Harry Bartlett]]> 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--Lincolnshire]]> South Africa]]> Germany]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Scotland]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-11]]> 1945-03-10]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-05-30]]> 1945-07-03]]> 1946]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Nancy]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-25]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Azores]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Netherlands]]> United States]]> Zimbabwe]]> Arizona--Tucson]]> England--Burton upon Trent]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Essex]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> India--Kolkata]]> Italy--Elba]]> Mediterranean Sea--Bay of Naples]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> Ontario--Ottawa]]> Scotland--Leuchars]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> Washington (State)--Seattle]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Arizona]]> Ontario]]> New Brunswick]]> India]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Staffordshire]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Gibraltar]]> Singapore]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Rutland]]> Germany--Dresden]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1952]]> 1956]]> 1963]]> When Donald was sixteen, he joined the local Air Training Corps and later went to St. John’s Wood, where he was entered as a wireless operator / air gunner. He did his basic training at RAF Bridlington and was then posted to a wireless school in Hereford. While there he was taken ill and sent to hospital. On his recovery he asked to be re-mustered as an air gunner and was sent to the Isle of Sheppey to be trained on a Napier. He was then posted to RAF Bridgnorth gunnery school. After finishing the course, he was sent home until he was summoned to form a crew. The crew was posted to RAF Halton where they flew on Wellingtons. Their next posting was to RAF Wittering where they transferred to Lancasters. Donald was then posted to 625 Squadron at RAF Scampton. The squadron flew to Belgium and later to Italy to bring prisoners of war home. They also took part in Operation Manna over Holland. On returning to England the crew were split and Donald was posted to RAF Uxbridge and then demobbed. He went back to work at O. C. Summers until his retirement. At the age of 38 Donald married a typist who also worked for O. C. Summers.


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Harry Bartlett]]> 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]]> Belgium]]> Italy]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> Netherlands]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--London]]> England--Kent]]> England--Kent]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Scotland--Moray]]> 1941]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Singapore]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> 1943]]> 1944-08-17]]> 1945]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1940]]> 1943]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Towards the end of the war, Derek did various bomber instructor courses and became a bombing instructor at RAF Lossiemouth on Wellingtons for Free French aircrew in 4 Group. He was an expert on the Mark XIV bombsights. He would deliver some lectures and fly as a screened bomb aimer to check they were following the correct procedures.
On the invitation from a flight commander, Derek volunteered to join Tiger Force at RAF Swinderby, a Heavy Conversion Unit onto Lancasters. They trained on a different navigational radar system, Loran, to get to Okinawa in the Far East. However, war then ended.
Derek was posted to RAF Blyton where he was designated as an equipment officer for bomb disposal in western Europe. He went on a course at RAF Bicester. Derek was demobilised when stationed at Technical Training Command headquarters at RAF Brampton. He had wanted to stay on in the RAF but did not want to lose his job with his employer.
Derek describes a typical day on operations and his role as bomb aimer, as well as a difficult operation to Abbeville in which Leonard Cheshire was the master bomber.
After the war, Derek was a company director in road transport and was very much involved with the Air Training Corps.]]>
Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Oxfordshire]]> Scotland--Moray]]> France]]> France--Abbeville]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> Pakistan]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1946-01-22]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Carron Moss]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> After attending the Lancaster finishing school at RAF Syerston, Keith and his crew were posted to RAF East Kirby. Their first operation was to Konigsberg, an eleven-hour trip but had to divert to Scotland because of bad weather. Several ‘bullseye’ feint operations were next before a raid on Bremen Docks was a failure due to navigator error.
Another operation was to Dusseldorf, carried out on a perfect moonlit night. An attack by a Me109, left the rear gunner severely wounded and the mid upper turret out of action. After fifteen minutes of corkscrew evasive action, the enemy fighter flew alongside, waggled his wings and flew off. Keith comforted the rear gunner until they made an emergency landing in England. Examination of the damaged aircraft revealed the emergency whistle of the mid upper gunner had deflected a bullet and saved his life. On an operation to Trondheim, the crew were unable to bomb so returned but had a lucky escape when they flew too low and hit the sea, tearing off the tail wheel and causing a crash landing for which the pilot received a red endorsement
Their last operation was to Siegen and in mid flight the navigator wanted to turn back so the pilot ordered Keith to map read the route from the nose of the aircraft and so he finished his first tour on 1st February 1945.
After time as a bombing instructor at RAF Swinderby, Keith was posted to Sudan as an air traffic controller from where he was demobbed.
He worked as a salesman until 1984, during which time he joined 57/630 Squadron association.
Keith feels angry at the treatment of Arthur Harris and considers the aircrew clasp as a pathetic gesture.]]>
Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Terry Holmes]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Siegen]]> Norway--Trondheim]]> Russia (Federation)--Kaliningrad (Kaliningradskai︠a︡ oblastʹ)]]> Canada]]> Saskatchewan]]> Sudan]]> Germany]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1945-02-01]]>
Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Argentina]]> Brazil]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Argentina--Buenos Aires]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--London]]> Brazil--Rio de Janeiro]]> Scotland--Moray]]> 1946]]> 1948]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Graham Emmet]]> Steve Baldwin]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Moray]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Canada]]> Ontario]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> New Brunswick]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> United States]]> Florida]]> Florida--Lakeland]]> South Africa]]> Germany]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Pakistan]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> South Africa--Vereeniging]]> 1944-10-25]]> 1944-12-02]]> 1945-01-02]]> 1945-05]]> 1945-06]]> ]]> Harry Bartlett]]> 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]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> Canada]]> Italy]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--Irish Sea]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--London]]> Northern Ireland--Fermanagh]]> 1936]]> 1944-02-15]]> 1944-04-17]]> 1944-04-27]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tina James]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>