Bottom, Halifax X9-L on ground from right side with some of the crew. Captioned '21 Sep 1945', 'Lagens Azores'.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Azores]]> Azores--Lajes]]> 1945-09-21]]> 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]]> When Jim was about 18, he was called up to go to RAF Halton for aircraft training, after which he was sent for further training at RAF Abingdon Operational Training Unit on Hampden and Witney aircraft. He was then sent back to RAF Halton to do a fitter course and then posted to 23 Operational Training Unit at RAF Pershore working on Wellingtons. After training Jim became a leading aircraftman. In September 1943 Jim was posted to 206 Squadron on the Wirral for about two weeks. The outfit totalled about 1,000 people from the Air Force, Army and Navy. His unit was then sent to the Liverpool docks to join the troop ship Laconia heading for Bangor and then on to Azores where 8206 Maintenance Unit built an Air Force station and runway. They stayed in tents with eight people for up to a year. Over Christmas Jim was in a Portuguese hospital for about three days with a broken finger. The unit went to Casablanca then to Cornwall just before D-Day. He was put on night shift at RAF St Mawgan with 206 Squadron working on Liberators. Following a trip to Scotland they were posted at Dundee with an air salvaging and servicing unit. Here he was made acting corporal and worked with 31 Dakota Squadron. When the war ended, he was flown to Singapore, got a boat to Southampton and was discharged to complete his apprenticeship as a joiner. Jim re-joined the Air Force and went back to RAF Swinderby for four years working on Wellingtons. There he met his future wife. In 1951 the unit went to Singapore to work on Sunderlands before being posted back home. Jim left in 1966 and worked for AV Roe until joining ICL in a management job. ]]> Martyn Horndern]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Wirral]]> Scotland]]> Scotland--Dundee]]> Azores]]> North Africa]]> Morocco]]> Morocco--Casablanca]]> Singapore]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943]]> 1943-09]]> 1943-12]]> 1966]]> George joined the Army in 1935 in a tank regiment, serving in Egypt at Al El-Alamein, and in Italy. He was also mentioned in dispatches.
Gordon worked for the Spalding Free Press, in his free time he was a keen radio amateur wishing to become wireless operator. He joined the Royal Air Force and served with 12 Squadron at RAF Wickenby. Margaret reminisces receiving a telegram claiming he was missing, the subsequent notification of death and the whole family grieving. Margaret’s husband Arthur, was ten years her senior - he served in the Royal Air Force with 9 Squadron and 106 Squadron from RAF Metheringham. He took part in an operation to Saint-Leu-d'Esserent with Flight Lieutenant Bill Williams, then was posted to RAF Bardney practising for Tirpitz operations. Gained his Distinguished Flying Medal, he went to Singapore with 50 Squadron as part of the Tiger Force. He married Margaret after the war. Margaret also elaborates on the bombing of Dresden and discusses lack of recognition for Bomber command veterans.]]>
Rod Pickles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> British Army]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> Azores]]> Norway]]> Singapore]]> Egypt]]> France]]> France--Creil]]> Italy]]> North Africa]]> Egypt--Alamayn]]> 1945]]>
Photograph 2 is five airmen standing at the rear door of their Lancaster. It is captioned '(we pose in front of aircraft at the slightest provocation) After landing at St Mawgan'.
Photograph 3 is an airman standing in front of a trellis captioned 'The Gardens Port du Vittoria'. and 'LAGENS 9th/10th July.'
Photograph 4 is three airmen posing against a wall captioned 'Different Dress - same service various fashions as worn for the "esplanade" at Port du Vittoria'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Azores]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> 1946-07-08]]> 1946-07-09]]> 1946-07-10]]>
J F Roberts]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Azores]]> Azores--Terceira Island]]> 1945-06-19]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Azores]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> California]]> Colorado]]> Massachusetts]]> Missouri]]> Texas]]> Washington (D.C.)]]> California--Los Angeles]]> Colorado--Denver]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Massachusetts--West Springfield]]> New York (State)]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> Texas--San Antonio]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Illinois--Belleville]]> Illinois]]> 1946-07]]> 1946-08]]>
Middle left - Air-to-air view of formation of four Lancasters in light paint scheme over open countryside. The tail plane of aircraft from which photo taken from rear turret is visible on right.

Middle right - oblique aerial photograph of Praia da Vitoria on the Azores with sea beyond.

Below middle - photograph of a US Navy Airship.

Bottom left - air-to air view of two following Lancasters in light paint scheme taken from rear turret.

Bottom right - side view of Lancaster parked facing left in light paint scheme.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Stilgoe]]> Pending geolocation]]> Pending identification. Places]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Azores]]> Azores--Praia da Vitória]]> 1946]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Stilgoe]]> Geolocated]]> Photograph]]> Azores]]> Azores--Praia da Vitória]]> 1946]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Stilgoe]]> Geolocated]]> Photograph]]> Azores]]> Azores--Praia da Vitória]]> 1946]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> California--Long Beach]]> Colorado--Denver]]> Illinois--Belleville]]> Massachusetts--Chicopee]]> Maryland--Camp Springs]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Gander]]> New York (State)--Long Island]]> Texas--San Antonio]]> Azores--Lajes]]> California]]> Colorado]]> Illinois]]> Maryland]]> Massachusetts]]> New York (State)]]> Texas]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> Canada]]> Azores]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]>
Item 1 is a photo of a group of 12 airmen in front of a Shackleton, captioned 'C in C & Crew at Bermuda'.
Item 2 is a sketch map of the route from St Eval, Azores, Bermuda to Norfolk (Va).
Item 3 is a photo of a car park, captioned 'Car Park outside Barrack Block'.
Item 4 is a slip with 'Nav Sup 22352.28 J'.
Item 5 is a photo of an airman with one hand on a column, captioned 'Y.T. near Barrack Block'.
Item 6 is a postcard of Aeroporto das Lages in the Azores.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Azores]]> Bermuda Islands]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> Azores--Lajes]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Virginia--Norfolk]]> Virginia]]>