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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6237/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-01.pdf
7facf70a573ce03e42e7119d8384fcbf
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-02-24
Rights
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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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1384535
A.C.2.Lamprey.
42. Hawthorn. Rd.
Blackpool. N.S.
[underlined] Monday [/underlined]
Dear Bill.
While I continue to suffer in the cause of democracy and freedom, I can see no legitimate reason, while my erstwhile friends are enjoying themselves, why they should not suffer by reading of the sacrifices made. So far as my memory serves me, my last epistle left the hero with head bloody, but unbowed.
Many thanks for your letter and I assure you that letters are very welcome when you are among new faces. Thank Rusty for the cube root and all who sent their wishes. Remember me to Frank B. before he goes and tell him its [sic] only twice as bad as they say.
We are now officially airman [sic] as our training period is nearly over, and we can do anything with a rifle, except make it lay eggs we learn that next week I believe. My training has been thorough and on the dismiss I can always be among the first six inside the canteen or café. Our squad are pretty good at
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
foot drill and they are very good at halting, in fact they are always ready for that order and will do it almost without telling. We get gas lectures twice a week from an officer who gets more worked up about it than Bill S. These are reckoned as rest periods and by the excercise [sic] of the old loaf a back seat can be obtained and a good time had by all.
I still have to find this pub. of yours, although this week has been spent almost entirely on one pitch as it is nice and comfortable and my elbow just goes on the bar. The barmaid is proper north-country and when she said she was going on munitions, we asked her what an endless belt was, she thought it was sleeping with an airman. The weather however is a lot brighter, and when we get time the pub. will be found and judgement passed on the beer.
This saluting business is a bit of a binder and takes a lot of getting used to. The first week we saluted [corrected] nobody [/corrected], mainly because we were too weak to raise our eyes much less our arms. The next week we saluted everyone from tram-drivers down to Air-Chief
[page break]
3
Marshals. This week we sort them out and salute tram-drivers mainly with an odd officer here and there. The best lark when an Off. comes along is to look at some tart’s legs and he has a look too and again everyone is satisfied. One way and another we kill time pretty well up here and as long as they dont [sic] make a race of it, between killing us and us killing time, the next few months should see me really getting down to this war business. At present we are still posessed [sic] of a little money and the war has faded into the background and is only brought up by the Corporal as a threat. He told us the other day we looked like a bunch of pregnant women, but it was pointed out, it was all he could expect the way we have been f----- about up here. The smartest squads in our wing always cop for guard duty so when the O-C. drill takes his daily look you can rely on about four good men to make a b---- up for the sake of the others. The old sweats are talking of taking a few lessons from our little mob as they think their education was neglected.
Tell Charlie not to get worried about RAF life, anyone who can stand the strain of spotting can push this job about and enjoy it. I am glad to hear
[page break]
4
my little “Cherry” has resumed and is doubtless engaged on working something up for [deleted] something [/deleted] someone. Tell him he will have to learn to throw things himself up here as nobody takes anything, not even the women. How are the spotters doing are they still on the car-park? My time spent on that job has been of assistance to me here, I can distinguish at great range W.O.’s – Flight Sergeants and other type of enemy craft.
Despite all joking the training here is quite severe, quite a number of men crack-up and go sick and that is the last you see of them as the squads move on through their next round of training. At the Morse school they wheel them out all day with straws in their hair, I’m glad I have got mine cropped short.
We have been down the range today, fired our course. I am pleased to say I passed O.K. 8 in the bull and [deleted] an [/deleted] two inners, the Sergeant was very pleased but he kept well to rear while we fired or he might not have [inserted] been so [/inserted] blasted cocky. After this for a change we went marching and I have a suspicion that I am now walking on my knees. What with the boots halting before I do and the trousers standing at ease
[page break]
while I’m at attention your mind has to be right on the job to duck any trouble.
This modern war has bred a lot of suspicious minded corporals and N.C. O’s generally. I put it down to too much talk about the other little affair. Theres [sic] not a lot of news I can give you except that the RAF. have a decent reserve team in training. New men continue to pour in and ask the advice of us old sweats (save the mark). You can always tell a new man, hope shines in his face but after a fortnight all hope is gone and he begins [missing] to [/missing] enjoy himself. This life is a bit of cake, you work like a beaver, eat [deleted] h [/deleted] like a horse, sleep like a dog, all we want is an animal trainer instead of a Corporal.
Best of luck,
Pete.
Remember me to everyone and give my best wishes to F. Baum. Tell Dave, balancing a rifle is easier than balancing a book.
P.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes about his basic airman’s training and social life in the Royal Air Force whilst stationed in Blackpool.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Format
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Five page handwritten letter
Language
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eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lancashire
England--Blackpool
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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.
military service conditions
training