Charles Godfrey's observer's and air gunner's flying log book

Charles Godfrey's observer's and air gunner's flying log book

Observer's and air gunner's flying log book for Pilot Officer Godfrey from 3 of February 1941 to 25 of September 1945 detailing training schedule, instructional duties and operations flown. Aircraft flown were Dominie, Proctor, Wellington, Hampden, Anson, Defiant, Martinet, Stirling, Lancaster, C-47 and Oxford. He was stationed at RAF Manby, RAF Bassingbourn, RAF Harwell, RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Downham Market, RAF Hemswell, RAF Wittering, RAF Abingdon, RAF Upper- Heyford, RAF Upwood, RAF Gillingham, RAF Cranwell, RAF Melton Mowbray, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Market Drayton, RAF Waddington, RAF Upavon, RAF Sywell, RAF Carlisle, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, RAF Newbury, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Brize Norton, RAF Exeter, RAF Andover, RAF Hampstead Norris, RAF Hythe, RAF Gibraltar, RAF St Eval, RAF El Dabba, RAF Shaluffa, RAF Abu Sueir, RAF Almaza, RAF Blyton, RAF Ingham, RAF Marston Moor, RAF Leeming, RAF Acklington, RAF Middleton St. George, RAF Newmarket, RAF Moreton-in-Marsh, RAF Leconfield, RAF Skipton-on-Swale, RAF Wyton, RAF Warboys, RAF Westcott, RAF Gravely and RAF Worcester. He completed 37 operations with 37 Squadron in North Africa and the Mediterranean and 59 operations with 635 Squadron to targets in Belgium, France and Germany. Targets included: Heraklion, Piraeus, Derna, Tmimi, Benghazi Harbour, Gazala, Mersa Matruh, Ras El Shaqiq, El Dabaa, Tobruk, Fukah, Quotaifiyah, Düren, Munster, Mantes- Gassicourt rail yards, Haine-Saint-Pierre rail yards, Hasselt rail yards, Rennes, Angers rail yards, Caen, Ravigny rail yards, Nucourt, Wesseling oil refineries, L’Hey, Kiel, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Notre Dame, Trossy St. Maximin, Karlsruhe, Merseburg, Essen, Ludwigshafen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Mönchengladbach, Troisdorf, Dortmund, Nuremberg, Hannover, Munich, Gelsenkirchen, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Osterfeld, Kleve, Wanne-Eickel, Chemnitz, Wesel, Worms, Hemmingstedt, Dorsten, Bottrop, Osnabruck, Berchtesgaden, Ypenburg and Rotterdam. Notable events are that Charles Godfrey undertook a search and rescue operation in a Defiant and during the operation to Trossy St. Maximin 4 August 1944 his aircraft, Lancaster ND811, was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. Whilst he survived and evaded, his pilot, Ian Willoughby Bazalgette was awarded the Posthumous Victoria Cross. Pilot Officer Godfrey also took part in Operation Manna, Operation Exodus and Operation Dodge.

The hand written notes added to the end of the log book give a description to the crash at Senantes, and his attempts to evade capture:

RAF Lossiemouth S/L Ian Willoughby Bazalgette
33 on first [?] [indecipherable] DFC
Flight Commander
Deputy – RAM Palmer
Left there April 1944 – 37 on first tour [?]
[indecipherable]
F/O Geof [sic] Goddard Nav F/O Ivan Hibbert Bomb Aimer F/O Godfrey
F/O Cameron DFM ex F/Sgt Middleton’s V.C.
rear gunner
Joined at PFF Navigation Training met [?] by
Sgt George Turner then on Sqdn by F/LT Colonel Hewell [?] mid upper
6/5/44 First op as crew
During May 5 and June 7 night ops
In July Daylight and night ops 1 2
ND950 ‘M’ Mother
23 Kiel
Last week in July 24 Stuttgart
25 Stuttgart
[indecipherable] and motor bike [?]
28 Hamburg
4 August 1944 Should have gone on leave
F/L Henson missing – Oxford to York
One crew required Baz [?] volunteered – get one
more in before leave
Daylight to Trossy St Maximin
Took T for Tommy instead of M Mother
Crew conference at [?] dispersal – decided
to go in at 6000 feet main force up
at 12000 feet.

[page break]

F/LT Beveridge (DMB) shot down by
flak going into target
Nearing target heavy Ack-Ack
shell penetrated starboard wing – Both
engines spluttered to standstill
Bomb aimer wounded
[page break]
Godfrey last to leave aircraft
G. Goddard put foot [?] on him and out
he went. Landed in tree
I landed in cornfield – stripped
[?] [indecipherable] and hid parachute under corn
stacks [?] - lay under hedge – rather shocked
Lancaster hit deck two fields ahead
exploded on landing down
Village of Senantes Maire of village
helped us – in civvies within a few
minutes of landing. Lay in potato
bed all afternoon while Germans
searched for survivors – waited till
darkness into house for meal. Slept at
gentlemans [sic] house
– [indecipherable]. Moved by horse and
Cart to farm near Chappelle [sic] aux Pots
No English – lying sunbathing alongside
Railway line – Thunderbolts beat up train
SS troops moved back. Moved to
Forest for 10 days – [indecipherable] to lay on
food from 3 farms. Heavy rain

One booklet

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