Letter to Joan Wareing from Wing Commander P H Cribb
Title
Letter to Joan Wareing from Wing Commander P H Cribb
Description
From officer commanding 582 Squadron, informing her that her husband has failed to return from an operation over enemy territory on the night of 7/8 August 1944. Mentions that he was captain of experienced crew and comments on character. No further information available and explains warning of not making any announcement which might endanger the possibility of escape or evasion. Mentions what will happen to his personal effects.
Creator
Date
1944-08-09
Language
Format
Two page typewritten letter
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
ECribbPHWareingJ440809
Transcription
No. 582 Squadron,
R.A.F. Station,
Little Staughton,
St Neots, Hunts.
9th August 1944.
Dear Mrs Wareing,
I deeply regret to inform you that your husband, Squadron Leader Robert Wareing D.F.C., failed to return from operations carried out over enemy territory on the night of 7th/8th August, 1944.
There is, at the time of writing, no news to give you beyond this brief statement.
Your husband was the Captain of a very experienced and capable crew, with a keen sense of loyalty to and co-operation with myself as their Squadron Commander, and with their fellows. They set an example of courage, skill and coolness of a very high order, an example which will be greatly missed. Your husband was a young man of exceptional charm of manner with a keen sense of humour, and was one of the most popular Officers in the Squadron.
It is desired to explain that the request in the telegram notifying you of the casualty to your husband was included with the object of avoiding his chance of escape being prejudiced by undue publicity in case he was still at large. This is not to say that any information about him is available, but is a precaution adopted in the case of all personnel reported "Missing".
Your husband's personal effects are being carefully collected, and will be sent to the Central Depository at Colnbrook whence they will reach you in due course.
You may rest assured that I shall communicate with you immediately any news concerning your husband comes to hand. Meanwhile, please accept the profound sympathy of my Squadron and of myself, with our hope that further information may soon be available.
Yours sincerely,
[signature]
P.H.CRIBB.
[underlined] Wing Commander, Commanding, 582 Squadron, RAF. [/underlined]
[page break]
Mrs Joan Wareing,
56 West Common Gardens,
[underlined] Scunthorpe, LINCS. [/underlined]
End of transcription
R.A.F. Station,
Little Staughton,
St Neots, Hunts.
9th August 1944.
Dear Mrs Wareing,
I deeply regret to inform you that your husband, Squadron Leader Robert Wareing D.F.C., failed to return from operations carried out over enemy territory on the night of 7th/8th August, 1944.
There is, at the time of writing, no news to give you beyond this brief statement.
Your husband was the Captain of a very experienced and capable crew, with a keen sense of loyalty to and co-operation with myself as their Squadron Commander, and with their fellows. They set an example of courage, skill and coolness of a very high order, an example which will be greatly missed. Your husband was a young man of exceptional charm of manner with a keen sense of humour, and was one of the most popular Officers in the Squadron.
It is desired to explain that the request in the telegram notifying you of the casualty to your husband was included with the object of avoiding his chance of escape being prejudiced by undue publicity in case he was still at large. This is not to say that any information about him is available, but is a precaution adopted in the case of all personnel reported "Missing".
Your husband's personal effects are being carefully collected, and will be sent to the Central Depository at Colnbrook whence they will reach you in due course.
You may rest assured that I shall communicate with you immediately any news concerning your husband comes to hand. Meanwhile, please accept the profound sympathy of my Squadron and of myself, with our hope that further information may soon be available.
Yours sincerely,
[signature]
P.H.CRIBB.
[underlined] Wing Commander, Commanding, 582 Squadron, RAF. [/underlined]
[page break]
Mrs Joan Wareing,
56 West Common Gardens,
[underlined] Scunthorpe, LINCS. [/underlined]
End of transcription
Collection
Citation
P H Cribb, “Letter to Joan Wareing from Wing Commander P H Cribb,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/27838.
Item Relations
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