Browse Items (70 total)

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 301 Squadron was one of four Polish squadrons in Bomber Command and was formed with Battles at RAF Bramcote in July 1940. The squadron moved to RAF Swinderby in August 1940 where it converted to…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 304 Squadron was one of four Polish Squadrons in Bomber Command. It was formed in August 1940 at RAF Bramcote with Battles. In December 1940 it became part of 1 Group, moved to RAF Syerston and…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 420 Squadron was a Canadian squadron formed in December 1941 at RAF Waddington as part of 5 Group. It was initially equipped with Hampdens but converted to Manchesters in April 1942. In August 1942 the…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 424 Squadron was a Canadian squadron formed in October 1942 with Wellingtons at RAF Topcliffe as part of 4 Group, transferring to the Canadian 6 Group the following January. In April 1943 the squadron…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 425 Squadron was a French Canadian squadron formed at RAF Dishforth in June 1942 with Wellingtons as part of 4 Group, transferring to the Canadian 6 Group in January 1943. From May to October 1943 the…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 426 Squadron was a Canadian squadron formed in October 1942 at RAF Dishforth with Wellingtons as part of 4 Group. The station and squadron transfered to the Canadian 6 Group in January 1943. In June…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 427 Squadron was a Canadian squadron formed in November 1942 at RAF Croft equipped with Wellingtons as part of 4 Group. The station and squadron transferred to the Canadian 6 Group in January 1943 and…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 428 Squadron was a Canadian squadron formed in November 1942 at RAF Dalton as part of 4 Group equipped with Wellingtons. It transferred to the Canadian 6 Group in January 1943 and moved to RAF Middleton…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 431 Squadron a Canadian squadron formed in November 1942 as part of 4 Group but transferred to the Canadian 6 Group before it became operational. It was originally based at RAF Burn and equipped with…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 44 Squadron was reformed in March 1937 and flew Hampdens from RAF Waddington as part of 5 Group at the start of the war. In December 1941 it was the first squadron to introduce Lancasters to operational…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 466 Royal Australian Air Force Squadron was formed in October 1942 as part of 4 Group at RAF Driffield. Although an Australian squadron the majority of its personnel were originally British and it was…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses At the start of the war 50 Squadron was flying Hampdens from RAF Waddington as part of 5 Group. From July 1940 to July 1941 the squadron was based at RAF Lindholme. It then moved to RAF Swinderby until…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses At the start of the war 61 Squadron was part of 5 Group flying Hampdens at RAF Hemswell. In July 1941 it converted to Manchesters and moved to RAF North Luffenham where it stayed until November 1941.…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses At the start of the Second World War 63 Squadron was a bomber training unit at RAF Upwood flying Battles and Ansons. It moved for 10 days to RAF Abingdon before going to RAF Benson in mid-September 1939…

See all Archive items | See all wartime lossesIn September 1939, 7 Squadron was a training unit equipped with Hampdens. Initially it was based at RAF Doncaster, RAF Finningley and then RAF Upper Heyford where it became 16 Operational Training Unit in…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses By the start of the war 75 Squadron was equipped with Wellingtons and it served as a pool training squadron at RAF Harwell becoming 15 Operational Training Unit in April 1940. The squadron was…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses 76 Squadron was reformed at RAF Finningley in April 1937 and was a training squadron with Ansons and Hampdens at RAF Upper Heyford until April 1940 when it became 16 Operational Training Unit. It…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses At the start of the Second World War 77 Squadron was equipped with Whitleys at RAF Driffield as part of 4 Group. From August to October 1940 the squadron was at RAF Linton on Ouse and moved to RAF…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses In September 1939, 9 Squadron was part of 3 Group at RAF Honington equipped with Wellingtons. In August 1942 the Squadron converted to Lancasters and moved to RAF Waddington as part of 5 Group.…

See all Archive items | See all wartime losses In 1938, 99 Squadron was the first squadron to be equipped with Wellingtons. At the start of the war it was part of 3 Group at RAF Mildenhall but moved by mid-September 1939 to RAF Newmarket, via a few…

Ernie Twells' engineering notebook covering the theory of aircraft engines

166 pages of instrument course including notes with details and hand-drawn colour diagrams of aircraft instruments and gauges including pressure gauges, warning systems, clocks, compasses, bomb and gun sights, flight instruments and telecoms…

Dave Fellowes flew operations as a rear gunner with 460 Squadron. He and his crew survived a mid-air collision with another Lancaster which resulted in an emergency landing at RAF Manston.

Peter Banting grew up in London and was a member of the Air Training Corps before he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. After training he flew operations with 75 Squadron from RAF Mepal and 7 Squadron RAF Oakington. After the war he trained to be…

Rosemary Lapham is the daughter of Roy Chadwick CBE, the designer of the Manchester and Lancaster aircraft. She tells her father’s story. Her father was born in 1893 and when he left school at the age of fourteen he became a draughtsman at…