Letter to Jean Welland from Jack Darby
Title
Letter to Jean Welland from Jack Darby
Description
He has a six week course to complete before returning to the UK. They have been doing 300 mile round trips using dead reckoning to drop a trial bomb.
Creator
Date
1943-11-07
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
One double sided handwritten air 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
EDarbyCAHWellandJ431107-0001, EDarbyCAHWellandJ431107-0002
Transcription
No.46. 7./11/43
Dear Jean,
Just received letter 35 which was forwarded on from Lethbridge, apparently you must have mis-understood me about coming home, Lethbridge was just the bombing and gunnery part, we have six weeks to do here. have to pass exams in navigation reconnaissance, photography, signals and aircraft rec, then with luck we shall turn eastward to Moncton and home, afraid it means another Christmas in the service somewhere, my fourth so far, wonder where I shall spend the fifth?
The course here is pretty interesting, they give us a set of maps, computer, protractor and usual amount of dope, [underlined] one [/underlined] bomb, put us with a pilot, two navigators, and wireless operator and send us off on a 300 mile trip. The idea is the navigators work on D.R. nav. we map read our way, when the navigator makes landfall about 30 miles from the target, then we take over, guide the aircraft and drop the bomb, this is the general idea, however if you have a ropey navigator, well sooner or later he will decide he's lost, then the pilot says where are we? you look wise, put your finger on the map, cross your fingers and hope for the best, then you arrive at the target [underlined] we hope. [/underlined]
So you have been getting all the gen on the [indecipherable word], well, should think one wife was enough worry without having 28. More to keep binding you, of course I think you had the right idea, being the favourite wife,
Really these photos must be causing much interest to the local inhabitants, think you will be awarded a medal for helping to maintain morale, as Jean Taylors cousin said, the use of your photo on the rear end of a bomber would certainly keep the Germans off, but we fight according to
[page break]
3/
were half asleep and happened to see a light outside, probally [sic] someone had forgotten to draw the blackout.
Well, must close now, am night flying in about an hour and have to climb into my flying gear, collect maps, parachute etc.
Cheerio for the moment, take care of yourself, will be seeing you soon.
Yours Jack
[page break]
AIR LETTER TO ARMED FORCES
BY AIR MAIL
IF ANYTHING IS ENCLOSED, THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT BY ORDINARY MAIL.
[deleted] Number, Rank or Rating and Name [/deleted] MISS J. WELLAND
[deleted] Unit (Company, Battery, Ship, Squadron, etc.) [/deleted] 7. QUEENS DRIVE
[deleted] Regiment, Branch, Establishment or Station [/deleted] SURBITON
[deleted] Service [/deleted] SURREY. ENGLAND.
[inserted] 7-11-43 OVERSEAS.
FROM (Sender's full name and address)
[deleted] M [/deleted] 927893. L.A.C. Darby
[symbol] 2. A.D.S.
Edmoncton Alberta
[page break]
the Geneva Convention, its not done to use such a terrible weapon. (would’nt you like to get hold off [sic] me)
After those few [deleted letter] 'polite' remarks perhaps I had better change the subject, Mother mentioned you rang them after the spot of bombing, can you give me the gen? as Dad's letter has’nt arrived, must have been stopped by the censors.
One thing I can see you don't get up very early, trying to tell me the dawn breaks at 5 o/c, expect you
Dear Jean,
Just received letter 35 which was forwarded on from Lethbridge, apparently you must have mis-understood me about coming home, Lethbridge was just the bombing and gunnery part, we have six weeks to do here. have to pass exams in navigation reconnaissance, photography, signals and aircraft rec, then with luck we shall turn eastward to Moncton and home, afraid it means another Christmas in the service somewhere, my fourth so far, wonder where I shall spend the fifth?
The course here is pretty interesting, they give us a set of maps, computer, protractor and usual amount of dope, [underlined] one [/underlined] bomb, put us with a pilot, two navigators, and wireless operator and send us off on a 300 mile trip. The idea is the navigators work on D.R. nav. we map read our way, when the navigator makes landfall about 30 miles from the target, then we take over, guide the aircraft and drop the bomb, this is the general idea, however if you have a ropey navigator, well sooner or later he will decide he's lost, then the pilot says where are we? you look wise, put your finger on the map, cross your fingers and hope for the best, then you arrive at the target [underlined] we hope. [/underlined]
So you have been getting all the gen on the [indecipherable word], well, should think one wife was enough worry without having 28. More to keep binding you, of course I think you had the right idea, being the favourite wife,
Really these photos must be causing much interest to the local inhabitants, think you will be awarded a medal for helping to maintain morale, as Jean Taylors cousin said, the use of your photo on the rear end of a bomber would certainly keep the Germans off, but we fight according to
[page break]
3/
were half asleep and happened to see a light outside, probally [sic] someone had forgotten to draw the blackout.
Well, must close now, am night flying in about an hour and have to climb into my flying gear, collect maps, parachute etc.
Cheerio for the moment, take care of yourself, will be seeing you soon.
Yours Jack
[page break]
AIR LETTER TO ARMED FORCES
BY AIR MAIL
IF ANYTHING IS ENCLOSED, THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT BY ORDINARY MAIL.
[deleted] Number, Rank or Rating and Name [/deleted] MISS J. WELLAND
[deleted] Unit (Company, Battery, Ship, Squadron, etc.) [/deleted] 7. QUEENS DRIVE
[deleted] Regiment, Branch, Establishment or Station [/deleted] SURBITON
[deleted] Service [/deleted] SURREY. ENGLAND.
[inserted] 7-11-43 OVERSEAS.
FROM (Sender's full name and address)
[deleted] M [/deleted] 927893. L.A.C. Darby
[symbol] 2. A.D.S.
Edmoncton Alberta
[page break]
the Geneva Convention, its not done to use such a terrible weapon. (would’nt you like to get hold off [sic] me)
After those few [deleted letter] 'polite' remarks perhaps I had better change the subject, Mother mentioned you rang them after the spot of bombing, can you give me the gen? as Dad's letter has’nt arrived, must have been stopped by the censors.
One thing I can see you don't get up very early, trying to tell me the dawn breaks at 5 o/c, expect you
Collection
Citation
Jack Darby, “Letter to Jean Welland from Jack Darby,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed September 10, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/39636.
Item Relations
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