Peter first learnt to fly powered aircraft at Elementary Flying Training School and was then attached to the 9th United States Air Force. He flew in C-47s, then went back to C squadron, flying Hamilcars. When the war finished, Peter went to Fairford and converted onto Waco CG-4As to go to the Far East.
Peter discusses the time leading up to the Second World War, his views on Chamberlain and Churchill, and how prepared the country was for war. He describes his training and time as a boy soldier.
He trained at RAF Stoke Orchard on Hotspur gliders, towed off the ground by Master aircraft. When he left Glider Training School he went on Horsas, towed by C-47s. Hamilcars needed four-engined bombers: 38 Squadron Halifaxes. Peter describes flying these different gliders.
Peter recounts in some detail the Rhine crossing in which they were hit by anti aircraft fire and landed nose down before escaping to Hamminkeln and ultimately returning to RAF Brize Norton and then to his squadron at RAF Tarrant Rushton. He talks about his Bren gun.
Peter expresses his pride and the many friendships made. He also praises several generals for their roles in the war.
Peter discusses the VJ and VE Day celebrations and how warfare has since changed.]]>
Tom Ozel]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> British Army]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> Germany]]> Rhine River]]> Germany--Hamminkeln]]> 1938]]> 1945-05-08]]> 1945-08-15]]>
Peter describes his daily routine, flight training at the Elementary Flying Training School and glider training at RAF Stoke Orchard. He flew every military glider: Hotspur, Horsa, Hadrian, Waco and Hamilcar. Peter recounts his first solo and sneaking flights with aircrews carrying out night flying tests at RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth. He also describes his first glider flight and the interior of a Hamilcar.
They met tug crews prior to operations, sharing the mess, but living separately. The Halifax towed them on the Rhine crossing when they carried a 17-pounder anti-tank gun.
As a heavy lift squadron, they lifted both the 1st Airborne Division and 6th Airborne Division, lifting Royal Artillery or Royal Armoured Corps.
During his time with the United States 9th Airforce with Troop Carrier Command, Peter went to more than one mass drop prior to D-Day. He saw “Windy” Gale, Browning and Eisenhower. ]]>
Tom Ozel]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> British Army]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> Germany]]> France]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form: no better quality copies are available.]]>
R Davies]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1945]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Essex]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Normandy]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Nijmegen]]> 1943-10-17]]> 1943-10-18]]> 1943-10-24]]> 1943-10-25]]> 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]]> Atlantic Ocean]]> Denmark]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> France--Brest]]> France--Dunkerque]]> France--La Rochelle]]> France--Lorient]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Cuxhaven]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Wismar]]> Northern Ireland--Antrim (County)]]> Russia (Federation)--Kaliningrad (Kaliningradskai︠a︡ oblastʹ)]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1940-10-29]]> 1940-10-30]]> 1940-11-15]]> 1940-11-16]]> 1940-11-25]]> 1940-11-26]]> 1940-11-28]]> 1940-11-29]]> 1940-12-08]]> 1940-12-09]]> 1940-12-16]]> 1940-12-17]]> 1940-12-21]]> 1940-12-22]]> 1940-12-28]]> 1940-12-29]]> 1941-01-01]]> 1941-01-02]]> 1941-01-04]]> 1941-01-05]]> 1941-01-08]]> 1941-01-09]]> 1941-01-14]]> 1941-01-15]]> 1941-01-30]]> 1941-01-31]]> 1941-02-05]]> 1941-02-06]]> 1941-02-07]]> 1941-02-08]]> 1941-02-10]]> 1941-02-11]]> 1941-02-12]]> 1941-02-21]]> 1941-02-22]]> 1941-02-24]]> 1941-02-25]]> 1941-02-26]]> 1941-02-27]]> 1941-03-18]]> 1941-03-19]]> 1941-03-20]]> 1941-03-21]]> 1941-03-29]]> 1941-03-30]]> 1941-04-08]]> 1941-04-09]]> 1941-04-13]]> 1941-04-14]]> 1941-04-17]]> 1941-04-18]]> 1941-04-24]]> 1941-04-25]]> 1941-04-28]]> 1941-04-29]]> 1942-05-02]]> 1942-05-03]]> 1942-05-31]]> 1942-06-01]]> 1942-06-02]]> 1942-07-26]]> 1942-07-27]]> 1942-07-29]]> 1942-07-30]]> 1942-08-09]]> 1942-08-13]]> 1942-08-17]]> 1942-08-19]]> 1942-08-28]]> 1942-08-29]]> 1942-09-01]]> 1942-09-02]]> 1942-09-10]]> 1942-09-11]]> 1942-09-14]]> 1942-09-15]]> 1942-09-16]]> 1942-09-17]]> 1942-09-24]]> 1942-09-25]]> 1942-10-01]]> K Gill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1942-11-13]]> K Gill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1942-10-10]]> K Gill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1942-11-04]]> H Sutherland]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1943-01-13]]> H Sutherland]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1943-01-26]]> P J Hogan]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Harrogate]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Bognor Regis]]> England--Dorset]]> Australia]]> Victoria--Bendigo]]> Victoria]]> England--Dorchester (Dorset)]]> 1945-03-17]]> P J Hogan]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Hull]]> England--Leeds]]> England--Dorset]]> Scotland]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Friesland]]> Australia]]> Victoria--Bendigo]]> Victoria]]> 1945-05-02]]> P J Hogan]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> Australia]]> Victoria--Bendigo]]> England--Dorset]]> Victoria]]> 1944-11-21]]> Terry Ford]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Christian]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> EFordTAFord[Fam]451019-0002,
EFordTAFord[Fam]451019-0003,
EFordTAFord[Fam]451019-0004,
EFordTAFord[Fam]451019-0005,
EFordTAFord[Fam]451019-0006,
EFordTAFord[Fam]451019-0007]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Morocco--Rabat]]> England--London]]> North Africa]]> India--Kolkata]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Christchurch (Dorset)]]> India]]> England--Dorset]]> 1945-10-19]]>
F P Grant]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Swanage]]> Canada]]> Ontario]]> Ontario--Brockville]]> 1945-05-05]]> F Donaldson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Lyme Regis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Robin Christian]]> David Bloomfield]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Dorset]]> 1946-07-22]]> Lloyds Bank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1943-12-15]]> Lloyds Bank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1943-12-21]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Swanage]]> 1935]]>
The bombing operations he took part in are described, as is his investiture and his time in India as an administrative officer.

Cruickshank then moves to Instructing before returning to Operations including Nuremberg. He then describes the transition to civilian life after his demobilisation from the RAF, poor health and his attempt to build a business in post war Britain.

Some of the photographs mentioned were donated separately and some are recorded as separate items.]]>
G Cruickshank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Portland]]> England--Bristol]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Essex]]> England--Aldershot]]> England--Felixstowe]]> England--Harwich]]> England--Middlesex]]> England--Herefordshire]]> Scotland--Ross and Cromarty]]> France]]> France--Clermont-Ferrand]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> France--Toulouse]]> Germany]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Italy]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> India--Kolkata]]> India--Bhopal]]> England--Liverpool]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> India--New Delhi]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1942-04-17]]> 1942-05-30]]> 1942-05-31]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1944-03-30]]> 1944-03-31]]> 1944-04-05]]> 1944-04-06]]>
Dick Curnock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Bradbury]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Austria]]> Austria--Villach]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Abbotsford]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> France]]> France--Paris]]> Gibraltar]]> Germany]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bridlington]]> England--Horsham]]> England--Leicester]]> England--London]]> England--Melksham]]> Italy]]> Italy--Bari]]> Italy--Cortina d'Ampezzo]]> Italy--Naples]]> Italy--Padua]]> Italy--Ravenna]]> Italy--Rimini]]> Italy--Rome]]> Italy--Udine]]> Italy--Venice]]> Malta]]> North Africa]]> Poland--Toruń]]> Germany--Lüneburg]]> Poland]]> Lithuania]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> England--Christchurch (Dorset)]]> Québec]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Essex]]> England--Thundersley]]> England--London]]> Scotland--Edinburgh]]> England--Devon]]> England--Paignton]]> England--Surrey]]> Canada]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> United States]]> Alabama--Montgomery]]> Florida--Arcadia]]> Georgia--Macon]]> Georgia--Valdosta]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--West Midlands]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--Turin]]> Germany]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> France]]> France--Modane]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Trebbin]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Florida]]> Alabama]]> Georgia]]> New Brunswick]]> Nova Scotia]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1914-01-22]]> 1935-11-30]]> 1941-03-19]]> 1941-08-04]]> 1941-10-17]]> 1941-11-21]]> 1941-12-02]]> 1941-12-18]]> 1942-01-11]]> 1942-03-29]]> 1942-07-05]]> 1942-10-07]]> 1942-11-03]]> 1943-03-02]]> 1943-05-28]]> 1943-07-05]]> 1943-07-07]]> 1943-07-12]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-25]]> 1943-07-27]]> 1943-08-09]]> 1943-08-10]]> 1943-08-12]]> 1943-08-15]]> 1943-08-17]]> 1943-08-22]]> 1943-08-23]]> 1943-08-27]]> 1943-08-29]]> 1943-09-12]]> 1943-09-22]]> 1943-09-27]]> 1943-09-28]]> 1943-09-29]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-10-07]]> 1943-10-08]]> 1943-10-18]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1943-11-10]]> 1943-11-14]]> 1943-11-18]]> 1943-11-26]]> 1943-12-02]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending identification. Things]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Poole (Dorset)]]> 1946-05]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Hancock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Scotland--Dumfries]]> 1939-12-03]]> 1939-12-18]]> 1940-03-31]]> 1940-04-12]]> 1940-04-21]]> 1940-04-22]]> 1940-05-17]]> 1940-05-18]]> 1940-05-21]]> 1940-05-22]]> 1940-05-23]]> 1940-05-24]]> 1940-05-27]]> 1940-05-29]]> 1940-05-30]]> 1940-06-03]]> 1940-06-04]]> 1940-06-05]]> 1940-06-06]]> 1940-06-07]]> 1940-06-08]]> 1940-06-09]]> 1940-06-10]]> 1940-06-11]]> 1940-06-13]]> 1940-06-14]]> 1940-06-15]]> 1940-06-16]]> 1940-06-17]]> 1940-09-15]]> 1940-09-21]]> 1940-09-23]]> 1940-09-25]]> 1940-09-26]]> 1940-09-28]]> 1940-09-29]]> 1940-10-01]]> 1940-10-09]]> 1940-10-13]]> 1940-10-15]]> 1940-10-16]]> 1940-10-20]]> 1940-10-21]]> 1940-10-23]]> 1940-10-24]]> 1940-10-26]]> 1940-10-27]]> 1940-10-29]]> 1940-10-30]]>