 2/432, 1/434) [underlined] AIR25/94 [/underlined] GROUPS: No. 4 BOMBER GROUP ORBs January-December 1944 8 aircraft failed to start 14 aircraft Abortive not over enemy territory 1/10, 1/51 Missing (A/P G) 1/51, 1/578 Crashed AOT (A/P H, A/P G) 1 aircraft Outstanding (A/P/H) [underlined] AIR24/303 [/underlined] COMMANDS: BOMBER COMMAND INTELLIGENCE REPORTS ON OPERATIONS APPENDICES December 1944 Records 9 losses and goes on to say 3 aircraft are missing. [underlined] Aircraft Destroyed [/underlined] 3 were lost only 2 of these losses were observed. I was caused by fighter over the Ruhr and another by target flak. But 6 other aircraft were wrecked beyond repair. 2 collided and crashed over CHARLEROI. 2 crashed in Belgium and a third in the battle area, and one was wrecked in a taxying accident. This force was heavily engaged by fighters. They were intercepted over the target after the first 10 minutes of their rather prolonged attack and were effectively attacked on the NW leg out of the Rhur at least 5 Gruppen of fighters were up against them. However, only 9 aircraft were lost with another 1 wrecked beyond repair. No returning aircraft was seriously damaged by enemy action on this night. [underlined] A Chart shows [/underlined] 4 Group missing 1 + 3” 6 Group Missing 1 + = 1 + 2 Key: “ = 1 a/c Battle area Unknown cause 2 a/c Belgium Unknown cause = = 1 a/c near Rheims Collision 1 a/c Charleroi Collision This is borne out by the following records:- [page break] [underlined] The crash of Halifax H C U ZK-EB 205 (Zulu king) 15th April 1944 [underlined] S H J Pearce survives plane crash 15th April 1944, five aircrew killed plus three civilians. House demolished. (archive picture) and archive documents of the crash. John Tynski (survivor) gives his fascinating account of the accident. See Letter. (Tynski now lives in Nova Scotia Canada. (archive pictures of John Tynski at Dishforth Yorkshire) +enlistment photos of the other crew members. Tynski and Pearce taken to the military hospital North Allerton Yorkshire, (archive documents gives a full account of the injuries.) Henry Powell (English) flight engineer taken to his home town of Balham/Streatham where he is now buried. Canadian crew buried at the Stone fall cemetery Harrogate (archive photograph) Civilians, Mr and Mrs Stone taken to Thirsk mortuary. (listed on website for civilians killed during the war). Mr McNulty (Irish farm labourer) also killed when he happened to be passing after a night out down the local pub. Engines from the bomber blocks LNER railway line, causing long delays. [underlined] S H J Pearce killed 18th December, 1944 [/underlined] After recovering from his injuries Harry Pearce reports for duty with the 434 Bluenose Squadron Croft, Yorkshire. Pearce teams up with his new crew (archive photograph crew in front of Halifax, “Pubwash” Missions included [underlined] Julich [/underlined] 16/11/44 [underlined] Munster [/underlined] 18/11/44 [underlined] Castrop Rauxel [/underlined] 21/11/44 [underlined] Neuss [/underlined] 2711/44. [sic] (archive documents of those missions) Final Mission, Duisberg 18th December 1944. Combined forces of 523 aircraft. T/O Croft Yorkshire 02.50 crashed Pesche, Belgium at approx 6.15 am (one survivor Herbert Brown Wireless operator) See statement American army denies any knowledge of other crashed aircraft (see Brown’s statement). Bodies taken to “Les Fosses” buried at approx 4 pm the same day. (archive documents) Bodies re-interred to Leopoldsburg Commonwealth cemetery Belgium 1947. Herbert Brown survivor gives his statement of events. (archive document) Air Ministry asked to supply information to the cause of the crash, by concerned relative (archive document) Air Ministry responds with a watered down version of event’s [sic] (archive documents) Air Ministry holds back vital information as to the cause of the crash. Four aircraft of 434 432 10 & 51 squadrons have crashed in unexplained circumstances. 28 men killed. One of those killed only 18 years old. [inserted] X [/inserted] Of those bodies recovered, they were also re-interred to the Leopoldburg Commonwealth cemetery Belgium, where they all occupy a corner of the cemetery including Harry Pearce’s crew. All aircraft crashed over allied territory, with no reports of engagement either from the ground or enemy aircraft. Civilian, French, (old lady) blown out of bed by the explosion, suffers a heart attack and dies when she discovers the severed hand of an airman on the floor that was blown through the window (archive document) Body of Douglas Mole, (10 sqdrn) Found 1948 after being discovered in woodland. His son David only one week old in when his father was killed. (archive Document) David Mole now lives Darlington County Durham with his wife Ann. Max Krakovsky pilot (432 sqdrn) survives. Changes his name to Carson after the war. [page break] Remains of airman found beside engine when dug-up 1953 (thought to be those of Zadorozny 432 sqdrn (archive photograph of zadorozny Jean Bodart (witness) describes the scene of devastation at the crash site. Bombs strewn around, the body of one of the aircrew laying in road, engines almost buried. (letter written July 2003) Engines, still lay buried at the crash site today. All relatives of the crew traced, Memorial took place 8th May 2003, in attendance relatives of the pilot and air gunners sister. Pearce’s brother to visit crash site in 2004 with the possibility of Harry Pearce’s daughter (1 year old in 1944). Wreckage of the aircraft collected 2003 from the crash site. Including live ammunition Aircraft crashed three kilometres from the historic site of Adolf Hitlers headquarters at Bruly .de Pesche. [underlined] interesting facts about 434 bluenose Squadron [/underlined] 434 Squadron bluenose was formed in Halifax Nova Scotia, many of its recruits came from a seafaring background. Squadron was named after the famous “Bluenose schooner” as depicted on Canadian 10 cent coin. Its name originated a as a [sic] derogatory term used to describe Nova Scotian’s as Bluenose. for the colour of their noses, due to the cold Canadian winters. Propellor spinners painted bright blue as a personal mark of the bluenose Squadron, this was to the annoyance of the Air Ministry who referred to them as those upstart colonials. Lord Haw-Haw a German propagandists and traitor, said of the Bluenose Squadron, after a particularly successful raid: “The RCAF had gathered together in this single squadron- the Bluenose- the worst pirates, thugs, murderers and brigands from the prisons of Canada Lord Haw Haw was hanged for treason after the war. The 434 Squadron suffered particularly heavy losses during the war, the numbers 13 seemed to play a part in their bad luck. 434, the 13th Squadron formed, when the first man reported for duty on the 13th day. Harry Pearce and crew documented in Alan Todds book “Pilgrimages of grace” as the last Halifax loss from “Croft” of WW2. 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 Halifax III - Evidence of Collision Description An account of the resource A report on what happened to Halifax NP934, based on information collated from operational record books, RAF reports, Herbert Browne's report (sole survivor of NR118 crash), Henry Wagner's report, analysis of the losses on the night of 17/18 December and SHJ Pearce's accidents on 15 April 1944 and 18 December 1944. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Seven printed and two handwritten sheets Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Text. Personal research Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SJonesHB1866363v10046, SJonesHB1866363v10047, SJonesHB1866363v10048, SJonesHB1866363v10049, SJonesHB1866363v10050, SJonesHB1866363v10051, SJonesHB1866363v10052, SJonesHB1866363v10055, SJonesHB1866363v10056 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. Belgium--Charleroi Germany--Koblenz Germany--Duisburg Germany--Essen Germany--Jülich Germany--Castrop-Rauxel Germany--Neuss Belgium--Leopoldsburg Germany--Münster in Westfalen Germany Belgium Germany--Ruhr (Region) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-12-18 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. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tricia Marshall Maureen Clarke 10 Squadron 158 Squadron 4 Group 424 Squadron 426 Squadron 432 Squadron 434 Squadron 51 Squadron 578 Squadron 6 Group aircrew bale out bomb aimer crash flight engineer ground personnel Halifax Halifax Mk 3 intelligence officer Ju 88 killed in action Me 109 mid-air collision navigator pilot RAF Croft RAF Snaith wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1617/24802/PCothliffKB15040006.2.JPG 8a72e5e12dd9555bc3e5efaef02e12e5 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 Cothliff, Ken. Folder 1504 Description An account of the resource 42 items. The collection contains photographs. The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Ken Cothliff and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Cothliff, K 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 Three Ground Crew on a Halifax Nose Description An account of the resource Three ground crew are sitting on the nose of a Halifax. Painted on is 'The A Train' and a cartoon tiger in front of a maple leaf. 13 operations are marked with painted bombs. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PCothliffKB15040006 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 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. 424 Squadron ground crew ground personnel Halifax nose art https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/501/22571/MCurnockRM1815605-171114-018.1.pdf 016c5b36e006bb2bf9b025c8d8d14b3a 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 Curnock, Richard Richard Murdock Curnock R M Curnock Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Curnock, RM Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-04-18 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Description An account of the resource 92 items. An oral history interview with Warrant Officer Richard Curnock (1924, 1915605 Royal Air Force), his log book, letters, photographs and prisoner of war magazines. He flew operations with 425 Squadron before being shot down and becoming a prisoner of war. The collection has been licenced to the IBCC Digital Archive by Richard Curnock 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 Ex-RCAF The Camp Jan 1990 Description An account of the resource News-sheet of the ex-Air Force POW Association. This edition covers POW's in Perpetuity, the Red Cross, a new memorial at Plymouth Hoe, Geoof Taylor -author, advance notice of a reunion in Vancouver, lost members, ex-POW histories, Obituaries, a message from the President, Gen from around the circuit and photographs from the 1989 Ottawa reunion. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The RAF ex-POW Association Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-01 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 16 printed sheets Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MCurnockRM1815605-171114-018 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 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Plymouth France--Dieppe Canada British Columbia--Vancouver Ontario--Ottawa Germany--Koblenz Germany--Dresden Germany--Leipzig Germany--Luckenwalde Ontario--Toronto Alberta--Edmonton Belgium France--Fresnes (Val-de-Marne) France--Saint-Nazaire Alberta--Hinton Germany--Berlin England--Cambridge England--Oxford England--Southampton Germany--Cologne France--Le Havre Germany--Hamburg Germany--Lübeck Manitoba--Brandon Switzerland--Geneva United States--Mason-Dixon Line England--Skipton France--Falaise Manitoba--Winnipeg Germany--Essen Virginia--Norfolk Italy--Sicily Italy--Calabria Italy--Naples Italy--Florence Austria--Spittal an der Drau Poland--Toruń Poland--Gdańsk Germany--Frankfurt am Main Europe--Elbe River Germany--Osnabrück Germany--Bad Fallingbostel France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) Germany--Mühlberg (Bad Liebenwerda) Italy Poland France Virginia Ontario Alberta Germany Austria Switzerland United States Germany--Ruhr (Region) England--Cambridgeshire England--Devon England--Hampshire England--Yorkshire England--Oxfordshire Manitoba British Columbia 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. 10 Squadron 214 Squadron 4 Group 40 Squadron 405 Squadron 408 Squadron 415 Squadron 419 Squadron 420 Squadron 424 Squadron 425 Squadron 426 Squadron 427 Squadron 428 Squadron 429 Squadron 431 Squadron 432 Squadron 433 Squadron 434 Squadron 6 Group air gunner aircrew B-17 bale out Beaufighter Bennett, Donald Clifford Tyndall (1910-1986) bomb aimer Caterpillar Club Conspicuous Gallantry Medal crash Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Service Order Dulag Luft escaping Goering, Hermann (1893-1946) Halifax Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945) Hurricane Lancaster Me 110 memorial Military Cross navigator Operational Training Unit P-51 Pathfinders prisoner of war RAF Alconbury RAF Biggin Hill RAF Digby RAF Hendon RAF St Eval Red Cross Spitfire Stalag 3A Stalag 4B Stalag Luft 3 Stalag Luft 4 Stirling strafing training Typhoon Victoria Cross Wellington Whitley https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/671/10077/AAn01137-170710.1.mp3 5891ad598147a2d8741af4ff73476bab 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 An01137 Description An account of the resource An oral history interview with an anonymous member of Bomber Command ground personnel. He served as an electrician at RAF Topcliffe and RAF Dishforth. The collection was catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-10 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 An01137 Transcribed audio recording A resource consisting primarily of recorded human voice. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document SC: So, if I do the introduction. I’m with Mr [redacted] sorry [redacted] I’ve got that — I’ve got that wrong right from the beginning. Other: That’s a good start that is. SC: I do apologise. That’s — Other: Don’t worry. SC: It was, it was wrong on the email that I got. But — Anon: Oh. SC: So we’ve corrected that. I’m here at your home at [redacted] and it is the 10th of July, I think today at 10am. And you were a of member of, you were a ground crew electrician. Anon: Yes. SC: I believe. So, if you want to start with your earliest memories of contact. Anon: Well, my first contact with Bomber Command was when I was in the Air Training Corps at Scarborough. I, I was 313 Squadron. I was in that from the beginning of it and, in 1941, I think. And we went on a week’s camp to Driffield. RAF Driffield. And there were two squadrons there. If I remember rightly there was Blenheims, Bristol Blenheims and Handley Page Hampdens. And they, whilst we were there in May it was the first thousand bomber raid. I think it was on Cologne. And that was the first one that Harris put out as more or less I would have said a PR — SC: Yeah. Anon: Exercise. But as far as I know they all came back. And whilst we were there also, that was with Bomber Command. But also it was the first time I went in the air. That was in an Airspeed Oxford. A trainer. SC: Yeah. Anon: And that was interesting from the point of view we flew over Scarborough which was my home town. And the pilot quickly came back from the sea because there was a convoy there. He said to us after, he said, ‘I came back inland quickly because,’ he said, ‘They start shooting at anything these days.’ [laughs] So, and that was the first introduction into the Air Force proper. And then at seventeen and a half I tried to get into the Fleet Air Arm as a pilot but I’m only five foot two now. I don’t think I was much less than that then. The first thing they do is sit you on the floor with your back to the wall and there’s a white line. If your feet don’t reach that white line then my chances of being a pilot were [pause] Anyway, they offered me to come in as a telegraphist air gunner or an observer. No. They said, ‘What are you going to do?’ This is a lieutenant commander. He played up with me because I was trying to shuffle [laughs] to get my feet to reach the white line. But yeah, I said, ‘Oh. I’ll try the Air Force.’ And I went to Hull, to the centre there. Recruiting Centre. And a flight sergeant interviewed me. He says, ‘Well, you’ll never make pilot. You’re far too small.’ He says, ‘But I see you’re an apprentice electrician.’ He says, ‘Well, you’re in a reserved occupation.’ I said, ‘Yes. But I’ve got permission to break my apprenticeship and join up as long as it’s aircrew or submarines.’ He says, ‘Well,’ he says, ‘Come in as aircrew. But you’re an apprentice electrician,’ he says, ‘Why don’t you come in as an electrician and then re-muster when you’re tall enough and become a pilot.’ SC: Yeah. Anon: So, I didn’t take any talking into it. That’s what happened. Well, I never was tall enough. I’m still only five foot two [laughs] Anyway, the outcome was that I went to Hull and then got a railway ticket from there down to Cardington on my eighteenth birthday actually. Handy because they wouldn’t let me in before then. And I got my King’s Shilling I think it was then and fitted out. Kitted out. And then went to Blackpool for six weeks square bashing and, well you learned to use a rifle and throw a grenade and that sort of thing. SC: Yeah. Anon: And didn’t have to be taught drill although I had to do it. And get your hair cut several times. SC: Yeah. Anon: But went from, after six weeks there went to RAF Henlow which was in two halves as an operational station there and a training centre for electricians. And I was there for four and a half months and then you get a weeks’ leave. But before you go on leave you’re given a form to fill in. ‘If,’ that’s a big word, ‘If you had the choice where would you wish to serve?’ So I put three months at RAF Driffield then anywhere overseas. Well [laughs] I never got out of Yorkshire. I went to RAF Topcliffe which was used by the Royal Canadian Air Force. 424 Squadron. And that was on Wellingtons which, rather amusing in a way because at the training school at Henlow the sergeant who took us for bomb gear, he says, ‘Well, I’m supposed to have three days on Wellingtons but,’ he says, ‘You’ll never see one.’ So, he says, ‘All I’ll tell you is it’s an unusual connection. Unusual things for connecting to the bomb release.’ So there was five, a five pin plug. He says, ‘And I’ll tell you something now so that you’ll never forget the rotation. The order of connecting it,’ he says. From the lip, the little pin thing that sticks up. ‘Going clockwise,’ he says, ‘It’s red, yellow, blue, green, white or white green. But,’ he says, ‘I’ll tell you how you’ll never forget it’, he says, ‘Now, I’ve have to modify this because we’ve got WRNS coming err WAAFs coming through,’ he says, ‘But it’s — Rub Your Belly With Grease.’ [laughs] You can still, even now, seventy, well seventy odd years isn’t it? More than that now. You just don’t forget. SC: Yeah. Anon: But that was just amusing in a way. SC: Yeah. Anon: Because you’d got to Wellingtons and that was all there was for 424 Squadron and you’d never been taught anything about them so you’re there with [laughs] they’ve given you a manual and you’re having to read from it — SC: Yeah. Anon: As you worked. But they moved then [pause] well, we went to Linton on Ouse and then back again to [pause] Linton on Ouse back to — SC: You’ve got Skipton is the next one. Anon: No. SC: Oh sorry. Back. Yeah. Anon: I’ve got to read from this thing. ATC, Blackpool, Henlow, Topcliffe, Linton Ouse. It was Skipton on Swale but that didn’t come in that order. SC: Right. Anon: My memories. Although I’ve got all the places I was stationed at I haven’t got them in the right order. SC: Yeah. Anon: Went back, and still on Wellingtons. And then 424 were going to be posted to North Africa and this was in ’43. And we went, we were kitted out with a whole new squadron of Wellingtons in tropical paintwork. SC: Yeah. Anon: Very light sandy colour. And we worked for, well I worked for thirty two hours without any break. SC: Gosh. Anon: Except for meals. Bringing the aircraft which were brand new up to scratch and that was when the first Gee was put in. That was the electronic stuff. Although we, the electricians only put the supply there. SC: Yeah. Anon: But the machine itself, the screen was covered up in a shroud so as we’d no idea what it was we were putting in the supply there for. SC: Right. Yeah. Anon: For — but anyway the outcome was that we were — got all those done. Then they sent us to — it was Dishforth where that was done. SC: Right. Anon: And then they sent us up to Catterick airfield where they kitted us out for Africa. We got all the gear and gave us the injections. Then decided that the English ground crew weren’t going. SC: Ah. Anon: So [laughs] then, I think I went to Skipton on Swale I think it was. And it was Halifaxes. No. Tholthorpe. SC: Yeah. Anon: Halifaxes. 425 Squadron. French Canadians. And it, they were Halifaxes and they weren’t very — how can I put it? They weren’t electrically well fit out. SC: Right. Anon: It struck me afterwards that the electrical stuff was an afterthought. See — SC: Gosh. Anon: The difference between that and the Lancasters that come on later was where you’ve got the main panel all the conduits coming in, in the Halifax there was one screw connection in front of another one. So if you wanted the back one you had to undo the front one to get to it. Umpteen wires in these air conduits. Plastic things. But in the Lancaster they were staggered so that you could do the one you wanted. SC: Yeah. Anon: A nightmare as an electrician on the Halifaxes. A pleasure on Lancasters. SC: Yeah. Anon: But then, oh I finished up in that squadron, 425 maintaining the link flight simulator thing. Nothing like the simulators of today but they actually got in it. A little laid out thing like an aircraft cockpit. And it was operated by pneumatics and electric and on the port side of the [pause] Just down the side there was a lever you could operate to regulate the turbulence. SC: Yeah. Anon: And you could nearly make yourself sick. [laughs] SC: Gosh. Anon: I know. But you used to have fun with that. It wasn’t used much by the pilots funnily enough. That was the French Canadians. So it was a sort of a lazy time that. A bit on the boring side. But posted then back to Linton on Ouse where I think it was 426 Squadron then and they were Lancasters and they were lovely aircraft to work on. Seven miles of wiring I believe and used to, for the DI, Daily Inspections there used to be two electricians and one went around the outside while the other one was inside operating the switches to put the various things on. SC: Yeah. Anon: The landing lights. The wing lights and the tail lights that you going around seeing if they work. And then the chap that’s outside gets in and does the rear turret. Checking the gun solenoids and the lighting. And the, the lighting on the gun sight. SC: Yeah. Anon: But also the one outside checks the micro switches on the landing gear. SC: Yeah. Anon: And the chap up in the cockpit makes sure that the lights, the green or red lights operate as they should. SC: Yeah. Anon: And the [pause] there was a plug for an external accumulator. Trolley acc as they are called. But you only used that for when they’re trying the engines out. Now, the engine fitters were the bane of our lives because if you weren’t around they would sneakily run the engines up without having put the trolley acc in and they were running your internal batteries down. SC: Right. Anon: So, if [pause] if the battery was flat when you came to do an inspection you had to change the batteries. SC: Oh. Anon: And that was a heavy job. You had to trail to the battery room. Get a transport. That wasn’t always easy either. Sometimes you had to push them on a trolley all the way back to the aircraft. SC: All the way back. Anon: Another thing about the aircraft which might sound amusing now but if you’d any soldering to do there was nothing like electric soldering irons of course. SC: Yeah. Anon: You had what they called a mox iron, M O X, and it was a white tablet. Quite a large one that burned like fury. And it had, well to me a whacking big soldering iron, the old one with the wooden handle. SC: Yeah. Anon: And a big chunk of copper at the end of it. SC: At the end of it. Anon: And you put that over the flame you’d got but you had to be fifty yards away from the aircraft. And you had to run like made after it got to the heat. When the flames died down it run like mad. You got a hot iron and get in to the Lancaster and run up to the fuselage to get to where the batteries are because the lugs occasionally needed replacing. But that was — oh, I’d better say where I’ve been. That’s the easiest way I think. We got to Henlow, Topcliffe, Linton on Ouse, Skipton on Swale, Sutton on Forest, Tholthorpe, Dishforth, Catterick, Linton on Ouse again, Lindholme. Ah, this was when I finished at the Canadians but whilst I was with the Canadians the discipline was far slacker than in the RAF. Whilst I was at East Moor the, occasionally they had what they called a backers up course for ground crew. It was [pause] well earlier on when the RAF regiment weren’t as prominent. The, you’re doing the protection of the airfield really but you’re taught how to use a rifle again and bayonet and what was it? Throw a grenade. SC: Throw a grenade. Yeah. Anon: That sort of thing. SC: Yeah. Anon: And unarmed combat. SC: Yeah. Anon: And really infantry work. And you had this to do for a week which we all detested. We were supposed to be craftsmen. Anyway, the outcome was that whilst the last day of our week a Halifax unfortunately crashed in our area. And I have the impression that whichever the area it crashed in the nearest airfield had the job of guarding the wreck that crashed. And unfortunately, although all the crew except the pilot got out the pilot stayed in and he was burned. And horrible really. But the backing up course that week was only about, if I remember rightly about eight or ten of you. You were given the job of guarding the crash. SC: Yes. Anon: And you were fitted you up with sandwiches and food for the night sort of thing and a bell tent and some slept but there was always one on guard. When it came to my turn it was the middle of the night and and then it was bitterly cold. And I got inside the back end of the Halifax to get out of the cold. While I’m in there I heard something moving. And so I got out and still listened and still could hear walking. So, ‘Halt. Who goes there?’ Frightened to death [laughs] The rifle and — and got no reply. ‘Halt and be recognised.’ Mooooo moooo [laughs] A cow in the next field. But but that only lasted, you had to stay there until they cleared the crash and we were there a few days actually. And, but you get seventy two hours leave after that weeks’ training. SC: Yeah. Anon: I’m all togged up, best blues and just walking towards the main gate when from the office, SWO’s office, the SWO, Station Warrant Officer that is — SC: Yeah. Anon: Shouts, ‘Airman.’ Beckoned to me of course. Says, ‘I want you as an escort.’ ‘I’m going on leave, sir.’ ‘Not until you’ve been on this.’ SC: An escort. Anon: And it was escort for a couple of Canadian airmen that had been caught in Thirsk with their caps off. And the Redcaps, RAF police had caught them and reported them. And anyway that’s, ‘Escort and accused, quick march. Caps off.’ And you’re there in front of the Wing Co. And this is the Wing Co who I said how good he was. He, ‘Read the charge out, SWO.’ And this, ‘Whilst on active duty,’ and the date and so on, ‘The airmen seen without their caps on going from the Red Lion to the Black Bull at Thirsk.’ ‘Anything to say?’ — CO. ‘No sir, but actually we were going from the Black Bull to the Red Lion.’ ‘Case dismissed. Incorrect evidence’. You should have seen that station warrant officer’s face. He was an RAF — a lot of the admin staff were RAF. I missed my train but [laughs] it was worth it to see his face. SC: It was worth it. Yeah. Anon: But that’s just amusing. But that was with 426 if I remember rightly. 432 that, aye. Thurlby I think his name was. Wing co. But he used to have parties in the mess for the morale and that. Thought the world of him, everybody. But then I went back finally whilst I was with the RAF, RCAF. Went back to Linton on Ouse and 432 were there with Lancasters. And one of my old friends was an air gunner. Flight sergeant air gunner, Freddie Frith and I was talking to him the night before he took off and of course we’d been pals back in Scarborough and lived in the same street actually. And — SC: Gosh. Anon: Played football and cricket and that sort of thing as lads. And he never came back. And he was the one I was telling you about. That unknown grave. And he’s at Runnymede. The Memorial there. But went then, went back to the RAF proper. Talk about bringing you down to earth. You had to have your buttons cleaned and really be professional I suppose. SC: Yeah. Anon: But it was very relaxed on the Canadian side. But back there and this wasn’t an operational squadron. The first time I hadn’t been on an operational squadron and it was [pause] well to us it was stricter than the rest had been on the ops. But we, I was there almost a year and there you had the job of, well apart from looking after Lancasters you did the battery charging. And they also had the airfield runway lights to keep and check and for that you had to have transport. Well, one day it was my turn to do this. We did it in turns and when I went for transport the one that was available they says, ‘Have you got a licence?’ I says. ‘Only one for civvy street. I haven’t had one—’ ‘Oh, well if you’ve one for civvy street you must be able to drive.’ He says, ‘That’s the only car available,’ and it was the CO’s Humber. SC: Oh gosh. Anon: I’d never been in a posh car like that before. And I got it on the runway up to ninety miles an hour [laughs] SC: Wow. Anon: I really, really enjoyed that but — SC: Yeah. Anon: Then of course you had to go back slowly to make sure all the lights were on. SC: Yeah. Anon: On the — but that was [pause] that was by 1945 now. And I may be right [pause] yes it would be. Anyway, the oh the other thing we had to do which I mentioned earlier to you was at Metheringham we had a lighthouse to let planes know where they were. Those that had lost their way and didn’t know where they were. This flashing talked from the parent station which was Lindholme, by telephone. It told to put the aerial lighthouse on and it flashed two Morse letters which the aircrew all recognised as where it was. A bit like a lighthouse at sea flashing. SC: Yeah. Anon: Certain letters. But that was an amusing that was. Being young and silly in those days. It was the middle of summer this time I’m thinking of. We used to go out before the, well the aircraft weren’t going out really ‘til dark time so during the day we went into the nearby town. I can’t think of the name of it now. It wouldn’t be Scunthorpe would it? Anyway, and on a pushbike. SC: Yeah. Anon: Which I’d biked from the airfield on and I finished up that night with my bike on top of a haystack. Stuck. So [laughs] Young and silly. But when the phone went you had to get out there and get that flashing light going. That shows. And there’s a motor mechanic, a corporal general duties chap in charge of you and yourself, an electrician and you had a caravan. And it was a change from being on the airfield. SC: Yeah. Anon: And the farmer or his wife used to keep you well fed as well. SC: Yeah. Anon: But that was the end of the RAF. I was at Lindholme which is now a prison. Raise a few eyebrows when you say, ‘Oh, I’ve been in Lindholme.’ [laughs] But anyway, I was there when VE day came. And shortly after that there was a notice went up asking for volunteers for the Fleet Air Arm for going out to see the Japs off. SC: Yeah. Anon: That finished my RAF lot. But I did volunteer for the Fleet Air Arm and went there as an electrician. Well, for two minutes at, I think it was RAF Warrington but it was a mixed camp. Half the camp was Air Force, the other half Navy and you were kitted out when you got to the other side of the camp. You were, for two minutes — a minute to twelve and a minute after twelve you were a civilian. You’d been discharged from the Air Force. SC: Yeah. Anon: But hadn’t been accepted into the Navy. And then you, you were kitted out on the Naval side. And they’d pipe in the morning dress of the day. And but number, you were given [number 9?] now, I forget. But they — nobody had a clue how to dress. You stood on your beds trying to look out these Nissen hut’s window to see what other people were wearing. SC: Yeah. Anon: But from there you went to transit camp which was at the HMS Daedalus II. Daedalus III rather. The shore base. And you just got kitted there waiting to go somewhere but they get all sorts of things. And don’t let anybody tell them Nelson’s dead. He’s not. SC: Right. Anon: The air force, went and got at Melksham. This was an RAF base but it was Navy training for American electric switches which are different to our RAF wiring. We had two wire system. They had one wire and earth. And what, you were given the month on that. But two weeks of that were trying to learn what all the initials were because everything’s done by initials in the Navy. SC: Right. Anon: We were always in trouble with the master at arms for various things. Two of us, I was one of them walking across what we called the parade ground and somebody bawled out to us, and we were, ‘At the double,’ because we had started walking towards him. It turned out he was the master at arms and he wanted to know why we were walking across the quarter deck instead of doubling. And this is the sort of thing. SC: Yeah. Anon: And I think the Navy was about fifty years behind the Air Force but it was still enjoyable. But whilst I was on that course they dropped the atom bombs and they didn’t know what to do with us. They — I finished up instead of hoping to have got overseas as my original intention had always been was, I was posted up to Scotland. To Royal Naval Air Station Dunino. And I was on Fairey Barracudas. SC: Gosh. Anon: Which were torpedo bombers and they’re like toys compared to Lancasters. SC: Yeah. Anon: But all we were doing was getting them up to front line state to be flown down to — I think it was Speke in Lancaster. Lancashire. Where they were dumped. Scrapped. SC: Right. Anon: But they wouldn’t let us, them go if there was anything wrong at all. SC: Yeah. Anon: But, I don’t think [pause] I hope I haven’t wasted your time. SC: No. Gosh, no. No. It’s been a fascinating journey. Other: That was the first time I’ve heard it. Anon: The very first time. Other: Thank you. SC: Oh gosh. Anon: The very first time I realised how ignorant I was, was I was still eighteen. First time on night duty at Topcliffe. Wellingtons. And you were underneath the Wellington because you’ve got trolley acc lead plugged in. SC: Yeah. Anon: And they start the engines up. They start the port, port one up first and flames shoot out of the exhaust. SC: Yeah. Anon: I’d never seen one at night. I saw flames and I shouted up through the hatch, which is the hatch where they went in up the ladder. Baled out at height. I shouted, ‘You’re on fire.’ It wasn’t on fire at all just the [laughs] Fortunately because of the engine noise he couldn’t hear me so — SC: Yeah. Anon: But you learn as you go along. SC: Yeah. Anon: In that case. And how on earth we won the war. Other: You must be dry after all that. You’ve got it. Would you like some pineapple juice? SC: I’d love. Yes, please. Anon: But I — no, I enjoyed it. SC: Yeah. Anon: And I’ll be honest here. I’d have stayed in the Navy. In the Fleet Air Arm. But my mother was a widow. SC: Yeah. Anon: My father died when I was twelve and I went back more or less to support her but — SC: Yeah. Anon: But on the demob leave that’s when I met Jean. SC: Yeah. Anon: And we’ve been married just over seventy years now. SC: Oh gosh. Congratulations. Anon: Thank you. SC: Yeah. Anon: Commiserations I think you said [laughs] SC: You said that. Not me [laughs] Thank you very much. Other: Right. Anon: I don’t think I’ve been much use to you. What I’ve said. SC: Oh, it has been. It has been a tremendous valuable story. I’ll switch this off now. Anon: The worst thing I think I had to do was change an alternator in the middle of the night. Well, I say it was the middle of the night. It was pitch dark. SC: Yeah. Anon: And it was snowing. And it was out on the airfield. It wasn’t in the hangar. And I stood on the engine stand there. Your fingers, you could hardly feel them. SC: Yeah. Anon: And you’d wires to connect. SC: Yeah. Anon: And bolts to, well the fitters I suppose were supposed to do that but you weren’t going to get a fitter out of the Nissen hut to come and — SC: Yeah. Anon: Do something you could do yourself. Put the nuts and bolts to hold it in place. But — SC: It must have been really difficult. Anon: But I managed to go through the lot and never get charged. SC: That’s good. That’s an achievement. 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 Interview with an anonymous interviewee (An01137) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Steve Cooke Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-10 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 Sound Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AAn01137-170710 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 00:38:15 audio recording Language A language of the resource eng 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 Royal Navy Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain England--Yorkshire Description An account of the resource Anon, from Scarborough was keen to join the Fleet Air Arm as a pilot. Disappointed that he didn’t meet the height requirement, he joined the RAF and began training as an electrician. His aim was to travel abroad with the service but, to his disappointment, he never left Yorkshire. His first posting was with 424 Squadron. The squadron was kitted out to transfer to North Africa and, although they prepared the aircraft for the journey, the British ground crew did not make the move and he was posted to 425 Squadron. Other than the electrical work, his duties included providing guard duty for crash sites, as well as being called on as an escort to airmen who were accused of misdemeanours. On the squadron, he met a childhood friend from Scarborough who was an air gunner, who was killed on operations. He volunteered to transfer to the Fleet Air Arm and joined that service until he was demobbed. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Julie Williams Carolyn Emery Maureen Clarke Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1941 1943 1945 424 Squadron 425 Squadron 426 Squadron 432 Squadron ground personnel Halifax Lancaster memorial military discipline military ethos military service conditions RAF Dishforth RAF Linton on Ouse RAF Skipton on Swale RAF Tholthorpe RAF Topcliffe training Wellington