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Interview with Horace Burchett
Horace Burchett joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 17, rising to the rank of Flight Engineer, serving in an all Australian Squadron at 1654 Conversion Unit in Wiglsely in Northamptonshire. Posted to 463 Squadron at Waddington, still with the…
Interview with James Burdin
James Burdin went at Hutton Grammar School and worked in radio sales and repair. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force but had to wait and joined the Local Defence Volunteers instead. He did some rifle practice, general infantry training and…
Interview with David Butler
David Butler, DFC, was born in Cherry Hinton in April 1920 and joined the Royal Air Force on the 11 January 1940, serving in France, at Reims, as the Germans advanced. After walking some distance, he was evacuated back to England on a Polish boat and…
Interview with Percy Cannings
Percy Cannings was born in Stedham, near Midhurst, West Sussex and joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 18, reporting for duty in 1943. Percy served with 100 and 97 Squadrons as a mid upper gunner on Lancasters. He tells of his two brothers who…
Interview with Jane Carrington
Jane Carrington joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in 1942 at the age of 18 because it sounded more exciting than the Army or Navy and she like the colour of the uniform. She served as a cook, and volunteered to join the band as a drummer. She…
Interview with Donald Chinery
Don Chinery was born in Upper Sherringham on the 14 August 1921 and, after working as a Baker, he joined the Royal Air Force in 1942, serving as a Rear Gunner. His first station was RAF Bircham Newton, where he did his training, and flew in Stirlings…
Interview with Eric Clarke
Eric was born in Doncaster and had a difficult childhood. He was attracted by nearby RAF Finningley and decided he wanted to join the RAF, when war was imminent. He was registered as an aircraftman second class and trained to be a wireless operator.…
Interview with Royston Clarke and Diane Clarke
Warrant Officer Robert Royston Clarke joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and flew in Lancasters. He joined Bomber Command after seeing the bombing of Coventry. Robert tells about baling out and being manhandled by the local inhabitants, before…
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 Tom Coles
Tom Coles was born in Watford and signed up for the Royal Air Force at the age of 18. He went to Canada for training, a period saddened by the loss of his sister who was in the Women’s Auxilliary Air Force. Tom flew Manchesters, then went to 158…
Aircraft histories of Tiger Moth aircraft flown by Denis Clyde-Smith
Histories of twelve Tiger Moth aircraft flown by Denis Clyde Smith while undergoing ab-initio training at Sywell.
Halifax on airfield pan
Halifax LW125 parked on a concrete pan. Surrounded by onlookers and numerous servicing personal in shorts and tropical uniform. In the background right some low buildings.
Halifax on Brooklyn airfield, Cape Town
Halifax parked on a pan on an airfield. The legs of a man can be seen under the rear fuselage. In the background mountains. On the reverse '[.....], On arrival at Brooklyn Cape Town, 4/12/44'.
Interview with Allan Stanley Coller
Alan Coller joined the Air Training Corps in 1941, eventually joining the Royal Air Force in 1943, aged 18. He was sent to RAF Skegness for his initial training, after which he was transferred to RAF Barnham, near Mildenhall, where he was assigned to…
Interview with William Cooke
William Cooke joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 18, becoming a rear gunner on Lancasters. He followed his brother and sister into the RAF. He tells of his spell of guard duty on board a troop ship, and losing one of the people he was showing…
Interview with Jim Copus. One
James Copus grew up in Oxfordshire. He volunteered for aircrew and, after training, became a mid-upper gunner and flew operations with 97 Squadron. He recalls a crash while taxiing to take-off, baling out of his empty Lancaster and how he kept…
Interview with Jim Copus. Two
Jim Copus was born in Watlington and volunteered for the Royal Air Force when he was 18. After training, he flew operations as a mid-upper gunner with 97 Squadron from RAF Bourn. On one operation he realised that it was very quiet so, being unable to…
Interview with William Arthur Coulton
William Coulton was born in Derbyshire and worked as an errand boy for the Co-Op until he joined the Royal Air Force in 1943, aged 18. He trained as a flight mechanic and was posted to 115 Squadron at RAF Witchford where he worked on Lancasters. He…
Interview with Jack Cranston
Jack joined the Royal Air Force in Leeds and, after going to St. John’s Wood in London, he trained in Rhodesia where he passed out as a pilot. His training was on Tiger Moths and Oxfords before he was posted to a Wellington RAF station. Jack went on…
Wellington Bomber and its operations
Two pictures of Wellington 'HA-A', parked on grass. Left image from rear quarter with two wheeled equipment in foreground and two men under the starboard wing. Right image from the front quarter with a man crouching by boarding ladder under the…
Interview with Don Crossley
Don Crossley was born in South Emsall in 1924. He tells of his time before the war working at Upton Colliery before joining the Royal Air Force. He volunteered and trained, initially, as a wireless operator/air gunner. He tells of his experience at…
Interview with Richard Curnock
Richard Curnock was born in Grantham and joined the Royal Air Force in 1941.He achieved the rank of warrant officer and served in 425 Squadron. Richard tells of how he followed his two older brothers into the services, and his time serving in the Air…
Denis and his crew - November, 1942
A group of six aircrew under the nose of a Lancaster with nose art, the name 'Zola' and bomb symbols. Article relates that crew had requested that the creator of the cartoon in the Daily Mirror to draw them Zola as a mascot. Notes the targets that…
Wellington parked on grass
Front of Wellington and part of port wing with boarding ladder down and another ladder leaning on starboard (far) side. The character of Pinocchio is painted as nose art.
Denis Clyde-Smith
Head and shoulders portrait of Denis Clyde-Smith wearing tunic with pilots brevet.