Interview with Kenneth Rudkin

Interview with Kenneth Rudkin

Ken Rudkin relates the story of his friend Alf “Digger” Dawson of 630 Squadron. Alf, from Cumbria, was working as a fireman for the railways when he and his friend answered the call for volunteers for aircrew, and he trained as a wireless operator. When the time came to crew up, he and a friend found themselves without a crew and so were presented to two possible pilots. They tossed a coin and Alf went with his pilot. His friend and the other crew were lost on their seventh mission. Alf and his crew formed an attachment to their Lancaster because they were so grateful she brought them home, regardless of what they had faced on the flight. However, one day when they were on rest, the replacement aircrew and their Lancaster were lost on operations. During one operation they had problems with their radio equipment and the static was traced to the rear gunner. The pilot told him to switch it off and only speak if necessary. This led to great panic when they came under attack from a night fighter and the rear gunner was trying to scream instructions only to realise that he had forgotten to switch the radio back on.

This item is available only at the University of Lincoln.

2016-10-15

00:40:28 Audio Recording

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