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Alma Leedham's memoir
Details of Alma's early life in London, joining the Woman's Auxiliary Air Force in 1941 and training as a driver. She relates experiences at RAF Scampton and then with 57 Squadron as a tractor driver, pulling bomb trolleys. Subsequently went to East…
Interview with George Holmes
George was born in Mansfield and was bought up by his grandparents until he was seven when he moved back to his parents in Leicester, where his father ran a coffee shop. He was a semi-professional musician playing violin, trumpet and mandolin. He…
Interview with Gordon Topham
Gordon Topham was born in Salisbury, but his family settled in Norwich, Norfolk and he joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 17, qualifying as a flight engineer in July 1944. Gordon’s father used to drive steam wagons and was involved with…
Hand written memoir - Eric Baldwin
Recounts events that happen during his service career. Includes detailed account of first operation to Walcheren Island in daylight. Continues with account of engaging German fighters from mid upper turret on operation to Essen. Follows account of…
Lancaster crew at war
Memoirs of Eric Baldwin and Tom Gummersall of 467 Squadron RAAF RAF Waddington. Eric Baldwin recounts several of his experiences as a mid upper gunner including flying in the wrong direction due to compass problems, parts falling off his aircraft on…
Interview with Stanley Clegg
Stanley Clegg was born in 1923 in Shaw, a small town near Oldham and, at the age of 14, started working at the Fern Cotton Spinning Company as an apprentice in the office. He signed up for the Royal Air Force in December 1941 at the age of 18 and was…
Interview with John Wakeford Quine
John volunteered for the Royal Air Force as a pilot. He went to Lord’s Cricket Ground, followed by the Initial Training Wing at Scarborough. He spent 10 hours on Tiger Moths in Carlisle. After a short time at RAF Heaton Park in Manchester, John went…
Interview with Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders joined the RAF as a wireless operator rear gunner and served on 114 Squadron during the war. As a boy, he remembers seeing the airship R 101 and the Hindenburg flying in the distance. He describes his training in England and in Egypt at…
Interview with Rinaldo Sarani
Rinaldo Sarani tells of the bombings of Pavia describing widespread damage at Borgo Ticino and people being extricated from rubble. He stresses the importance of bridges: Ponte della Ferrovia, Ponte Vecchio, Ponte dell’Impero, Ponte della Becca, and…
Ron Flynn's Navigators, Air bombers, Air Gunners and Flight Engineers flying log book
Flight engineer's flying log book for Ronald Albert Flynn covering the period 9 May 1944 to 28 November 1944. Details his training and operational duties. He flew 34 operations, 23 night time and 11 daylight, as flight engineer with 75 Squadron. His…
Interview with Dick Heath
Dick Heath was an apprentice boat builder and joined the Royal Air Force in 1943. He began training as an air gunner but was posted to RAF Fiskerton working in the bomb dump. He was on his way to Canada by ship when the war in Europe ended. After he…
Interview with Alma Leedham
Alma Leedham grew up in London and worked for Hawker aircraft on the Hurricane at the start of the war. She later trained as a driver in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, and served at RAF Scampton driving tractors taking bombs to the aircraft. Alma…
Interview with Vera Willis
Vera Willis nee Tomlinson volunteered for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force because she wanted to be a driver. Her driving career in the RAF involved driving long distances as well as driving aircrew to dispersal. Some crew gave her letters for…
War Service Career
A letter to Bethany School from an old boy, Henry, describing his time as a pupil, participation in the scout movement and service in the Royal Air Force including training, diagnosis of colour blindness and becoming a flight mechanic. He describes…
Interview with Sheila Wilmet
Sheila Wilmet grew up in Liverpool and was 15 when war was declared. She describes the devastation of bombing in 1941, spending nights in an Anderson shelter, and navigating unexploded bombs during her commute. She volunteered after viewing a…
Interview with John and Vera Casey
Before the war, John Casey worked for Vickers Armstrong. He joined the Royal Air Force and completed his training as a warrant officer at RAF Padgate. He learned how to fly Stirling aircraft at RAF Wigsley, Wellington aircraft at RAF Bruntingthorpe…
Norm George Smith video interview
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Norman George Smith completed his Australian training as a pilot before being posted to the UK. He was posted to 463 Squadron where he completed ten trips before the war ended. Although he was an officer Norman would borrow his navigator’s jacket…
Interview with Frank Colenso
Frank Colenso grew up in Cornwall and, at the outbreak of the war, was working for a local newspaper. He recalls the return of injured survivors from Dunkirk into Falmouth Bay. He joined the local defence volunteers following the bombing of Falmouth…
RAF Elsham Wolds
A diagram of the airfield with the A15 trunk road, built in the 1970s, overlaid.
Interview with Malcolm Francis Morris
Malcolm Francis Morris was a child when the war began and he remembers joining the RAF as a boy entrant. He then served as an armament technician during the Cold War. He describes his training at St Athan and being then posted to Aden, where he was…
The war memoirs of 1096366 Cpl T Waller
The memoir covers his early life, joining the RAF and training as an Armourer and his subsequent wartime career. He served on 138 Squadron at RAF Stradishall and describes its Special Operation Executive operations. He tells of his postings to RAF…
Harold Beech at Snelland railway station
Harold Beech in railway worker’s uniform, with peaked cap, standing in front of a level crossing gate at Snelland railway station. On the left is a signal box and behind him, alongside the two rail tracks, is a semaphore railway signal. Harold helped…
RAF Station Feltwell
An aerial vertical photograph of a grass airfield. Airfield is in the centre. A curved line of four hangars are at the bottom of the grass on the right. There is another hangar underneath the left hand of the line and station building are in the…
RAF Feltwell
Aerial vertical photograph of a grass airfield. Pentagonal shaped grass airfield in the centre. Hangars and station buildings in the bottom right corner of airfield. Dispersal at top left and track to off airfield bomb dump on the right of airfield.…
Middleton St George
Photograph 1 is of Reginald George Cavalier amongst several loaded bomb trolleys. In the background are trucks and aircraft.
Photographs 2 and 3 are of a group of airmen watching a 4000 lb bomb being lifted on slings. Captioned '1000 lb…
Photographs 2 and 3 are of a group of airmen watching a 4000 lb bomb being lifted on slings. Captioned '1000 lb…