Browse Items (20 total)
- Contributor is exactly "Terry Holmes"
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Interview with Patricia Cook
Patricia Cook was born in Lincoln, one of eight children, during the Second World War. She recalls having to sleep four to a bed and having to share their house with complete strangers. They had the Morrison shelter table in their front room. The…
Interview with Frank Mouritz
![AMouritzFA[Date]-01.mp3](/omeka/application/views/scripts/images/fallback-audio.png "AMouritzFA[Date]-01.mp3")
Frank was born in Australia in 1923 and joined the RAAF in 1942. After initial training as a pilot in Australia and Canada, on Tiger Moth and Anson aircraft, he arrived in England. Over the next 12 months he progressed from Oxford to Wellington to…
Interview with Henry Townsley
Henry Townsley was born near Workington, left school aged 14 and started work as an apprentice vehicle fitter. After a spell as a junior engineer in the Merchant Navy, in April 1940 he volunteered for the RAF, rather than the Navy as he suffered from…
Interview with Thomas Peter Payne. One
Thomas was born in Hemel Hempstead in 1925, one of four children and lived in a row of terraced houses with very basic sanitation. The end property was a public house with no gas or electricity, only paraffin lamps and candles. His first recollection…
Interview with Joseph Musgrove
Born in York in 1922, Joseph left school at 14 and started work in a chocolate factory, whilst attending two nights of further education per week. In 1936, a fighter aircraft had landed nearby which stimulated his life-long interest in flying. After…
Interview with Peter Miller
Peter was called up in November 1943 and, after basic training, was sent to RAF Halton to train as a flight mechanic. Whilst there he had several dangerous incidents during small arms training. He was, initially, posted to 527 Squadron, which was …
Interview with Ben John May
Ben was born in 1925 in Kent and his first job was in the gas works. A member of the Air Transport Command, he was called up in 1944 and, after initial training at RAF Locking, he joined No.4 flight engineers’ course at RAF St Athan for one year.…
Interview with F N Larard
After being called up, Larry was assessed as pilot, navigator, bomb aimer but changed to rear gunner, to avoid the delay in pilot training. He was trained at RAF Dalcross on Wellingtons before moving to RAF Lindholme to convert to the Halifax and…
Interview with Peter Fitt
Peter was born in Norwich. His father was a head gardener and wanted him to follow that occupation and so refused to let him join the RAF. With the advent of war, the situation changed and Peter volunteered at a recruiting station and, after…
Interview with Colin Farr
Colin was born in Ilford in 1920 and, at the outbreak of war, was working in a London warehouse. Seeing the bomb damage around him he wanted to join the RAF and seek revenge, so he volunteered. Unfortunately, following an accident, he had a plaster…
Interview with Neville Shenbanjo
Neville was born in Leeds in 1945, one of seven children of Akin Shenbanjo DFC, who served as a wireless operator with 76 Squadron.
The first part of the interview relates to Neville's early life and relationship with his father. Neville was brought…
The first part of the interview relates to Neville's early life and relationship with his father. Neville was brought…
Interview with Keith Ganney
Keith was called up in February 1942 and, after basic training, learned to fly in the Tiger Moth and was then sent to Davidson in Canada for further training in Cornells and Cranes. He failed a flying test and was re-mustered as a bomb aimer and sent…
Interview with Jeff Brown
Jeff left school at 15 and became an electrician. Being keen on aircraft he joined the Air Training Corps and volunteered for the RAF when aged 17 to prevent him being randomly sent into the mining industry. Deferred until he was 18, he was initially…
Interview with Eric Brown
Eric left school at 14 and worked, initially, in a bakery and then moved to accountancy. Aged 17 he volunteered for aircrew and trained as a flight engineer. He became a pathfinder and carried out operations to Hamburg, Karlsruhe, and Dortmund,…
Interview with David Brewster
David was born in 1931 in Sutton on Sea and recalls living in a spartan house with no toilet, lit by gas lights and with a water pump in the garden and his father keeping pigs to augment their income. His descendents had sailed to America in the…
Interview with Dr Marjorie Birch
This interview was carried out when Dr Birch was 91 years old and she describes her experiences of the German bombing raids and her medical training in London.
Dr Birch was born near London in 1924. Her father had served in the Royal Flying Corps…
Dr Birch was born near London in 1924. Her father had served in the Royal Flying Corps…
Interview with John Richard Bell
John was a bomb aimer and after completing a tour in Bomber Command, he and his crew volunteered to join 617 Squadron. Interviewed by wing commander Cheshire, who they found to be very compassionate, easy to talk to and who didn't give orders but…
Interview with James Thomas Bateman
James volunteered for aircrew in June 1942, aged 17, purely for the adventure as he was looking for something exciting. He trained in Canada as a navigator and, after a wonderful leave in New York,returned to England for advanced flying training. On…
Interview with Stephen Granville Bacon
Stephen joined the Royal Air Force in Kingston upon Hull. He wanted to be a pilot but became a mid-air gunner instead. He started at RAF Dalcross where he trained on Boulton Paul Defiant aircraft and went to 12 Squadron at RAF Wickenby on Lancasters.…