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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9212/EGortonHGortonLCM440302.1.pdf
91a713007c557e99a5590ba0a5249db8
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
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
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. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
TEL. SILVERSTONE 252
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION,
[deleted] SILVERSTONE, [/deleted] [inserted] Turweston, [/inserted]
[deleted] NR. TOWCESTER[/deleted] [inserted] Nr. Brackley [/inserted],
NORTHANTS
[Royal Air Force crest]
Thursday 8.0 p.m.
Dearest,
I nearly wrote to you this morning, when I spent a couple of hours in the Intelligence Library, but I decided to leave it till later, & I’m glad I did, as I got another letter from you today, - the third in three days running! – and I can also tell you about my first trip.
I therefore had an early dinner, and have come back to the hut so that I can spend the rest of the evening writing to you.
(At this point two others came in & interrupted me – that’s one of the snags of living in a hut like this. I’ve forgotten where I was!).
I suppose I’d better get my flying off my mind before I go any further, or else I shan’t be able to answer your letter properly.
We went out to the aircraft at 2.30, & were just going to start up when we found that the hydraulics
[page break]
2
were u/s. We waited until 3.15 without any luck, & then went to another aircraft. In consideration of my experience, I was allowed to taxi out & take off without demonstration. The take off was easy, but I found the auxiliary controls (u/c & flaps) very awkward to handle, especially as flying the Wellington is a two handed job at the best of times. You can’t just put it into the desired altitude and leave it there as you would with an Oxford or Anson – you’ve got to keep fighting it all the time.
Anyway, we went up & did some stalling & feathered an engine – for single engine flying - & then came back & did some landings. I did them all myself without demonstration. I was pleased with that fact because it confirmed the theory I’ve had that anybody with my experience ought to be able – after being
[page break]
3
shown the knobs, to take any aircraft up & bring it down safely.
However, we got held up on the circuit several times & had to do overshoots, so that by the time we’d done three or four landings it was 5.30 & time to stop. Although it would have been nice to have gone solo immediately, I was so tired after flying 2 hours that I didn’t want to go solo. I expect I shall do a check circuit on Saturday (if I can get a trip then, & then go off on my own.
Forgive all this (no doubt boring) description of my first trip. I’ll now settle down to answering your letters.
Thank you very much, darling, for doing my washing. I’ll try & not ask you to do any more.
The weather here has been quite cold, sharp frosts each
[page break]
4
night, but there has been quite a lot of sun & good flying weather.
I’m afraid I haven’t noticed the cut in the fuel ration. The only think I notice is that we seem to have no coal at all, & as you probably know, lighting a fire with wood & coke isn’t too easy.
My suitcase stood up to its last move very well, but I don’t know how long it will last. I thought that if it went again, I might be able to get a leather handle that was attached to some straps round the case.
From your letter I got two or three days ago, I thought you were going to look into that furnished flat in Cardiff. Still, as you say, if you’re going to live in lodgings, you may as well be near me.
Incidentally, re your remarks about the accommodation at Silverstone, I may as well
[page break]
5
tell you that there’s a spare bed in the hut here, only I won’t guarantee that there’s a pillow on it, as we’ve only had pillows for the past two nights. I call them “pillows”, but actually they are only pieces of sacking filled with straw – airmen’s pillows, not like the comfortable officer type I’ve been used to!
I’m glad you liked the chocolate. I hope it wasn’t too smelly! The Canadian chocolate came from a chap at Silverstone who’d been a staff pilot in Canada, & had just received a parcel.
The snag about the cottage at Ossington, is that even if I get to Newark, I’ve still ten miles to go. If I had some form of transport, of course, I should be all right.
I rang up Silverstone yesterday to enquire about “Genius of Friendship”. The girl there said
[page break]
6
she'd posted it off on Monday, but the post between there & here seems to be slower than between here & Abergavenny.
I got it this afternoon, & read it before dinner. Actually I was disappointed in it. While I was in Oxford I read half of a book by Henry Williamson, - his diary for the year 1936. I think that may have prejudiced me, because not only did he take himself far too seriously for my liking, but also a damning fault in these days, he then regarded Hitler as the world’s great man.
My opinion of “Genius of Friendship”, is that it boosts H.W. & forgets T.E.L. Since I don’t think much of the former, & have a high opinion of the latter, the result doesn’t please me. That’s a very sweeping & partial criticism, but I find it difficult to criticise properly in a letter
[page break]
7
You will know by now that I should like my bike. You had better address it to me here, and the railway station will let me know when it arrives.
Brackley is not an easy place to get away from unless you go along the main line, or the bus routes. Oxford unfortunately doesn’t lie on either of these.
The first chance I get, I’m going in to Brackley to book a room for you. I think I’d better go in person rather than phone, so as to make sure the place is O.K.
Whether the Yorkshire place will want you or not, I don’t know, but I’m sure you don’t realise how short they are of teachers. I shan’t be at all surprised if you get the job.
If you think you’d like the Clitheroe job, apply for it. It’s a very nice country town, just
[page break]
8
at the foot of the Pennines, but of course, not very easy to reach from the east of England.
As you say, I’m not able to do any studying at present. Even so, while I was in Oxford, I bought a large book on Roman Law (16/6) since I thought I shouldn’t have so good a chance of getting it anywhere else.
Somewhere in your letter, although I can’t find it, you discuss when you are to come here. You suggest next Thursday or Friday, or whenever I have a day off. That made me laugh sardonically, I fear, as we don’t have days off here! The first fortnight, that is until the end of next week, we fly & have lectures on alternate days. I expect I can cut the lectures without much trouble, but it would probably be easier to get an afternoon off when I’m supposed to be flying
[page break]
9
That will mean next Wednesday or Friday [inserted] Mar 8 & 10 [/inserted] or any day of the following week as we have no lectures then. When I go to Brackley I’ll book a room provisionally for next Friday, & make it definite when I hear from you. (N.B. Bring your cards. I don’t think I have any here!)
I’ve just realised that the first letter I answered tonight was one I’d already answered! I’ve found today’s letter in my pocket.
To reach Brackley, the best thing is to go to Paddington, cross over to Marylebone Station, & you can get a train direct. They may not allow you to travel that way on a Brackley ticket but it will pay you to buy a ticket to London and then to Brackley. I shouldn’t try & go cross country if I were you.
[page break]
10
If you are coming here to please yourself, then you’ll please me. The only reason [deleted] b [/deleted] I’ve been so negative & gloomy about your coming here is that I was afraid you would be unhappy. Actually, I think I want to see you more than you want to see me!
I think that’s all for now (9.45 p.m.). There are three chaps sitting round me talking, & its simply impossible to think now.
All my love,
Harold.
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/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his first training flight in a Wellington, the weather and domestic details.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1944-03-02
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Ten handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text. Correspondence
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM440302
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
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Buckinghamshire
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.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944-03
aircrew
military living conditions
pilot
RAF Turweston
training
Wellington