Browse Items (301 total)

  • Spatial Coverage is exactly "England--Devon"

PWardEM16010006.jpg
Top left, a head and shoulders portrait of Mary Brown, wearing dress with a necklace. Captioned 'Cpl Mary Brown in Shrewsbury Town', 'RAF Shawbury Mar 1945'.
Top right, photograph of 24 aircrew in uniform, in three rows, in formal pose. Captioned…

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PWardEM16010033.jpg
Top, the right wing of the Halifax with members of 517 Squadron in uniform, one row standing on the wing, two rows standing beneath the wing, one row seated and one row sitting on the ground.
Bottom, shows two men in sports kit, running across the…

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ACattyMA180822.mp3
Martin Catty grew up in London and was evacuated, with his school, to Westward Ho! at the beginning of the war. He completed a short training course at Cambridge University in 1942 and joined the Royal Air Force. After training, he flew 40…

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AOttewellJA161230.mp3
John Ottewell was a member of the Air Defence Cadet Corps and volunteered for the RAF when he was eighteen. While undertaking initial training he was present when a Fw 190 attacked the town of Babbacombe. He took part in the clean-up at the church…

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DWynn146838.pdf
Diary commences on joining Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 3 October 1940 and training at Babbacombe, Newquay and passing out as an aircraft fitter. Posting to RAF Kenley 6 January 1942 and association with fighter pilots Bluey Truscott, Paddy…

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ARoffeyRA180830.mp3
Ronald was born in Charlton, south-east London. He went to Charlton Junior School and was nine when war was declared. He remembered being fitted for a gas mask at his school. His aunt who lived in Torquay found a private billet for him and his mother…

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PSayFD1705.jpg
Frederick Say went to Tottenham County High School and when he left school he went to study agriculture. He joined the RAF and was posted to RAF Tangmere and worked in the Operations Room as a clerk and was promoted to Leading Aircraftsman Special…

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EWynnIAWynnK[Date]-040001.jpg
Writes of his arrival and training at Babbacombe, Torquay. Writes of weather, accommodation, other nationalities and that he has been appointed orderly for his section.

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EWynnIAWynnK410329-0001.jpg
Thanks her for parcel and states he has received first pay. Asks after his son and goes on to describe training and food. Discusses financial affairs and mentions other nationalities that are training.

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EWynnIAWynnK410403-0002.jpg
Writes of being busy and receiving inoculations. Says he is going to Newquay next.

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AStandenFC170218.mp3
Frank Standen always wanted to fly. He volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a pilot. Sadly, an eye defect was detected. He volunteered for motorboat crew and took part in air sea rescues. On one occasion he was involved in rescuing the crew of a…

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PHorshamES1602.jpg
Eric Horsham was born in East London in 1923. Leaving school at 14 he was a messenger at the Royal Ordnance Factory before working for the railways. In 1937 he joined the Air Training Corps and learned about aircraft maintenance. On his first attempt…

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AThomasPG180302.mp3
Peter was born in Nelson, Lancashire and had two brothers. He was sixteen when he left school in 1940 and got a job until joining the Royal Air Force in 1943. He went to London Air Crew Reception Centre before going to Initial Training Wing at RAF…

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AWyldeHJ161218.mp3
Herbert James Wylde was working in local government in Glasgow before he volunteered for aircrew training with the RAF. He started pilot training and had gone solo when he was sent to Canada to continue training. While there he began training as a…

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LPayneAJ1315369v1.pdf
South African Air Force observers or air gunners log book for Alan John Payne, navigator, covering the period from 7 November 1942 to 8 August 1946. Detailing his flying training, operations flown, instructor duties and post war squadron duties. He…

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LCattyMA164193v2.pdf
Royal Canadian Air Force flying log book for aircrew other than pilot for M A Catty, covering the period from 15 October 1943 to 21 September 1946. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and post war flying duties. He was stationed at RCAF…

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YThompsonKG1238603v1.pdf
During this period Keith Thompson did his basic RAF training in England then left for Canada to undertake his flying training.

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PLeckieW1901.jpg
Bill Leckie Bill was born in Glasgow but moved to the countryside as his father suffered from bronchitis. Initially working as a cinema projectionist, Bill joined the Royal Air Force at the age of eighteen, enlisting at St John’s Wood in London as…

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PThompsonKG15010007.jpg
Page, annotated 'Initial Training Wing Oct - '41 - Jan '42'.
Colour postcard, captioned 'Torquay Riviera', annotated 'Our Church for Sunday parades', 'Messing and billets in long white building'.
Postcard captioned 'The Harbour and Vane Hill',…

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PBarronAJK1901.jpg
Andrew was born in Chichester in 1923. The family moved to Wolverhampton when he was about two years old and then to Dulwich just before the war. When he was 13 or 14 his mother enrolled him at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, where he spent…

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BHorshamESHorshamESv10001.jpg
Brief recollection of Eric Horsham from his early years in Plumstead, training at Lords, Torquay, St Athans, Marston Moor then 102 Squadron at Pocklngton. On one operation they were badly damaged but made a successful forced landing at RAF…

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BHorshamESHorshamESv2.pdf
Recollection of Eric Horsham from his early years in Plumstead, training at Lords, Torquay, St Athans, Marston Moor then 102 Squadron at Pocklngton. On one operation they were badly damaged but made a successful forced landing at Woodbridge, assisted…

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BLillieCFLillieCFv1.pdf
Account of the operation to locate a German submarine and shooting down of a United States Navy PB4Y-1 Liberator by a Ju 88 in February 1944. Author is the nose gunner/bomb aimer and describes the operation, attack by fighters, ditching, escape to…

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SWatsonC188489v1-1.pdf
A memoir written by Cliff Watson divided into 20 chapters.

The Earliest Years.
Born in Barnoldswick, then in Yorkshire, now in Lancashire in 1922. His father ran a wireless business until 1926. He describes his years at schools and a move to…

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LPackhamG1214349v1.jpg
A list, taken from Geoff's logbook, of RAF stations where he served or was trained.

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