Browse Items (225 total)

  • Tags: Operation Exodus (1945)

AMcDonaldEA150713.mp3
Allan McDonald was born in Hull and worked as an apprentice electrician before joining the Air Force. He passed the exams to become aircrew and trained as an air gunner. During training, his aircraft crash landed and he was soaked in petrol. He flew…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PHildrethJ1502.jpg
Jeff Hildreth was born in Huntwood, Derbyshire and studied Electrical Engineering at Worksop Technical College before joining the Air Training Corps, eventually joining the Royal Air Force as a wireless operator. He did his training at RAF Yatesbury,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ANicholsonA150922.mp3
Arthur was released from his reserved occupation as an apprentice engineer to join the Royal Air Force. After St John’s Wood, he underwent some basic training at RAF Bridlington and RAF Usworth before going on an engineering course at RAF St Athan…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ADavisSL151202.mp3
Laurie Davis trained as a wireless operator and, initially, went to RAF Silverstone where crews were formed. Because of his bright red hair, he was then known as ‘Red’. The crew worked on Wellingtons for a few weeks and then Stirlings at RAF…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AAllenG150917.mp3
Graham Allen joined the Royal Air Force aged 19. He trained as a mechanic and worked on inspection and recovery of Spitfire aircraft. He later volunteered to be a flight engineer, and flew a tour of operations with 106 Squadron. His first operation…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

SBrennanJ1210913v20004-00020003.jpg
First - over 400 times they led the way. Article about RAF Pathfinders. Crest and details about 35 Squadron. Also mentions 7, 83 and 156 Squadrons as nucleus of force in August 1942. Mentions some of their attacks and numbers of decorations awarded.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MKempMWD2221885-160506-01.jpg
Provides Maurice's personal details various operations and hours flown on 115 Squadron at RAF Witchford. He list sorties on Operation Manna at the Hague, Operation Exodus with flights to Belgium, and Operation Dodge with flights to Bari and Naples,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ;

BBrookMBrookMv1.pdf
The account opens with some details of 625 Squadron and an introduction, with reasons for writing. He recalls the beginning of the war when still at school and experiences before joining up. He describes activities with Air Training Corps and being…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AGrayLW170301.mp3
Bill Gray was born and grew up in Australia and volunteered for the Air Force. After training, he flew 29 operations as an air gunner with 15 Squadron from RAF Mildenhall. He returned to Australia after the war but contracted tuberculosis. He was…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BLazenbyHJLazenbyHJv1.pdf
Harold Jack Lazenby's autobiography.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ACockbillDFA171008.mp3
Born in Newport, Denis volunteered for the Royal Air Force having already joined the Air Corps aged 17. Due to his interest in radio technology Denis wanted to train as a wireless operator and officially joined the Royal Air Force three months after…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BJohnsonKAJohnsonKAv1.pdf
He describes a two year delay in joining the Royal Air Force, due to his reserved occupation making cables for barrage balloons. He covers recruitment and life during initial training, He recalls 'crewing up' with Harry Watkins (P), Doug 'Duggie'…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MJenkinsFC59301-150515-01.pdf
A biography of FC Jenkins, covering his birth and marriage, with the main focus on his RAF years. He took part in 58 operations and survived the war to continue in RAF service.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AArmstrongGR170720.mp3
George Rex Armstrong served in the RAF as a flight engineer. He was born in Belfast and grew up in Donaghadee. He decided to join the RAF because he wanted to follow his brother Ted, who flew 40 operations with 617 Squadron. He mentions being in the…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

EBrittainJTBrittain[Mo]450514.jpg
Writes about return journey back to camp. Says they are going to France the next day to fly up to 24 prisoners of war back home. Mentioned that last time they did this they were stuck for two days in bad weather. Speculates that squadron will stay in…

Tags: ; ; ; ;

EBrittainJTBrittain[Mo]450527-0001.jpg
Starts with apology for not writing but has been constantly flying to France to repatriate allied prisoners of war. Mentions typhoid injection to prevent crews catching it from ex-prisoners. Writes that he believes they will stay in UK but rumours of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ;

EBrittainJTBrittain[Mo]450518-0001.jpg
Writes that he has been flying 8 hours a day repatriation allied prisoners-of-war from Juvincourt near Reims in France. States that the civilian population is short of essentials and that anything can be had for a bar of soap, although as the…

Tags: ; ; ;

EMaunsellJ[Recipient][Date]-01.pdf
A letter from John Maunsell detailing his service and experiences with Bomber Command, including the training, his crew and operational duties. He was shot down in June 1944, evaded capture and returned to Britain in September 1944.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ABowmanFA181121.mp3
Frederick Bowman was born in Sydney in 1924. He was a member of the Air Training Corps, and when he was 18 he joined the Air Force. He went to Kingaroy for basic training, and did his wireless course at Maryborough, and Evans Head for bombing and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ABlakemoreL160504.mp3
Leslie Blakemore was born in Willenhall, near Wolverhampton and he joined the Royal Air Force in 1943. He flew operations as a wireless operator with 514 Squadron from RAF Waterbeach.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MTerryD938465-170619-03.pdf
A story based on the service of Lancaster ME746 AS-R2 (Roger Squared). There is a slightly shorter version included.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ADorricottR151007.mp3
Rosemary Dorricott is the widow of Leonard William Dorricott DFM. During the war years she was a young child in Skegness. She was six years old when war broke out. She recalls the air raids on the town and the rationing and blackouts that became a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ECahirFSCahirM-P-V450520-0001.jpg
Letter from Warrant Officer Cahir to his mother and brothers. He writes about his capture in Germany after his aircraft was shot down on December 20th 1943 and subsequent capture. He goes on to describe the conditions he was kept in at Stalag IVB…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PWatsonPHC1701.jpg
Peter Watson was born in South Wales and joined the Royal Air Force in 1943. He wanted to be a pilot but there was a surplus of pilots, so he became an air gunner. He crewed-up and flew with 101 Squadron, a special duties squadron, initially, and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AMcNallyC171005.mp3
Charles McNally spent his childhood in Dundee and Airdrie, Scotland. He began work at the Post Office as a telegram boy before joining the engineering department. This meant he now worked in a reserved occupation and he struggled to get permission…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2