David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> Wales--Pembrokeshire]]> England--Cumbria]]> Mediterranean Sea]]> India]]> Canada]]> Alberta]]> North Africa]]> Morocco]]> Morocco--Rabat]]> Italy]]> Egypt]]> India]]> 1942]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Northern Ireland]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Wales--Carmarthenshire]]> Great Britain]]> Great Britain]]> 1942]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Lithuania]]> Poland]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Poland--Świnoujście]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Lithuania--Klaipėda]]> 1944-03-18]]> 1945-02]]> 1945-06-19]]> 1946-09-06]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Kettering]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944]]> 1945-06]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> Manitoba]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> Great Britain]]> 1943-09]]> 1944]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sam Harper-Coulson]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Japan]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1947]]> In February 1946 three of the crews took Lancasters to RAF Abu Sueir in Egypt. After a few weeks they moved to RAF Shallufa, in the Canal Zone, when 104 Squadron was formed. Jack finished up on Ansons doing VIP and mail runs. He flew back in a Lancaster to RAF Kirkham via RAF Silloth, where he was demobbed. Jack flown in Domine, Proctor, Anson, Wellington and a Lancaster.
Jack married in 1951 and had two children, went back to the footplate until 1961. After that he worked as a manager of a fancy goods shop and eventually moved to Bridlington.]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Cumbria]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Suez Canal]]> North Africa]]> 1945-04]]> 1946-02]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> 1940]]> 1943]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Bradford]]> England--London]]> Wales--Carmarthenshire]]> France]]> Germany]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Germany--Bad Oldesloe]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1942-07]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1941-12-18]]> 1942]]> 1943-08]]> Posted to 26 Operational Training Unit at RAF Wing, he was formed into a crew to fly Wellingtons as a rear gunner. On one training flight, an engine failed on take-off and the pilot managed to complete a circuit before carrying out a belly landing. As Bert had learned morse code as an air cadet, he was tasked to take over as the wireless operator if necessary, therefore, moved to the mid-upper turret to be closer.
In 1944 he was posted to RAF Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, initially with 1678 Heavy Conversion Unit to convert to Lancasters, and then to 514 Squadron as operational crew. His first operation was on the 30th of May to Boulogne. He describes a number of operations over France and Germany. On the 12th of June during an operation to Gelsenkirchen, they were hit by anti-aircraft fire putting their instruments out of action. They were diverted to RAF Woodbridge for an emergency landing.
Bert describes the differences in performance between the Mark II and Mark III Lancasters, and what happened during the day of operations. He completed his thirty operations in September 1944 and, after a period of leave, was posted to RAF Manby as an instructor with No. 1 Empire Air Armament School. He explains how he felt about the bombing of Germany, the loss of friends, and how the war was a great leveller of persons. He was demobilised in 1947. ]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Tyne and Wear]]> France--Abbeville]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944-03-15]]> 1944-03-19]]> 1944-05-30]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-06-21]]> 1944-07-20]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-08-29]]> 1944-09-06]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> England--Torquay]]> England--Devon]]> England--London]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-10]]> 1944-08-12]]> 1945-01]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943-10]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Saint-Cyr-l'École]]> 1944-07-25]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Merseburg]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Hörstel]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1945-04-10]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Dresden]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> After returning to England, Dick did a flying course at RAF Burnaston. In February 1945 he went to 1669 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Langar with Lancasters. He helped to put out an engine fire on a training trip over Wales. Dick then joined 115 Squadron at RAF Witchford. He recalls a daylight operation to an oil refinery in the Ruhr. A target was also missed in Heligoland. There were two operations to Kiel. He was involved in Operation Manna to The Hague. Dick was sent to RAF Leicester East after the war had ended and flew C-47. He was sent to Cairo. Dick left the RAF in Spring 1947.]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Coventry]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Canada]]> Saskatchewan]]> Saskatchewan--Regina]]> Germany]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> North Africa]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> Operational duties included up to 14 bombing operations over Germany, three trips on Operation Mana and a number of flights bringing prisoners of war back from France and Italy. Reg also describes the typical duties of aircrew wireless operator -staying in contact with base operations and keeping the crew informed of any operational changes. When the war ended Reg re-mustered to work in Motor Transport and was posted to the MOD Maintenance Unit at White City and then on to the Maintenance Unit at Bicester. He finished his National Service at Kirkham near Blackpool. Reg married in 1945. At the time of the interview they were approaching their 70th wedding anniversary.
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David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Chris Cann]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>