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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
Akrill, William
Billy Akrill
W Akrill
Description
An account of the resource
132 items. The collection concerns Sergeant William Akrill (1922 - 1943, 1436220 Royal Air Force). He was a navigator with 115 Squadron. His Wellington was shot down by a night-fighter on an operation to Essen and crashed into the Ijsselmeer 12/13 March 1943. The collection contains his photographs, letters, and cartoons as well as an oral history interview with Michael and Ann Akrill about their uncle. There is also a subcollection of letters written as a teenage boy to his father in hospital. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Michael and Ann Akrill and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. Additional information on William Akrill is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/200183/" title="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/akrill-we/ ">IBCC Losses Database</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-12-04
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Akrill, M-A
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
No 1436220 Sgt. Akrill,
Sgts’ Mess,
R.A.F. Station,
Upper Heyford,
OXON
Fri. 15.1.43.
Dear Mum,
Got your letter today & as there’s nothing on for me tonight I thought I’d get my dirty washing packed up tho’ I may not get it off tomorrow. I’m sending my stockings but if you can’t do anything with them (see enclosed sketch) just send them back & I’ll try to get them changed. As Mable Day remarked the heels – and toes seem to have dropped out! I got your last letter with further mention of “summer vests” just after kit inspection when I’d fished them from the bottom of my kit bag, saw they were quite clean & decided to put them back so I don’t feel like fishing for them again.
Oh yes we easily may turn up. One of our lot spent a couple of days there. Thought it was a pretty awful
[page break]
place these days – but that wouldn’t worry me. You may have heard the yarn – I believe they spent an [deleted] night [/deleted] [inserted] evening [/inserted] at the Halfway House.
Yes I shall be sorry to leave Heyford – as far as having friends is concerned. If I go far away it will be like leaving home a second time. Let’s hope I can go one better!!
Goodness Stanley must be getting energetic! I just [underlined] can’t [/underlined] imagine him riding from Newark on a bike. I bet there was some fuss over it!
Yes the roads were shocking here on Saturday night. I thought about P.H. road when I was skidding across the Parade Ground. I’ve had some fun on that for the last 2 Winters before joining up! Glad the girls are Folk dancing again. I hope they enjoy it.
Sorry to hear about Mrs Baines. It’s very hard on poor Miss Bush. She’s a brick. I feel so sorry for her.
[page break]
Didn’t get to Heyford last night – we were busy – but went at Sgt Hughes’s invitation on Tuesday and to chapel on Sunday last. Almost forgotten about next Sunday with the Prestons!! I didn’t half get teased on Sunday!!
Possibly not be here so very much longer. I think 3 weeks should see us through O.K. We’re getting along quite well. It’s hard work – they expect a very high standard – but if we can get it done I don’t mind. I’m glad to say I’m as fit as anything in spite of missing food and sleep, though I often feel pretty tired. But oh how grand that leave will be when it gets here! A [underlined] real [/underlined] leave with time to stop & think, time to eat & sleep. I can just picture myself [deleted] with [/deleted] in the old chair
[page break]
by the fire (a lovely blazing fire that sends everybody to sleep) with my feet on the ‘Humpty’ watching you kitting [sic] in your sleep & daddy reading the ‘Farmers’ Weekly’ with his feet on the mantlepiece, Mary toasting her chilblains & dozing over a book & Nipper writing page after page to Miss Moakes or Jimmy.
Well, I must go outside & have a look at the stars & get cracking on them, pack my washing up & then make up for lost sleep.
Be seeing you soon
Love to [underlined] all [/underlined]
[underlined] Bill [/underlined]
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
Letter from Bill Akrill to his mother
Description
An account of the resource
Starts with domestic issues. Will be sorry to leave Upper Heyford as made many friends. Mentions slippery roads locally and writes of activities. Will be there for another 3 weeks. Concludes with reminiscences of home.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-01-15
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EAkrillWEAkrill[Mo]430115
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
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Oxfordshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-01
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
William Akrill
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Upper Heyford
training