Eulogy for Philip Jenkinson
Title
Eulogy for Philip Jenkinson
Description
Description
Describes early life, joining the RAF, training and joining 10 Squadron as mid-upper gunner on Halifax. Was shot down during operation to Munich on 6/7 September 1943. After evading was capture and prisoner of war until April 1945. Goes on with record of life after leaving the RAF. Concludes with account of Germans building memorial to a British crew shot down which happened to be Philip's older brothers crew and being befriended by German people.
Describes early life, joining the RAF, training and joining 10 Squadron as mid-upper gunner on Halifax. Was shot down during operation to Munich on 6/7 September 1943. After evading was capture and prisoner of war until April 1945. Goes on with record of life after leaving the RAF. Concludes with account of Germans building memorial to a British crew shot down which happened to be Philip's older brothers crew and being befriended by German people.
Language
Type
Format
Three page printed document
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
SJenkinsonLP1316403v10019
Transcription
[inserted] L- [/inserted] Philip Jenkinson
Eulogy
Philips Early Life
1937 At 14 he worked on a poultry farm near where they lived at Constantine, Cornwall
1940 He joined the LDV (Home Guard)
1941 He volunteered for Aircrew and trained as an Air Gunner, Some of his training was done in Canada. Eventually he joined No. 10 Squadron as a mid upper gunner on Halifax Aircraft.
August 1943. I first met Philip when he was on leave following 7 Operations over Germany.
29th August he returned to his Squadron (I started my RAF training to become a Pilot).
On the night of 6/7th September Philip was shot down during a raid on Munich, his aircraft on fire, Philip and 5 crew members escaped by parachute (the pilot and rear gunner both went down with the aircraft)
Philip and his Bomb Aimer both landed in the same field, buried their parachutes and started to walk due west towards Switzerland. After 9 nights walking, with very little food they came to a town, not far from the Swiss border but were captured by German soldiers and remained Prisoners of war until the 29th April 1945 when they were released by the Desert Rats and flown home.
Philip had been posted as missing on the 7th september [sic] 1943 and it was then that his mother was on the way to Falmouth on the bus, to shop. Also on the bus was the local Policeman who came
[page break]
up to Mrs Jenkinson (whom he called “Mrs Pickles; the family nick name for Philip) and said “Sorry to hear Pickles is missing, don't worry Mrs Pickles, the Germans wont catch him, I never could!
I returned home from Southern Rhodesia where I had been doing my flying training.
Philip met me and invited me home to dinner. That is when I met his little sister, Evelyn whom I married in 1948. Philip was Best Man at our wedding.
At one time Philip and I served on the same Squadron (511) where we flew transport aircraft to India, Philip as Loadmaster, me as second pilot. Philips aircraft went down as far as Singapore mine went up to Delhi.
In 1947 Philip came out of the RAF and went to manage a poultry farm, I think owned by A G Street a famous broadcaster on farming matters. Philip had married his first wife Norah in september 1947. Unfortunately that marriage was not a success but they had a son, David, who is here today.
By 1956 he had met and married Jean – to cut a long stoty [sic] short Philip And Jean moved to Alscott Farm here at Shebbear. For the first five year at Alscott my wife and I were in partnership with Philip, but then it was decided that we would go on our own way and Evelyn and I returned to farm in Cornwall.
Philip and I always remained good friends, and of course we will miss him terribly.
[page break]
Some of you will know our German friends who owned the farm on which Philip landed by parachute. It was in 1983 that we read in the RAF News that the Germans had built a Memorial to a British Crew shot down in January 1945. This so happened to be Philips elder brothers crew – It was built as a bridge of friendship between the British and German people. In 1983 we decided to go to Germany to see this memorial, this we did.
We were put in touch with A German Air Historian Who invited us to stay with him.
It was he who took us to the farm on which Philips aircraft had crashed.
This was the start of a very close friendship with the German family at the farm where we go to stay year after year.
Just before we left home yesterday we received a telephone call from our German friends to say that they would hold a memorial service for Philip at the little church
which had been badly damaged by bombs jetisonned [sic] by Philips aircraft.
What wonderful friends these German people have been.
Eulogy
Philips Early Life
1937 At 14 he worked on a poultry farm near where they lived at Constantine, Cornwall
1940 He joined the LDV (Home Guard)
1941 He volunteered for Aircrew and trained as an Air Gunner, Some of his training was done in Canada. Eventually he joined No. 10 Squadron as a mid upper gunner on Halifax Aircraft.
August 1943. I first met Philip when he was on leave following 7 Operations over Germany.
29th August he returned to his Squadron (I started my RAF training to become a Pilot).
On the night of 6/7th September Philip was shot down during a raid on Munich, his aircraft on fire, Philip and 5 crew members escaped by parachute (the pilot and rear gunner both went down with the aircraft)
Philip and his Bomb Aimer both landed in the same field, buried their parachutes and started to walk due west towards Switzerland. After 9 nights walking, with very little food they came to a town, not far from the Swiss border but were captured by German soldiers and remained Prisoners of war until the 29th April 1945 when they were released by the Desert Rats and flown home.
Philip had been posted as missing on the 7th september [sic] 1943 and it was then that his mother was on the way to Falmouth on the bus, to shop. Also on the bus was the local Policeman who came
[page break]
up to Mrs Jenkinson (whom he called “Mrs Pickles; the family nick name for Philip) and said “Sorry to hear Pickles is missing, don't worry Mrs Pickles, the Germans wont catch him, I never could!
I returned home from Southern Rhodesia where I had been doing my flying training.
Philip met me and invited me home to dinner. That is when I met his little sister, Evelyn whom I married in 1948. Philip was Best Man at our wedding.
At one time Philip and I served on the same Squadron (511) where we flew transport aircraft to India, Philip as Loadmaster, me as second pilot. Philips aircraft went down as far as Singapore mine went up to Delhi.
In 1947 Philip came out of the RAF and went to manage a poultry farm, I think owned by A G Street a famous broadcaster on farming matters. Philip had married his first wife Norah in september 1947. Unfortunately that marriage was not a success but they had a son, David, who is here today.
By 1956 he had met and married Jean – to cut a long stoty [sic] short Philip And Jean moved to Alscott Farm here at Shebbear. For the first five year at Alscott my wife and I were in partnership with Philip, but then it was decided that we would go on our own way and Evelyn and I returned to farm in Cornwall.
Philip and I always remained good friends, and of course we will miss him terribly.
[page break]
Some of you will know our German friends who owned the farm on which Philip landed by parachute. It was in 1983 that we read in the RAF News that the Germans had built a Memorial to a British Crew shot down in January 1945. This so happened to be Philips elder brothers crew – It was built as a bridge of friendship between the British and German people. In 1983 we decided to go to Germany to see this memorial, this we did.
We were put in touch with A German Air Historian Who invited us to stay with him.
It was he who took us to the farm on which Philips aircraft had crashed.
This was the start of a very close friendship with the German family at the farm where we go to stay year after year.
Just before we left home yesterday we received a telephone call from our German friends to say that they would hold a memorial service for Philip at the little church
which had been badly damaged by bombs jetisonned [sic] by Philips aircraft.
What wonderful friends these German people have been.
Citation
“Eulogy for Philip Jenkinson,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 19, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/30585.
Item Relations
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