Transcript of interview with Allan Edgar
Dad's Transcript Memories of Crew and Missions 1944 to 1945
The memoirs were recorded in 1980 at a reunion at Sudbrooke. He starts by describing crewing up at Silverstone. His opinion of the Stirling was that it was awful on the ground and in the air. His first operation was a second 'dickie' (an observer) to Konisberg. On his third trip his bomb aimer opened his chute on the ground so Alan gave him his. Fortunately the trip was uneventful. They took part on an operation to Mailly le Camp which turned into a disaster because the bombing points were obscured. On the next operation they machine gunned a train without appreciating how dangerous it was. Then an operation to Bour Leopold, Belgium led to their Lancaster being heavily damaged. They crash landed at Woodbridge and Alan was awarded the DFC. After the landing they drank all the rum they found in a hut. On the next trip to France they were attacked and the hydraulics were damaged resulting in not being able to open the bomb doors. They returned to the UK with the bombs and successfully landed at Turweston. He was always first back because he maintained height until close to the airfield then dived at top speed for the airfield. The other crews could not understand how he achieved this.
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1980
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10 typewritten sheets
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MEdgarAG172180-180704-01
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Aircraft Cockpit
A double exposure image of an aircraft cockpit superimposed over two small men behind the control column. On the reverse 'The Gremlins get to work & my Camera complied with their demands. I'm finished "shooting" for the day. SFTS '43'
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1943
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One b/w photograph
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PEdgarAG19010098,
PEdgarAG19010099
Harvard Landing
The wing of a Harvard as it lands on a snowy airfield. On the reverse 'We slash down the runway on a Winter morning. What's snow & ice to men like us!!! Cheers, I'm half dead with cold. Nov 42'.
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1942-11
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One b/w photograph
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PEdgarAG19010081,
PEdgarAG19010082
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