Browse Items (287 total)

  • Spatial Coverage is exactly "England--Gloucestershire"

PPeckP1602.jpg
Peter joined the 74 Air Defence Cadet Corps at a unit at Crayford. He then volunteered to join the Royal Air Force. After a recruiting centre at Hither Green, he attended Lord’s Cricket Ground and was called up towards the end of 1943. He went to…

PQuineJW1603.jpg
John volunteered for the Royal Air Force as a pilot. He went to Lord’s cricket ground, followed by the Initial Training Wing at Scarborough. He spent 10 hours on Tiger Moths in Carlisle. After a short time at RAF Heaton Park in Manchester, John…

EDexterKIDexterPC421030-0001.jpg
Catches up with family and friends and mentions that he is night flying at present.

EDexterKIDexterPC421213-0001.jpg
Catches up with family and mentions that a chill had caused his operational training unit course to be cancelled but he had seen the doctor. Concludes with discussion on how to get Christmas presents.

EDexterKIDexterPC430104.pdf
Short letter as he is packing to move. He includes a ration coupon as he feels guilty about consuming families rations on visit home. Will write again when he gets to new station.

YDexterKI127249v2.pdf
Day by day diary covering events from November 1942 to June 1943. Describes flying at Little Rissington and illness over Christmas 1942 which delayed posting. Eventually posted in January 1943 to 30 Operational Training Unit. Describes events at…

MCluettAV120946-150515-09.jpg
Account of daylight attack, 27 September 1940, on Parnell aircraft factory in Yate, Gloucestershire by bomb-carrying Me 110s of ZG 76. On their return they were engaged by Hurricanes of 504 and 56 Squadron, and one Me 110 force-landed at Iwerne…

PHaytonK1701.jpg
Ken Hayton’s father, George Stanley Hayton (Stan), worked worked for Lloyds Bank. In 1940 Stan left his post to join the Royal Air Force; Ken recalled going to Durham station to see his father off, travelling to start basic training at RAF Padgate.…

PHollisAN1801.jpg
Richard’s father, Arthur Hollis, went to Dulwich College as a day boy. He left at sixteen to join the Home Guard , then worked for a firm of accountants for a couple of years before joining the Royal Air Force. He was sent to Manchester University…

AHookerFJ170826.mp3
Fred Hooker was a mid-upper gunner on 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklington, where he flew three operations before being shot down. Born in Hartley Wintney in 1924, Fred’s first experience of the RAF was visiting RAF Odiham as a member of the Air…

AInkpenH160712.mp3
Harry Inkpen joined Bomber Command in November 1944 and flew 33 operations on Mosquitoes as a pilot on 162 Squadron. Tells of how, in his view, his squadron had more losses because of bad weather conditions than because of encounters with the enemy.…

ELeighHWynnK430806-0001.jpg
Letter from the Air Ministry to Mrs Wynn advising that as her husband was promoted to pilot officer at the time he went missing, she is entitled to a larger allowance.

EWynnIAWynnK410528-0001.jpg
Writes that he is on his way to Hednesford and talks about leave. He is anxious to see his sons and then goes on with discussion of financial affairs. Mentions waiting for train connections on journey and speculates on new location and course.

PThomasB1801.jpg
Bessie Thomas left school at the age of fourteen and worked at the Consett Iron Company working as a typist. At the age of eighteen at the time of Dunkirk she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force where she wanted to be a radio operator but there…

AThomasJH180122.mp3
John Thomas was born in Australia and joined the RAF in 1943. After doing his initial training in Australia he travelled to the UK via America. Further training, including an accident and night vision tests, led to 102 Squadron and a full tour of…

PTrappSV1602.jpg
Sylvia was born in Mansfield where her father was a miner and her mother had worked at Lawns Mills. She had two brothers and a sister. Sylvia was 15 when she left school to work at the hosiery mills and recalls the German manager being deported. She…

ATrotmanPJ180604.mp3
Applying for RAF Bomber Command in May 1940, Percival Trotman was called up in September 1940, training as a pilot at RAF Towyn in Aberystwyth. Being present at Coventry when the town was bombed, he recalls deciding that the Germans deserved to have…

PGoodwinWJ1701.jpg
Wal Goodwin grew up near Melbourne, was conscripted in the Australian Army but was discharged due to his father’s reserved farming occupation. He later volunteered for the Australian Air Force and received his initial training of meteorology, Morse…

AWilliamsVD170403.mp3
Vivian joined the Royal Air Force in July 1938 as a flight mechanic and served for seven and a half years. After square drills at RAF Uxbridge and a course at RAF Manston, he did a basic engineering course at RAF Henlow. After six months at RAF St…
Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2