Aeronautics Syerston]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1943-07-08]]> 1943-07-09]]> Bertie Gray]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Andy Hamilton]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> 1944-08]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Bradley Froggatt]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-06]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-05]]> 1935-04]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-05]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-05]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-06]]>
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Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Artwork]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-06]]>
Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-06]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-06]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Bradley Froggatt]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-07]]> Billy Akrill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1935-07]]> C Boucher]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1943-09-30]]> Colleen Baines]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Ireland]]> England--Mousehole]]> Australia]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> New South Wales--Maroubra]]> New South Wales--Kingsford Smith]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Ealing]]> England--Whitley Bay]]> England--Reading]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Winchester]]> England--Anstey (Leicestershire)]]> New South Wales--Guyra]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Italy]]> England--Sevenoaks]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> England--London]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> England--Runnymede]]> England--West Malling]]> England--Mutford]]> England--Blaby]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> New South Wales]]> Ontario]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Kent]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Middlesex]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Barnsley (South Yorkshire)]]> 1944-01-27]]> F Routledge]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Nottingham]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1942-05-06]]> H Madgett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Kent]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Nottingham]]> England--London]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> England--Sleaford (Lincolnshire)]]> 1943-01]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-05]]> Harold Gorton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1944-06]]> Harold Gorton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1944-06]]> Harold Gorton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincoln]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1944-09]]> 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]]>
J Williamson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Southwold]]> England--Frome]]> England--Northampton]]> England--Goole]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Remscheid]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> England--Bridlington]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Southam (Warwickshire)]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Skegness]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Germany]]> Jack Darby]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> United States]]> New York (State)--New York]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> Netherlands]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> 1944-09]]> Jack Darby]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Claygate]]> England--Portsmouth]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1944-10]]> Jack Darby]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1944-11]]> Jack Darby]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Shaftesbury]]> England--Isle of Wight]]> England--Southampton]]> England--Nottingham]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> 1944-11]]>