Diary of Neill Chapman, Bomb Aimer
Title
Diary of Neill Chapman, Bomb Aimer
Description
Neill Chapman’s diary entries from 27th May to 1st June including a list of crew members and the results of their bombing trials.
Creator
Date
1944
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
Five handwritten sheets
Publisher
Rights
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
Identifier
YChapmanN153939v10001,
YChapmanN153939v10002,
YChapmanN153939v10003,
YChapmanN153939v10004,
YChapmanN153939v10005
YChapmanN153939v10002,
YChapmanN153939v10003,
YChapmanN153939v10004,
YChapmanN153939v10005
Transcription
DESBOROUGH – TWICKENHAM
[inserted] (Diary of Neill Chapman Bomb Aimer)[/inserted]
SATURDAY MAY 27th
As I have a day off I took Terry home with me to Meadowside and to meet Dad. We spent the evening with John Messenger in the Roebuck and Duke of Marlborough on Richmond Hill which were crowded.
SUNDAY (WHIT SUNDAY) MAY 28th
Dad, Terry and I journeyed to Shepperton for a pleasant lunch at the Anchor and a drink at the King’s head. The atmosphere was very pleasant and the day warm. After a good lunch we walked down to the Weybridge locks. Came back for tea with Mr & Mrs Messenger and met Janet Cane, a horticulturist. Dad took us all for dinner at the R.A.C. and Terry and I had to dash off to catch the nine fifteen to Kettering which was half empty on leaving St Pancras. We met my course shepherd, F/O Cushing[?], who gave us the gen on his operational experiences.
Richmond was crowded on this hot Whit Sunday,
[page break]
the small beach across the river was a mass of howling, laughing and splash children whose din reverberated through the flat. While the children in the garden were in next to nothing and Mr Francis James barely wore is[sic] socks and shorts. In spite of the nearness of the invasion the people seem happy and the Londoner still has the knack of enjoying himself in crowds.
MONDAY MAY 29th
This evening we went (Terry and myself) to Market Harborough and there I called on Mr & Mrs Widdowson who are staying at the Willows. They introduced Margery and Philip and gave us a welcome tea. After which we had a few drinks at the Angel and rushed back to catch the last train. Unfortunately we happened to drop in at the Freemason’s Arms on the way and thus we missed the train. We returned to town and Terry decided to go to a dance
[page break]
[page corner missing] ….ded to walk home and did so in a quick hour twenty minutes.
TUESDAY MAY 30th
Reg/ Wheeden has cyinitis [sic] unfortunately and so we could not fly tonight and he is admitted to hospital. So we are likely to get some leave.
THURSDAY JUNE 1st
Went home on a fortyeight. Spent the evening playing bridge.
[page break]
RESULTS OF GROUP BOMBING. 84.O.T.U.
DAY ERROR. SIGHTING HEAD ONLY.
DUAL 123 YDS. 6 BOMBS
SOLO 298 “ 7 “
SOLO N/A due to wind error 8 “
SOLO 223 YDS. 6 “
NIGHT
DUAL 112 YDS. [deleted] 8 [/deleted] 7 BOMBS
SOLO 158 “ 8 BOMBS
SOLO N/A due to wind error [underlined] 8 “ [/underlined]
TOTAL 50 BOMBS
Average error. 183 YDS. @ 10000’
Average height. 10,500 feet
For most of this our Navigator was away due to sinus trouble
[page break]
We visited John Fothergill’s pub, the Three Swans, which was not exceptional and was rather expensive.
After the first fortnight we crewed up and I found myself with the following very fine crew.
Pilot: Terry A. Ford Bristol.
Navigator: Reg. Wheedon. Cowley.
W/Op. George Tredinnick Melbourne Australia
Rear Gunner: Harry Fitzwater
Mid Upper: Paddy Glover. Ballymena. N.I.
And I pray and hope that we will be able to stick together until the end of our training and further.
During the first five weeks we had only two half days off, one of which I spent in Kettering. However in the evening of the 11th we heard that because we had finished our training early we were too [sic] get is four days off. Altogether our [indecipherable] and bombing had gone well.
[page break]
[inserted] (Diary of Neill Chapman Bomb Aimer)[/inserted]
SATURDAY MAY 27th
As I have a day off I took Terry home with me to Meadowside and to meet Dad. We spent the evening with John Messenger in the Roebuck and Duke of Marlborough on Richmond Hill which were crowded.
SUNDAY (WHIT SUNDAY) MAY 28th
Dad, Terry and I journeyed to Shepperton for a pleasant lunch at the Anchor and a drink at the King’s head. The atmosphere was very pleasant and the day warm. After a good lunch we walked down to the Weybridge locks. Came back for tea with Mr & Mrs Messenger and met Janet Cane, a horticulturist. Dad took us all for dinner at the R.A.C. and Terry and I had to dash off to catch the nine fifteen to Kettering which was half empty on leaving St Pancras. We met my course shepherd, F/O Cushing[?], who gave us the gen on his operational experiences.
Richmond was crowded on this hot Whit Sunday,
[page break]
the small beach across the river was a mass of howling, laughing and splash children whose din reverberated through the flat. While the children in the garden were in next to nothing and Mr Francis James barely wore is[sic] socks and shorts. In spite of the nearness of the invasion the people seem happy and the Londoner still has the knack of enjoying himself in crowds.
MONDAY MAY 29th
This evening we went (Terry and myself) to Market Harborough and there I called on Mr & Mrs Widdowson who are staying at the Willows. They introduced Margery and Philip and gave us a welcome tea. After which we had a few drinks at the Angel and rushed back to catch the last train. Unfortunately we happened to drop in at the Freemason’s Arms on the way and thus we missed the train. We returned to town and Terry decided to go to a dance
[page break]
[page corner missing] ….ded to walk home and did so in a quick hour twenty minutes.
TUESDAY MAY 30th
Reg/ Wheeden has cyinitis [sic] unfortunately and so we could not fly tonight and he is admitted to hospital. So we are likely to get some leave.
THURSDAY JUNE 1st
Went home on a fortyeight. Spent the evening playing bridge.
[page break]
RESULTS OF GROUP BOMBING. 84.O.T.U.
DAY ERROR. SIGHTING HEAD ONLY.
DUAL 123 YDS. 6 BOMBS
SOLO 298 “ 7 “
SOLO N/A due to wind error 8 “
SOLO 223 YDS. 6 “
NIGHT
DUAL 112 YDS. [deleted] 8 [/deleted] 7 BOMBS
SOLO 158 “ 8 BOMBS
SOLO N/A due to wind error [underlined] 8 “ [/underlined]
TOTAL 50 BOMBS
Average error. 183 YDS. @ 10000’
Average height. 10,500 feet
For most of this our Navigator was away due to sinus trouble
[page break]
We visited John Fothergill’s pub, the Three Swans, which was not exceptional and was rather expensive.
After the first fortnight we crewed up and I found myself with the following very fine crew.
Pilot: Terry A. Ford Bristol.
Navigator: Reg. Wheedon. Cowley.
W/Op. George Tredinnick Melbourne Australia
Rear Gunner: Harry Fitzwater
Mid Upper: Paddy Glover. Ballymena. N.I.
And I pray and hope that we will be able to stick together until the end of our training and further.
During the first five weeks we had only two half days off, one of which I spent in Kettering. However in the evening of the 11th we heard that because we had finished our training early we were too [sic] get is four days off. Altogether our [indecipherable] and bombing had gone well.
[page break]
Collection
Citation
Neill Chapman, “Diary of Neill Chapman, Bomb Aimer,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed November 8, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/24265.
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