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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/613/8882/PMotterheadN1501.1.jpg
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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/613/8882/PMottersheadN1504.1.jpg
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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/613/8882/AMotterheadN150719.2.mp3
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Title
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Mottershead, Bluey
Nevil Mottershead
N Mottershead
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IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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Mottershead, N
Description
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Two items. An oral history interview with Squadron Leader 'Bluey' Mottershead DFC (b. 1922, Royal Air Force) and a photograph. He flew operations as a pilot with 158 Squadron.
The collection was catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
Date
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2015-07-19
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Transcribed audio recording
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Transcription
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AM: Ok. So this interview is being conducted for the International Bomber Command Centre. The interviewer is me, Annie Moody and the interviewee is Bluey Mottershead. And the interview is taking place at Mr Mottershead’s home in Brailsford on the 19th of July 2015. So, off you go. Tell me a little bit about your, your childhood.
NM: Yes.
AM: And leading up to why you decided to join the RAF, Bluey?
NM: Well, I was born on a farm in Shropshire. I was the sixth child of my parents but they had lost two previous to me arriving on the scene and therefore, when I arrived I was treated something special. And that special has been with me all my life. And my best friend from my youth, in my youth, was also, had joined the Royal Air Force for aircrew duties and he was in a place called Honington. On a live station in Suffolk. And while they were taking a NAAFI break a bomber came over, dropped a bomb, hit the NAAFI and killed four of them. And then thereafter I was stood in the churchyard of my village while they were burying him. There went the past and so —
AM: What age would you be then Bluey?
NM: Eighteen.
AM: You were eighteen.
NM: And so, when it came around to the January after Christmas I thought I have got to go and revenge for my friend. And so, on the 18th — on the 8th of January 1942 I went to Shrewsbury and signed up for aircrew duties and I became nineteen at the end of that particular week. And so I was sent home on what they called deferred service following the medicals that I had at Shrewsbury and going to Cardington for forty eight hours to have the medicals there. And when I returned I received this letter from the Air Ministry, shall we say, saying, ‘You are now going home on deferred service and we will call you when we’re ready.’ Well, I thought that date would never come but anyway, eventually I received information from them which said report to Lord’s Cricket Ground on the 7th July 1941. No. That would be wrong. No. 1941 it was.
AM: ‘41.
NM: And there was hundreds of us there. All from over the country. The same men who had been on deferred service and they were all called together to the, to Lords Cricket Ground. And then were allocated sleeping accommodation in St Johns Wood. In a lovely place called Viceroy Court. And we were lying on palliases on the floor and there was no furniture but quite obviously the flats would be luxury flats. And having done that they decided right we can’t keep all these men here. It would be rather dangerous. There were thousands of us in a very small area and if the Germans had got to know, then bombed the area they’d have killed thousands of us. And they decided to send parties of us out and I was sent to Scampton. Just the job. And of course Scampton was a live station and we were all very interested to watch these Hampdens and things taking off. The Hampdens I didn’t care two hoots for. In fact, I did go to one of the satellites of Scampton and had a ride in one which I didn’t think was fit for purpose. And so when that was over came back to St Johns Wood which was called ACRC.
AM: What did you actually do at Scampton? Did you just —
NM: Oh just normal.
AM: Square bashing.
NM: Square bashing and all sort of things connected with the air [pause] I’m sorry. My –
AM: Oh don’t worry.
NM: Identification of aircraft and all that sort of thing, you see.
AM: Right.
NM: But anyway we were shipped back, back to ACRC at St John’s Wood and from there I was sent to Newquay in Cornwall for my ITW. Now, having completed all that we then were sent to a little airfield by High Wycombe called Booker and there we were introduced to the Tiger Moth. And I had a very senior flight lieutenant, old flight lieutenant as my teacher sort of thing. And he and I got on very well and in the end I discovered afterwards that having been sent on for the next stage I’d never gone solo in this Tiger Moth. I’d flown it time enough again with him in there. So, then the time came they said, ‘Right. Off you go home. Take a bit of leave at Christmas and report to —' a place at Manchester. A park. Something.
AM: Heaton. Heaton Park.
NM: Heaton Park. Heaton Park. There once again there was thousands of us and we were billeted out and I was billeted with a family — together with a friend of mine, Ron Champion and we were there. And funny things happened which don’t, have nothing to do with my life’s —
AM: Oh no. Tell us. Tell us.
NM: We [pause] there was a small area within the park itself was RAF property. And outside that, outside that we were ourselves again and of course we were staying with these people. Well, one young lad was seen walking around outside the RAF area after midnight. And so of course they called him in and said, ‘What’s the problem?’ He said, ‘Well, my landlady keeps getting in bed with me.’ And [laughs] do you know there must, must have been fifty or so had been there before and they never said a word and he had to go and let the cat out of the bag. After completing all that of course it was decided because we had not got the facilities in this country to train two thousand pilots and so it was decided to send us overseas and I was very fortunate in as much as in the January 1942 we sailed out of Liverpool for Halifax, Nova Scotia. And I do not recommend being in a smaller boat crossing the Atlantic at that time of the year. There was a little, a Polish destroyer with us and he kept disappearing out of sight and coming up the other side. How the hell they kept stuff in their whatever they call them. Where they keep — do all the food for them. I can’t remember.
AM: The galley.
NM: The galley. And anyway one or two of them the first morning out — the boat we were [pause] I think it was lunchtime. No. It had got to be morning and the boat did this. Twice.
AM: Rocking about in the sea.
NM: And everything on the table went whoosh in to a ruck on the floor. Well half of them looked at it and since they were little bit of somehow or other being affected by being at sea half of them went [laughs] went missing the next, the next day and boy could I eat, and I ate everything that came in front of me.
AM: You were not seasick then.
NM: No. No. It didn’t trouble me one little bit and then having landed we got on the train and went to Moncton. The PDSI. Personnel department of the –whatever it is. I can’t remember. And there we stayed. And one of the lads on the boat —I said, I said to him, ‘Shall we go to St George’s Church tonight? To the service.’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ So we went to the service and there we made friends with a family and I’ve been in touch with that family right after the war and they came and stayed with me. How wonderful things are. And then it was decided then we were ready and we were going to be shipped down to the United States. So, we got on a train and we were on that train for two days and three nights. It stopped at Toronto and I managed to get somebody on the train to contact my cousin in Toronto and he was, he came to the train to see me. Well I didn’t know him because he was in uniform and the last time I’d seen him he was in civvies. And he didn’t know me because I was in uniform. But nevertheless it went ok and on we went down into, into Georgia. Turner Field, Georgia. After a short time there they divided us up and I was sent in to, in to Lakeland in Florida.
AM: Yeah. We’re ok.
NM: Yeah. Lakeland in Florida.
AM: Actually. [pause] Ok. I think we’re ok.
NM: And then we were flying Stearmans and having completed what was necessary we were then shipped to Macon in Georgia to fly in the second stage. They called it Advanced Flying School. And we were flying multi —whatever the plane was called. I ought to have my logbook here. That would have helped a great deal. But nevertheless we were flying. And I was very lucky that the instructor that I got was, had been a pupil himself in class 42a and I was in class 42i. We had reached that stage there were so many classes. And we did all the necessary and then we were passed on to Valdosta which was Advanced Flying School. And there we were flying twin engines. Three types of twin engine as well as the A6 which we called [pause] we called the Harvard. And my instructor was an American lieutenant and so he said, ‘Come on Mottershead. We’re going in the Harvard today.’ So off we go and get in this Harvard. And he said, ‘Right. Do the checks.’ So, I did the check. ‘Ok. Taxi around and take off.’ Everything alright, but my right wing was down, and my left wing was up there and I couldn’t get the damned thing right. I thought what have I not done? And I realised the lock that was in the joystick — I hadn’t pulled it out [laughs] so then the wing came up and everything was nice. He said, ‘I shouldn’t do that again if I was you. Watch it in future.’ [laughs] And got back and landed and he said, ‘Right. Off you go and fly it yourself.’ So I did do. And it was a beautiful aircraft to fly. It touched down on all three wheels. No trouble at all. So, having completed there we then on the, in the October, came up for our papers of authority as being a pilot under the United States Army Air Force and I’ve got my silver type wings. The American wings. Then it was a case of I went before a board of four senior American officers and they looked at all my paperwork and said, ‘Would you like to stay behind and teach future classes of UK,’ and because of something that had happened while I was at Macon, Georgia I had to say, ‘I’m very sorry, but I can’t.’ I’ll tell you that separately. And so, on the train back to Macon —back to Moncton in New Brunswick of course I’d already made contact with the family, so I re-made the contact with this family and got on so wonderfully well but the main thing about being here in Britain and being over there was the fact that we were limited by ration books to XYZ whereas they —it was there for you to buy and eat etcetera. Marvellous. And of course, I could eat. There’s no argument about it. So, after a while they said, ‘Right,’ — get your knapsack, not your knapsack, the bag with all your bits and pieces in. ‘There’s a boat in for you.’ So, right, we got on the train, landed in Halifax and walked off on to the quay. You can say that again. A boat. It was the original Queen Elizabeth. Oh dear. And we got on board that feeling millionaires. But there was that many on from different countries and different regiments and all the rest of it. All coming across with one purpose in mind and that was to kill Nazism. And so, we crossed the Atlantic unescorted. Our liner was doing twenty six knots during the day and through the night she was doing thirty two ‘cause that gave it that little bit extra to get out where the Germans might well have figured out where we might be on such and such a time and so, one morning we woke up and we were in the Clyde.
AM: Just like that.
NM: Just like that. We’d gone through the boom and we were in the Clyde. So we had to then gather our things together and come down stairs after stairs ‘til we came to water level. And then we got on tugs which took us over to dry land and there was a train waiting for us to take us to [pause] well you’re asking me now [pause] well-known place up in Yorkshire anyway. And of course they said, ‘Right. Well you’re here now. Right. Take a bit of leave. You’ve been away three —six months.. Go and see your parents,’ etcetera which I did do and then I got notice, right —'Report to Little Rissington in Gloucestershire.’ And that’s where I was flying Oxfords. I had a little student tuition on the Oxford and then the instructor said, ‘Right. Mottershead go and get yourself some practice.’ Now –
AM: So how big was an Oxford? What?
NM: Oxford aircraft.
AM: Yeah. How big? How big was that?
NM: Twin engine.
AM: Right. Ok.
NM: The American when they open the throttles get hold of the throttles get hold of them and pull them back. We do this. Get behind the throttles and press them forward. So I was more or less getting the American system out of, out of use and back in. So he said, ‘Right Mottershead. Take that one and go and get a bit of flying yourself.’ So me — I flew at about two ninety. Something like that. And flew until I picked up the River Severn and I flew up the River Severn until I got to within a mile to where I lived and I flew around and around and around. And after a while I thought, right, well I’d better get back. In the meantime a front had moved in and I was above cloud. And I was flying down towards back in the general direction of Little Rissington and I did not know where I was. And I’ve got, I came up with —I shall either A) I can jump out with my parachute and let my aircraft go and crash in to something. Or B) I can go down through and hit something that I wouldn’t wish to hit like a church tower or something like that. And as I was pondering over it I looked on my port beam and there was an aircraft coming towards me and he passed in front of me and I said to myself, ‘If you know where you’re going I’m going with you.’ And I followed him and he, it was a, it was a radar station where —not radar. Signals and all the rest of it. At a place called Madeley near Hereford. And he landed and I landed after him. And so they just picked up the phone and rang Little Rissington, ‘One of your boys has touched down here.’ So he came over and I took off and followed him home. Went the day well. Having done all that I was then posted to Harwell where we had clapped out Wellingtons who’d done all the necessary they wanted to or at least they were wanted for and were in a clapped-out situation. And as we stood there we crewed up. I did not choose anybody. I just stood there.
AM: I was going to ask you about crewing up. How that went.
NM: I stood there, and they came and joined me. It was as easy as that.
AM: Yeah.
NM: Right.
AM: Together or in ones and twos?
NM: Well, I don’t whether they’d been talking with one lot over there and they looked at me and thought well I like the look of him and so they came over and joined me. So, I’d got everything except the flight engineer and the second gunner at that stage. Well, I didn’t stay at Harwell but I went to one of their satellites. A place we called Hampstead Norreys near Newbury and we were flying out of there. Well, we had been warned, ‘Don’t over shoot.’ Come in and land properly because there was a big pit, gravel pit at the end of the runway and people had gone in. Oh dear. The trouble. Anyway, we flew that and did all the necessaries and then having finished they said, ‘Right off you go home and get some leave and report to a place called Riccall,’ near –
AM: York.
NM: Yes. Selby. There we go, there we were introduced to the Halifax. Four engine bombers.
AM: So, you finish your training, you’ve got your crew and you’ve gone to Riccall. Have you been assigned to a squadron at this point?
NM: No. Not yet.
AM: Right. Ok.
NM: And there at Riccall I picked up a flight engineer and another gunner. And once again in latter years I said to the flight engineer, ‘How did you come to join me?’ He said ‘Well, I saw you standing there and I walked over and stood with you. It’s as easy as that.’ And so the same with the gunner. He came and joined me. And then of course on completion of that but before then the chief flying instructor at Riccall was called Harry Drummond. So, I got used, just used to flying the Halifax. He said, ‘Right, Mottershead take your crew and there’s, one of the planes over there. One of the Halibags. Take that and get a bit of flying hours in with them.’ Fair enough. Thank you very much and off we went. We got in this aircraft. Taxied around to the runway. Ok. Right. Open the throttle. I was belting down the runway and looked at my speedometer. I hadn’t got any. No speed. And it was too late to stop so I took off without it. And I flew without a speedometer around a time or two. And we tried to, what had happened we’d left the cover on the pitot head. Once again checking beforehand. We tried — first of all we opened the hatch in the front and tried to push it off and we couldn’t do anything like that. We couldn’t reach it. And so I switched on the heater and the heater wouldn’t burn it off. I thought, ‘Well, righto. Well, I’ve got you up here. You lads. I’d better get you down again.’ So, I said, ‘Right, we’re going in now.’ And I approached a little too fast because I didn’t want to stall and go in before I reached the runway. And so, I sort of hit the runway and bounced a little bit which wasn’t good for old Halifax bombers and whipped around and parked up where I’d taken it from and the crew got out. The wireless operator stood on the shoulders of the flight engineer, reached up and took the pitot head cover off just before Harry Drummond arrived around the corner. And he gave me a rollicking for landing the way I did but I didn’t tell him what had gone wrong. Went the day well again.
AM: Yeah.
NM: And so the day came that we had to go to Lissett. We were transferred to Lissett. Now, I think I’d probably heard of Lissett but we all went. There was Doug Cameron and his crew and myself and my crew. And of course, we had to get a bit of flying in together before we went on operations. I arrived there. Can you switch off a second, I’ll go and fetch —
[recording paused]
NM: Are you on?
AM: Ok. We’re back on.
NM: Right. I arrived at Lissett on the 15th of June 1943. And after a familiarisation on the 16th and the 17th — on the 21st was my first operation. To Krefeld. Now, all targets, as Bomber Command will tell you, have got searchlights and flak as well as fighters waiting to get hold of you. So, we went, went through the — etcetera. And poor Doug Cameron — a different story. I must tell you about him. Not on my record. And as a result, when we got back — you see a rear gunner never sees what’s ahead of him. He can only see what’s behind and he could see the fires in Krefeld burning thirty miles away. So when we arrived back at Lissett we went to the debriefing room and he said to me, ‘I’m not bloody going again.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘I am not bloody going again.’ And he was taken out and stripped straightaway of his brevet, sergeants and all the rest of it. What happened to him I don’t know but in, in hindsight he did me a very good turn. For they took my other gunner, mid-upper gunner from me and a couple of gunners had just completed a tour — a Canadian pilot’s tour of operations. But they needed another five runs themselves so, one of them related, the Groupie, said to — ‘Go around and see Mottershead. He’s looking for some gunners.’ And they came around to see me and we were discussing one thing or another. And I said, ‘Right. This is the position. My job is to fly that thing. And if you tell me to dive to port I shall dive to port. Don’t you worry about it. Everything you tell me I shall do.’ They said, ‘We’re in.’ And so they stayed with me for their five ops which cleared them. Then I got my original gunner back. Mid-upper gunner back.
AM: Mid-upper.
NM: Having lost the rear gunner. And then I had nineteen different gunners on my tour of operation which was must be a flaming record with the exception of perhaps a wing commander and that who had to grab a crew where he could get one.
AM: Why did they keep changing, Bluey?
NM: Well, I had to have gunners and they [pause] Smith and Edwards were the names of the two gunners were and we got on a like a mountain on fire and so it went on one after another. I went to Berlin on three occasions. I went to [pause] oh hell. Where’s the cathedral?
AM: Oh.
NM: We went —
AM: Dresden. Not Dresden.
NM: No. Cologne.
AM: Oh Cologne. Yeah.
NM: I went to Cologne on three occasions. I went to Mannheim on three occasions and in between all the other nights that we were bombing etcetera. On the second visit to Mannheim we were, people do not realise this, we were flying in complete darkness and other than the fact we saw markers ahead so the bomb aimer led us, led me to it, and he said, ‘Right. Bombs gone.’ Two or three seconds later there was such a hell of a bang. I said, ‘What the bloody hell was that?’ And what had happened an aircraft above us had dropped his load and hit my port inner engine. It sheared the blades off the engine. Off the propellers. And of course, the engine ran away and with it going like that it shook the plane as though it was really in trouble. Anyway, fortunately I’d got a very good flight engineer. He shut the engine down. Closed it down. Then he pumped all the fuel out of the tank nearest to the port inner across the wing to the tanks on the other side you see. Now, my reaction was, when that happened — stick the nose down let’s get out of here which I did do. Because the explosion had hit the Perspex around me on the port, especially on the port side and did other damage etcetera and so it was, we were down to five thousand feet before we could make headway. Now, everyone in Bomber Command will tell you if you are on your own flying at five thousand feet by heck you’ll soon have somebody on your tail. So, we were crossing and as we flew cross country in the dark I could see the lights of this town or city, whatever it was, I could see all the street lights because being under Nazi control they didn’t have to have a blackout. And so I said, ‘Right, get some Window ready in case the searchlights come up,’ etcetera. And we gave a dose of Window and they didn’t come on and we kept flying and I crossed —
AM: What’s Window?
NM: Window.
AM: What’s that mean?
NM: Slips of paper, silver backed paper.
AM: Oh yes.
NM: And that dropping by the millions fill their, their —
AM: The radar.
NM: The radar.
AM: The signal.
NM: What we call Grass.
AM: Yeah. Yeah.
NM: They couldn’t pick out what was what and [pause] where’d I got to —
AM: So, you’re on your way back.
NM: On our way back –
AM: You’ve seen all the lights.
NM: We crossed the coast and I said to the flight engineer, ‘What’s the fuel like?’ He said, ‘We’ve got enough to get back to Lissett.’ And so, we went back to Lissett. Now, the hydraulics on the Halifax is controlled by the port inner engine. The hydraulic. And I didn’t know whether my undercarriage was locked. So I called in and they said, ‘Right. Fly down the runway as low as you can, and we’ll put the searchlight on you and have a look at you.’ So, having done that they said, ‘Right. We think you’re locked in alright.’ I said, ‘Right.’ So I went around again and landed. Went the day well.
AM: Again.
NM: We were back home. And it went on until the last. My last trip was to Berlin on the 22nd of November 1943 and the Wing Commander Jock Calder was on that night. I feel sure he was on. So when we came, you know, came from our aircraft in to debriefing Jock said to me, ‘That’s it Bluey. No more.’ And that was the end of my tour. The end of my flying altogether. I never did fly anything else.
AM: Ever.
NM: Ever.
AM: DFC.
NM: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I then, they decided they needed controllers for operating Oboe. Now, Oboe was controlling aircraft over Germany from, from either — the main station was in Norfolk. Winterton. Did you happen to see the programme last night on — it was all about the lighthouses turned into houses etcetera. And Winterton was the Cat station. Now there was another station down in Deal in Kent and that was called the Mouse station. And the Cat station was controlled — the Cat station controlled the pilot. The Mouse station was talking to the navigator, bomb aimer. We’re talking about Mosquitos. And so, he would, when he reached the area he wanted to he’d pick up our signal. If he was too near he had dots. If he was too far out he had dashes. He had to have a steady signal and kept flying at a distance from the station in Norfolk at a distance of say two hundred and fifty miles away. And if he kept flying he would complete a two hundred and fifty mile circuit all around us, you see. But [pause] so, I had to go down to Swanage to learn all about this Oboe business at a little place called Tilly Whim. Down there. They seemed to have a station of the same thing. So when we’d finished. Right. I had no say on where I was going and I was sent to Winterton in Norfolk. Not to the one in Kent. The next morning after I arrived there I walked into the signals office and there was a young lady on the teleprinter talking to headquarters for 8 Group. Headquarters at — I forget the name for the moment. On the tele — on the teleprinter. And when she’d finished she looked at me and I said, ‘You’re wearing too much makeup.’ I’d found my wife. So —
AM: What did she say back?
NM: She didn’t. She [laughs] she was, she was a WAAF, you see. Oh dear. Oh dear and then of course that went on until the war had finished and then they didn’t want anybody there then.
AM: So what exactly were you doing there, Bluey?
NM: I was watching the younger part of the air force. That they’d got everything set up alright. The distance and all that sort of thing. What was going on. And I was even taken from there and posted down in to Deal. The Cat station. For a while.
AM: The Cat one.
NM: Anyway, when the war was over we didn’t need either of them. And so of course I had met Kay and there we are, by hangs another tale. So, I was still in the air force and they decided well you’ve done a lot of link trainer flying. The link trainer aircraft in the dark. It’s a statutory thing but you’re all closed in. You can’t see what was going on. You had to fly by instruments. And so, I learned, I learned how to do that and they posted me first of all to Prestwick in Norfolk.
AM: In –
NM: In Ayrshire. To the airfield there well that was then being taken over to become the airfield for Glasgow.
AM: Yes.
NM: The main airfield. So, I was on there a very short time and they said, ‘Right. Well we’ll post you to Marham in Norfolk.’ And I was on the same thing but when I got there and set up everything and ready for pilots they said well the war’s over we don’t need to do this anymore. And so, the rest of my time I was doing all sorts of jobs. Particularly, orderly officer and all that sort of thing and then I reached the stage where I thought, ‘Right. Look. We’ve got to go ahead now. We’ve got civilian life ahead,’ and so my dear wife and I decided —
AM: So, you were married by this time.
NM: We were getting married then.
AM: Ok. Yeah. Sorry.
NM: The war had finished up. We had already arranged the marriage up in Lanarkshire because she was a Lanarkshire girl, for the 18th of August 1945. The war finished in the Far East the 15th of August 1945. And so, we went up there and got married and thereafter settled down and I didn’t quite know what to do. Like a lot of people who had been in the services it was difficult to know exactly what to do. Anyway, there was a company in Liverpool called Silcocks Animal Foods that supplied to farming communities and I’d been a farmer’s son. And the position I was in and a decent sort of looking fellow the Silcocks agent who used to, who went to Shropshire, covered Shropshire said, ‘Well why don’t you join us?’ And so, I made enquiries and I joined Silcocks. I was sent to Nuneaton under an agent who had been there years to help him and I did all the necessary. And then came a vacancy of an area in Derbyshire and so I was sent from there to Derbyshire and landed in Brailsford on the, in August 1952. Something like that. And settled down and I was going around the farms and of course they knew I was a flying type and at that time Brooke Bond had a certain types of cigarette. Not cigarettes but cards in the thing.
AM: Yes.
NM: And that helped me to get familiar with the families etcetera. Swapping and one thing and another. And I reached the stage where one Remembrance Sunday morning at Brailsford, after that Mr Cecil Dalton who ran Silkolene Lubricants at Belper said, ‘Neville, will you come and work for me?’ And I said, ‘Mr Cecil, I will come and work for you.’ And I went and worked for Silkolene Lubricants until I retired.
AM: Right.
NM: Good.
AM: Neville. It sounds funny to hear you called Neville. I always think of you as Bluey.
NM: Yeah. Well I’m still known as Bluey of course. As you know.
AM: Just tell me why you became called Bluey.
NM: Because of my hair. I had ginger red hair. Now, the Australians — those big kangaroos in Australia which have reddy brown hair were called Blues. And so, when the first Australian saw me he said, ‘Well you’re a Bluey.’ And that’s it.
AM: It stuck.
NM: And it’s been with me ever since.
AM: Can I ask you a little bit about the 158 Squadron Association.
NM: Yes.
AM: And you became chairman I think. Tell me a little about that.
NM: Yes. Well I started looking, I started when I came [pause] when I’d finished. Well as soon as I could, I can’t remember exactly, I decided to draw up a register of all those who had been with 158 Squadron and [pause] now I’m looking for something in particular. I think I left it next door. But it’s the book with all the names in. The complete crews. And I kept getting these names of these, of these people and inviting them. And so in 1989 I think it was I got the freedom of entry into this town of Bridlington for the squadron and that’s how it developed from there. And I’m still now president of the squadron until such time as I kick my boots and somebody else will take over.
AM: So, every year you go up to Lissett.
NM: Every time. Yes. Yes. Yes. Now I’ll —
AM: And what about the memorial? Tell me a little bit more about the memorial at Lissett.
NM: Yes.
AM: How did that come about?
NM: Well. After Lissett the old airfield became a farm. Belonged to a farmer. And the powers that be decided it would be the ideal site to put up wind generators. So they put up twelve wind generators on the old airfield. In the meantime, 158 — if you reverse those figure you’ve got 851 and that was the number of young people who were killed on that squadron alone. Eight hundred and fifty one. Eight hundred and fifty males and one female. The one female was a sergeant WAAF in the Met office and she’d never been in an aeroplane and she went on a flight with someone unscheduled just to show her what went on. The damned thing crashed on [pause] that Head that comes out north of Bridlington. Crashed there and killed the lot of them. And she was one of them. So there was eight hundred and fifty airmen, men, who were killed and one WAAF. And so, it was decided by the people who were going to put these generators up that they needed a memorial and of course we were behind it and said yes. And that memorial is still drawing people. Just as the Angel of the North drew people to see it so the one at Lissett. Is that still on? In fact, the other day, one of our members who lives up in the Wakefield area had been up there and gone to have a look at it. He said, ‘It looks awful,’ he said, ‘All we’ve got is stalks left.’ What happened is there are flowers which bloom.
AM: Yeah. There’s poppies there.
NM: And then it’s all left so that the seeds from that drop down to the ground and re –
AM: Yeah.
NM: Come alive again. And he went at the bad time of the year. So, when he rang again I said, ‘Look there’s nothing I can do about it. As much as I appreciate you ringing me and telling me. I know what its like. But,’ I said, ‘We have nobody in that area at all to do anything.’ But the locals do it. Anyway, I understood that they’d even called in the East Midlands, East Yorkshire organisation had called in people to go and have a clean up there.
AM: People.
NM: I hadn’t ordered it. They just went and did it.
AM: Excellent because it’s a lovely memorial isn’t it.
NM: It’s a lovely memorial. A friend of mine from Derbyshire whose funeral I attended this year — he always talked about me and us and I said, ‘Well take a run up there and have a look at the memorial yourself.’ So he, along with another couple and he and his wife went to see it and then I saw him a few days afterwards. I said, ‘What do you think of the memorial?’ And he said, ‘It’s a very very wonderful thing.’ He said, ‘I read every name on that memorial and yours wasn’t on it.’ [laughs] So, I said, ‘Well it won’t be will it? I’m still here.’
AM: Still here. They’re the ones that are not.
NM: He didn’t realise that you see. But it really is. Oh, and let me go and fetch something first.
[recording paused]
AM: So I’m looking at a picture of the first meeting of the Squadron Association.
NM: In 1947.
AM: Ok. Were you there? Are you on it?
NM: Yes. Yes. I’m on the back row. You’ll see me.
AM: Point. Point yourself out to me.
NM: This little chap here, look.
AM: Oh of course you are.
NM: And that was arranged by Scruffy Dale at — I forget the name of the place now. And we all turned up for this and that photograph was taken. And there’s all sorts of people on that photograph and I can — there’s no one left on that photograph as far as I’m concerned. Only me. All the rest are gone. Now, I want to show you this because this is what I’m working on.
AM: Bluey’s showing me the most beautiful tapestry. Is it tapestry or cross stitch?
NM: No. It’s tapestry.
AM: Tapestry of the Halifax and —
NM: The crew.
AM: The crew and it’s beautiful and we’ll take a photograph of it.
NM: It’s not finished yet ‘cause I’ll go and fetch the other bit if I haven’t got it here. This is the other bit.
AM: How long have you been doing this for Bluey?
NM: [laughs] Oh heaven knows.
AM: It’s lovely. I’m going to end the interview now but we’ll take a photograph of this — of the tapestry that Bluey’s been doing.
NM: Now that fits. That will be fitted in there.
AM: Right.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Interview with Bluey Mottershead
Creator
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Annie Moody
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2015-07-19
Type
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Sound
Identifier
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AMotterheadN150719
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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eng
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Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Format
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00:45:34 audio recording
Description
An account of the resource
Born on a farm in Shropshire, his best friend from his youth joined the Royal Air Force as aircrew and was killed at RAF Honington when a German aircraft bombed the station. A desire for revenge made him enlist for flying duties in January 1941. He was sent to RAF Scampton for basic training where he had a flight in a Hampden which he rated as "not fit for purpose".
Flying training commenced at RAF Booker on Tiger Moths and he was then sent out of England as part of the Empire Training Scheme. Flying training on Stearman aircraft recommenced at Lakeland in Florida followed by multi-engined training at Macon in Georgia and Valdosta for advanced training. In October 1942 he became a pilot under the American Army Air Force System and declined an offer to stay and become an instructor.
Returning to Britain on an unescorted Queen Elizabeth liner, he trained on Oxfords at RAF Little Rissington. Posted to RAF Harwell to fly, in Bluey's terms "clapped out Wellingtons" he describes the system for forming a crew. They were posted to RAF Riccall to fly the Halifax.
The next posting was to an operational squadron at RAF Lissett where he did his first operational flight to Krefeld in June 1943 and trips to Berlin, Cologne and Mannheim. After his trip to Krefeld, his rear gunner refused to fly and was removed. On his second trip to Mannheim, Bluey's aircraft was struck by a bomb from an aircraft flying above. They had to reduce height and so used Window to disguise their location. The final trip was to Berlin in November 1943 and, having completed his tour, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Bluey never flew again. Sent to Tilly Whim, Bluey was trained to operate Oboe and explains the device. Posted to an Oboe station at RAF Winterton to monitor junior operatives, he met his future wife.
After the war had finished he became an instructor on the Link Trainer and sent to various RAF stations and finally to RAF Marham from where he was demobilised and returned to civilian life. In civilian life, employment in the farm feed industry was followed by time in the lubricant industry until retirement. Bluey compiled a register of all crews that flew with 158 Squadron and formed a Squadron association in 1947, of which he became president, and organised a memorial to the squadron at former RAF Lissett.
Temporal Coverage
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1943-06
1943-11
Spatial Coverage
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England--Gloucestershire
England--Norfolk
England--Oxfordshire
England--Suffolk
England--Yorkshire
Canada
United States
Florida
Florida--Lakeland
Georgia
Georgia--Macon
Germany
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Cologne
Germany--Krefeld
Germany--Mannheim
Conforms To
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Pending revision of OH transcription
158 Squadron
aircrew
bomb struck
crewing up
Distinguished Flying Cross
Flying Training School
Halifax
Hampden
Harvard
Initial Training Wing
lack of moral fibre
love and romance
memorial
military ethos
Oboe
Oxford
pilot
RAF Hampstead Norris
RAF Harwell
RAF Heaton Park
RAF Honington
RAF Lissett
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Marham
RAF Riccall
RAF Scampton
recruitment
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
Window
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2067/34310/MStimpsonMC155249-190922-14.2.jpg
fcbdd4cfd49beca3bd6d0cebb3aa2f4f
Dublin Core
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Title
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Stimpson, Maurice Cecil
Description
An account of the resource
124 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Maurice Cecil Stimpson DFC (1921 - 1944, 155249 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, photographs, documents, and pennants. He flew operations as a pilot with 156 Squadron and was killed 15 February 1944. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Tony France and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Maurice Cecil Stimpson is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/226992/">IBCC Loses Database.</a>
Date
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2019-09-22
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Stimpson,
Dublin Core
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Title
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Maurice Stimpson's Instrument Flight Certificate
Description
An account of the resource
A certificate awarded to Maurice for passing his instrument flying course.
Creator
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Army Air Force Advanced Flying School
Date
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1942-09-28
Spatial Coverage
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United States
Georgia--Moody Air Force Base
Georgia
Coverage
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United States Army Air Force
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Format
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One printed sheet with typewritten and handwritten annotations
Identifier
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MStimpsonMC155249-190922-14
Temporal Coverage
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1942-09-28
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
aircrew
pilot
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2067/34136/MStimpsonMC155249-190922-09.2.pdf
b6cb8a35f5ba8ab8b917af1abba6e572
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Stimpson, Maurice Cecil
Description
An account of the resource
124 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Maurice Cecil Stimpson DFC (1921 - 1944, 155249 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, photographs, documents, and pennants. He flew operations as a pilot with 156 Squadron and was killed 15 February 1944. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Tony France and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Maurice Cecil Stimpson is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/226992/">IBCC Loses Database.</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-09-22
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Stimpson,
Transcribed document
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Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[Embossed Crest]
COCHRAN FIELD
Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center
1942
[page break]
[Drawing]
[page break]
[Drawing]
[page break]
[Blank Page]
[page break]
[Drawing]
[Photograph]
ARMY AIR FORCES
[page break]
[Drawing]
[Photograph]
WINGS over America
For their assistance in furnishing pictures and editorial assistance for this volume and their co-operation in numerous other ways, grateful acknowledgment is made to the following: Public Relations Office, Army Air Forces, Washington, D.C.; Public Relations Office, Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center, Maxwell Field, Alabama; Gulf Coast Army Air Forces Training Center, Randolph Field, Texas; Public Relations Office, First District, Army Air Forces Technical Training Command, Miami Beach, Florida.
[page break]
[Drawing]
Foreword
As members of the United States Armed Forces, you do not have to be told of the magnitude and importance of the task that lies before you.
At every base, station, and training field of the United States Army Air Forces, you are preparing yourselves for the great test of arms which will prove that the forces of democracy can destroy the evil power of the totalitarian nations.
Soon, you will take your places, as Bombardiers, Navigators, Pilots, and Gunners, alongside of our allies who have been fighting so valiantly. As mechanics and supply personnel, and in every type of ground duty, you will have the vital responsibility of making sure that our airplanes will be second to none.
We can win this war, and we will win it, but only if every officer and enlisted man puts forth all the fortitude and resourcefulness that Americans have always displayed in time of war.
There are trying times ahead, times that will test the mettle of all of us, but I am confident that the personnel of my command will acquit themselves with honor and distinction, no matter where and when we shall meet the enemy.
[Signature]
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army.
Commanding General, Army Air Forces.
by Lieut. General H.H. Arnold
[page break]
[Drawing]
[Photograph]
LIEUTENANT GENERAL HENRY H. ARNOLD
[Photograph]
Captain Beck, Lieutenant Arnold, Captain Chandler, Lieutenant Milling, Lieutenant Kirtland.
[page break]
[Photograph]
1908 Orville Wright
First flight September 5, 1908.
With the reorganization of the aviation setup of the United States Army, on March 9, 1942, has come the latest phase of the development of the nation’s military aviation from its groping, experimental days to its present status as an autonomous unit within the structure of the Army.
The story of the rapid growth of our nation’s military aviation, from an unimportant subdivision of the Signal Corps before the first World War, through the period when it was a corps of its own, the Air Corps, and now to a degree of tremendous importance as the Army Air Forces, co-equal in prominence with all the other Army combat arms combined, is a stirring saga of courage and inspiration, of indomitable will and far-sighted genius, all within the short space of 33 years.
The utilization of aviation by the Army, however, antedates 1909, the official birth year. Civilian aeronauts made observations from captive balloons for the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War, and later the Army purchased a balloon in France which was used in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
It was not, however, until the experiments of Langley, Maxim, Lillienthal, Bleriot, the Wrights and others had focused attention on the possibilities of heavier-than-air machines did the Army consider seriously this newest military adjunct. It was not until the Wrights had demonstrated that a heavier-than-air machine was not only feasible, but practical did the Army advertise for bids for the construction of an airplane. An aeronautical division of the Army was created in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army on July 1, 1907.
The Wright brothers produced an airplane which was delivered to Fort Myer, Virginia, on August 28, 1908. It as a biplane with a wing spread of about 40 feet and a wing area of some 500 square feet weighing approximately 800 pounds. The lateral controls were affected by warping the wings. The double elevator and the rudder were supported in front of the wings by an outrigger. The landing gear consisted of two runners, or skids, and the plane was launched from a monorail. After a series of disappointing accidents and many tests, the Board of Officers appointed to examine the plane made a favorable recommendation on August 2, 1909, and the Chief Signal Officer approved the recommendation the same day. This date is considered the birthday of the Army Air Forces.
While thus inaugurating the air arm of the service on this date, the value of aircraft in a military way was not immediately apparent, particularly to a nation at peace, and it was not until March, 1911, almost two years later, that Congress for the first time specifically appropriated money for aviation…to the tune of $125,000. By September, 1913, Army aviation had grown slowly until it had 17 planes, with a personnel of 23 officers and 91 enlisted men.
Inasmuch as the original conception of the role of aircraft in warfare was purely that of observation the control of military aviation was left in the hands of the Signal Corps, and indeed aviation remained in this branch until 1918, when it was divorced from the Signal Corps and expanded into two departments – the Bureau of Military Aeronautics and the Bureau of Aircraft Production. Upon the termination of the war these two departments were consolidated into the Air Service.
The first actual use of aircraft by the Army began in March, 1916, when the First Aero Squadron, composed of 16 officers, 77 enlisted men and eight airplanes began operations with the Punitive Expedition in Mexico.
The World War, of course, with its constantly accelerating emphasis
Wilbur Wright at Fort Myer, July 27, 1909.
[Photograph]
Orville Wright in flight, Maxwell Field, 1910.
[Photograph]
[page break]
The DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARMY AIR FORCES
upon air power, was responsible for the rapid expansion of the American aviation. By the time of our declaration of war upon Germany in April of 1917, Army aviation consisted of 65 officers (35 of whom were flyers, 1,087 enlisted men and 55 airplanes. No better commentary can be made upon the changing role of air power at the beginning of the World War and of the present conflict than to compare this number with the 10,697 officers, 126,660 enlisted men and 8,707 aviation cadets which we had on June 30, 1941, with the number constantly increasing under the impetus of the greatest expansion program in history.
During the first eight years of its existence, 1909-1916 – a total of 142 airplanes had been delivered to Army Aviation. Congress, in July of 1917, appropriated $640,000,000 for Army Aviation, the largest appropriation which had ever been made up until that time for any single purpose. Working as rapidly as possible, the country began the gigantic task of catching up in production with countries long at war. The first task as to train American flyers and for this purpose flying schools and ground schools were set up at a number of schools and colleges. Nearly 15,000 flying cadets received training in this country, and about 1,800 in Europe. By March, 1918, our Army Aviation strength was 11,000 officers and 120,000 enlisted men.
At the time of the Armistice we had 757 pilots, 481 observers with 740 planes and 77 balloons at the front, and 1,402 pilots, 769 airplanes and 252 balloon observers had entered the Zone of Advance.
While at the time of the Armistice less than 25 per cent of the planes flown by American pilots were of American manufacture, we were already beginning to swing into large scale production, principally of British designed DeHavillands and Handley-Page’s equipped with the American Liberty motor, the greatest contribution of American manufacturers to the war effort.
American aviators were officially credited with the destruction of 491 enemy airplanes, of which 462 were accounted for by 63 aviators. We had 43 squadrons at the front at the time of the Armistice.
Following the conclusion of the war, our air strength was allowed to dwindle to 1,000 officers and 10,000 men.
The Army Reorganization Act of 1920 provided for 1,516 officers and 10,300 enlisted men for the Air Service, and the Air Corps Act of 1926 authorized a “Five Year Program” which contemplated at its conclusion a personnel strength of 1,650 officers and 15,000 enlisted men with 500 cadets, and equipment consisting of 1,800 serviceable planes.
On March 1, 1935, the famous GHQ Air Force was established, embracing all tactical Air Corps Units within the Continental United States. Prior to its formation combat squadrons were trained under widely different methods, depending upon the conceptions of the Group Commanders. The purpose, which was accomplished, of the GHQ Air Force, was to coordinate the systems of training so as to produce uniformity and the ability to operate together as a team. Another accomplishment was the later development of the combat crew as a fighting team. In practice, the same officers and men were assigned to the same airplane, and each team, through constant cooperation and practice, was able to attain a high degree of efficiency.
Even more important than all these innovations, however, was the fact that the Air Corps, as it was known then, was, for the first time, under a unified command, and under an air officer, Major General Frank M. Andrews (now a Lieutenant General in command of the Caribbean Defense Command). Here was another notable step toward the fullest development of our Army Air arm as an independently functioning entity, complete within itself.
This organization of air power into a highly mobile striking force of great unified power had, as its backbone, the function of Bombardment. The GHQ Air Force was divided into three Wings.
The First Wing, with headquarters at March Field, California, comprised two Bombardment Groups, one Attack Group, and two Reconnaissance Squadrons.
The Second Wing, with headquarters at Langley Field, Virginia, comprised two Bombardment and two Pursuit Groups, and two Reconnaissance Squadrons.
The Third Wing, at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, was composed of one Attack and one Pursuit Group.
But even this organization was to be changed soon by the pressure of ever-increasing expansion of our Army Aviation. On June 23, 1941, the Army Air Forces was established. These included the Headquarters, Army Air Forces, the Air Force Combat Command (which superceded the GHQ Air Force), the Air Corps and all other air
They Flew Them When. – Major H.H. Arnold, Major Thomas Dewitt Milling, pioneer military aviators, and Army planes of 30 years ago – taken in 1912 when Army air strength consisted of two planes.
[Photograph]
Burgess Tractor – 1914.
[Photograph]
[page break]
[Photograph]
Early Curtiss Training Plane No. 30 – at North Island, San Diego, California
WORLD WAR NO. 1 AND OUR
units. At the same time an Air Council was created to review and coordinate major Army aviation projects. The Air Council included Assistant Secretary of War for Air, Robert A. Lovett (ex-officio). Lieutenant General H.H. Arnold, president of the council, Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, Major General George A. Brett, and the Chief of the War Plans Division of the War Department General Staff.
In addition to his duties as Deputy Chief of Staff (Air), General Arnold became Chief of the Army Air Forces. General Emmons was made Chief of the Air Force Combat Command, and General Brett, Chief of the Air Corps.
At the end of May, 1941, the Ferrying Command was organized to speed up the process of getting bombers to our English allies. Originally under the command of Colonel Robert Olds (now a Brigadier General in command of the Second Air Force at Spokane, Washington), it is now commanded by Brigadier General Harold L. George, and designated Air Transport Command. Since Pearl Harbor its activities have been vastly expanded into a huge world-wide organization engaged in the transport of all types of aircraft, plus supplies, equipment, and personnel to all the fighting fronts.
By the final reorganization, or “streamlining” which took place last March, the Air Corps ceased to exist, even as a purely administrative organization, and the Combat Command was eliminated, as well. The various combat Air Forces, which are complete units of themselves, are now directly under the command of overall field commanders such as General MacArthur, another step forward in unified command. It is interesting to note that many of these field commanders, whose commands comprise all arms of the service, are themselves air officers, such as General Andrews, in the Caribbean. Each Air Force is, of course, commanded by an Air Force Officer, of general grade, whether within the continental United States or overseas.
These combat forces include all units of military aviation such as bombardment, interception (fighter squadrons), observation, and ground-air support, together with the necessary maintenance service.
As a result of the March 9 change, the Air Forces are recognized as one of the three elements of the Army, together with Ground Forces and Supply. This new organization, designed to simplify and speed up the chain of command, and to provide the flexibility and efficiency of operation necessary to accomplish the enormous task that lies ahead, designates Lieutenant General H.H. Arnold as Commanding General, Army Air Forces, and also as Deputy Chief of Staff for Air on the Army General Staff. By the same reorganization, Lieutenant General Joseph T. McNarney, one of the ablest American air strategists, was made Deputy Chief of Staff.
In addition to these two officers, however, the Air Forces have a far greater representation than ever on the General Staff. As a matter of fact, the General Staff, as now constituted, is about one-half composed of officers from the Air Staff.
The Air Staff, which is rather like a Staff within a Staff, and which is a purely Air Forces organization, is similar in general outline to the General Staff, but on a slightly smaller scale, with designations such as A-1, A-2, etc.
The complexity and extension of Army aviation from its simple Signal Corps days until the present is no better illustrated than by a brief review of the various branches of the Air Forces. The overall picture of the Army Air Forces organization may be summed up under four key words: Policy, Forces, Operations and Commands.
The Policy function has already been discussed at the start of this article. It is handled by the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces and the Air Staff, plus the Air Forces participation in the Army General Staff. In addition to the Assistant Chiefs of the Air Staff (A-1, A-2, A-3 and A-4), there is an Air Inspector.
The various Air Forces, which are the combat organizations of the Army Air Forces, have been covered in paragraphs above.
The next group in the logical breakdown of the Army Air Forces organization is the Operations Staff; this is divided into Military Requirements, Technical Services, and seven administrative agencies: the Public Relations Officer, Director of Personnel, the Air Surgeon, Air Judge Advocate, Budget Officer, Director of Management Control, and Military Director of Civil Aviation.
Now for the fourth element of the organization of the Army Air Forces: operating directly under the Commanding General of the
[page break]
Army Air Forces, seven great commands compose the last stages of Air Forces preparation for combat units. It may be of interest to outline the functions of these various Commands.
1. The MATERIAL COMMAND. Experimental aviation activities, which were carried on at Washington by a few technicians prior to the World War, were concentrated at Dayton, Ohio, on November 5, 1917, under the command of Colonel V.E. Clark, Signal Corps. The laboratories, located at McCook Field, were supplemented by offices in Dayton. In 1926 the Air Service became the Air Corps and the functions of supply, procurement and maintenance of aircraft were added to this division, and the name changed to “Material Division.”
The location of the division was changed from McCook Field to Wright Field in 1926.
The Material Division has figured directly or indirectly in nearly all important aircraft developments, commercial as well as military. It is the great experimental and testing branch of the Air Force and includes among its many accomplishments superchargers, the “Whirlwind” engine, use of ethylene glycol for high temperature cooling, high octane gasoline, vibration control, metal propellers, night and instrument flying, haze penetrating film for aerial photography, night and color photography, and many other developments.
2. THE FLYING TRAINING COMMAND. While the Headquarters of the Air Corps Training Center began to function at Duncan Field, San Antonio, Texas, in 1936, flying training in the Army has been continuous almost since the purchase of the first Wright airplane in 1909.
The first Army flying school was established at College Park, Maryland, in October, 1909. Lieutenant Frank P. Lahm and Frederick E. Humphreys were the first students of the Wright brothers. Lieutenant Lahm later became a Brigadier General and commanded the Training Center from its inception in September, 1926, until August 31, 1930. This veteran flyer is now Air Officer of the Second Corps Area at Governors Island, New York. Among the first five Army aviators were Lieutenant H.H. Arnold, now Lieutenant General. Among them also was Lieutenant Benjamin D. Foulois, now Major General, retired. General Foulois became a Brigadier General at the age of 38 as Chief of the Air Service of the First Army, American Expeditionary Force. He became a Major General and Chief of the Air Corps on December 20, 1931.
The function of the Flying Training Command, is, of course, to co-ordinate and direct the immense job of providing officers and men for the vastly expanding Air Forces. In order to accomplish this with the greatest efficiency and to eliminate the possibility of administrative bottlenecks, General Arnold set up the Flying Training Command, as it now exists, under the command of Major General Barton K. Yount, with headquarters at Fort Worth, Texas. This command is divided in three great regional training areas, one in the Southeast, on in the Gulf Coast region, and one in the Southwest. All of these regional training areas are complete within themselves, providing their own Reception Centers, Replacement Centers, Primary, Basic, and Advanced Schools (for pilot trainees), and Navigator Schools. Bombardier trainees, however, are all sent to schools located in the Southwestern part of the country, where weather conditions are best
AIR FORCE STRENGTH GROWS
Top Picture: 213th Aero Squadron, Second Army – Enlisted Men. Bottom Picture: Officers and Planes – N. 13 Pursuit Squadron, Third Pursuit Group.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
[page break]
Captain C. Def. Chandler and Lieutenant Roy. T. Kirtland – in Wright Type B airplanes with Lewis machine gun, June 7, 1912. – The first machine gun ever fired from airplane (Lieutenant Kirtland was pilot for test).
[Photograph]
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for this particular type of training. The Flying Training Command also provides for instruction in fixed and flexible gunnery.
3. The TECHNICAL TRAINING COMMAND. The first effort to train Army aviation mechanics systematically was during the early days of the World War, utilizing state universities and civil technical schools. The system was a failure, due to the large costs involved as well as other reasons. Therefore, the Aviation Section, Signal Corps, established schools at St. Paul, Minnesota, and at Kelly Field, Texas. The Kelly Field school was discontinued after the Armistice.
In 1921 the school was moved to Chanute Field, Illinois, and in 1922 the Photographic School, at Langley Field and the Communications School, at Fort Sill were consolidated with it.
The school outgrew its area and in 1935 another site was sought for a second school, and a second school was established at Lowry Field, near Denver, Colorado.
The present expansion program of Army Aviation has necessitated the further expansion of the mechanic training program in order to provide the ever increasing Air Forces with an adequate supply of trained mechanics, particularly in view of the fact that engines and equipment are constantly becoming more complex as well as progressively more modern.
The Technical Training Command provides technical training for Army Air Forces personnel not trained by the Flying Training Command. Under this category come not only ground crew personnel,
Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold in Wright B airplane, College Park, Maryland, 1911.
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such as mechanics, but also such aircrew members as the aerial engineer and communications officer.
4. The AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND, as discussed previously, is concerned with air transport, for military use all over the world.
5. The AIR SERVICE COMMAND operates air depots, repairs aircraft, and distributes aircraft, equipment, and supplies to air units in the United States.
6. The TROOP TRANSPORT COMMAND transports air-borne troops and equipment, parachute troops and equipment, and tows troop- and cargo-carrying gliders.
7. The PROVING GROUND COMMAND operates proving grounds to test aircraft and equipment.
AIR COMBAT
It is quite probable that it is entirely too soon to attempt to define the role of the airplane in relation to the other combat forces of a nation. In spite of that fact there has been raging, and indeed still goes on, a debate between those who feel that air power has to a large extent superceded sea power and even land power as the deciding element in modern warfare, and those who feel that this extreme theory has yet to be supported by actual facts. There are extremists who argue, like the Russian designer Seversky and the Italian General Douhet, that the day of the surface fleet is over, and that the future wars will be decided by the relative merits of the air forces of the combatants. On the other hand, we have the sure evidence of the failure of bombing alone either to permanently disrupt the war effort of a country or to terrorise its civilians into demands that its government surrenders. In neither the Spanish Civil War nor in this war, up until the present, has it been possible for the advocates of air power alone to prove their contentions.
At the same time it must be granted that no nation has as yet been able to mount the type of air attack envisioned by those who hold that it will be air power that will decide the war. It seems likely, however, that this theory will be given a thorough test before the war is done.
Certainly it is true that the conception of the airplane has already undergone a remarkable series of changes since the beginning of the World War, when it was regarded not in the light of a combat weapon at all. Indeed the first airplanes used in the World War were almost always of one type, a two-seater designed for reconnaissance work. As the war progressed specialization appeared and a class of airplanes designed first for air fighting then for bombing appeared. Several nations, prior to the war, has experimented with the arming of aircraft with machine guns, but on the outbreak of the war no plane on the front was so armed. Rifles, carbines, pistols and hand grenades were carried by the pilot and observer. The tactics of air fighting were rudimentary. The pilots simply flew close to the enemy and when within range the pilot and the observer blazed away with any weapon they happened to have handy.
In the summer of 1915, belligerants began to mount machine guns in the planes, usually on a swivel bar at the back of the observer’s seat. The observer could only fire the gun backward toward the tail of the plane, firing over the pilot’s head, which made for a very restricted zone of fire. This necessitated that in order to fire on an opponent, the plane had to fly away from the enemy, thus making it very difficult to be effective. The British experimented with a type of plane in which the gun was mounted in the front and the motors faced the rear. This type gave the advantage of frontal firing, but was so slow on climbing and flight that it was abandoned within a short time.
The first real fighting aircraft to make its appearance was the German Fokker monoplane. Fast, maneuverable, and of the tractor type, the plane had a machine gun mounted in such a fashion as to synchronize with the revolutions of the propeller, thus allowing it to be fired straight ahead. The pilot aimed the gun by aiming the airplane. This plane was so obviously superior to those of the Allies that command of the air had passed to the Germans throughout the rest of the year. In 1916, however, the British were able to challenge the Germans by producing their own type of front firing plane, although it was not until near the end of 1916 that the Allies were able to produce machine gun mounted planes of the Fokker type.
The success of the Fokker airplane was responsible for the advent of formation flying. Casualties among the French and British had grown so heavy that individual flights were discontinued and flights of three or more planes took their place. The Germans retaliated and by the end of the war patrols were the accepted form of air tactics.
It early became apparent to air-minded officers that great damage could be inflicted upon the enemy by dropping bombs from aircraft on his troops, ammunition dumps, factories and other military installations. Indeed, many of the early fighters attempted some rudimentary bombing flights, using hand grenades. These were usually
Wright airplane – First plane in Philippine Islands at Fort McKinley, 1912 – Lieutenant Frank P. Lahm, pilot.
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First plane used by American aviators in France during World War (1918), Morane Roulier, airplane.
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99th Aero Squadron officers in front of planes.
Salinson plane. 91st Squadron.
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Wright machine; with P. Parmalee and Lieutenant M.S. Crissy with first explosive aerial bomb.
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Ineffective except in rare instances. Bombs were then devised which could be dropped from the plane. In early bombing raids the bombs were carried in the cockpit of ordinary fighter planes and heaved over the side by the observer whenever he judged himself to be in a position to hit his target. This was a clumsy, inaccurate system, however, that soon lead to the design of an entirely different craft made for bombing alone, and equipped with machine guns for protection. These planes, which were growing larger and larger as the war progressed, were equipped with bomb racks controlled by mechanisms within the bomber, and carried crews from three to six men. They were utilized at first as lone raiders, depending on stealth and surprise to accomplish their tasks, but by 1917 there had evolved the system of formation attacks by squadrons of bombers escorted by fighter planes as a protective screen. The Germans used this system first to great advantage, and by concentrating very large flights were able not only to concentrate the power of the bombing assault, but have enough fighters to sweep the skies of the opposition.
In addition to the duties of Reconnaissance, the original role of the airplane, had been added the duty of patrol, straffing and bombing, with the Bombardment arm always tending to become more and more important.
After the war the Air Services of all countries began to experiment more and more with the development of bombing planes of increased power and destructive ability. It was realised that it was increasingly possible for planes to inflict very heavy damage on the enemy from the air.
The development of bombsights by all the major powers was to a large degree responsible for this. The American bombsight was recognized as being probably the most accurate of any developed in this period. Accuracy in hitting a predetermined target was coupled with increased altitude which made the planes more safe from enemy fighters and antiaircraft attack. Increased speed and range of the planes has developed down until the present time, when every belligerant possesses bombers capable of flying immense distances with heavy bomb loads.
The United States was among the first to develop the art of dive bombing, wherein the plane is pointed downward at the target and releases its bomb very low, depending upon the tremendous speed of the dive for protection. The dive bomber is very accurate inasmuch as the pilot has the target before him on the way down and does not release his bombs until just above it. It remained for the Germans to develop this to the highest, and it was employed with great success in the battle of France. Many military experts say that the Stuka dive bomber is the greatest single contribution of the war to air combat. The Germans also experimented with and developed the use of air-borne soldiers, utilizing the parachute, originally a safety device, as an instrument for the dropping of offensive men behind the enemy lines. The Russians also have used this extensively, and paratroops are now a part of every belligerant Army. Troop transports capable of carrying many men, supplies and equipment have also been developed, and in the battle of Crete the Germans used air-borne troops to carry the brunt of the battle.
The Japanese and the British have both added chapters to the development of air combat by the use of the torpedo-carrying planes as an effective weapon with which to attack enemy warcraft which are not heavily protected by fighter planes. The English at Taranto and the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and off Malaya demonstrated that unprotected warships can be sunk with relative ease by planes of this type unless they are in turn protected by fighter planes based either on land or on accompanying aircraft carriers.
The day of the spectacular individual air “ace” has apparently closed, as pilots are taught more and more to fly and to fight in absolute formation. Formations are increasing in size as the strength of the warring nations in the air continues to grow.
There has been a growing belief on the part of military men that the day of air power in combat is only begun, and that this war will produce innovations and changes equally as great as those produced in the World War. It is certain that each day, all over America, more and more fighters, bombardiers, navigators, observers, gunners, mechanics and technicians are being trained for whatever role shall be assigned them in America’s growing air armada.
CHIEF OF THE AIR CORPS (Now Army Air Forces)
During the World War, Army Aviation was divided into the Bureau of Military Aeronautics, directed by Major General William L. Kenly, and the Bureau of Aircraft Production, directed by Mr. John D. Ryan, the copper magnate. With the advent of peace, these bureaus were consolidated under one title – Air Service – under the command of Major General Charles T. Menoher, who had commanded the 42nd (Rainbow) Division overseas.
On October 4, 1921, General Menoher was succeeded by Major General Mason M. Patrick. He remained in command until his retirement on December 13, 1927, and was succeeded by Major General James E. Fechet, who served until his retirement in 1931.
Major General Benjamin D. Foulois served for four years, until December, 1935, when he was succeeded by Major General Oscar Westover, who served until his death in a flying accident in 1938. At that time Major General (now Lieutenant General) H.H. Arnold took over and to him has fallen the immense task of directing the Air Force through the present period of war.
96th Aero Squadron officers (Lieutenant Samuel Lunt, fourth from right).
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ARMY AIR FORCES ACCOMPLISHMENTS
From the end of the World War to the present time, the Air Forces have pioneered in numerous aviation activities. A few of these flights and activities, chronologically arranged, are as follows:
1920-February 27. Major Rudolph W. Schroeder established a world’s altitude record of 33,000 feet.
1921-February 12. The Army Air Service successfully completed a Washington, D.C., to Dayton, Ohio, flight.
1921-September 1. The Army Air Service successfully completed a total of 396 forestry patrol flights in the Northwest.
1922- October 6. Lieutenants Oakley G. Kelly and John A. Macready established a world’s endurance record of 35 hours, 18 1-4 minutes.
1922-October 18. Brigadier General William Mitchell established a world’s record for speed over a measured 3-kilometer course of 224.38 m.p.h.
1922- November 4. Lieutenants Kelly and Macready established a world’s record for distance with a flight of 2,060 miles, from San Diego, California, to Fort Benjamin, Indiana.
1923-April 3. Six Army land planes completed a flight to Porto Rico and return.
1923-April 19. Marooned inhabitants of South Fox Island, off the coast of Michigan, were afforded relief through the dropping from Army planes of food and clothing.
1924-March 17. Four Army Douglas World Cruisers departed on an aerial journey around the world. Two of the planes successfully completed the flight of 27,550 miles in 175 days.
1925- November 20. Lieutenant George W. Goddard, Air Corps, made the first successful night aerial photograph.
1926-April 19. The first maneuvers involving the entire Air Service were held at Fairfield, Ohio, in which a total of 45 officers and 67 enlisted men participated, utilizing 44 airplanes.
1927-May 2. The “Good Will” flight returned from South America, after covering a distance exceeding 20,000 miles since December 21, 1926.
1927-May 4. Captain Hawthorne C. Gray, Air Corps, in a free balloon, reached 42,470 feet, the highest altitude ever attained by man up to that time.
1927-June 29. Lieutenants Lester J. Maitland and Albert F. Hegenberger, Air Corps, landed at Honolulu, Hawaii, after having spanned 2,400 miles over the Pacific Ocean from Oakland, California.
1928-June 30. Captain William E. Kepner and Lieutenant William O. Eareckson, aide, representing the Air Corps in the International Free Balloon Race, won first honors, giving the United States permanent possession of the Gordon Bennett Trophy, since it marked the third consecutive time American aeronauts won this trophy.
1929-August 31. Captain Albert W. Stevens, Air Corps, photographed Mt. Rainier from an airplane which was at a distance of 227 miles from this mountain, exceeding by 50 miles any previous record in long-distance aerial photography.
1929-September 24. Lieutenant James H. Doolittle, Air Corps, in a public demonstration of “instrument flying,” accomplished a take-off and a landing solely through the use of instruments, for which he received the International League of Aviators Trophy.
1930-June 20-21. Randolph, San Antonio, Texas, Headquarters of the Air Corps Training Center, was dedicated.
1931-May 18-30, The annual Air Corps Field Exercises began at Dayton, Ohio, and ended at Washington, D.C. The Atlantic seaboard from Maine to Virginia was covered. The First Air Division participated comprising 692 officers, 69 flying cadets and 643 enlisted men. A total of 667 airplanes of all types was utilized in these exercises.
1932- May 9. Captain Albert F. Hegenberger accomplished the first solo flight entirely by instruments.
1933- Master Sergeant Ralph W. Bottriell, of Kelly Field, Texas, was presented the Distinguished Flying Cross for having made the first jump from an Army airplane with the free type parachute, in May, 1919. It was as a result of Sergeant Bottriell’s pioneering that the Air Corps developed the present type parachute.
1934-December 27. The Secretary of War approved the GHQ Air Force organization, and Lieutenant Colonel Frank M. Andrews, designated as its first Commander, was appointed a Major General.
1935-March 1. The GHQ Air Force was officially organized.
1935-August 29. Air Corps engineers made the first flight using the radio compass to control the automatic pilot and thus providing automatic radio navigation.
1935-November 11. Captains Albert W. Stevens and Orvil A. Anderson, Air Corps, reached 72,395 feet in the stratosphere balloon.
1935-December 27. Army bombers scored direct hits on the lava flow from the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii which was menacing the city of Hilo. The bombing tended to divert the lava flow to other channels.
1936-March. The Second Bombardment Group of Langley Field, Virginia, dropped 8,000 pounds of food and medical supplies to communities in Pennsylvania isolated by flood waters. A total of 45 officers and 100 enlisted men participated in these relief missions, utilizing 30 airplanes.
1936-February 10. Major Barney M. Giles, Air Corps; Second Lieutenant J.H. Patrick, Air Reserve; Staff Sergeant D.E. Hamilton and Corporal Frank B. Connor, Air Corps, took off from Concord, New Hampshire, about midnight and located seven CCC youths marooned on drifting ice in Cape Cod Bay. Major Giles circled over the party to show their position to Coast Guard personnel and other planes, which dropped food and blankets. Each of the four airmen received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
1936-June 29. Major General Frank M. Andrews made a non-stop distance record for amphibian planes by piloting the Douglas OA-5 1,425 miles from Porto Rico to Langley Field, Virginia, in 11 hours and 9 minutes.
1937-August 5. The Air Corps substratosphere plane, the Lockheed XC-35, made its initial performance flights at Wright Field, Ohio. Being equipped with a supercharged cabin, oxygen equipment was unnecessary.
1937-August 23. Captains Carl J. Crane and George V. Holloman, Air Corps, and Mr. Raymond K. Stout, Project Engineer, all of Wright Field, made two entirely automatic landings under adverse weather conditions.
1938-April 20. Four officers and five enlisted men began instruction at Patterson Field, Fairfield, made two entirely automatic landings under adverse weather conditions.
1938- February 15-27. Six B-17 bombers flew from Langley field, Virginia, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and return. The trip south involved landings at Miami, Florida, Lima, Peru, and Buenos Aires. Returning landings were made at Santiago, Chile, Lima and Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone.
1938-April 14. During a period of four days, all food, grain and supplies necessary for a Cavalry detachment of 30 men and 30 horses were dropped from an airplane in the mountains of the Big Bend District in Texas.
1939-February 4-6. Major C.V. Haynes, Air Corps, with a crew of 10 officers and men, flew the XB-15 bombardment plane from Langley Field, Virginia, to Santiago, Chile, with a load of vaccines and other medical supplies, totalling over 3,000 pounds, needed for earthquake sufferers. The distance of about 5,000 miles between Langley Field and Santiago was accomplished in 49 hours, 18 minutes elapsed time, and in a flying time of 29 hours and 53 minutes.
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CLASSIFICATION
PRE-FLIGHT
Fully equipped and proud of his new uniform an aviation cadet leaves the receiving building, a new man.
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Beginning CADET TRAINING
The first half hour is the easiest when a young American reports for training in the Army Air Forces. Having been examined, passed and signed up in his home town, he is then sent to the cadet Classification Center for actual induction – the first step on the tough but exciting road to his Army Air Forces Wings. What happens to him immediately on arrival is shown on this page. Having gone through the “first half hour” shown here, the cadet will soon be classified by aptitude tests for bombardier, navigator, or pilot training, and
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WHAT NEXT? is the cheerful attitude of a typical aviation cadet as he plunges into a new life at one of the Classification Centers. In less than half an hour he will be fully transformed from a civilian to a completely outfitted cadet.
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Above: THE COMPLETE CHANGE takes place in one large building. In the first room the aviation cadet is assigned to a squadron. On the next counter he will check in his luggage. Signs make questions unnecessary, and arrows on the floor lead cadets through the transition process from start to finish.
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Left: BLOCKING THE WAY ON THE “MAIN LINE” through the building is the shower room where the aviation cadets are required to give themselves a good scrubbing and to put civilian clothes in one of two barrack bags handed them. Second bag is for military clothes to be issued them.
Below: In footprints painted on the floor, the aviation cadet stands while experts size him up as to physical development. Expert alligns his backbone with two strings to see if it is perfectly straight. Physical records are kept on cadets throughout the training period with a view toward correcting minor ailments by specialized exercises.
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ON PARADE
sent to a specialized school in one of the training centers. Less than a year later he will emerge as one of the best flying officers in the world, ready to join Uncle Sam’s mighty air armada in actual combat.
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Above: Gone for the duration are civilian clothes. This aviation cadet tries on one of two pair of neat Army oxfords issued him. Civies are laid away in duffel bag.
Below, Top Picture: High-flying Army Air Forces fight low-crawling athlete’s foot effectively simply by preventing it. Each cade wears paper sandals from the shower until the time he puts on his shoes.
Bottom Picture: Snappy coat and cap are issued cadets at the end of the long clothing line. To transform this outfit to that of an officer if he is commissioned Second Lieutenant at the end of the course, cadet has only to put on Regular Air Forces insignia and remove blue band from his cap.
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Tug o’war on the athletic area.
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On the pistol range.
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Over the hurdle on the obstacle course.
PRE-FLIGHT TRAINING
After completing the tests in the Classification Center, the new air corps man is assigned to a pre-flight training school for a training course prior to being sent to a Primary Flight School.
Future pilots who are to receive their pre-flight training are sent to one of several fields, where they undergo nine weeks of intensive training.
The training program for the pre-flight pilot is in three major divisions, stressing athletics, military and academic work. They are given one hour a day in athletics and one hour is devoted to military training. The military training consists of close order drill which tends to improve military carriage and to teach discipline. Each man is drilled in the elements of military courtesy and receives actual practice in firing the 45 caliber pistol.
The academic program includes extensive studies in mathematics, physics, military law, citizenship, national policy, organization of the United States Government, the Air Corps, the Army, current events, types of Air Force equipment and armament, command and administration in small units, the firing of the 45 caliber pistol, and defense against chemical attack.
Each four and one half weeks, a new group is sent in from the Classification Center to the Pre-Flight Pilot School and each class moves up. The upper class members have their first actual practice in some of their training as they take charge of the new pilot students and get the new group settled. As the new group begins their nine weeks’ course, the upper class moves into the final phase of their training before graduating to the Primary School.
The Pre-Flight Navigator is sent from the Classification Center to one of several Navigator Pre-Flight Training Schools, where he undergoes nine weeks of training which is basically the same as the pre-flight pilot. There the work is divided into the same three categories with their academic work placing more stress on mathematics. Their other studies include Morse code, air forces, flags of all nations, ground forces, physics, naval forces, meteorology, photography, maps and charts, communication, procedure, cryptography, and target identification.
They are also taught military discipline and the proper ways of safeguarding military information. They spend five hours each day in these classes with new clases [sic] coming in every three weeks. Their military training consists of 45 minutes each day spent in close order drill and inspections each Saturday. During the nine weeks course the men are also given some training in chemical warfare and the use of gas masks and how to recognise the various types of gases.
The ultimate aim of the Navigator School is to give officer training and to give work valuable to them as aircraft observers and to give work
Cadets line up with their ladies.
Cadets arrive from classification center.
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At the piano in the cadet recreation building.
A typical room scene in cadet barracks.
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Grand march under sabre arch at Cadet Ball.
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Rifle inspection.
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The Colors.
which is prerequisite to the advanced schools. The Navigation School works in conjunction with the advanced schools and at the end of each nine weeks a new class is ready to begin the advanced work.
The Pre-Flight bombardier is sent from the Classification Center to one of the many bombardier schools where he also is subjected to the nine weeks of basic pre-flight training. His academic training lays particular stress upon work in bombardment aviation and particular training in observation from the plane. Other courses are practically the same as those required for a pre-flight navigator.
Throughout the first each “half hour” at the Classification Center and the nine weeks of pre-flight training, the would-be pilot, navigator and bombardier, all have one thought uppermost … to do their best and to get one step further along the road that leads to … WINGS.
PREFLIGHT
Preparing for Saturday inspection.
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Awarding trophies.
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PHYSICAL TRAINING WITH WANDS
Cadets entering the huge mess hall for dinner.
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The shrouds on the parachute must be right.
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Classroom instruction.
The PRIMARIES
Seasoned and well-drilled, with a fair idea of what military life is about, pilot trainees arrive at one of the Army Air Forces Training Center’s elementary flying schools.
These schools are civil airports under contract to the Air Forces. They have lost their indolent look of Sunday afternoon. The leisure is gone out of them. No groups of civilian pilots
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Primary trainers.
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Do it this way.
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loll around in leather jackets. No variety of civilian ships hang around in the afternoon sunlight. The ships are now all blue and yellow trainers – or PT’S. They go up one after another in steady drone. Their motors make a business-like, determined cadence in the air. The atmosphere is calmly serious, for here at elementary school is where the cadet must prove whether or not he has the “stuff” to become a military pilot.
His instructor is a civilian. Before the elementary period is up, this instructor must be able to say to his student:
“You have the inherent ability to fly. You have proved it by soloing within from eight to 12 hours. You have taken your ship up and brought it down countless after countless times. You have done infinitely more than this. You have gone up alone and done acrobatics. You have fought back your uneasiness and done loops and snap rolls. You have put your ship in a bad spin and have brought it out … which, as I say, proves nothing at all except – you are ready to go to Basic School … and luck go with you.”
That is all a cadet can hope to get from elementary school, a solid foundation in flying and a boost into a more difficult curriculum. A considerable number of all who enter elementary school never realize this hope, since they “wash out” for lack of “inherent flying ability.”
Thousands, however, do make the grade. From the Primaries every nine weeks pour a new crop of cadets, men assured of only one thing – that they can fly a PT, understand its simple movements, and comprehend its rudimentary instrument board.
They take with them to Air Corps Basic School this experience – and hope.
LEARNING TO FLY PT’S
Flying blithely through the air may be the dream of many a future pilot when he arrives at a primary training school, but the actual art of successful piloting is no fantasy. The cadet finds that it’s a combination of hard work, intense concentration, a fear of the “washing machine” and an intangible something that he either has or he hasn’t.
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Last-minute instruction.
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Top: Along the obstacle course
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A parachute is better than a rabbit’s foot.
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Right: Mass athletic drill.
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This is what makes it fly.
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Ready for the first ride.
He arrives at a primary school and after being quartered and fed, reports early one morning at the flight line for his first ride. With four or five other cadets comprising his group, he is assigned to an instructor. First he has to learn how to don a parachute, which is an art in itself. He then climbs into the rear cockpit and sits down to look it over. A “stick”, two rudder bars, a throttle, an altimeter and tachometer are the chief instruments he must learn to use in governing the flight of his ship.
First he hooks on his gosports, which are rubber tubes through which his instructor can talk; and much to the consternation of many a “dodo”, he learns there is no way to talk back. Ready to go, he “shoves the coal” to his “crate” and taxis in S curves, for better visibility, out to the runway.
All clear, the cadet, with a slight sinking sensation, inches the throttle forward as the ship gathers speed, gradually applies forward pressure to the stick. Then, just at the right time, he hauls back on the control and pulls the nose up into a long, shallow climb.
“Not so steep … take it easy … Do you want to stall this crate?” the instructor barks in his ears.
A fleeting glance downward causes the cadet to gulp a couple of times to keep his heart down. The ground drops swiftly away. He circles the field to gain altitude, all the time being careful to conform to the local traffic pattern.
At last he reaches the altitude for straight and level flight.
“Left wing too low – Pull ‘er nose up – Watch that tachometer, she’s revving too high – Ease back on the throttle – Hold a little right rudder,” the instructor cautions.
Correction after correction burns up the gosports as the instructor’s monologue becomes a steady drumming in the ears of the chagrined cadet.
As days go by, the cadet learns the “feel” of the plane, becomes dexterous at the more simple maneuvers of flight and recognizes the various plane altitudes and their relations to maintaining his course. He is now ready for that glorious experience when, for the first time, with hight spirits and sinking heart, he takes off, flies and lands, without the comforting companionship of his instructor. He solos.
After the “solo” he becomes familiar with various acrobatic maneuvers. Slow-rolls, snap-rolls, loops, spins, chandelles and lazy eights are part of the concentrated training program.
Then suddenly after weeks of primary training, he gazes upon a new world. A world he dared not even dream of heretofore – the world of Basic Flying School.
He is no longer a “dodo”. He rapidly is developing into an Army Air Forces pilot. If he ever had a sinking sensation upon looking at an airplane he probably has lost it by now, and when anyone asks him if he can fly, he can answer “yes, sir” in a low, reserved tone – but with one eye cocked toward days to come.
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Leaving the hangar.
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BASIC TRAINING
Off we go into the wild blue yonder, climbing high into the sun:
Those first line of “The Air Corps Song” provide the setting for this photomontage of men and planes. Dominated by that sleek, stub-nosed master of the skies, the advanced trainer at the left, the picture shows (bottom to top) the Corps of Cadets on the march, with the Stars and Stripes of America flying beside the British Union Jack, and the U.S. cadet and the R.A.F. standards billowing next to them. Directly overhead is a scene on the flying line, and above that are the “Three Musketeers” of the air – the combat team of pilot, bombardier and navigator. Surmounting all is an echelon of warbirds, ready to loose their thunder on any enemy who dares to confront them.
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READY TO FLY
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Life IN BASIC TRAINING
Stepping on to the whirligig of basic school, the cadet’s first warm glow of enthusiasm soon changes to puzzled bewilderment. The very speed with which he is carried both in his new ship in the air and in the classroom on the ground reminds him of an old phrase he heard quite often in the first week of training: “Wipe that smile off your face, Mister.”
In addition to more difficult flying technique, he steps into even harder military routine, and to the casual observer his thrust-out chest is likely to appear as the only visible part of his anatomy. His memory, constantly being polished up on matters of military discipline, begins to shine like the wings he strives for.
The weight of the world is on his shoulders when after four or five hours instruction comes the day when he must take his heavier and faster ship up for “solo”. It is only after this accomplishment that he begins to warm up once more to the possibility that he may still have the makings of the world’s hottest pilot. By the day of his second solo he is getting downright eager.
But always present, outstriding by just one step his rising enthusiasm, are the upperclassmen to keep his “eagerness” at half throttle. Once he is allowed to sit on the “little red stool” or to count himself a member of the “Eager Squadron,” he may be convinced that no one is perfect – not even himself – that all is not perfect, and that maybe his even a “gross” cadet.
WARM HAND OF WELCOME FOR UNCLE SAM’S ENEMIES. Etched again sky, traditional Army .45’s are aimed by Army Air Cadets. The revolvers may be no match for dive bombers but they are mighty handy in hand-to-hand fighting on the ground.
[Photograph]
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[page break]
Instructor’s favorite method of demonstrating plane altitudes is with his hands. Below: An instructor explains a formation maneuver while cadets “follow through.”
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
At basic he makes his first sundown trek to the flight line, and, after many anxious moments, and by the light of the moon (if he is lucky) he shoves his plane up toward the constellations and realizes he
is making his first night flight.
After that comes instrument training, and more night flights, and cross-country flying and more night flights, the use of the radio, and still more night flights.
By this time also, he has learned that there is such a thing as “flaps,” and has learned how to use them. With his hair standing on end he perceives there are times to use flaps and times not to use flaps.
Finally, comes that day when he happily watches the upperclassmen move on to Advanced Training. A self-satisfied smile spreads across his face, for now HE is an upperclassman.
Immediately, he turns to the new arrival from Primary and barks, “Brace there, Mister … Where did you get so gross? What country club did you come from?”
There is little time to “lord it.” His time now is taken up sunk in navigation problems to prepare him for cross-country flights. He is quite busy getting a firm hand on his tricky BT.
Basic seems to become very “gross” toward the end. The cadet becomes conscious of a new world, the last to be thoroughly toured before he gets his commission to the world known as Advanced Flying School.
Cadet mess.
[Photograph]
Basic trainers on the line.
[Photograph]
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[page break]
[Photograph]
NIGHT FLIGHT
ADVANCED TRAINING
“Where the pig iron is taken and molded into the finished product.” The third and last phase in an aviation cadet’s training is at Advanced, and it is here that the polish is applied and the kinks taken out before sending him out as an officer. For the first time, the cadet is considered a pilot – and the instructor, his flight commander. He learns to carry the responsibility which will soon be his – to know that in his hands are the lives of others as well as his own.
Having completed Primary and Basic training, the boys decide they’re pilots and that this Advanced “stuff” isn’t going to get them. No Sir! After handling those basic trainers, the AT’s are going to be easy. All goes well – the cadets report in. No hazing from the upperclass – in fact, no trouble at all as long as they remain “eager.”
The first ten hours of flying at Advanced is devoted to transition. During this time the cadet learns to handle the faster and heavier ship with its additional equipment, such as retractable landing gear, hydraulic flaps, and constant speed prop. These are the days of worry, for what cadet wants five stars? However, the time goes quickly, and the cadets say “Goodbye” to the time when they could take up a plane by themselves and fly as they desired, for formation flying walks in the door and remains. Instrument flying is an important part of the training, part of it on the ground in the “Jeep”
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Left. Top: THE OLD PUSH-UP is a standard “man killer” in the Training Centers, but cadets, becoming tougher and tougher, refused to be tired, come back for more.
Bottom: Final Exams.
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[page break]
the ADVANCED
[Photograph]
Ready for Oxygen Hop.
(Link Trainer) which handles just like the real airplane. In these are taught the procedures which are later practiced in the air on team rides under the hood. Altitude flights are made to accustom cadets to the use of oxygen and the reactions of the plane in the lighter atmosphere. One of the most thrilling of all the cadet missions is the first night cross-country trip. Having flown “night local” at Basic, night flying itself is not so unusual, but to follow the light lines to another city means a new step in training. Flying takes but half of the day – the remainder is spent in the classroom, at athletics, or drilling.
Then for ten days, the class has a break in their advanced training – ten days of gunnery practice at another school. Here cadets practice at ground and aerial gunnery. With machine guns mounted on the trainers, each man shoots several hundred rounds every day.
Yes, at any advanced flying school is taught the necessary subjects which any Army Air Forces pilot must know, to prepare him for service in the field as an officer.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Above, Top: AT Advance Twin Engine Trainer. Bottom: A.T-6’s on the line.
Close up.
Trainer with control unit.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Bank her this way.
Testing their oxygen masks.
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Watching the flight.
Ground crew off duty, but still “talking shop.”
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Top Row, Left: Gentlemen with swords once settled their quarrels at dawn. But these gentlemen, aviation cadets in the Training Center, work out with foils in order to develop cat-like quickness and dexterity which will be valuable to them in settling scores in air combat. Center: After a long flight.
Right: Cross country preparation.
Middle Row, Left: Back to the barracks after a hard day’s work in the air. Center: British cadets fold Old Glory at Retreat. Right: Advanced navigation trainer.
Bottom Row, Left: A sextet of aviation cadets in the air as they are determinedly making a broadjump on the obstacle course used in the physical training program. When the full story of this war is written, there will be a special chapter devoted to the hours of scientific study, the subsequent hours of manpower, prespiration [sic] and drudgery now being expended to toughen our combat fliers for the fight. Men were not made to fly at rarefied altitudes of 30,000 feet, nor were they built to be wrenched in the air at speeds of 500 miles an hour. But our enemies are doing it. We must. And the rugged physical conditioning program in the Southeast Training Center is the successful answer to how we can. The keystone in the training program is the development of those muscles and nerves most used in combat flying. Center: Sky Bound. Right: Advanced Trainers.
[Photograph]
Left: Like a man from Mars with a “death ray generator” in his hands, this Army Air Force photographer draws a bead as squadrons of planes roar across the cloud banks of the Southland. Anywhere he may point his finder he will catch the growing flights of aviation cadets doing precision formation flying.
[Drawing]
[page break]
[Photograph]
BOMBARDIER TRAINING
The whole striking power of the Air Forces, insofar as destructive power is concerned, is carried at the tips of the Bombardier’s fingers. Isolated and alone in the glassed-in “greenhouse” right in the very nose of the power bomber, it is his duty to direct his plane to the proper point above his target and release his bombs with such split-second timing as to insure their finding their mark.
For much of the plane’s flight the bombardier is merely a passenger, but as the plane nears its objective it is in his hands, and his alone, that the success of the mission rests.
Aided by the finest instruments for precision bombing owned by any nation in the world, the bombardier must make allowances for such things as plane speed, height, air temperature, weight of the bombs, wind and cross drifts and other factors.
He sets these facts into his bombsight, which is in essence a calculating machine, and at the right moment releases his bombs.
Before he reaches that target, however, the bombardier spends twelve crowded weeks learning the fundamentals and the fine points of his destructive trade. The bombardier is selected for his task at the Classification Section of the Air Forces. He is selected because
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BOMBARDIERS
he has shown marked ability at manual dexterity so that he can twist knobs without fumbling, muscle control so that his adjustments are always precise, serial reaction so that he can apply data in orderly sequence, and a calm temperament so he won’t get rattled easily.
Once he has been selected for his rigorous task the embryo bombardier is sent to one of the large bombardier schools, where he is first introduced into the theory of bombing. He attends classes and discovers the intricasies of what makes bombs fall as they do. He learns the composition of bombs, their various reactions to different conditions and situations. Above all, he spends many hours practicing on the bomb trainer, a platform some 12 feet above the ground which stimulates actual bombing conditions.
Over and over again he works out the various problems that are connected with his intricate art, learning to turn dials, straining his eyes, learning to coordinate mind and body so that his movements will be swift, sure and above all, accurate. As time goes on he finds that he is acquiring the sure timing and accurate adjustment necessary to make of him a finished bombardier.
He learns in classrooms about such things as probable error, the reason behind pattern bombing, learns how to calculate wind drift and other such problems.
As he grows more proficient he works out advanced problems involving all these factors on his training platform, so that by the time he is ready to take to the air for his practice trips he has a clear idea of just what problems he will face and what his responsibility is.
When the time comes for him to make his practice bombings he is carried in a modern fast bomber. He bombs at day and he bombs at night. He lives and thinks bombing. The practice bombs are loaded with black powder instead of high explosive and when these detonate the bombardier can see just how far he missed his target. He gets practice bombing from all angles and under all kinds of conditions. He learns to bomb from his altitude when his bombs are released three miles before he reaches his objective, and he learns to bomb from low altitudes when his bombs crash right on top of his objective.
He is schooled in the use of the Norden and Sperry bombsights, our most vital military secret.
At the end of nine weeks he makes his “record runs,” the final examination for a bombardier which determines whether he is a first, second or third class bombardier. If he graduates as a first class bombardier his position will probably be in the nose of the leading plane in his flight so that he can help the following bombardiers in the proper releasing of their bombs.
During his last three weeks of training the bombardier is in the air almost constantly, bombing on the practice range under all types of combat conditions. He learns how to release his bombs at very low altitudes when he can’t use his sight, but must rely on his own sight and judgment; he also learns to bomb from so high that he has to use oxygen to enable him to breathe. He learns how to check his
[Photograph]
Shown through the two racks of bombs is a bombardier cadet waving an all-clear to the ground crew as he goes up to the “nose.”
[Photograph]
Bombardier training.
Instructor at the blackboard explaining diagram illustrating the fall of the bomb as aviation cadets look on.
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Where to this trip? The cadets check the mission schedule to get their destination and “target” for the flight.
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IN THE MAKING … [Drawing]
[Photograph]
This Douglas B-18 bombardier training ship with its bomb racks loaded with practice bombs and manned by aviation cadets en route to target range.
data and release his bombs within 20 seconds of sighting his objective. He learns how to loose his bombs either in a string, which is one at a time, or in a salvo, which is all together.
At the end of his 12 weeks he is graduated and gains his coveted wings. From that time on he is a finished bombardier. He may be used to train other bombardiers or he may be assigned to a combat squadron anywhere on the face of the earth where the far-flung armies of the nation are in combat.
Like the pilot and the navigator, the bombardier is a highly specialized man. He is trained to function as an integral part of the bomber crew, and he knows that he was picked for his task, just as the pilot and the navigator, because of special skills which have been further developed by the course of training which he has undergone.
From bombardier cadets, eager to go “upstairs” for one of their regular training flights at an advanced flying school, check out their flying “tack” at Supply Headquarters.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Planning the “Pay Load.” Tools of the cadet bombardier’s important trade are these 100-pound training bombs, ready to be loaded into the giant belly hatch of a B-18 bomber.
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NAVIGATION
[Photograph]
Hundreds of two-engined training ships like this whisk students aloft on 1,000-mile missions. Ships carry a crew of five, the pilot, navigation instructor, and three students.
They call him the Little Tin Guy.
His nerves seem all metal, his mind works like a compass, and his job is to get our bombers there and get ‘em back, over land, over water, through weather and rain and hail and fog – through anything!
He is better known as the navigator and he is being trained at specialized schools.
The Little Tin Guy is being hammered out by the hundreds, and he will be hammered out by the thousands. He was present to smash the Jap fleet at Midway, and he carried the fire to Tokyo with General Doolittle. If he had not been along with his octant, his dividers and compasses, his maps and charts and unpronounceable gadgets, there would have been no victory at Midway, no fires at Tokyo.
[Photograph]
HITS OR MISSES? Whether our bombers, hurtling across thousands of miles of ocean waste like this, smash targets or miss objectives completely, depends largely on the navigator, dubbed “The Little Tin Guy.” Above, a training ship from one of the Navigation Schools flies a plotted course over the Atlantic. Below, left, a student navigator keeps on course by shooting the sun through the blister in the ship’s top. After graduation, young navigators with motto, “Get ‘em there – Get ‘em back!” can take bombers anywhere – Tokyo not excluded.
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[Photograph]
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Below, right, in the back seat, another navigation cadet navigates the same course by pilotage, or by checking points on his map with corresponding points on the ground. The river he sees coiled below is a well-known landmark.
[page break]
[Photograph]
WITH MAPS NEATLY ROLLED and instruments in their cases, young navigator march to the flying line and board ships assigned to them.
Without the navigator, bombers would be freight loads of destruction rushing at terrific speed through tractless space, but rushing without purpose, without hesitation.
The navigator CAN get ‘em there. He CAN get ‘em back. This is why: He doesn’t just happen to be a good navigator. He is made a good navigator.
Appointed an aviation cadet, he goes to a classification center. By mental examinations and weighted psychological tests it is determined whether he is by nature best qualified to be a navigator, bombardier, or pilot.
To be classified as navigator he must be a steady-nerved, cool-headed individual capable of making lightning decisions. He must have plenty of grey matter between the ears for he must master the equivalent of a full college course in a short time. He cannot be merely the bookworm-type intellectual. He must have the brawn and the wind to move around in a plane at high altitudes, forsaking his oxygen. He must be able to work complicated problems at dizzy heights where the average man cannot add three and six.
Classified “navigator,” he is put through weeks of elementary training and then sent to a navigation school for the real thing.
[Photograph]
Cadets sit one behind the other at desks in the belly of the ship. Here students have several minutes to figure their course while the pilot circles the field.
With E68 computer, called “The Navigator’s Wife,” because, cadets say, “It does everything in an airplane but cook,” a cadet estimates time of arrival to the next familiar landmark … Meanwhile another cadet, who must figure entirely by instruments, looks through driftmeter to see if wind is knocking the ship off course … To be triple sure of the airplane’s location, the pilot puts the ship on “automatic pilot” and lets it fly itself while he studies his map. If student gets off course, he will not correct him, but will keep his own bearings and tell student his mistake later … OXYGEN MASKS are worn by all crew members above altitudes of 10,000 feet. The Navigator must be in top physical condition, for in combat missions he must forsake oxygen and move around the ship to use his octant. In actual combat he mans a machine gun.
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“LITTLE TIN GUYS” ..
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BEFORE A FLIGHT cadet navigators at one of the fields training navigators crowd the ready room with maps and charts which will guide each man on a different mission.
This school hands him an intensive, practical course. He gets a course in the Navi-trainer, a machine which simulates all conditions of air navigation. He goes to ground class for eight hours a day, and for three hours at night. He is awakened in the dead of night and routed out to study the stars. He learns the theory of celestial, radio, pilotage and dead reckoning navigation.
Then his classroom goes to the sky. He flies in the two-motored AT-7. The ship carried three students, one instructor, and a pilot. The students sit at three desks one behind the other in the belly of the ship.
Usually the student in the front sea works his problem by instruments. He is not allowed to look at the ground. (The ground may not be visible to help on combat missions). The other two students do pilotage or follow the course on the map by recognizing corresponding objects on the terrain.
The new navigator spends 100 hours in the air. The courses he charts take him over several states. He directs the ship through day and through night on four-hour missions, on eight-hour missions. He mustn’t go to sleep. He mustn’t blink an eye.
“Zero Zero” is the navigator’s ultimate objective. Zero Zero in navigation means perfection. It means navigating through hundreds or thousands of miles of space, cloud rack, wind and weather and hitting a dime-size objective “on the nose” at the precise second you predicted you would hit it on the nose. One inch off is not Zero Zero. One second early or late is not Zero Zero. Zero Zero means right on the button, right on time!
It is not easy. New navigators say, “If you got there Zero Zero the driftmeter plays “The Star Spangled Banner” and hands you a cigar!”
But at the end of the course they do get there Zero Zero, and they get their Wings.
Then to units for further tactical training where they work for a while as members of a fighting team before they go to combat or to a ferry command.
The navigator’s first assignment may be to navigate a quarter-million-dollar Flying Fortress and its seven-man crew from Florida to a pin-dot airbase, surrounded by enemy-held territory-overseas. The ship is his personal responsibility. If he misses, too bad. But he doesn’t miss.
The best and most independent old pilots warm up to their navigators in direct proportion to the distance they have to fly. Flying in this war is almost all long-distance flying. The emphasis is on the navigator. The emphasis is on the Little Tin Guy!
[Drawing]
[page break]
[Photograph]
[inserted] Control Tower AT MAXWELL [/inserted]
SOUTHEAST ARMY AIR FORCES TRAINING CENTER
MAXWELL FIELD, ALABAMA
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HEADQUARTERES
SOUTHEAST ARMY AIR FORCES TRAINING CENTER
Maxwell Field
Montgomery, Alabama
July 3, 1942
To All Members of this Command:
Since its inception on July 13, 1940, the Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center has developed from a mere directive on paper and a total of five officers, to its present strength of thousands of officers, cadets, and enlisted men stationed throughout sixteen states. It has been a tremendous job, and only the loyalty and unsparing efforts of the entire command have made possible this progress.
In the coming days and months the obstacles will be no less and our output must be greater.
To all those who have labored so well in making the Training Center a vital link in the Army Air Forces, I want to express my personal appreciation for a job well done. I have the utmost confidence in your ability to meet the increasing responsibilities of the future.
To the thousands of cadets who have received their training here, and to the thousands still to come, - we dedicate our efforts.
[signature]
W.W. WELSH,
Colonel, Army Air Forces,
Commanding.
[Drawing]
[page break]
[Photograph]
WILLIAM W. WELSH
COLONEL, AIR CORPS
Commanding Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center
Colonel Welsh was born in Denver, Colo., September 16, 1893. Enlisting in the Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps, May, 1917, at Omaha, Neb.; called to active duty December 20, 1917, reporting to the School of Military Aeronautics, Austin, Tex., for ground school training. Assigned to the Cadet Concentration Camp, Fort Dick, Dallas, Tex., later to the flying school at Park Field, Millington, Tenn. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant, aviation section, Signal Corps, May 28, 1918.
Transferred to Payne Field, Miss., serving as instructor until October, 1918, then transferred to the Aviation Concentration Depot for overseas service. The Armistice was signed prior to his departure, however, and he was sent to Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Fla.
Saw service at March Field, Calif., Brooks Field, San Antonio, Tex., France Field, Panama Canal Zone and Kelly Field, Texas; 1931-36 stationed at Louisville, Ky., as Commanding Officer of Bowman Field and on detached service with the Organized Reserves.
In August, 1936, attended the Air Forces Tactical School, graduating in 1937. Since then he has been on duty continuously at Maxwell Field, serving first with the Tactical School until it was rendered inactive in 1940, and then with the Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center.
He holds ratings of command pilot and combat observer.
[page break]
GENERAL STAFF
[Drawing]
[Photograph]
JOHN G. WILLIAMS
Colonel, General Staff Corps
Chief of Staff
[Photograph]
ALBERT M. WOODY
Lieutenant Colonel, Air Corps
Executive Officer
[Photograph]
A.L. PRICHARD
Lieutenant Colonel, General Staff Corps
A-1
[Photograph]
AMZI G. BARBER
Lieutenant Colonel, General Staff Corps
A-2
[Photograph]
JOHN F. McBLAIN
Colonel, General Staff Corps
A-3
[Photograph]
LEDCREICH STUART VANCE
Lieutenant Colonel, General Staff Corps
A-4
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[page break]
[Diagram]
“The Best Training in the World” sounds like a big statement – and it is – but that’s what America’s young men get when they are accepted by the Army Air Forces for training as pilots, bombardiers and navigators. The above chart, prepared by the Southeast AAF Training Center, shows the progressive stages of training Army aviation cadets undergo from the time they pass the physical and mental examinations at a local board or Army Post, until they emerge as Second Lieutenants or with the newly created grade of Flight Officer. (Both ranks carry the same pay, and Flight Officers may later be commissioned as Second Lieutenants). Upon graduation from the last stage of Training Center preparation, the young officers are assigned to a Combat Unit and are ready to meet the enemy. And because of their exceptional training, they will meet him on better than even terms in knowledge and ability. That means greater safety for themselves – and bad news for their opponents!
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[page break]
[Photograph]
School Squadron Building
[Photograph]
Maxwell Field Post Headquarters.
VIEWS ….
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
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Left to Right:
Commanding Officer’s Quarters.
Non-Commissioned Officers’ Quarters.
Bachelor Officers’ Quarters.
Maxwell Field Officers’ Club Lounge.
[Drawing]
[42]
[page break]
[Photograph]
“PX” CAFETERIA, FOR ENLISTED MEN AND CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES
…. AROUND MAXWELL FIELD
Today, three Army Air Forces Training Centers, each operating as a separate unit, but all constituting one great United States Army Flying Academy, are working day and night to attain the goal of producing the necessary pilots, navigators, bombardiers to blast the Axis forces off the ground and out of the skies. They are the Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center, with headquarters at Maxwell Field, Ala.; the Gulf Coast Army Air Forces Training Center, with headquarters at Randolph Field, Texas, and the West Coast Army Air Forces Training Center, with headquarters at Santa Anna, Calif.
The Southeast Training Center is typical of all three, and more than either of the other two, it started from scratch.
On November 16, 1940, the Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center launched its aviation cadet program. Major General Walter R. Weaver was put in command of the Center and at that time it consisted of nothing more than its present headquarters at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Ala.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
To the Right, Top: Austin Hall, Headquarters of the Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center, Maxwell Field, Alabama. Bottom: Office of the Commanding Officer, Headquarters, Southeast AAF Training Center.
[page break]
Today scores of air schools are operating in the Training Center. Many others are soon to be activated. Webbed as a single unit around their command headquarters at Maxwell Field, they dot the land from the State of Wisconsin to the tip of Florida, extending as far west as North Dakota. In fact, the Southeast Training Center has long since outgrown its name. Here in this part of the United States, lies the greatest air training center in the world today. The sky is literally the limit for the facts and figures of the expanding program and for the number of men fast undergoing the transition from shaky-winged fledglings to dependable Army flyers.
As though this were not job enough, the Center swung open its doors in June, 1941, to British aviation cadets, who after completion of their training returned home for duty with the RAF. The total number of British students graduated from the schools in the Center is a military secret, but the total figure runs into the thousands.
And in May, 1942, a large contingent of sun-tanned Dutchmen from the East Indies arrived in this country for training in the Southeast Training Center.
Call it discipline, organization, mass production, or what you will … The Southeast Training Center is producing a large share of the nation’s pilots, navigators, bombardiers. A new class of aviation cadets enters the training center every five weeks. From all over the country, from many different vocations, climates and ways of life, they come to sign up with the Air Forces. They have three things in common: a minimum amount of luggage, a yen to fly, and a desire to come to grips with the enemy.
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Above. Top to Bottom: Mess Call. Cadet Mess Hall. Post Exchange, Maxwell Field. Post Library.
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[page break]
COCHRAN FIELD
[Photograph]
CONTROL TOWER
MACON , GEORGIA
1942
[45]
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HEADQUARTERS
ARMY AIR FORCES BASIC FLYING SCHOOL DDF/w
COCHRAN FIELD, MACON, GA.
To the Men of Cochran Field,
I welcome this opportunity to greet each and every one of you. I have had the privilege of being with you men here and of working with you and for you. You and I have seen fertile land change from the production of farm crops to the production of fine men. Some of these men must leave, but some stay to help us. I am proud of you, your work, and our products. I am glad that you too are proud of our accomplishments.
My sincere best wishes to each and every one of you. Thank you for your loyalty, your hard work, and your high ideals. May the spirit of this command continue to be expressed by the words, “We can and we will.”
[signature]
D.D. FITZ GERALD
Colonel, Air Corps
Commanding.
[page break]
[Photograph]
DONALD D. FITZ GERALD
Colonel
Commanding Cochran Field
Born in Washington, D.C., December 13, 1896. Graduated from Pennsylvania Military College with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1917. Completed Post Graduate course at Yale University in 1926 with a M.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Was commissioned Second Lieutenant, Field Artillery, June 1, 1918, and transferred to the Air Service as an Aerial Observer on August 28, 1918. Commissioned First Lieutenant, Air Service, July 1, 1920; Captain, Air Corps, January 1, 1934; Major (temporary) August 26, 1936; Major (permanent) July 1, 1940; Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) March 15, 1941; Colonel (temporary) January 20, 1942.
During his military career has been stationed at Saumur, France, in 1918, as Field Artilleryman; Tours and Chattil on Sur-Seine, France, in 1918, as a student observer; Treves and Coblenz, Germany, in 1918, with the Army of Occupation. Was at Mitchell Field, Kelly Field, and Fort Bliss in 1919; at Camp Knox, Fort Sill and March Field for pilot training in 1920, attended Signal School at Camp Vail in 1922-23; back to Kelly Field in 1923-25; McCook Field in 1926-28; Brooks Field, 1928-31; Hawaii, 1931-33; Rockwell Field, 1933-35; the Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, 1935-36; Bolling Field, 1936-39; Randolph Field, 1939-40; Gunter Field, 1940-41; Maxwell Field, January, 1941 – April 1941.
Colonel Fitz Gerald has been Commanding Officer of Cochran Field since its conception in April, 1941. His leadership of Cochran Field has been superb.
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[page break]
STAFF
[Photograph]
RICHARD H. WISE
Lieutenant Colonel
Post Executive Officer
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WILHELM C. FREUDENTHAL
Lieutenant Colonel
Operations Officer
[Photograph]
JAMES W. CLARK
Captain
Adjutant
[Photograph]
OTTO E. KELLER
Captain
Intelligence Officer
SPECIAL STAFF
[Photograph]
JOHN F. GORMAN
Major
Special Services Officer
[Photograph]
RAYMOND V. MARLAN
Major
Quartermaster
[Photograph]
CHARLES E. WILSON
Major
Administrative Inspector
[Photograph]
CHARLES R. CROSS
Major
Provost Marshal
MAXWELL C. HARRINGTON
Captain
Ordnance Officer
[Photograph]
ALLEN D. SMITH
Captain
Surgeon
[Photograph]
MYRON R. BITTIKOFER
Captain
Engineer
[Photograph]
PERCY F. HERRING
Captain
Chaplain
[Photograph]
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[page break]
[Photograph]
PATRICK D. HUFF
Captain
Signal Officer
[Photograph]
FRANK P. GALLO
Captain
Personnel Officer
[Photograph]
MORRIS J. DROBECK
Captain
Athletic and Theatre Officer
[Photograph]
EDWARD J. MACK
Captain
Finance Officer
[Photograph]
HOWARD L. DAVIS
Second Lieutenant
Communications Officer
[Photograph]
R.J. ERFLE
First Lieutenant
Transportation Officer
[Photograph]
WILLIAM E. WALK, JR.
First Lieutenant
Base Weather Officer
[Photograph]
OWEN W. SILVEY
First Lieutenant
Chemical Property Officer
SCHOOL STAFF
C. CONRAD PRATT
Major
Director of Training
[Photograph]
FRANK W. ISEMAN
Major
Commandant of Cadets
[Photograph]
JOHN M. WINGE
Captain
School Secretary
[Photograph]
ARTHUR L. HUFF
Captain
Director of Ground School
[Photograph]
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HISTORY OF COCHRAN FIELD
A site containing about a thousand acres was purchased by the City of Macon, Georgia, in December, 1940. This land, located nine miles south of the City on the Hawkinsville Highway, was designated by the Federal Government in February, 1941, as the site for buildings for Flying School Number 1 and construction was started on March 15th.
Thus was Cochran Field begun. At that time the land was typical middle Georgia farm land and was covered by several sizeable peach and pecan orchards, some truck farms, numerous dwellings and a church.
The field which was at first known as Flying School Number 1, from its priority of construction, was later named for Robert J. Cochran, who was born in Camilla, Georgia. He died in action in France during the first World War while serving as a First Lieutenant with the Eighth Aero Squadron.
On April 15, 1941, five officers with seventy-five men arrived at Cochran Field in a truck convoy under the command of Captain R.H. Wise. They came from Gunter Field, Montgomery, Alabama, and reported to Lieutenant Colonel D.D. Fitz Gerald who had arrived from Maxwell Field on April 7th.
Many of the men were key non-commissioned officers. They were the nucleus around which the Basic Training School was formed. These members of the original detachment were assigned to quarters in tents while Lieutenant Colonel Fitz Gerald began his command from a make-shift desk.
On May 15th, the field was designated as a Basic Army Flying School. The first planes arrived from Gunter Field on May 23rd. Paving had already begun on the gigantic runways and was soon completed. These runways are equivalent to scores of miles of ordinary paved roadway.
Training of the first aviation cadets, who arrived on June 3rd, began June 4, 1941, three days ahead of regular schedule, and the first class was graduated August 13th, five days ahead of schedule. On August 18, 1941, the first class of British cadets arrived to begin their duties. Classes of both American and British cadets have been held continuously since that date.
Lieutenant Colonel Fitz Gerald was appointed to the rank of Colonel (temporary) on January 20, 1942, and Cochran Field under his guidance has emerged from a red, muddy orchard to become one of the finest training schools of the Air Forces. The station is continuously turning out officers and men who are fitted to carry on our battle to victory.
[50]
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COCHRAN FIELD
ACTIVITIES
[Photograph]
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[Photograph]
READY FOR ACTION
[Photograph]
CADETS TAKE TO THE AIR
[Photograph]
PLANE PARK
[page break]
[Photograph]
Lieutenant James and Civil Service pilot just before take-off.
[Photograph]
Last minute instructions.
LOOKS LIKE A VICIOUS MONSTER READY TO SPRING
[Photograph]
[page break]
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top: The take-off.
Above: P.T. trainer on the line.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top: A line of planes go into position for take-off.
Above: A squadron takes off.
A cadet has taken to the air.
[Photograph]
All set for a take off.
[Photograph]
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[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top: Drying parachute. Above: Sewing parachute.
Folding.
[Photograph]
Almost finished.
[Photograph]
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[Photograph]
LINE MAINTENANCE MAKES A 100-HOUR CHECK-UP
LINE MAINTENANCE
[Photograph]
Left: The men in the line maintenance section are thoroughly trained in the general construction principles, repair, adjustment, inspection and maintainment of the complete airplane, engine and affiliated equipment. On the shoulders of these men rests the responsibility of keeping the planes running smoothly. Although the modern plane is built to withstand much harsh punishment there is always a day of reckoning and that is where the line maintenance comes into its own.
[page break]
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top: Washing and checking a plane, part of the plane park is seen in the background. Above: The line maintenance gasses ‘em up.
[57]
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[Photograph]
SCRUB-UP TIME
[Photograph]
25-HOUR INSPECTION
[Photograph]
100-HOUR CHECK
[page break]
[Photograph]
COCHRAN FIELD BAND
Below. Top to Bottom: Dental clinic. Microscope work in Medical Detachment laboratory.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Below. Top to Bottom: Headquarters Building. Post Chapel. Post Hospital.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
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[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top: Weather tower.
Above: Radio operator at receiving set.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top: Plotting “winds aloft” map in Weather Department.
Above: Routine in the Weather Department.
The Minds Behind the Men in the Air
Light gun in the control tower.
[Photograph]
Map study in Airways Section.
[Photograph]
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[Photograph]
Observing balloon by theodite.
[Photograph]
Studying the enlarger in the photographic department.
Below: Giving instructions from inside the control tower.
Bottom: Cadets check in with an M.P.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Below: Crash truck.
Bottom: An M.P. issues a pass.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
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ON THE MARCH
BELOW: CADETS FORMATION. BOTTOM: RECRUIT SQUADRON ON THE MARCH.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
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[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Swimming and diving is a favorite off duty activity at Cochran Field.
FAMILIAR SCENES
Right: Officers’ Club. Right, Below: A chess game in the Recreation Hall. Below: Mess inspection.
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
[page break]
VIEWING THE 27TH SQUADRON
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
Top Picture:
THE 27TH SQUADRON LINES UP
Center Picture:
GAS MASK DRILL
Bottom Picture:
A SERGEANT GIVES ORDERS TO TRUCK DRIVER.
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Personnel
COCHRAN FIELD
MACON , GEORGIA
1942
[65]
[page break]
[Photograph]
JOHN R. KNIGHT
Major
[Photograph]
JAMES W. LILLARD, JR.
Captain
[Photograph]
ROBERT MARTENS
Captain
[Photograph]
FREDERICK G. McNALLY
Captain
[Photograph]
JOHN MONACO, JR.
Captain
FLYING OFFICERS
[Photograph]
SAMUEL S. RIDDLE, JR.
Major
[Photograph]
FRANK A. SHARP
Captain
[Photograph]
WALTER A. SMITH, JR.
Captain
[Photograph]
DAVID B. TUDOR
Captain
[Photograph]
WENDELL M. VAN SICKLE
Captain
TRUMAN F. ANDERSON
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JAMES A. GIBSON
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
VINCENT A. BLACK
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
EDWIN H. BOYERS
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
COLIN F. BURCH, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[66]
[page break]
[Photograph]
CHARLES A. CUTHBERT, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
WILLIAM W. EVANS, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
BERNARD J. FINAN, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ALEX H. GAY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
RAYMOND L. GEORGE
First Lieutenant
JOHN D. GORHAM, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
SAMUEL D. HALEY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
DeALBERT S. HOKE, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ROBERT B. HUTCHINSON
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ROBERT R. JONES
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
WILLIAM P. KOCH
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
KENNETH M. LEGHORN
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JAMES A. MAGUIRE
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
RICHARD H. MAY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ROBERT E. MONROE
First Lieutenant
STANISLAW J. PODOLAK
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
DORSEY A. PULLIAM
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
AMOS L. SLUDER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HARRY W. SHOUP
Captain
[Photograph]
HARRY J. SHUFFLER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[67]
[page break]
[Photograph]
HAROLD D. STANHOPE
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
L.V. TEETER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
PETER S. WALKER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
PHILIP G. WARNER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GEORGE O. WHITE
First Lieutenant
WILEY S. TAYLOR
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GEORGE BECHTEL
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HARRY K. BLAKE
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
WILLIAM J. CANTWELL
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN D. CARTER
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
HAROLD C. CHAPLIN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
CHARLES E. CHAPMAN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
BUFORD T. CLARK
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
WILLIAM F. CROWLEY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOSEPH W. DAVIDSON
Second Lieutenant
ANDREW W. FULLER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
CALVIN H. GIBSON, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
LEON H. GOLINSKY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GORDON M. GRAHAM
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN E. GUINN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[68]
[page break]
[Photograph]
EDGAR W. HAGEMEIER
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MYRON A. HUSTON, JR.
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MARVIN E. JACOBS
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
RICHARD B. JEFFREY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
RALPH F. JORGENSEN
First Lieutenant
LAWRENCE P. GIARRIZZO
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JACK F. KELLER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
CLIFFORD J. KRONAUER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
PAUL E. LEAS
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HAROLD O. LUNN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
JOHN R. MARTIN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
EUGENE K. MAXWELL
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HOLT A. MURRAY
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
RALPH PAPANI, JR.
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
EUGENE A. PERESICH, JR.
First Lieutenant
ROBERT G. PETRANEK
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GEORGE F. ROBERTS
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
LOUIS J. DeSAUDRO
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN A. SHAW
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
CHARLES T. SHEAN, II
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[69]
[page break]
[Photograph]
WILBUR R. SHEIBLE
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HOWARD G.SHIDAL
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
WILBERT D. SHOCKLEY
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HOWARD W. SIMCOX
First Lieutenant
EARLE M. SMITH
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
RALPH L. THOMAS
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ROBERT E. TRIMBLE
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GORDON S. TURNER
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
CLYDE R. VAN HORN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GORDON O. VARNEAU
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MARK H. VINZANT
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
EDGAR S. WARDELL
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GEORGE G. WHITE
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HIRIAM H. WHITE, JR.
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
DAVID B. WHITLOCK
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HOLLIE L. WHITTEMORE, JR.
Second Lieutenant
[70]
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GROUND AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
[Photograph]
CHARLES N. BEHRENS
Major
[Photograph]
ELLIS A. MANSHIP
Major
[Photograph]
JOHN H. BARTON
Captain
ANTHONY V. BENINCASA
Captain
[Photograph]
J.E. BROKAW
Captain
[Photograph]
DONALD R. FERRIS
Captain
[Photograph]
ALBERT S. GUERRINA
Captain
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
GEORGE O. HANFORD
Captain
[Photograph]
ROBERT C. INGRAM
Captain
[Photograph]
CLAUDE H. IRBY
Captain
[Photograph]
H. STEWART JOHNSTON
Captain
[71]
[page break]
[Photograph]
ALFRED M. MARTIN
Captain
[Photograph]
MICHAEL R. ZITO
Captain
[Photograph]
HERMAN SCHRAMM
Captain
[Photograph]
J. WILLIAM WELLS
Captain
[Photograph]
LAWRENCE A. CLANCY
First Lieutenant
FRANK S. COHEN
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
CYRIL R. CULP
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ABE L. FEUER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
HARVEY J. GRAY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN T. HIGGINS
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
PALEAMON L. HILSMAN
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
J.J. MALONE
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOSEPH I. MATHIS
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
LEONARD J. MILLER
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
GERALD E. MILLER
First Lieutenant
RONALD D. MILLER
Captain
[Photograph]
CLYDE R. MOSES
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
EDWARD B. RANDALL
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
FRANK A. SHARP
Captain
[Photograph]
JOHN O. SHOLAR
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[72]
[page break]
[Photograph]
JOHN J. SQUADRITO
Captain
[Photograph]
FRED S. SWAFFIELD, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JAMES T. THOMAS, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ALFRED P. VALENTINE
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
WILLIAM D. WARRICK
First Lieutenant
ALBERT S. WHITFIELD, JR.
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
FREDERICK H. WILLCOX
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MALCOLM C. ALFRIEND
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
ROBERT W. BAILEY
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN N. BEASLEY
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
GEORGE G. EMBICK
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
OSBORN B. HEYWARD
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
EARL D. JAMES
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
SYRUS H. JOHNSON
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN M. LEEPER
Second Lieutenant
ATHOL D. LIVELY
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOSEPH J. O’HANLON, JR.
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
JOHN J. O’MARA
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
PHILLIP F. STARKMAN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MILTON WAYNE
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[73]
[Photograph]
JAMES L. PATTERSON
Captain
[Photograph]
DONALD M. WRIGHT
Captain
[Photograph]
ROBERT T. HALL
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
FRED H. KUHLMAN
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
FRANK W. GARWACKI
First Lieutenant
COCHRAN FIELD NURSES
ROSA LEE FAGGART
First Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MARGARET R. BUCKO
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MARGARET E. DANIEL
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MARGARET HEATH
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
VIRGINIA G. JOHNSTON
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
THERESA A. MEDLIN
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
MIRIAM R. PIERCE
Second Lieutenant
[Photograph]
BERTIE MAE RHODES
Second Lieutenant
[74]
[page break]
[Photograph]
JAMES L. KEITH
Flight Lieutenant
[Photograph]
CHARLES P. ALLEN
[Photograph]
CYRIL D. BEST
[Photograph]
MAURICE K. CHICK
BRITISH PILOT OFFICERS
ALSTAIR A. CROSSE
[Photograph]
C.S. DILLIMORE
[Photograph]
D. GIFTKINS
[Photograph]
LEONARD J. KENT
[Photograph]
RALPH KIRKER
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
CYRIL G.F. PARSONS
[Photograph]
DENNIS H. PAYNE
[Photograph]
GEORGE A. RICHARDS
[Photograph]
FRANCIS W. SAVAGE
[Photograph]
GEOFFREY TASKER
[75]
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
UPPER CLASS (AMERICANS)
[Photograph]
FRANK W. ISEMAN
Major
Commandant of Cadets
[1 row of 4 photographs]
Cadets Adams, Stephen Shepherd; Banks, John Wilbur; Benson, Bertil Emil William; Brooks, Dudley Wilder.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Brusek, Frank Anthony; Carroll, James Leo, Jr.; Casey, James Francis; Cook, Coleman Bertram, Jr.; Corrie, Wirt Haley; Dobkowski, Joseph Thaddeus; Gianforte, Joseph Charles.
Second Row: Cadets Harvey, Elliot Bishop; Herrmann, Robert Henry; Hoelzer, Kenneth William; Hogue, Lucius Matlock; Holstein, Elmer Merriman; Hungerpiller, James Arthur, Jr.; Kelley, William Arlington.
[76]
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
UPPER CLASS (AMERICANS)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Kernodle, Harold Lee; King, Joseph Hoffman; Kubasak, Emil Steve; McAdams, William Benton; McLaughlin, James Joseph; Millett, Clyde Lawrence; Morris, James Cleveland.
Second Row: Cadets Muir, Donald Watson; Netzer, John Joseph, Jr.; Newman, Riley Rape; Olfston, Junior Walter; Parker, Gerald Arthur; Peterson, Cletus William; Reeder, Owen.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Ridemour, John Western; Rock, James Francis; Root, Francis Henry; Rowe, Scott Rumnels; Simmonds, Harold Maurer; Smith, Frederick Noah, Jr.; Smith, Harry Franklin, Jr.
Second Row: Cadets Smith, Kenneth Barton; Smith, Kirby Enos; Smith, Robert David; Sykes, William Joseph; Wallace, Joseph Wilkins, Jr.; Williams, Thomas Albert; Woodroofe, Philip Benson.
[77]
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
LOWER CLASS (AMERICANS)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Allison, George Frederick; Arnspiger, Varney Clyde, Jr.; Austin, Daniel Vincent; Barnett, Clarence Vernon; Barry, Gerald Hayes; Battalore, John Russell; Beake, William Gunther.
Second Row: Cadets Belenky, Eli Larry; Bolton, Louis Saul; Bond, Willis Franklin; Bruther, John Richard; Caldwell, Carlos Freeman; Carter, John Tredway; Caseley, Raymond Perrie.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Clodfelter, Thomas Clarence; Cohalan, Eugene Conway; Commins, Louis Shelly; Corwin, Joseph Bower; Cromer, Harold Nicholas; Cymbalak, Michael; Davis, George Porter.
Second Row: Cadets Donovan, Neil Charles; Duesing, Louis James; Durbin, Robert Frederic; Egan, James Martin; Ericson, Allan Oscar; Evans, Robert Jay; Farley, Robert Henry.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Fellows, John Baptiste; Ferriss, Lester Ruthven, Jr.; Fowle, John Allen; Frey, Ernest Albin; Gage, John Oliver; Gerber, Frank Andrew, Jr.; Gordon, Allan Thomas Jr.
Second Row: Cadets Gramzinski, Arthur William; Grandy, Howard Leon; Gruden, Peter William, Jr.; Hackett, Earl Thomas; Harrold, James Franklin; Haverlin, Jack Flehro; Hensley, Clarence Everette.
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
LOWER CLASS (AMERICANS)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Hill, LeRoy Carlile, Jr.; Hodgen, Robert Johnston; Hodowski, Leo Maxmilian; Jones, William Thomas; Knowlton, Kenneth Stebbins; Kuch, Theodore Horner, Jr.; Levy, Robert Maurice.
Second Row: Cadets McFadden, Kenneth Laurie; McNeill, Herbert Warren; Metz, Charles Frederick, Jr.; Michael, Florence Sherwood, Jr.; Mitchell, John Thomas, Jr.; Moore, Robert Lee; Myers, Max.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Ohl, Charles Owen; Parke, William Neel; Paton, George; Pollingue, Alvin Michael; Pultz, Frank Howard; Revoir, Kenneth Joseph; Richman, Mac.
Second Row: Cadets Roman, Julio Enrique; Schley, John Dearing, Jr.; Shankle, Willard Mayes; Sherman, Gilbert Roger; Smith, George Fisher; Smith, Robert Malcolm; Smith, Warwick Vosper.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Sommers, Paul Adams; Spelman, Robert Arthur; Stan, Raymond Henry; Stanley, Carl Seaton; Swartz, Alan; Tanner, William Frank; Terry, Prosper Umbert.
Second Row: Cadets Tilotta, Anthony; Topham, Arthur Hallett; Upchurch, Joseph Staley; Wemple, Donald Lester; Wight, Douglas Roberts; Witoff, Arnold Abraham; Woodson, William Drake.
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
UPPER CLASS (BRITISH)
[Photograph]
JAMES KEITH
Flight Lieutenant
[1 row of 3 photographs]
Cadets Adams, Cyril Gilbert Roy; Adams, Thomas Eric; Addis, Harold William.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Allden, Basil Eric Edward; Astle, Charles Wilson; Baxter, Alan Russell; Beveridge, James Lawrence; Bingham, Frank William; Black, Ian Campbell Bennett; Blades, Donald John Morrison.
Second Row: Cadets Bolam, Warwick Hall; Bolton, Wm.; Botsford, Robert Harry; Bowman, Alexander Henderson; Boyd, Richard Edwin; Breffit, Raymond Hulley; Brooks, Oliver Villiers.
[80]
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
UPPER CLASS (BRITISH)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Brothwell; Robert Sidney; Brown, Frank; Bryan, Maurice; Brydson, John Alexander; Canham, Morris William; Carey, John Charles; Champion, Ronald Treweeke.
Second Row: Cadets Charlton, John; Chatting, Kenneth Frederick; Cheek, Richard Leslie William; Christie, Brian Hamilton; Christison, Albert Ernest; Clague, William Henry; Clements, Walter Leonard.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Coe, Dennis Norton; Cooper, Norman Maylin; Cooper, Peter Frederick; Cowell, Dennis William George; Cray, Stanley; Creed, Frank Charles; Daniel, Arthur James.
Second Row: Cadets Dart, Anthony Christopher; Davie, Charles Kenneth; Davies, Kenneth Thomas; Davies, William Norman; Davison, Kenneth Arthur Frederick; Draycott, Sydney; Dunn, James.
[81]
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
UPPER CLASS (BRITISH)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Elder, Edward Vladimir Austin; Eldridge, Douglas Reginald George; Ervine, William Denis; Fenner, David Hendry; Findlay, George Allan; Fisher, Leonard William; Ford, Robert John.
Second Row: Cadets Frost, T.J.; Gibbons, Howard Paistowe; Gibson, Robert Brumwell Desmond; Gilmour, James Murray; Goodwin, Richard M.; Grant, William Joseph; Gray, David Anthony Athelstan.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Gregory, Bruce Leonard; Hadwin, Derrick; Harrison, Charles, Haye, Norman Raymond; Hayward, Robert Frederick; Heard, Stephen Arthur; Herrick, Charles H.
Second Row: Cadets Hicks, Reginald Jack; Hunter, Hugh Fraser; Huxstep, Maurice; Inshaw, Eric Norman; Isaacson, Aubrey; Isard, Phillip C.; Jackson, Donald Herbert.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Johnson, Victor Horace; Jupp, Harold Edward; Kershaw, Geoffrey; Large, Ronald Dive; Larkin, Kenneth Richard; Lillie, Gerald Ernest; Lodge, Joe Thomas.
Second Row: Cadets MacKenzie, Alasdair Leslie; Maltese, Francis Reginald Antony; Marsh, Kenneth Ernest Mark; McDougall, Robert; McManus, Charles Patrick; Medcalf, Henry John; Miller, Stanley Edward.
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
UPPER CLASS (BRITISH)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Milne, Alec; Milsom, Geoffrey William; Mitchell, Willie; Molyneux, William A.; Moran, Leonard Edward; Munro, Donald John; Nicholls, Bernard.
Second Row: Cadets Nichols, John Francis; Ormston, John Thornton; Parkinson, Ronald Chesterton; Payne, Peter Henry; Picot, Raymond Charles; Plumb, Donald Ivan; Puddephat, Leslie Thomas.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Rogers, Eric Oswald; Sampson, Kenneth John; Saunders, James John Milne; Savage, Leslie Norman Gordon; Smith, John Edward; Starling, Frank Edward; Stephenson, Jack.
Second Row: Cadets Stimpson, Maurice Cecil; Storer, Colin Harrison; Swain, Matthew Alec; Taylor, Arthur Graham John; Taylor, Harold James Strickland; Thirkell, Albert; Thorpe, Alan.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Topping, Thomas; Trew, Leonard Frederick; Waldron, William George; Walker, Frederick John Thomas; Wallani, Edward L.; Ward, Ernest Frederick; Ward, James Francis.
Second Row: Cadets Warnes, Charles Arthur; Warwick, Harold Frank; Wears, James; West, Joseph Bernard; White, Kenneth Peter; Willey, Frank Noble Edward; Williams, Derek Gordon.
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
LOWER CLASS (BRITISH)
[1 row of 3 photographs]
Cadets Adams, Donald Albert; Adamson, William Ian; Affleck, Douglas, Jr.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Ainsworth, Kenneth William; Ames, Kenneth Robert; Appleby, Ronald Kendrick; Ashton, James; Ashton, William; Ball, Frank; Barr, William, Jr.
Second Row: Cadets Barry, Claude Van Renen; Barton, Cyril Joe; Beattie, Frederick Donald; Bellis, John Lynton; Binney, Robert; Bishop, William John Barrie; Blow, Harold.
[84]
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
LOWER CLASS (BRITISH)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Booth-Smith, Peter William, Boulter, Herbert Edward; Braund, John Prower; Braund, Marwood Paul; Brightwell, Geoffrey Charles; Broadhurst, Leonard James; Brookes, Eric William.
Second Row: Cadets Brown, Allan Arthur; Brown, Peter Knight; Browne, Ronald George; Bruce, Derek James; Bull, Edward Bert; Bullus, Alfred, Jr.; Carter, Philip Henry.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Chapman, Herbert Henry; Cheal, Druce James Henry; Clift, Stanley William; Cole, Frederick Walter; Collins, Peter Oswald; Cromarty, John Donald Rangs; Cutler, Joseph Henry Frederick.
[page break]
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Edgington, William Philip; Edwards, Alan Claud; Ellis, Kenneth Albert Jackson; Evans, Reginald William George; Fanning, Thomas William Beeching; Farmer, Stanley Arthur Frederick; Feaver, Reginald James.
Second Row: Cadets Fenning, Ernest Hatfield; Firth, John Arthur; Flyn, James Henry; Forryan, Donald Percy; Forsythe, James Roy; Fox, Albert Thomas; Fuller, Russell Edwards.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Gallop, Roy; Gibson, Thomas, Jr.; Gilham, William Henry; Goldring, James David Spencer; Gosling, Harry, Jr.; Grayson, Harry; Hannigan, Cyril Richard.
Second Row: Cadets Hardwick, Dennis Henden; Harper, Raymond Thomas; Harrison, Geoffrey Dennis; Haymes, John Dominic, Jr.; Hayward, John Anthony; Heller, Peter Kevin; Helmore, Terence Martin.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Henderson, George Neville; Hewett, Thomas Hugh; Hicks, Raymond James Edgcomb; Holes, Leslie George; Holland, Dennis; Horler, Harold; Horspool, Jack Higginson.
Second Row: Cadets Hunt, Derrick; Hurley, Daniel James; Illston, Robert Kenneth; Jeffrey, Peter Law; Jewell, Ronald James Martin; Johnston, Albert; Johnson, Eric.
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
LOWER CLASS (BRITISH)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Keeling, Arthur Edward; Kent, Ronald Herbert; Key, Evelin Leon Joseph; King, John Edwin Thomas; Kirby, Geoffrey Phillip; Kirkpatrick, James Harvey; Knight, Frank Roy.
Second Row: Cadets Knott, Kenneth Sidney; Lamb, Ian Inglis; Lawler, Maurice Rupert; Lett, John Joseph; Lewis, Allan Bennett; Lofthouse, Gerald; MacDonald, William Ian.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Mallon, John Leslie; Mandelson, Norman Peter; Marks, Anthony Raymond; McIntyre, Peter James; Mills, Maurice William; Myers, Granville; Neil, Ronald Frederick.
Second Row: Cadets Neilson, Thomas; Norris, John Henry; Oram, Dennis James; Partridge, Hubert Robert Frederick; Phippen, Charles Dennis; Pinkerton, Thomas Colville; Porter, Reginald Edward.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Postlethwaite, Gordon; Powell, J.E.; Price, Eric David George; Proudfoot, Robert Laval; Ralph, James William; Ramsay, Kenneth William; Reed, Arthur.
Second Row: Cadets Reed, William Charles; Richardson, Colin; Ricketts, Alexander Campbell; Robinson, Adrian John D’Egar; Routledge, William Burrell; Rowland, Roland William; Ruff, William Frederick.
[page break]
AVIATION CADETS
LOWER CLASS (BRITISH)
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Saunders, Maurice Walter; Short, Roger Lee; Slipper, Desmond Wallace; Slimon, John; Smith, John Batten; Smith, Stanley Ernest; Smith, William Richard Cuffel.
[2 rows of 7 photographs]
First Row: Cadets Tucker, Anthony Maxwell; Turner, Herbert Henry; Twitt, George Henry; Varley, Francis George; Wallace, Edward Peter; Wallnutt, Bernard Joseph; Walton, Peter Anderson.
Second Row: Cadets Warburton, Cyril; Watkins, Robert Frank; West, Kenneth Leonard, Wheeler, William Francis, Jr.; White, Frank Anthony; Whitelock, Norman Henry; Wigelsworth, Robert Armfield.
[1 row of 4 photographs]
Cadets Wills, George Saunders; Wilson, Jeremy Charles; Wiscombe, Rex Edward; Wolfe, Williams Reginald.
[88]
[page break]
61ST AIR BASE HEADQUARTERS AND AIR BASE SQUADRON
[8 rows of 5 photographs]
[photograph]
JAMES T. PATTERSON
Captain
Squadron Commander
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Master Sergeant Parker, Wilmer A.; First Sergeants Burdick, J.C.; Holmstrom, George A.; Technical Sergeants Dill, Luther E.; Fleming, Newell D.
Second Row: Technical Sergeants Herbert, Rex M.; Laverty, Dennis G.; Robertston, Brent; Stovall, Frank S.; Wynne, Owen G.
Third Row: Staff Sergeants Bedsole, Andrew; Blake, James E.; Bush, John W.; Clifford, Stephen J.; Fugere, Lucien G.
Fourth Row: Staff Sergeants Goldsmith, Carl S.; Goldstine, Martin L.; Greenfield, Harry; Gunn, Denzal; Guzak, Peter D.
Fifth Row: Staff Sergeants Hansard, Lester B.; Hill, Vincent A.; Kubler, Charles A.; Laney, Albert G.; Larson, Allan J.
Sixth Row: Staff Sergeants Leonard, Frank M.; Moore, Wilber G.; Reed, Harold J.; Seay, William M.; Short, William B.
Seventh Row: Staff Sergeants Spadafore, James A.; Thiele, Karl G.; Welch, Willie G.; White, Thomas H.; Sergeant Allen, Roy H.
Ninth Row: Sergeants Barton, Joe T.; Blake, Harold L.; Blankenbaker, William G.; Booth, Mose B., Jr.; Bromley, William A.
[89]
[page break]
61ST AIR BASE HEADQUARTERS AND AIR BASE SQUADRON
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Carlisle, Charles D.; Cohen, Leonard; Denmead, Edward; Fischer, Werner; Flanders, Hubert L.
Second Row: Sergeants Gordon, W.F., Jr.; Gower, Robert L.; Groo, Richard D.; Gugle, Eugene D.; Hartin, Arlie.
Third Row: Sergeants Hess, Joseph E.; Hollenberg, Elmer M.; Juneau, Dominique; Kasnevich, Alex; Knowlder, Charles F.
Fourth Row: Sergeants Kornhoff, Elmer D.; Krajeski, William S.; La Pointe, Percy J.; Lenz, Emmett M.; Marchione, Leo M.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Masters, Arthur E.; Milne, Jack H.; Pierce, Weston V.; Postle, Paul W.; Poulos, James G.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Rogers, George; Rollins, J.; Louis P.; Shepherd, Robert B.; Simmons, William C.
Seventh Row: Sergeants Thelen, Arthur F.; Tinney, Jack G.; Waugh, Harold C.; White, Alan D.; Wolff, Theodore H.
Eighth Row: Sergeants Worthey, Ernest W.; Zelonis, Edward J.; Corporals Allen, Robert H.; Andelman, Morris H.; Angelica, Salvatore B., Jr.
Ninth Row: Corporals Blake, Marvin G.; Brewer, William H.; Briney, Leo M.; Bunting, Howard S.; Carpenter, Glenn R.
Tenth Row: Corporals Cox, Donald C.; Doughty, Ennis N.; Dunn, James F.; Evans, Virgil R.; Freeman, Fred H.
[90]
[page break]
61ST AIR BASE HEADQUARTERS AND AIR BASE SQUADRON
(Reading from Left to Right)
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
First Row: Corporals Griffin, Henry S.; Howland, Lawrence R.; Kern, Melville C.; Kilcorse, William P.; King, Harvey L.
Second Row: Corporals Krumholz, Peter N.; Kucinski, Walter; Lineberger, Herbert M.; Lundelius, Raymond L.; Lutz, Ewing M.
Third Row: Corporals Machtemes, John P.; Mankinen, Vilho V.; Mathern, Albert J.; McIntosh, William L.; Moody, Philip W.
Fourth Row: Corporals Nutter, George L.; Peedin, Albert F.; Phillips, Frank; Pondillo, James G.; Raymond, Frederick W.
Fifth Row: Corporals Riffe, Herman C.; Russo, Andrew; Shindelus, Theodore H.; Solt, Cornelius J.; Straub, Charles E.
Sixth Row: Corporals Sudduth, William L.; Suknaic, Stephen J.; Trudeau, Donald B.; Veltre, Edward C.; Wages, Clarence I.
Seventh Row: Corporals Walls, John H.; Weller, Harold D.; Welter, Donald L.; White, Charles E.; Technician Fifth Grade Calloway, Robert C.; Jr.
Eighth Row: Technicians Fifth Grade Kemp, Howell E.; Pastuszak, Raymond; Whitaker, Charles W.; Privates First Class Ash, George A.; Bodarky, Clifford L.
Ninth Row: Privates First Class Bruell, Frederick M.; Cullname, John R.; Damico, Joseph S.; Klavuhn, A.H.; McKeague, Bruce E.
Tenth Row: Privates First Class Neal, Perry W.; Newton, Robert E.; Purificato, Generose J.; Reed, Walter W.; Scarbrough, Frank R.
[91]
[page break]
61ST AIR BASE HEADQUARTERS AND AIR BASE SQUADRON
[9 Rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates First Class Schiffman, Max; Sidoli, Andrew J.; Slivinsky, John; Smith, Max H.; Stringer, Kenneth L.; Thomason, Lance D.
Second Row: Private First Class Tumey, Robert L.; Privates Andrews, Wayne S.; Bailey, Edward J.; Barten, Melvin F.; Bartkowiak, Joseph; Bartlow, Howard L.
Third Row: Privates Blanton, Curtis L.; Boushaw, Howard H.; Boyd, James C.; Brashear, Clyde T.; Braswell, Ernest R.; Bridges, William H.
Fourth Row: Privates Bokaw, Thornton F.; Browning, Newt B.; Carey, John J.; Carson, James F.; Close, James E.; Corne, James A.
Fifth Row: Privates Culler, Joe H.; Curry, James M.; Davis, Bedford L.; Davis, John T.; Davis, Marvin F.; Dennis, William J.
Sixth Row: Privates DiBauda, Louis J.; Dill, Nelson W.; Dowell, Ralph H.; Fakes, John M.; Fisher, Albert F.; Fleischer, Martin A.
Seventh Row: Privates Fortuna, Alex C.; Fortune, Willie B.; Foster, Ray; Free, James F. Jr.; Fritsch, Clifford J.; Garman, Harry.
Eighth Row: Privates Garrard, Roy; Goldsberry, Herbert; Gnotta, Leo A.; Greene, Paul C.; Griffin, Edward K.; Heckle, Irving J.
Ninth Row: Privates Heller, Robert C.; Heyner, Frank W. Jr.; Hires, Walter B.; Hollis, Rufus W.; Holodick, Michael J.; Hummell, Jack H.
[92]
[page break]
61ST AIR BASE HEADQUARTERS AND AIR BASE SQUADRON
[9 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 3 photographs]
(Reading from left to right)
First Row: Privates Isaksen, Albert A.; Johnson, Claude E.; Johnson, Roe H.; Jones, John L.; Jones, Teddy L.; Kammer, Arthur B.
Second Row: Privates Kanoza, Mitchell; Kaplan, Benjamin; Kelly, J.D.; Korbein, Wilbur O.; Krupa, Conrad T.; Kulstein, David I.
Third Row: Privates Kuyers, Raymond C.; Ladegast, Oscar H.; Lake, Frank V.; LaLiberte, Roland R.: Lamkin, James E.; Lawless, Clifford F.
Fourth Row: Privates Lewis, Valda A.; Lindahl, Bruce M.; Lippman, Herbert J.; Lycos, Paul W.; Macken, Francis C.; Marchewka, Frank.
Fifth Row: Privates Mau, Henry G.; McBrearty, Charles F.; McDonald, Thomas J. Jr.; McGee, Harold W.; Moate, Wendell S.; Moessen, Herman G.
Sixth Row: Privates Morrone, A.R.; Nathan, Ralph M.; Nicholls, Clifford L.; Nicholson, Wesley R.; Packett, Sedrick O.; Pasquinelli, Phillip P.
Seventh Row: Privates Peterson, William E.; Pridmore, Leonard; Proctor, Kennth D.; Purdy, James S.; Repko, Joseph J.; Ruppert, Joseph C.
Eighth Row: Privates Ruttenberg, Robert L.; Shuart, Clifford J.; Stith, Forest B.; Taylor, Harold K.; Tomlinson, Charles F.; Tracey, Carl J.
Ninth Row: Privates Tries, Enlow E.; Tuite, Richard J.; Voorhies, Donald S.; Wells, J.D.; White, Robert; Woodruff, Geo. R.
Tenth Row: Privates Wroble, Joseph W.; Zaruba, Elston G.; Zick, Joseph J.
[93]
[page break]
321ST SCHOOL SQUADRON
[Photograph]
BERTRAM H. WITHAM, JR.
Captain
Squadron Commander
[4 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
(Reading from left to right)
First Row: First Sergeant Arman, Robert S.; Technical Sergeants Bulka, Peter; Coffey, Edward H.; Fountain, Rufus C.; Martin, Andrew J.; O’Neal, James M.
Second Row: Technical Sergeants Richey, Leo; Scaggs, Wick K.; Staff Sergeant Bolduc, Raymond H.; Brock, James V.; Burns, Bernard; Gibson, Leon F.
Third Row: Staff Sergeants Ginaitt, Bernard G.; Hanson, Hjalmar J.; Patterson, Edgar E.; Roberts, Gilbert B.; Rudde, Clemens A.; Sallen, Eugene G.
Fourth Row: Staff Sergeants Sermon, Albert J.; Weaver, Horace L.; Werner, George; Sergeants Barbour, David A.; Bard, George L.; Beazley, Malcolm K.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Bent, Allen E.; Brasher, Robert L.; Brooks, Billy B.; Caratenuto, Joseph P.; Cavanaugh, Edward.
[94]
[page break]
321ST SCHOOL SQUADRON
[10 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Diorio, Joseph J.; Doney, John R.; DuBois, Dean A.; Earle, Albert G.; Goodman, Louis; Green, William.
Second Row: Sergeants Gustafson, Leonard, A.; Hahn, Herman R.; Hall, Orie L.; Hand, Bliss A.; Harju, Eli M.; Johnson, Charles.
Third Row: Sergeants Kapner, Kermit H.; Klawitter, Franklin; Larkin, Joseph A.; Lortz, Fred E. Jr.; Lyle, James L.; Mackinnon, Harold W.
Fourth Row: Sergeants McLaughlin, Eugene J.; Miller, G.F.; Moore, Max J.; Popek, John P.; Pescott, Sewell E.; Prunty, Ardeth D.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Rapp, David; Reinhardt, Richard J.; Renfroe, Douglas M.; Repici, Angelo J.; Roemer, Carl E.; Schultz, Albert A.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Skolsky, John H. Jr.; Starinieri, Frank; Tillotson, William B.; Tokach, Daniel; Vaughan, Edwin A.; Walcott, Philip T.
Seventh Row: Sergeant Whitaker, Leroy C.; Corporals Bracy, Ronald P.; Brent, Landon H.; Buckley, Mariott B.; Clark, Alfred A.; Cobb, Harold C.
Eighth Row: Corporals Cooper, John J.; Crane, Harold D.; Czartowicz, Leo; Debonis, Alphone; Elms, Randle D.; Eyges, Edward.
Ninth Row: Corporals Ferris, Claude J.; Goldney, John H.; Hewitt, Dorance G.; Hodges, Asa G. Jr.; Hounsell, Philip B.; Jackson, Larry E.
Tenth Row: Corporals Kaminsky, Albert H.; Kohl, Robert E.; Kovalycsik, Robert A.; Krieger, Charles; Maietta, Patsy R.; Matern, Herman A.
[95]
[page break]
321ST SCHOOL SQUADRON
[10 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Corporals McCleery, John J.; Metzdorf, Robert C.; Palmer, Paul E.; Ringwood, James F.; Salvatore, Albert P.; Saunders, Robert N.
Second Row: Corporals Thomas, Paul E.; Vigliotti, Andrew V.; Privates First Class Andrews, George T.; Broome, James T.; Carter, Wilburn S.; Chandler, Sequard E.
Third Row: Privates First Class Green, James D.; Hills, James; Piccolo, Joseph J.; Private Anderson, Samuel W.; Arney, John R.; Atchley, Fred J.
Fourth Row: Privates Baxter, Robert D.; Bell, John J.; Berkow, Benjamin L.; Bonds, Rader J.; Brady, Robert J.; Brigham, Clarence.
Fifth Row: Privates Brown, Russell F.; Bunton, Oscar F. Jr.; Byrd, Elmer E.; Carroll, James; Chicha, Milan; Cleghorn, John G.
Sixth Row: Privates Cowan, Edward; Cronk, Earl W.; Dahlstrom, Robert O.; Denesiuk, Nicholas L.; DeVito, Frank; Donecho, James Jr.
Seventh Row: Privates Dressler, Stanley; Eckart, Joseph C.; Farese, William A.; Farrell, William M.; French, John Thomas; Gallagher, Myles W.
Eighth Row: Privates Gloystein, Robert E.; Goldberg, Jack; Gosa, Earl J.; Gould, Edward; Graham, Marvin C.; Gray, Robert E.
Ninth Row: Privates Greenfeder, Herman; Gregg, George F.; Hannon, Joseph F.; Hearn, Frank C.; Hebrock, Charles S.; Hemion, Nelson, Jr.
Tenth Row: Privates Herdt, Lester C. Jr.; Hiland, Edward M.; Holland, Thomas F. Jr.; Johnson, Joseph O.; Jorishie, Jacob W.; Kapsner, Edmund L.
[96]
[page break]
321ST SCHOOL SQUADRON
[7 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
[2 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Kelly, James A.; Lamson, Robert; Lang, Gerald; Large, George A.; LaVoie, Warren M.; Manz, Carl H.
Second Row: Privates Marino, George; Mathieson, Thomas H. Jr.; McCann, Charles F.; McCullough, Samuel, Milano, Anthony Jr.; Morton, Julius.
Third Row: Privates Moye, Earl V.; Mynyk, Michael; Norton, Clifford; Oller, George B.; Ponas, Harry; Reed, David H.
Fourth Row: Privates Repole, Angelo V.; Romotsky, Isadore; Russo, Frank; Shoaff, Earl E.; Shome, Carl W.; Smith, Oma S.
Fifth Row: Privates Staub, Frank T.; Trombley, Donald J.; Vitalbo, Julius N.; Warren, John E.; Weinstock, Solomon; Weiss, Donald C.
Sixth Row: Privates Whitley, Jesse John; Whippel, Harold F.; Wilkowski, Edward J.; Williams, Arthur F.; Williams, Charles E.; Winn, Horace M.
Seventh Row: Privates Womack, George H.; Woodward, William R.; Yergens, Jack W.; Zakrzewski, Clarence A.; Zembenski, Leonard W.; Zimmermann, John G.
Eighth Row: Attached Personnel, Staff Sergeant P’Pool, E.L.; Sergeants Booth, Lester H.; Britt, David A.; Schulz, William R.; Stehlik, Irvin F.
Ninth Row: Sergeant Swenson, Elbert H.; Corporal Brady, Charles E.; Chumbley, Paul E.; Cummings, William J.; Ortlip, Howard S.; Private First Class Kenaga, Grant J.
Tenth Row: Privates Carroll, Gerald E.; David, Walter A.; Hill, Frank D.; Shepherd, John B.; Standage, Duane E.; Witze, Huhgie F.
[97]
[page break]
322ND SCHOOL SQUADRON
[Photograph]
DONALD M. ALEXANDER
Major
Commanding
[6 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Master Sergeant Garrett, H.J.; First Sergeant Axford, W.R.; Technical Sergeants Goodman, Troy A.; Lilliott, J.K.; Marti, J.L.; Wallace, Dell T.
Second Row: Staff Sergeants Anglin, Lewis L.; Dail, B.; Fisher, William M.; Flanagan, J.C.; Galligan, F.J.; Grondalski, Francis P.
Third Row: Staff Sergeants Karajian, B.M.; Lowik, O.J.; Maguire, John J.; Martin, R.A.; Skalicky, W.M.; Sledd, R.J.
Fourth Row: Staff Sergeant Smith, Hoyt R.; Vertrees, E.; Vowels, T.J.; Watson, R.; Whitsitt, W.E.; Winters, H.L.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Back, B.; Chase, Edwin F.; Conto, A.; Collins, Clynton J.; Corder, C.; Dick, Louis C.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Delise, Ralph; Donth, L.W.; Eure, Lankford; Evans, E.; Francescone, Salvatore; Gish, James L.
[98]
[page break]
322ND SCHOOL SQUADRON
[9 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Goff, H.C.; Harmon, James H.; Harmon, J.C.; Holt, M.A.; Huston, C.E.
Second Row: Sergeants Jacobi, Erwin H.; Jakobiec, J.F.; Kelleher, C.P.; Kelly, Joseph J.; Kreutzfeldt, Charles.
Third Row: Sergeants Kuran, J.W.; Kwolek, R.L.; Meade, L.; Meyers, V.; Mihalic, J.
Fourth Row: Sergeants Mills, E.; Norton, D.J.; Pierce, Bob; Pittz, L.J.; Ripking, W.H.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Shrewsbury, James R.; Smith, E.C.; Stamper, Fred; Tedder, A.F.; Vovolka, J.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Welch, P.; Wright, Glenn W.; Corporals Asmus, C.H.; Bauer, Louis H.; Carafello, E.A.
Seventh Row: Corporals Charland, Albert J.; Cook, R.W.; Evans, W.L.; Fisher, Don R.; Floyd, Joe E.
Eighth Row: Corporals Frakes, William g.; Friesen, A.R.; Gardo, N.; Gibson, James H.; Handrow, Wesley A.
Ninth Row: Corporals Havens, W.; Huettig, Hans G.; Johnson, K.W.; Keyser, James A.; Kline, Lawrence R.
[99]
[page break]
322ND SCHOOL SQUADRON
[9 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Corporals Lehner, C.E.; Litsenberger, John A.; Mayse, Richard D.; Metzger, George O.; Moore, Herman W.
Second Row: Corporals Naypaver, Frank J.; Nelson, L.O.; Obosla, J.; O’Neal, Noland L.; Price, Jack J.
Third Row: Corporals Rabinak, K.; Schaefer, O.M.; Siddens, R.; Wiederspahn, Clarence; Private First Class Arnold, Ralph H.
Fourth Row: Privates First Class Britt, Ralph W.; Drayton, A.; Ford, Benjamin F.; Glauberman, J.; Harber, Clarence E.
Fifth Row: Privates First Class Lewis, J.P.; Williams, G.R.; Privates All, Harry; Aune, Earl B.; Ball, Harry N.
Sixth Row: Privates Bryde, Glenn M.; Burgerhoff, William; Busch, Ed.; Caggiano, Ralph; Czajkowski, Leo S.
Seventh Row: Privates Devries, S.; Dittmeier, Raymond e.; Dooley, T.C.; Fox, F.E.; Frank, Lloyd.
Eighth Row: Privates Giele, Louis; Gilley, Lawence L.; Gnatowsky, Emanuel; Gustafson, Edwin A.; Herzog, Henry A.
Ninth Row: Privates Hughes, Robert E.; Hurley, J.J.; Johansen, Harry J.; Kloepfer, Frank M.; Korzun, Frank A.
[100]
[page break]
322ND SCHOOL SQUADRON
[1 row of 3 photographs]
[6 rows of 5 photographs]
[1 row of 3 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
Rirst [sic] Row: Privates Kotarba, W.J.; Lacker, W.W., Lehman, Walter.
Second Row: Privates Lieberman, Louis; Lotus, W.S.; Mackey, E.; McDaniel, Clarence N.; McLellan, A.M.
Third Row: Privates Meyer, Bernard F.; Moss, James J.; Murray, John J.; Newman, E.H.; Novin, Jack.
Fourth Row: Privates Offshany, Edward A.; O’Meara, William P.; Pauley, John L.; Payne, David C.; Perewoznik, Louis P.
Fifth Row: Privates Ranch, John H.; Rice, John J.; Rose, John H.; Rosenberg, E.; Routt, Weldon B.
Sixth Row: Privates Schohl, Albert W.; Sciscoe, Thomas W.; Smestad, H.O.; Staniszewski, E.; Stewart, J.E.
Seventh Row: Privates Wealot, Johnnie H.; Wesenyak, H.; Whittington, Isaac S.; Wilburn, Reed S.; Witt, John H.
Eighth Row: Private Yanik, J.; Attached for Duty and Training, Fortune, W.; Haynes, Jack W.
[101]
[page break]
323RD SCHOOL SQUADRON
[Photograph]
CHARLES E. STIVEN
Major
Commanding
[6 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: First Sergeant Reese, Leo E.; Tripple, Herbert S.; Technical Sergeants McCarthey, J.W.; Scott, George E.; Wyndham, C.H.; Staff Sergeants Bennett, P.
Second Row: Staff Sergeants Carr, Archie F.; Frush, Charles E.; Garris, Leonard R.; Guinn, R.; Hull, James J.; Kopczick, R.A.
Third Row: Staff Sergeants Kundrat, M.; O’Donnel, Arthur F.; Palmer, W.D.; Riley, C.W.; Shoup, James C.; Sickers, Jack B.
Fourth Row: Staff Sergeants Simpkins, William T.; Steger, Fred O.; Sturcke, C.H.; Trent, Alva C.; Wagner, Robert C.; Sergeants Allen, Thomas R.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Assidio, Albert A.; Baker, Lewis J.; Bertino, Russell P.; Burress, E.W.; Campbell, Donald E.; Carpenter, Harold C.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Carpenter, Walter L.; Clineman, George F.; Consalvo, J.J.; Couillard, Charles H.; Crist, M.J.; Cutlip, William E.
[102]
[page break]
323RD SCHOOL SQUADRON
[9 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Daniels, Joseph J.; Danielson, F.L.; DePalma, Fedele J.; Fishman, H.; Gaines, Joe D.
Second Row: Sergeants Gallo, John J.; Golt, William M.; Hailwood, W.T.; Hill, Henry, I.; Holder, Enos M.
Third Row: Sergeants Howard, Kelly; Jaworski, B.J.; Jacques, Vincent H.; Kasprack, Joseph M.; Lawrence, William D.
Fourth Row: Sergeants Nestor, John; Ovimette, J.F.; Pape, Pasquale A.; Petersen, Lawrence; Pordon, Guido J.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Rich, Richard; Schubert, Charles W.; Schultz, Milton J.; Seward, William H.; Smitson, J.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Swanson, Roy C.; Uhleman, M.; Vavra, Vance L.; Wagner, Louis J.; Ward V.
Seventh Row: Sergeant Young, Oscar R.; Corporals Abel, Jack W.; Accettola, Rocco L.; Assenmacher, John; Bonini, Frank P.
Eighth Row: Corporals Brown, F.H.; Capawana, L.C.; Eldridge, Charles A.; Goodwin, Frederick C.; Herod, John W.
Ninth Row: Corporals Hughes, P.E.; Jackson, Waverly T.; Kalinoski, Theodore W.; Kelly, Lawrence L.; Kleb, William A.
[103]
[page break]
323RD SCHOOL SQUADRON
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Corporals Kmiecik, Alfred; Kurley, Donald M.; Malecky, William; Mayberry, Edward R.; McClintock, Calvin L.
Second Row: Corporals McLaughlin, Ellsworth; Mittendorf, William F.; Monks, Theodore V.; Muckleroy, Lance G.; Newman, Alfred.
Third Row: Corporals Nyberg, Francis; Palmer, Arvo O.; Pando, Samuel; Quinn, James P.; Smith, Joseph J.
Fourth Row: Corporals Stupka, Franklin; Suter, Edward M.; Szymczk, Harold J.; Walls, Kenneth; Washler, J.
Fifth Row: Corporal Weiss, William W.; Privates First Class Armstrong, Harold L.; Beaird, Henry E.; Bivens, M.F.; Blair, Robert G.
Sixth Row: Privates First Class Bleck, Frank J.; Bragg, William E.; Burney, William r.; Bush, Harold B.; Drejman, John J.
Seventh Row: Privates First Class Freisen, John; Fulk, Raymond; Hilton, James G.; Howk, Elmer D.; Huniu, Sam.
Eighth Row: Privates First Class Justice, James N.; Labardini, Julius G.; Lafay, George, Sr.; Lent, James; Machado, Richard.
Ninth Row: Privates First Class Maddox, J.W.; William J.; Magalass, J.; Martin, Frank C.; McMinn, Obie D.
Tenth Row: Privates First Class Mellin, Allen; Morgan, Morris E.; Nelson, Clarence G.; Nelson, Roy L.; Pugh, Alfred E.
[104]
[page break]
323RD SCHOOL SQUADRON
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates First Class Rowe, Ivan R.; Shinnick, Edward C.; Stone, Richard N.; Van Kleeck, George; Private Andrews, Byron T.
Second Row: Privates Andrus, Walter T.; Atkins, Roy E.; Bader, Abraham; Bailey, Lucius S.; Blackburn, William H.
Third Row: Privates Blickhan, Anthony A.; Bond, Edward J.; Bozzo, John M.; Brackman, Elmer; Briscoe, Joseph P.
Fourth Row: Privates Brumbelow, Ernest C.; Cantrell, Leroy; Carey, Joseph P.; Cassidy, Frank C.; Crom, Edmund A.
Fifth Row: Privates Dadek, Joseph; Davis, Robert R.; Doviak, Steven; Estes, Jerry J.; Feigert, Robert.
Sixth Row: Privates Ferry, Joseph J.; Forseth, Edwin O.; Gillespie, William B.; Godin, Leo M.; Gogan, Francis.
Seventh Row: Privates Gold, Harry; Graves, Conley F.; Halick, John M.; Hake, Paul; Hamoutz, Andrew M.
Eighth Row: Privates Hendrzak, Joseph; Hibner, Chas. H.; Hill, Albert S.; Holeman, Robert L.; Hooker, Leon G.
Ninth Row: Privates Jacobson, Orace J.; Johnson, Roy H.; Kaffenberger, Frederick H.; Kamke, Willard W.; Kelley, Albert J.
Tenth Row: Privates Klitzke, Donald K.; Kosiek, Mitchell S.; Kurkowski, Edward A.; Kurowski, John G.; Lanham, John T.
[105]
[page break]
323RD SCHOOL SQUADRON
[9 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 4 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Levy, Stanley H.; Logan, Richard W.; Lukhardt, Hiram E.; Malinowski, Henry J.; Marshall, Stanley E.; Marx, Ralph D.
Second Row: Privates Mascia, Ralph A.; Massey, Emmette B.; McCoy, Charles B.; McGuire, John J.; McLaughlin, James I.; McLaughlin, Ralph W.
Third Row: Privates McMahon, Raymond E.; McNeill, Edward V.; Meiller, James H.; Mulrean, John J.; Murphy, James H.; Mussori, Guy A.
Fourth Row: Privates Nannis, Morton; Norell, Olle A.; Nyeste, John A.; Ouillette, Wilfred J.; Painter, Robert S.; Pantzer, Frank J.
Fifth Row: Privates Price, Charles M.; Paine, L.A.; Remis, Walter A.; Rizzo, Patsy; Schladweiler, Arnold J.; Schiffer, Frank J.
Sixth Row: Privates Schneider, Morris; Schoen, Harry E.; Scully, Walter A.; Seiber, Donald W.; Sloane, Thomas P.; Snyder, Henry F.
Seventh Row: Privates Starkey, Otto W.; Stener, Bernard W.; Thompson, Tilman J.; Tibbetts, Harry; Toci, Bruno; Towers, Lawrence A.
Eighth Row: Privates Triezenberg, Simon; Van Aken, C.E.; Varade, Frank A.; Vaszuez, Gabino L.; Waldrep, William J.; Willem John.
Ninth Row: Privates Wilkerson, Walter Floyd; Wisniewski, Paul; Wittschack, Rudolph H.; Wright, William C.; Zachman, John J.; Zamesnik, Norman C.
Tenth Row: Privates Zintner, Emil, E.; Zmiejko, John J.; Zucca, Merritt F.; Zukowski, Felix.
[106]
[page break]
439TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[Photograph]
S.H. JOHNSON, JR.
Captain
Commanding
[5 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: First Sergeant Gillespie, Earl; Technical Sergeant Noojin, Howard D.; Staff Sergeants Binkley, Howard H.; Bottoms, Ralph S.; Brasher, Arvin B.; Comsia, John.
Second Row: Staff Sergeants Elefterin, John; Felland, Trumen M.; Goldbaugh, James R.; Gregorczik, Edmund; Hall, Emerson G.; King, Harold B.
Third Row: Staff Sergeants McLoughlin, Norbert; Lane, William C.; Rowe, Lloyd A.; Sergeants Beck, Robert W.; Brasher, Rayford L.; Carpenter, Roy W.
Fourth Row: Sergeants Floyd, James H.; Gardner, Richard H.; Godsell, Jack E.; Grantham, George, Jr.; Green Ira W.; Gunn, Jack A.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Hallman, Joseph H.; Jr.; Hejl, Raymond J.; Herd, Charles E.; Hilgren, Victor A.; Hill, Jack C.; Hill, James O.
[107]
[page break]
439TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[10 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Hines, Lawrence F.; Howard, Foy J.; Jr.; Howes, Harry R.; Hurdis, Elmer W.; Jagodinski, Walter E.; Jones, Grover C. Jr.
Second Row: Sergeants Kaler, Harold A.; Kane, Leroy J.; Masters, Azel E.; Mulligan, Leo J.; Morgan, Lyle E.; Onsgard, Albertus T.
Third Row: Sergeants Pence, William R.; Ruzicka, Gerald G.; Singleton, Thomas; Smith, Thomas H.; Webb, McKinley; Welborn, Leslie P.
Fourth Row: Sergeants Whitcomb, Peter B.; Williams, Willie M.; Corporals Anderson, James S.; Bussler, Rudyard A.; Chestney, Bard S.; Cobb, Haskell T.
Fifth Row: Corporals Cox, John A.; Dodd, Hugh C.; Griffis, Bryce E.; Harris, Walter A.; Hawkins, Chester E.; Hite, William B.
Sixth Row: Corporals Johnson, Eugene r.; Kess, Raymond P.; Matlock, Samuel A.; McKain, Newell R.; Miller, William F.; Pabich, Francis F.
Seventh Row: Corporals Pennington, Hubert W.; Rodriguez, Celso, Jr.; Spencer, Wayne C.; Smiczek, Leonard J.; Stark, Ernest F.; Walker, Cecil M.
Eighth Row: Corporals Ylimainen, Uno E.; Privates First Class Barrow, Arthur W.; Betts, Albert W.; Bradbury, Frelan C.; Breon, Eugene E.; Charles, Joseph H.
Ninth Row: Privates First Class Cooper, William C.; Cubbedge, David L.; Cummings, Charles E.; Daugherty, James Q.; Kellems, Robert B.; Kottke, Howard H.
Tenth Row: Privates First Class Martin, Loral; Papai, William J.; Ridgeway, John R.; Stump, Ralph R.; Privates Aaron, Harry J. Jr.; Acker, Junior H.
[108]
[page break]
439TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[9 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Agnew, James L.; Alquin, Eugene W.; Anderes, Albert C.; Attaway, J.A.E.; Baecker, John A.; Baker, J.W.
Second Row: Privates Baumann, R.A.; Boswell, Bon E. Jr.; Bozmoff, George M.; Bragdon, Lloyd F.; Brazell, Frank W.; Bream, William H.
Third Row: Privates Brodeur, Albert S.; Brown, Willard E.; Burns, Vincent J.; Butsko, J.; Crouch, Glen L.; Davis, Harry R.
Fourth Row: Privates De Vault, John R.; Dixon, Erb T.; Dougherty, Frederick G.; Ewing, Harry S.; Friedel, George R.; Gomery, Clair T.
Fifth Row: Privates Gordon, W.G.; Hassing, Philip; Heider, George R.; Hinkley, Robert W.; Horton, Travis G.; James, Thomas E.
Sixth Row: Privates Jeffreys, Van C.; Kautz, Harold E.; Kramer, Harry W.; Lankowitz, George; Lipis, Elias L.; Locke, Selden B.
Seventh Row: Privates Lyon, Robert V.; McAlpin, Marion B.; McQuillan, Patrick J.; Mandeville, Joseph L.; Mason, M.; Moss, Julius.
Eighth Row: Privates O’Kane, Robert P.; Rafter, Francis E.; Robinson, Arthur W.; Robinson, Horation A.; Schwab, Morris; Schwager, Stephen.
Ninth Row: Privates Seddon, John R.; Simmons, Adelbert P.; Smith, Charles J.; Smith, Herbert B.; Soudant, George D.; Taylor, George A.
Tenth Row: Privates Trombley, Robert R.; Wagner, Joseph D.; Wassilak, Adolph F.; West, Wayne D.; Withelm, James R.
[109]
[page break]
440TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[Photograph]
BISHOP P. PARRISH, JR.
Captain
Commanding
[5 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Master Sergeant Rice, Douglas G.; First Sergeant Mitchell, Marston L.; Technical Sergeants Davis, Edward V.; Wiggins, Eugene W.; Staff Sergeants Arrington, Richard; Bacorn, James W.
Second Row: Staff Sergeants Blanchette, Robert A.; Embovitz, Adolph E.; Field, George H.; Gilbertson, Robert L.; Guthrie, James A.; Hewitt, John F.
Third Row: Staff Sergeants Kolling, James A.; Lenz, Clarence A.; MacQuarrie, John M.; Mason, George L.; Morris, Ted; Ordway, Richard.
Fourth Row: Staff Sergeants Pendell, Eugene G.; Seaman, Richard O.; Sergeants Campfield, Arthur W.; Carlo, Samuel S.; Carpenter, Colon T.; Cochran, Jack.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Danforth, Thomas C.; Davis, Howard; Dobberpuhl, Chester A.; Faling, Marvin R.; Foley, Edward C.; Galloway, Leo A.
[110]
[page break]
440TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[9 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Goddard, Clarence L.; Graff, Alvin G.; Hancock, Robert L.; Hoke, Dennis E.; Jarrett, William E.
Second Row: Sergeants Jensen, Howard W.; Jensen, Warren E.; Knight, Evert L.; Kramp, Paul A.; Kunsaitis, Anthony F.
Third Row: Sergeants Lutz, Eugene R. Jr.; McCormick, Kenneth P.; McNeill, John W.; Murray, Paul J.; Newell, William J.
Fourth Row: Sergeants Pochodzay, Marion; Pouliot, Roger; Pounds, Armond H.; Potts, George T.; Risinger, Harry B.
Fifth Row: Sergeants Russell, Ralph K.; Saxton, Cecil G.; Schaefer, Carl J.; Sevier, William F.; Shull, Donald C.
Sixth Row: Sergeants Starr, William G.; Taylor, Kenneth M.; Tribbett, Walter A.; Weronko, Chester J.; Wey, Karl W. Jr.
Seventh Row: Sergeants Whalen, Kenneth L.; Wolak, Edward W.; Woodward, John A.; Corporals Bauman, Jack; Brennan, Bernard.
Eighth Row: Corporals Coil, Stanley F.; Crowley, Bernard J.; Cunnnigham, Richard W. Jr.; Dalby, Charles W.; Forish, Joseph M.
Ninth Row: Corporals Frank, James M.; Fraser, Donald M.; Fritsche, Walter E.; Gilman, Frank R.; Haigh, Harold B.
[111]
[page break]
440TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Corporals Harmon, Bennie D.; Harmon, John R.; Harter, Raymond H.; Hogue, Richard P.; Jett, Malcolm B.
Second Row: Corporals Korns, Dudley W.; Lindy, Ansel; Machaczka, Theodore; Magazzini, Michael; Mayes, Charles E.
Third Row: Corporals Moffett, Raymond P.; Patton, Hugh D.; Reid, Ralph M.; Rickey, John W.; Shields, Kenneth S.
Fourth Row: Corporals Smeck, Harold E.; Smith, Richard C.; Stevens, Loyd H.; Thibodeaux, Joseph N.; Thompson, Kermit L.
Fifth Row: Corporals White, Orin L.; Williams, Walter W.; Woodruff, Donald M.; Wyme, Maurice H.; Private First Class Doane, Edward F.
Sixth Row: Privates First Class Farmer, Carl E.; Fuscaldo, Frank J.; Gayton, Harold T.; Gilbert, Robert C. Jr.; Haidet, Clifford E.
Seventh Row: Privates First Class Harrison, James P.; Margiotta, John, Middleton, John I. Jr.; Oden, James H.; O’Neill, Gilmore.
Eighth Row: Privates First Class Reichart, Ralph R.; Riley, Samuel B.; Sheeran, Francis D.; Siegel, Irving C.; Simpson, Harold E.
Ninth Row: Privates First Class Spetjack, Frank; Stegemann, Gustave E.; Stoddart, James H.; Trickett, Powell N.; Van Doren, Donald J.
Tenth Row: Privates First Class Walters, Paul D.; Wright, Phillip D.; Privates Ash, Richard D.; Bettle, Daniel O.; Blank, Donald C.
[112]
[page break]
440TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
[8 rows of 5 photographs]
[2 rows of 4 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Bode, Robert H.; Bonom, Milton; Borders, Cecil C.; Cation, Paul C.; Clark, Eugene B.
Second Row: Privates Dissen, Joseph P.; Duvall, Lauren L.; Eggen, Byron R.; Enoch, Milton; Fetzer, William W.
Third Row: Privates Fletcher, Kenneth T.; Goldstein, Kolman; Hornberg, Edward H.; Huffmaster, Howard H.; Huhtala, Ernest E.
Fourth Row: Privates James, William L.; Kaminsky, Victor; Knobloch, Wayne R.; Lagalo, Frank; Latham, Marion C.
Fifth Row: Privates Lester, Harold J.; Levy, Gerson; Liscomb, Nile L.; Lyons, Meade G.; Mann, Fred W.
Sixth Row: Privates Matzen, Arthur J.; Mikus, Anthony C.; Murphy, Raymond K.; Myers, Joseph D.; Packard, Robert R.
Seventh Row: Privates Pelensky, Raymond J.; Prasifka, Reyburn J.; Reeves, James B.; Rogal, Melvin; Rowland, Charles H.
Eighth Row: Privates Rucker, Tolbert A.; Shagrin, Louis; Shedlock, John A.; Spuller, George C.; Ter Haar, LeRoi.
Ninth Row: Privates Thompson, James R.; Thornton, Kenneth F.; Tutt, Donald R.; Wagnon, Felton C.
Tenth Row: Attached Men and All Ratings, Sergeant Sisson, Paul L.; Corporal Sannes, Carl A.; Privates Fabec, Frank L.; Gerik, Alvin R.
[113]
[page break]
MILITARY POLICE
[Photograph]
CHARLES R. CROSS
Major
Commanding
[9 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
321ST SCHOOL SQUADRON
First Row: Corporals Buckley, Marriott; D’Agostino, Joseph L.; Kovalik, Robert A.; Private First Class Bailey, Donald W.
322ND SCHOOL SQUADRON
Sergeants Little, James T.; Martin, Marvin.
Second Row: Sergeant McDermitt, John H.; Corporals Brady, John R.; Hatley, Daniel W.; Privates Gilkey, Robert J.; Wyer, James C.
323RD SCHOOL SQUADRON
Sergeant Matthews, Bernard J.
Third Row: Corporals Berry, Lester R.; Paris, John M.
439TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
Staff Sergeant Epsom, George A.; Sergeants Burke, James A.; Fyke, Mayes B.; Jones, Delbert.
Fourth Row: Sergeant Woody, Oren W.; Corporal Fuller, Charles C.; Privates First Class Eversole, Robert J.; Henson, Delbert L.; Ledford, Robert J.; Private Robinson, James H.
440TH SCHOOL SQUADRON
Fifth Row: Sergeant Mobley, John E.; Private First Class Simon, George V.; Private Marconi, Gene J.
61ST AIR BASE SQUADRON
Staff Sergeants Hanfstaengl, Egon L.; Love, John J.; Miles, John J.
Sixth Row: Staff Sergeants Rooksberry, Robert E.; Wortham, B.C.; Sergeants Badgley, Jack L.; Carfello, Louis; Destefano, Joseph G.; Garriott, George A.
Seventh Row: Sergeants Kelly, Edward J.; Naugle, Melvin, L.; Seidler, Frederick W.; Turner, Ray, I.; Corporals Cerulli, Patsy J.; Korba, John.
Eighth Row: Corporals Napolitano, Patsy J.; Palmer, James A.; Shapiro, Joseph; Sullivan, Lester B.; Woznakiewicz, Leon; Private First Class Blanos, George.
Ninth Row: Privates First Class Greenwood, John R.; Kellen, Joseph W.; Rotunno, George G.; Privates Baer, B.T.; Eakley, George; Kershner, Jack.
Tenth Row: Privates McGuire, George W.; Novotny, Steven G.; Serdziak, Edward L.
77TH MATERIEL SQUADRON
Privates First Class Batten, Robert L.; Rea, John F.X.
[114]
[page break]
[Photograph]
J.W. CLARK
Captain
Commanding
BAND
[1 row of 5 photographs]
[3 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 4 photographs]
(Reading from left to right)
First Row: Master Sergeant Wickersham, R.; Staff Sergeant Karstens, F.H.; Sergeants Enckler, H.G.; Gancar, J.W.; Haislup, G.E.
Second Row: Sergeants Holloway, J.B.; Stynosky, G.; Zoller, R.H.; Corporals Feldman, C.; Lee, H.J.; Lowery, R.
Third Row: Corporals Luth, K.E.; Olney, D.H.; Rawles, F.C.; Silverman, M.; Privates First Class Egan, A.W.; Farrell, J.C.
Fourth Row: Privates First Class Lewis, R.; Lumbrazo, A.J.; Scarci, L.A.; Van Duren, W.; Venton, W. Jr.; Wine, R.C.
Fifth Row: Private First Class Zajac, S.J.; Privates Cosenza, G.; Fletcher, H.M.; Roberts, G.
[115]
[page break]
STATION HOSPITAL
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Staff Sergeants Lenhart, Andrew K.; Lockard, George C. Jr.; Sergeant Spanier, Henry; Technician Fourth Grade Levin, Robert; Technicians Fifth Grade Evans, David A.; Kenney, Edmund R.
Second Row: Privates First Class Houser, Michael J.; Kohl, John E.; Stoffa, John; Privates Butcher, William A.; Friedman, Leonard; Lasala, Vincenzo.
Third Row: Privates Mansfield, Thomas J.; Mills, James P.; Pasternak, Samuel; Schames, Abraham A.; Wright, Carl W.
[2 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
VETERINARY DETACHMENT
STATION HOSPITAL
(Reading from Left to Right)
Sergeant Klingenhagen, Henry; Privates Hampton, William W.; Kafka, Henry W.
[1 row of 3 photographs]
[116]
[page break]
MEDICAL DETACHMENT
[Photograph]
WATSON L. LUTHER, JR.
Second Lieutenant
Commanding
[5 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Master Sergeant Galatas, Joe H.; First Sergeant Church, Jim A.; Staff Sergeants Haddon, Thomas W.; Lewis, Benjamin H.; Lieberman, Barney.
Second Row: Staff Sergeant Scheuermann, James W.; Sergeants Abernathy, Fletcher C.; Causey, Hilton E.; Craddock, Mike; Korngut, Archie.
Third Row: Sergeants Presley, L.A.; Wertz, Joe L.; Technicians Fourth Grade Heil, John E.; Hockenbury, Robert E.; Horine, Herbert R.
Fourth Row: Technicians Fourth Grade Innella, Michael M.; Kilian, John G.; Killeen, John M.; Corporals Hammer, Rudolph G.; Simchina, Michael.
Fifth Row: Technicians Fifth Grade Grieder, Roy F.; Hayduk, Walter F.; Huttmann, Charles F.; Kaplowitz, Leonard J.; Kleinow, William O.
[117]
[page break]
MEDICAL DETACHMENT
[1 row of 4 photographs]
[6 rows of 5 photographs]
[1 row of 3 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates First Class Cooper, Charles F.; Jr.; Davidson, Charles S.; Deitchman, Joseph; Ewald, Elmer W.
Second Row: Privates First Class Gombkoto, Stephen, Jr.; Massey, John E.; Miller, Albert W.; Miller, Ralph W.; O’Connell, John N.
Third Row: Privates First Class Raimondi, Angelo J.; Sadowitz, Albert; Privates Brown, Arthur J.; Cleveland, Winfred G.; Crowley, Charles H.
Fourth Row: Privates Donahue, Lawrence; Flynn, William J.; Geller, Sidney; Grier, Paul H.; Johnson, Willard E.
Fifth Row: Privates Kania, John; Krotchko, Michael G.; Lapidow, Frank H.; Lee, John H.; Miastkowski, Stanley.
Sixth Row: Privates Molloy, William J.; Nelson, H.M.; Nix, Earl V.; Roerden, Emil H.; Roller, Leslie.
Seventh Row: Privates Rubin, David A.; Schmidt, Edward; Schneider, Samuel; Sheehan, Fred E.; Weaver, P.H.
Eighth Row: Privates West, Thomas C.; Wilson, Doyle F.; Worm, Vergil H.
[118]
[page break]
MEDICAL DETACHMENT
COLORED SECTION
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Corporals Briscoe, F.; Hill, I.V.; Private First Class Allen, L.E.; Barnes, D.; Davis, D.E.
Second Row: Privates First Class Graddick, S.; Honeycutt, L.; Johnson, G.; Johnson, T.; Jones, B.J.
Third Row: Privates First Class Jones, R.J.; Robinson, C.C.; Privates Adams, R.; Bonner, F.; Brooks, H.
Fourth Row: Privates Elliot, H.; Gaines, J.; Hodges, A.H.; Jackson, G.; Jewell, J.
Fifth Row: Privates Lacroix, O.J.; Strickland, G.W.; Worth, F., Jr.
[4 rows of 5 photographs]
[1 row of 3 photographs]
[119]
[page break]
907TH QUARTERMASTER COMPANY
[Photograph]
RUSSELL C. BURKHOLDER
First Lieutenant
Commanding
[5 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Master Sergeant Krampitz, Albert J.; Technical Sergeants McCarthy, John A.; Mitchell, James L.; Staff Sergeants Codde, Harry L.; Hurtle, Herman G.; Peterson, Carl E.
Second Row: Staff Sergeant Spann, James L.; Technician Third Grade Thomas, Sidney M.; Sergeants Brown, David W.; Czarkowski, Harry S.; Enger, Arnold J.; Hildebrandt, Arnold L.
Third Row: Sergeants Jockisch, Virgil E.; Lund, O.; Posavac, Martin; Wilson, Philip C.; Technicians Fourth Grade Blackburn, William K.; DeSarro, Edward M.
Fourth Row: Technicians Fourth Grade Goodrum, Roy A.; Henkle, John L.; Werther, Carl A.; Corporals Anderson, Raymond H.; Ferrara, Joseph; Griff, Wilbur L.
Fifth Row: Corporals Warner, William L.; Technicians Fifth Grade Hall, Roy F.; Lane, D.K.; Rhynard, Gerald E.; Salsman, Fred H.; Toomey, Oliver R.
[120]
[page break]
907TH QUARTERMASTER COMPANY
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates First Class Allen, John R.; Atkins, James I.; Atristain, Philip; Axton, Delmar B.; Baxter, Chester W.
Second Row: Privates First Class Benjamin Jack; Black, John S.; Bradley, Donald C.; Cosgrove, Lester J.; Dixon, Osborne C.
Third Row: Privates First Class Gerner, Charles A.; Greene, Anderson B.; Hackett, William A.; Hamrick, John W.; Heischober, Harold.
Fourth Row: Privates First Class Houchin, Roy; Martin, Major G.; Meredith, Eugene Q.; Peeler, Harry J.; Phelps, Shirley E.
Fifth Row: Privates First Class Rose, Ruben F.; Rubensohn, Herbert B.; Ruderman, Arthur; Stock, Louis; Tyler, Melvin N.
Sixth Row: Privates First Class Ursitti, Tony G.; Wood, Otha L.; Privates Allen, Claude R.; Andino, Dominic A.; Baker, Francis M.
Seventh Row: Privates Barnwell, Roy C.; Blailock, Westley; Blume, Lonnie W.; Boone, Fowler; Brown, Chester W.
Eighth Row: Privates Donini, Albert; Ewaniuk, William; Gamage, Joe A.; Garlan, Vincent J.; Graham, Arnold C.
Ninth Row: Privates Harrill, Charles G.; Heffernan, Harris F.; Helms, General W.; Jordan, Ealon E.; Staley, Ralph E.
Tenth Row: Privates Verbetic, Stephen; Williams, Fred E.; Wilson, Edgar M.; Wright, Don C.; Wright, Ralph L.
[121]
[page break]
[Photograph]
JACK H. EVANS
Captain
Commanding
PROVISIONAL RECRUIT DETACHMENT
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Technical Sergeant Holcomb, Robert L.; Sergeants Gibson, William W.; Malisbury, Thos.; Montvidas, Peter J.; Corporal Lako, James E.
Second Row: Sergeant Whitcomb, Peter B.; Corporals Roberts, Gerald N.; Privates First Class Eversole, Edwin A.; Israel, William; Private Seymour, Gerald K.
[2 rows of 5 photographs]
[122]
[page break]
[Photograph]
PAUL J. RENGSDORF
Second Lieutenant
Administrative Officer
COMPANY L
[9 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Adolphson, John W.; Altomare, Anthony A.; Beam, Lee H.; Billingsley, George N.; Blachman, Abraham; Bowman, Eugene.
Second Row: Privates Bozza, Peter; Brenelich, Raymond F.; Buskirk, Joseph A.; Damiano, Joseph; Dolan, Francis; Donnelly, Joseph.
Third Row: Privates Donnelly, Lawrence M.; Fabrizio, Patrick; Fountain, Herbert F.; Freese, Harry Charles; Furman, John; Gangloff, Richard B.
Fourth Row: Privates Gervasi, Sebastian J.; Harris, John F.; Havelichek, Andrew R.; Hebberd, William H.; Heiser, Francis J.; Henker, Edward.
Fifth Row: Privates Henry, James E. Jr.; Hensler, Regis J.; Hesko, Zygmund; Hess, Robert K.; Higgins, John V.; Horner, David S.
Sixth Row: Privates Howell, Clarence W.; Hughes, William J.; Lovino, Anthony F.; Javor, John J.; Johnson, Hilmer J.; Johnston, Charles F.
Seventh Row: Privates Jones, Arthur C.; Jones, Carrol F.; Just, Lugi T.; Kahler, Gerald P.; Karis, Edward J.; Keenan, Charles D.
Eighth Row: Privates Kelly, Joseph; Kendzior, William J.; Kenny, William T.; Kent, F.F.; Keough, Bernard M.; Keough, James F.
Ninth Row: Privates Klien, Michael; Kloc, Anthony J.; Kochie, Joseph E.; Kozak, Matthew R.; Kozielski, Constantine J.; Koznarskey, Joseph.
Tenth Row: Privates Krol, Stanley B.; Kudrick, John; Lagocki, Frank L.; Lagocki, Henry M.; Lambie, John H.
[123]
[page break]
COMPANY L
[1 row of 4 photographs]
[6 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
[1 row of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 4 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates LaRock, Lloyd H.; Lauffer, Alvin K.; Lees, George E.; Leonard, John.
Second Row: Privates Leonard, Michael; Livelsberger, Clair; Lloyd, Raymond C.; Lopeck, Andrew; Love, Ralph; Lozier, Charles M.
Third Row: Privates Lunning, James J.; McAulley, Charles; McCall, Charles M.; McConkey, Bert L.; McCormack, Wilton M.; McDonald, Joseph R.
Fourth Row: Privates McHugh, Edward T.; Mackanin, Joseph; Marn, Edward J.; Marshak, William L.; Masciantonio, John C.; Mason, John F.
Fifth Row: Privates Matchett, William; Mattern, Floyd Jr.; Matthews, Thomas F.; Mendis, Joseph T.; Mildenberger, Edward A.; Miller, Earl K.
Sixth Row: Privates Miller, John J.; Monson, Harry W.; Murawaski, Frank J.; O’Byrne, Francis J.; O’Leary, George J.; Polino, Peter.
Seventh Row: Privates Priest, Donald O.; Ralph, Samuel O.; Reinhardt, William L. Jr.; Rhodes, Brady L.; Rook, Jack J.; Rubbo, Donald.
Eighth Row: Privates Rubenstein, Herbert; Saitta, Joseph L.; Salome, John; Schuchmann, Arthur A.; Scott, Joseph P.
Ninth Row: Privates Sherry, Sol H.; Simpson, William D.; Singleton, William C.; Skinner, Merton F. Jr.; Smith, James J.; Steeves, Kenneth J.
Tenth Row: Privates Uva, Marcello; Wandell, Leo; Whaley, Robert G.; Zottoli, Joseph T.
[124]
[page break]
COMPANY M
[Photograph]
ARTHUR C. SWALLOW
Second Lieutenant
Commanding
[9 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Cacossa, Dominick A.; Carle, Ralph G.; Cole, Geo. W.; Comiskey, John J.; Conley, Sherwood Decker; Coons, Martin.
Second Row: Privates Dobrin, Irving; Heaney, John T.; Hogan, John J.; Hughston, Aubrey L.; Hyland, Norman H.; Jablonski, John M.
Third Row: Privates Kaulback, Aubrey C.; Keegan, Wm. H.; Kenny, John F.; Lamb, Fred E.; Lambert, Jas. V.; Latham, Edw. V.
Fourth Row: Privates Oberlander, Alex; O’Brien, Michael W.; Ockenhouse, Maynard T.; O’Connor, Jas. J.; O’Connor, Stephen J.; Olsen, Alfred.
Fifth Row: Privates Olszewski, Norbert J.; Orpesa, Alfonso E.; Osborne, Richard R.; O’Shea, Jas. F.; Oybkhan, David; Panella, Bernard J.
Sixth Row: Privates Panzarella, Frank; Pascale, Vitto A.R.; Pasko, Frank M.; Patrick, Chas. K.; Peacock, Duane J.; Pearson, Harry.
Seventh Row: Privates Peio, Randolph M.; Penna, Anthony J.; Petronecci, Sammy N.; Phelps, Francis W.; Piekniewski, Jos. R.; Pizonowski, Jacob.
Eighth Row: Privates Pooley, Robert T.; Post, Harold R.; Postorino, Patrick E.; Prenner, Garson; Preston, Lee J.; Pritchard, Arthur.
Ninth Row: Privates Pusterla, John F.; Quintana, Salvador A.; Rabinowicz, Markus; Raftrey, Martin J.; Raichelson, Ralph; Rajk, Frank J. Jr.
[125]
[page break]
COMPANY M
[10 rows of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Privates Ranni, John; Rasczyk, Bennie J.; Rasy, Danny H.; Renz, John W.; Repoli, John A.
Second Row: Privates Resch, Arthur C.; Reznick, Jos. F.; Robertson, Harry W.; Roney, Chos. D.; Rosenbaum, Wm.
Third Row: Privates Rosenblatt, Saul; Rosenblum, Harry; Rossell, Thomas D.; Rothermel, John D.; Rothermel, Woodrow H.
Fourth Row: Privates Rudy, Henry; Ruiz, Frank; Ruminski, Frank; Ruseckras, John B.; Rusin, Walter A.
Fifth Row: Privates Russo, Fortuanto R.; Sabella, Jos.; Sammarco, Mario J.; Say, Benton S.; Schaffer, Jerome R.
Sixth Row: Privates Schmidt, Eugene I.; Schneider, Wm. F.; Schoenfield, Max M.; Schofield, Patrick J.; Schott, Wm. J.
Seventh Row: Privates Schrerber, Louis I.; Schuss, Sydney S.; Seaha, John; Secare, Albert P.; Seitzer, Harold M.
Eighth Row: Privates Senikowich, William; Serling, Jacob; Serrano, Geo.; Shappe, Chas. H.; Shavell, Max; Sherry, Jeremiah T.
Ninth Row: Privates Shoemaker, Benjamin W.; Spaeth, Henry; Stasik, Theodore J.; Stenzler, Isidore, Strati, Gaotano V.
Tenth Row: Privates Sudut, Stanley J.; Sullivan, Daniel H.; Swartz, Walter R.; Tinnel, Ben T.; Wells, Emmett.
[126]
[page break]
27TH AVIATION SQUADRON
[Photograph]
KENETH B. CASSIDY
Captain
Commanding
[4 rows of 6 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: First Sergeant Barnes, Eugene; Sergeants Chandler, John R.; Davis, William R.; Snelling, Luther, Wilkerson, Freddie; Wills, Horace A.
Second Row: Corporal Watkins, Cornelious; Privates First Class Brown, Otis D.; Carter, M.C.; Cooper, Ceasar; Lawrence, Robert J.; Mitchell, Thomas.
Third Row: Privates First Class Morris, John E.; Ross, Wesley; Veal, Harold A.; Williams, Van; Privates Adams, William; Clemont, Herbert L.
Fourth Row: Privates Gilreath, John T.; Lawson, Clarence; Morton, Sanford; Shavers, I.W.; Slay, Woodrow; Spearman, Sayle.
[127]
[page break]
823RD QUARTERMASTER COMPANY
[8 rows of 6 photographs]
[1 row of 5 photographs]
(Reading from Left to Right)
First Row: Sergeants Fitzpatrick, R.; McKinney J.; Morris, R.; Corporals Burst, E.; McDermott, W.; Mitchell, H.
Second Row: Corporals Taylor, A.; Winfrey, P.; Privates First Class Anderson S.; Cumberlander, G.; Hamilton, J.; Jones, J.
Third Row: Privates First Class Pate S.; Thompson, M.; Wood, M.; Privates Baker, Ed R.; Buford, J.; Burney, E.
Fourth Row: Privates Caldwell, M.; Carter, M.H.; Davis, E.; Davis, J.C.; Dillard, W.T.; Ellery, L.B.
Fifth Row: Privates Fountain, O.B.; Freeman, Fred; Gooding, B.; Howard, S.; Kearse, J.; Lewis, E.
Sixth Row: Privates Logan, F.; McCollum, R.; McKinnie, W.; Mills, F.; Mitchell, M.; Phillips, W.T.
Seventh Row: Privates Pryor, T.I.; Ray, J.W.; Robbin, W.; Simon, J.; Spicer, G.T.; Smith, L.S.
Eighth Row: Privates Smith, J.; Smith, W.; Spain, J.; Staples, E.T.; Taylor, Alex; Thompson, F.
Ninth Row: Privates Thomas J.; Tyler, S.; Upchurch, J.; Wilson, G.; Young, P.
[128]
PUBLISHED 1942 BY
ARMY AND NAVY PUBLISHING CO., INC.
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
[page break]
CAPTAIN CHARLES D. BAYLIS, USMC (RET)
Editor-in-Chief and Director of Field Operations
[page break]
[Embossed crest]
Dublin Core
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Cochran Field
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A book detailing the activities undertaken at the training airfield of Cochran. It describes the history of the field, the training courses and names the staff and students.
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Army Air Forces
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United States
Georgia
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Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
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eng
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Text
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One printed book
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MStimpsonMC155249-190922-09
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IBCC Digital Archive
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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Pending text-based transcription. Under review
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Angela Gaffney
bombing
Harvard
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1671/30465/BCameronDCameronDv1.1.pdf
b0bff7f94bf1612f872c86b64efb811e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Cameron, Don
D Cameron
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2020-08-20
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Cameron, D
Description
An account of the resource
90 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Don Cameron (173516, Royal Air Force) a pilot who flew Lancaster on 115 Squadron. Collection contains his log books, a memoir, a aircrew categorisation card and photographs.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Neil Cameron and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
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[Illustration showing Lancaster Bomber with following text superimposed]
World War II & Flying Memoirs
by Donald Cameron
[handwritten] To Neil & Diane
With love from Dad
Don Cameron
June 6, 2000 [/handwritten]
[page break]
[italics] Donald Cameron World War II and Flying Memoirs [/italics]
[Photo of man in RAF uniform]
[bold] How did I get to be in Scotland and England for 15 years? [/bold]
Most of you will have heard this story already, but just in case, here it is again.
In 1937, my sister, Miriam arranged to spend her summer holidays with a visit to Scotland. I went with Mum and Dad to see her off at Union Station. I don’t think the train was out of sight, when Dad said, “Let’s go off to Scotland too”.
I told them that I could not really go, because I had promised to go to a boys’ camp at a farm just north of Klienburg, as nature study leader. This camp was got going by one of my brothers Ken’s friends, Al Richardson. The boys were mostly from Dufferin St. Baptist Church. We had cycled up there quite often in the spring to get things all set up. Of course Ken could not go either, because he was already working.
Well my parents quickly arranged for Mrs Mascall to be our housekeeper while they were away and Mum and Dad took off for their holiday in Scotland.
1938 was the year of the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow Scotland and I was hoping that somehow I get to see it. We had friends, Dr. Ernie and Bella Pallet. We knew them as Uncle Ernie was a government veterinarian. He suggested that I should work my way to Scotland on a cattle boat. I went for that in a big way, so he
2
[page break]
[italics] Donald Cameron World War II and Flying Memoirs [/italics]
arranged the whole thing. I was to start my trip at the stock yards at St. Clair and Keele Street, where I was to get aboard the caboose of the cattle train. Actually I first had to climb up into the shunting engine, while they were hooking up the train, great fun for a sixteen year old. Then I climbed down and changed into the caboose. This part of my journey cost $2.00. There were three of us in the caboose, me and an old Glasgow man, as well as the regular guard. It was quite a ride. Canadian Pacific had started their express freight trains, which was something new at that time. I was surprised to see a spanking new passenger engine on the front of our train. I was able to sit up top and look out over the train and all around as we took off along the CP line across the city just north of Dupont St. very close to home, then out through Agincourt on the line that still comes through Whitby. As night came on I was given a mattress to sleep on and it was on top of what looked like a storage chest, with a flat top. Everything was just dandy until the engineer decided to slam on the brakes. This was no stop like on a passenger train. I went sliding, mattress and all right off the bed place and hit the front of the caboose. The guard had a good laugh. So did I, once I realised that nothing was wrong. This happened just near Trenton.
Next day, I had to arrange about signing on as part of the crew of the cattle boat. Apparently I was the youngest of the lot. They decided that that I should be pantry boy and that did not please me at al. I had hoped to be looking after the cattle. Strangely, the cattle were breeding stock. Usually, I thought, Canada imported breeding cattle from Europe, but apparently it worked both ways.
One of my duties was to take the brass ventilators off the officers’ cabin doors, polish them, and put them back on. I had them all set up in the pantry, perched myself on a high stool and started to clean them up. Well, the captain came by and started yelling at me. I hadn’t a clue was [sic] he was saying, although I found out later that he came from Port Gordon in Banffshire where my mother was from. Anyway, I got fired as pantry boy and was put with the other cattlemen. I was happy about that. We had a real nice smooth trip across the Atlantic. It was like a mill pond. A big Basking Shark seemed to follow us all the way. I had never seen one of them before.
There were all sorts of surprises; we were not strictly a cattle boat; we had other cargo as well. I remember watching as they loaded all sorts of stuff. I remember that there were crates marked Singer Sewing Machines. As we sailed up the Clyde, I was surprised to see the big Singer Sewing Machine factory on the banks of the Clyde.
We docked at Princess Dock in Glasgow, right in the centre of the city. We were told to wait board until Customs and Immigration came aboard to clear us. Well I sat for a good half hour and then decided that nobody seemed anxious to see me. So off I went. I had an address to go to and started off on a tram. I was meeting Emily Gault, one of the women who made our house their meeting place. These women were in Toronto in domestic Service. Emily worked in Rosedale.
We got together alright and I made some visits to the Empire Exhibition. Then Emily was to take me north to
3
[page break]
[italics] Donald Cameron World War II and Flying Memoirs [/italics]
visit her family in Thurso, right up in the very north of Scotland. I remember that I had a hard time realising that it could possibly be 11 p.m. and still be quite light.
[blank space - missing photo?]
My big memory from his visit was my first flight in an aircraft. The lane was a DeHaviland bi-plane with a crew of one, the pilot. The door to the cockpit was left open and I wondered how this guy could fly this plane and take pictures of the WWI battleships that had been scuttles in Scapa Flow back in those old days.
After that I went to visit all my relatives in Buckie and Aberchirder. Finally I settled in Aberdeen with Aunt Miriam and Uncle John. I had a great summer holiday.
My father had asked me to look at a course with the North of Scotland College of Agriculture. We intended to go into a horticulture business together, once I graduated from my training. I really did not want to train in Scotland and told him that I would much prefer to go to Niagara College for my training. The result was that I suddenly realised that I was due to report in Glasgow for my return trip to Canada, but had never gone to see the college in Aberdeen. Their head office was in an old Victorian building at 41 ½ Union Street on the 5th floor. The elevator was an old fashioned wire covered affair, which did not impress me at all. I took a look at the big mahogany door with frosted glass and gold lettering and decided this was not for me. Before I had turned to come away a woman came up behind me. She said, “You want the North of Scotland College of Agriculture? This way.” She seemed to almost push me through the door. I know she did not actually, but anyhow I was in.
Well they did have a good course. One of my spur of the moment decisions made me sign up for the course. So there I was a guest of my aunt and uncle which my Dad had arranged if I should decide to stay. Before I could start my course, they required a year’s experience working in horticulture. If I wanted, I could work without pay, in their experimental gardens at Craibstone. I started almost immediately.
As Craibstone was about 5 miles from where I lived in Aberdeen, I soon got permission to buy a bicycle.
I well remember the day war was declared. On Sunday, September 3rd, 1939 I came out from morning
4
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
worship service to find that special editions of the Press and Journal were being sold on the street corners. Britain had declared war on Germany after they refused to withdraw from Poland. We had been reading about their Blitzkreig tactics throughout their take over of so many countries in Europe. I thought, “They will sink this little island!”
By this time I had finished my year at Craibstone. I started the course and I did finish my first year. Of course by this time Britain was at war with Germany. The government wanted to increase food production as much as possible. I was asked if I would postpone my training until after the war. I told them that I felt sure the answer would be, “Yes”, but as I was here at my father’s expense, it would have to be his answer. His reply to my cable agreed. The college then employed me at Craibstone as one of their gardeners
Britain had conscription, so one by one the workers were absorbed into the armed forces. I gradually took over different jobs. The last one I took over was to operate their big Dennis power mower. The lawns were to be cut with light and dark stripes and very straight. Mowing one direction I would make a light stripe. Going back the opposite direction it showed up as dark. The job was to keep all lines straight. Mr. Cox, their head gardener wondered whether I could manage this task. I was willing to try. He watched as I did a few lines and decided that I could do the job just fine. I must admit that they did look good.
My age group came along for conscription. I reported, showing my passport to show them my age. They told me that I was not a resident, just a visitor and could not be conscripted. I was amazed and asked if anything could stop me from volunteering. No, I could certainly do that. I made my way to the RAF recruiting office and volunteered for the RAFVR (Volunteer Reserve).
Eventually I was asked to report at Lord’s Cricket Grounds in London. We were in a holding centre until we could finally be sent to an ITW (Initial Training Wing). They were really pushing pilot trainees through at this time and all ITW’s were going at capacity. I was sent instead, to a bomber airfield, Hemswell in Lincolnshire, where the education officer did his best to teach us what we had to know. I did manage to pass, although more than half of our course did not make it. They were sent to a regular ITW.
After finishing my ITW course at Hemswell in Lincolnshire, I was eventually posted to a holding centre in the Metropole Hotel in Brighton. This seemed to be a place where trainees were kept until somewhere would be available to start them on their flying training. In all I was there for 16 weeks. It was a case of being present for morning parade, where a roll call ensured that you were present. This was followed by a march along the promenade, for no better reason than there was nothing else to do with us. It did not take long for a few of us to find that being in the tail end of this parade, we could easily vanish down a side street and be lost. There was a convenient Lyon’s café, that had delicious crumpets and marmalade. The local YMCA, I think it was, had a good billiard table. I became pretty good with billiards and snooker during this period. I did get a task to do in the post office in the hotel. Apart from sorting out the mail for inmates like myself, we also collected the old newspapers for
5
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
disposal. I started doing the Daily Telegraph crossword puzzle, which developed my liking for good crosswords. We did get really fed up down in Brighton. A posting to Rhodesia came up, so I volunteered to goo there for my flying training. After getting various inoculations for all sorts of diseases, I got a week’s embarkation leave. Then I was told that since I came from overseas, I could not be sent overseas for my training. Apparently they had lost one or two who had just vanished once they were away from Britain.
Eventually I did get a posting to an elementary flying training school at Booker, near Marlow in Buckinghamshire. I was happy at last to be flying, but it had taken until March 23rd, 1942 to get to this stage. I thoroughly enjoyed flying. Apart from my actual training there are events that I will never forget.
Early in my training my instructor was flying us to an auxiliary field. I decided that my harness was not tight enough. I pulled the release and began to pull them tighter when I noticed that the horizon was beginning to slowly go around. He was doing a slow roll. I had no time to even attempt to do up any of my harness. All I could do was to brace myself on the sides of my cockpit and hold myself from dropping out as the ground went slowly pas as I looked down at it. When I told him what had happened he had a good laugh.
Again, early in my flying, it might have been my first flight (but I’m not sure about that), my instructor, an ex-fighter pilot got together with a Boston fighter bomber. The two of them decided to have a mock dog fight. It was great fun, but my poor stomach. It was not accustomed yet to this kind of thing. I sat, holding my stomach, but enjoying the whole thing.
My first experience at night flying was quite something. We took off into the inky blackness of the blackout. The idea was to fly a square pattern to the left after getting up to 1000 ft. Then as we turned to complete the square, we should find that we were approaching the landing strip again ready for descending to make a landing. It was a scary feeling, to think that we were actually doing this with no navigation aids at all. However after several circuits it gradually became just the thing to do.
I was in real trouble on Easter weekend. The day before the weekend I was flying solo doing circuits and landings. I came in to land, right in front of the commanding officer’s office. There was a gusty sort of wind and I had trouble getting the plane to land. Right away I remembered the important instructions. With any difficulty in landing, give the engine full power and go round again for anther[sic] circuit. I opened up the throttle and got the shock of my life. My port wing just dropped and hit the ground and the poor old Tiger Moth flipped right over, nose to the ground, leaving me hanging upside down in my harness. I quickly released my harness and dropped onto the ground. Then I remembered – turn off the ignition switch. I crawled back under the plane and did so. I was to report to the commanding officer right after Easter weekend.
I went into London for the weekend, and spent the time with my brother, Ken. He was stationed at RCAF
6
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
headquarters in London at Canada House. Unfortunately I forgot the the[sic] last train from Marlebone Station left 5 minutes earlier on Sunday nights. I just missed it. In fact I saw it pulling out of the station. We went to Ken’s place overnight, and I got up and made my way to the station, but the train I got was not the first one in the morning. I was on the mat for not being back to base by 11:59 hrs. I had to see the Commanding Officer about that. Well it turned out that he gave me 7 days jankers for that. Then I had to wait to see him about my upside down landing. I was really down in the dumps, thinking I would probably fail as a pilot. What a surprise when he sent a message out that he did not want to see me about this, as he had watched my attempted landing and said I had done everything right. What a relief. I didn’t mind my 7 days of picking up litter etc. after that.
After 41 hrs. 5 min. of flying training at Booker there was another change of policy. There would be no more flying training in Britain. All training would be overseas.
All pilot trainees were to have a flying test after 8 hours flying to judge whether they should continue as pilot trainees or switch to some other aircrew training. I was told that I was to be sent to the U.S.A. for my training. We got the impression that they were sending the better flyers to the “General Arnold” scheme. I don’t think I was any better than most, but my 8 hour test was done after 41 hours flying.
Primary Training, Lakeland Florida. PT 17.(Stearman)
I finished flying at Booker EFTS on May 10th, 1942. We were sent overseas in the old ‘Leticia’ which had been converted into a troop transport. We soon found ourselves in Moncton, New Brunswick, awaiting posting to get flying once again. I somehow found that we would be two or three weeks, so applied for leave to visit Mum and Dad in Toronto. I got it! It was great to see them again and to visit with lots of people that I knew. Then it was back to Moncton where we found a good swimming hole beside a railway line, not far from our base.
Finally we boarded the troop train, which was to take us to somewhere in the southern States. One of our stops turned out to be in the Union Station in Toronto. It looked as though we would be there for a while, so I phoned home and told Mum which platform we were stuck on. She came down and was able to meet a good few of my friends who were training with me. I think she was able to spend about an hour talking to us all.
7
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
Fourth row, fourth from right:
[photograph]
Course 43B
Lodwick School of Aeronautics[?] 1942.
8
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
worship service to find that special editions of the Press and Journal were being sold on the street corners. Britain had declared war on Germany after they refused to withdraw from Poland. We had been reading about their Blitzkreig tactics throughout their take over of so many countries in Europe. I thought, “They will sink this little island!”
By this time I had finished my year at Craibstone. I started the course and I did finish my first year. Of course by this time Britain was at war with Germany. The government wanted to increase food production as much as possible. I was asked if I would postpone my training until after the war. I told them that I felt sure the answer would be, “Yes”, but as I was here at my father’s expense, it would have to be his answer. His reply to my cable agreed. The college then employed me at Craibstone as one of their gardeners
Britain had conscription, so one by one the workers were absorbed into the armed forces. I gradually took over different jobs. The last one I took over was to operate their big Dennis power mower. The lawns were to be cut with light and dark stripes and very straight. Mowing one direction I would make a light stripe. Going back the opposite direction it showed up as dark. The job was to keep all lines straight. Mr. Cox, their head gardener wondered whether I could manage this task. I was willing to try. He watched as I did a few lines and decided that I could do the job just fine. I must admit that they did look good.
My age group came along for conscription. I reported, showing my passport to show them my age. They told me that I was not a resident, just a visitor and could not be conscripted. I was amazed and asked if anything could stop me from volunteering. No, I could certainly do that. I made my way to the RAF recruiting office and volunteered for the RAFVR (Volunteer Reserve).
Eventually I was asked to report at Lord’s Cricket Grounds in London. We were in a holding centre until we could finally be sent to an ITW (Initial Training Wing). They were really pushing pilot trainees through at this time and all ITW’s were going at capacity. I was sent instead, to a bomber airfield, Hemswell in Lincolnshire, where the education officer did his best to teach us what we had to know. I did manage to pass, although more than half of our course did not make it. They were sent to a regular ITW.
After finishing my ITW course at Hemswell in Lincolnshire, I was eventually posted to a holding centre in the Metropole Hotel in Brighton. This seemed to be a place where trainees were kept until somewhere would be available to start them on their flying training. In all I was there for 16 weeks. It was a case of being present for morning parade, where a roll call ensured that you were present. This was followed by a march along the promenade, for no better reason than there was nothing else to do with us. It did not take long for a few of us to find that being in the tail end of this parade, we could easily vanish down a side street and be lost. There was a convenient Lyon’s café, that had delicious crumpets and marmalade. The local YMCA, I think it was, had a good billiard table. I became pretty good with billiards and snooker during this period. I did get a task to do in the post office in the hotel. Apart from sorting out the mail for inmates like myself, we also collected the old newspapers for
5
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
disposal. I started doing the Daily Telegraph crossword puzzle, which developed my liking for good crosswords. We did get really fed up down in Brighton. A posting to Rhodesia came up, so I volunteered to goo there for my flying training. After getting various inoculations for all sorts of diseases, I got a week’s embarkation leave. Then I was told that since I came from overseas, I could not be sent overseas for my training. Apparently they had lost one or two who had just vanished once they were away from Britain.
Eventually I did get a posting to an elementary flying training school at Booker, near Marlow in Buckinghamshire. I was happy at last to be flying, but it had taken until March 23rd, 1942 to get to this stage. I thoroughly enjoyed flying. Apart from my actual training there are events that I will never forget.
Early in my training my instructor was flying us to an auxiliary field. I decided that my harness was not tight enough. I pulled the release and began to pull them tighter when I noticed that the horizon was beginning to slowly go around. He was doing a slow roll. I had no time to even attempt to do up any of my harness. All I could do was to brace myself on the sides of my cockpit and hold myself from dropping out as the ground went slowly pas as I looked down at it. When I told him what had happened he had a good laugh.
Again, early in my flying, it might have been my first flight (but I’m not sure about that), my instructor, an ex-fighter pilot got together with a Boston fighter bomber. The two of them decided to have a mock dog fight. It was great fun, but my poor stomach. It was not accustomed yet to this kind of thing. I sat, holding my stomach, but enjoying the whole thing.
My first experience at night flying was quite something. We took off into the inky blackness of the blackout. The idea was to fly a square pattern to the left after getting up to 1000 ft. Then as we turned to complete the square, we should find that we were approaching the landing strip again ready for descending to make a landing. It was a scary feeling, to think that we were actually doing this with no navigation aids at all. However after several circuits it gradually became just the thing to do.
I was in real trouble on Easter weekend. The day before the weekend I was flying solo doing circuits and landings. I came in to land, right in front of the commanding officer’s office. There was a gusty sort of wind and I had trouble getting the plane to land. Right away I remembered the important instructions. With any difficulty in landing, give the engine full power and go round again for anther[sic] circuit. I opened up the throttle and got the shock of my life. My port wing just dropped and hit the ground and the poor old Tiger Moth flipped right over, nose to the ground, leaving me hanging upside down in my harness. I quickly released my harness and dropped onto the ground. Then I remembered – turn off the ignition switch. I crawled back under the plane and did so. I was to report to the commanding officer right after Easter weekend.
I went into London for the weekend, and spent the time with my brother, Ken. He was stationed at RCAF
6
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
headquarters in London at Canada House. Unfortunately I forgot the the[sic] last train from Marlebone Station left 5 minutes earlier on Sunday nights. I just missed it. In fact I saw it pulling out of the station. We went to Ken’s place overnight, and I got up and made my way to the station, but the train I got was not the first one in the morning. I was on the mat for not being back to base by 11:59 hrs. I had to see the Commanding Officer about that. Well it turned out that he gave me 7 days jankers for that. Then I had to wait to see him about my upside down landing. I was really down in the dumps, thinking I would probably fail as a pilot. What a surprise when he sent a message out that he did not want to see me about this, as he had watched my attempted landing and said I had done everything right. What a relief. I didn’t mind my 7 days of picking up litter etc. after that.
After 41 hrs. 5 min. of flying training at Booker there was another change of policy. There would be no more flying training in Britain. All training would be overseas.
All pilot trainees were to have a flying test after 8 hours flying to judge whether they should continue as pilot trainees or switch to some other aircrew training. I was told that I was to be sent to the U.S.A. for my training. We got the impression that they were sending the better flyers to the “General Arnold” scheme. I don’t think I was any better than most, but my 8 hour test was done after 41 hours flying.
Primary Training, Lakeland Florida. PT 17.(Stearman)
I finished flying at Booker EFTS on May 10th, 1942. We were sent overseas in the old ‘Leticia’ which had been converted into a troop transport. We soon found ourselves in Moncton, New Brunswick, awaiting posting to get flying once again. I somehow found that we would be two or three weeks, so applied for leave to visit Mum and Dad in Toronto. I got it! It was great to see them again and to visit with lots of people that I knew. Then it was back to Moncton where we found a good swimming hole beside a railway line, not far from our base.
Finally we boarded the troop train, which was to take us to somewhere in the southern States. One of our stops turned out to be in the Union Station in Toronto. It looked as though we would be there for a while, so I phoned home and told Mum which platform we were stuck on. She came down and was able to meet a good few of my friends who were training with me. I think she was able to spend about an hour talking to us all.
7
[page break]
Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs
Fourth row, fourth from right:
[photograph]
Course 43B
Lodwick School of Aeronautics[?] 1942.
8
[page break]
[italics] Donald Cameron: World War II and Flying Memoirs [/italics]
While flying Oxfords, I was sent to Docking in Norfolk to practice the use of radio beam approach. Off to one side of the beam the radio signal was the letter ‘A’ in Morse code. On the other side it was ’N’. When the dot?dash merged with the dash/dot, they made a constant continuous signal and that was right on the beam.
My flying at Windrush was completed on July 20th, 1943. I was given a 72 hour pass, before reporting to No. 26 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at RAF Station Wing. On the train heading up to Aberdeen, a fellow asked what I was doing on this leave. I told him that I only had a three day pass and had no idea whether I was going to my wedding or not. I soon found out. Mary and I were married on July 24, 1943. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday too. It was in the middle of the Aberdeen Trades Week holiday and there were no facilities open for the reception. We had 14 at the reception in Mary’s Aunt’s tenement flat, next door to where Mary lived. My Aunt Barbara happened to be in Aberdeen that weekend. I insisted that she come to the wedding. She said she was ‘Black Affronted’ she had nothing to wear. I insisted that she come in whatever she was wearing. We, of course, had nowhere to go for even a brief honeymoon, but another friend, Jean, got on the telephone to another friend, Jeanie.
Jeanie had the hotel in Huntly. The phone call was hilarious. It started something like this, “Is that you Jeanie? Well this is Jean. There’s this couple just newly married. They just have this weekend. Could you put them up?” When we got to Huntly, (incidentally, my Aunt Barbara travelled with us on her way back to Buckie) we found that Jeanie had cleared out the Bridal Suite for us. (Short but sweet, the honeymoon).
13
[page break]
[photograph]
Operational Training Unit
Strangely enough, I was a day late in reporting to No. 26 Operational Training Unit, and even more strangely, nothing was ever said about it. Here, at RAF Station Wing, (Little Horwood) I was crewed up and we flew Wellingtons Mk. 3’s and 10’s. Our flying began on August 16th 1943. We worked up to our special exercise, dropping leaflets on Rouen in France. I have included this with my operational flying in detail.
During some of my night flying, I had a new experience. While taking off one night one of my tyres burst. I did manage to get the plane off the ground, but called up to let control know about it. My flight commander came on the
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radio and told me to just circle until all night flying was completed. My crew were of differing opinions as to which tyre was gone. I felt that it was the port main wheel. My bomb aimer was sure it was the starboard wheel. I decided to go with my own decision, because I was flying the plane, and it certainly felt like the port wheel. After many tedious hours of circling the airfield I got instructions to land. My flight commander spoke to me, giving me very detailed instructions as to what to do. I was to land using the starboard wheel to land on. I was to try to keep my port wheel off the runway as long as possible. I could expect the plane to veer off the runway as once the port wheel came down. I had to repeat everything back to him. Then he wished me a good landing, and said that he would be right behind me on his motor bike when I landed. Well I got it down on the starboard wheel, but as soon as we lost all lift the port wheel came down we veered into inky blackness. When we finally came to a stop, he was right there. I was calling each of the crew to make sure they were OK. He yelled to me to get out in case of a fire. Luckily there was no fire, but I did find the end of my port propellor imbedded about six inches behind my head. Nobody was hurt!
It was while we were here that Mary sent me a telegram telling me that grandmother had died. She did not specify that it had been her grandmother, so I figured I might get some time off. I went in to the commanding officer with the telegram and he gave me a 72 hour pass. I could leave in the morning after finishing all my night flying that night. By the time I arrived in Aberdeen, I had fallen asleep in the train. Mary had come to the station, but no Don. The cleaners came in, because the train had to leave again, so luckily they wakened me and I arrived at 31 Justice Street not very long after Mary and her uncle.
That crew of mine was split up after my navigator, Hugh Maher (pronounced Marr) RCAF, was invalided out of the air force and sent home to Montreal.
I was posted to No. 17 OTU at Silverstone, to take over a headless crew. Neither they nor I were very happy about this, but we soon got to know each other. They had not completed their OTU training, so I flew with them until they had all completed their various exercises.
We advanced from OTU first to 1651 Conversion Unit at RAF Station, Wratting Common, where we all had to get familiar with flying the Short Stirling. We flew the Stirling Mks. 1 and 3. I did not like the Stirling. This took us to January 5th, 1944.
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So much for the Stirling; we were off to 1678 C.F. Waterbeach where we were introduced to the Lancaster Mk.2. My first flip in the Lancaster was familiarisation with F/O Coles. Again we had a burst tyre. F/O Coles made a beautiful landing at Newmarket Race Course. On January 25th, 1944 we were sent to 115 Squadron at Witchford, near Ely. I was now a flight sergeant.
October 4th, 1943: Special Exercise
This was my first flight over enemy occupied Europe. I wondered how I would react. Fortunately I was O.K.
On this night there was a raid by 406 aircraft on Frankfurt, with a diversionary 66 Lancasters bombing Ludwigshafen. There were 12 Mosquitoes went to Knapsack power-station, 1 mosquito to Aachen, 5 Stirlings did mine laying in the River Gironde, 8 O.T.U. sorties. There were no losses on the Ludwigshave [sic] raid. On the Frankfurt raid there were 10 RAF aircraft lost, 5 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings. One of 3 American B17’s was lost. I was one of the 8 O.T.U. sorties. We were not aware of these other activities.
At this time I was doing my operational training, flying Wellingtons, at RAF Station, Wing. We were to go on a special exercise, our first time over enemy territory. We were to fly to Rouen in France, then up wind, a distance predetermined by the winds at the time. Then we were to drop our leaflets which would float down to Rouen to inform the French people a bit of what the Allies were doing 2.
It was a funny feeling to be flying over enemy controlled territory for the first time. Our route was planned for us, but unlike later bombing raids there was no exact timing. We were to fly south to the Needles (Isle of Wight), then across to Fecampe on the French coast, south to Rouen, and then west, almost to Le Havre, where we were to drop our leaflets. Then we were to turn north east to Fecampe once again, then home via the Isle of Wight.
The weather was fully overcast, but the clouds were quite low. We climbed into bright sunlight and headed for the needles. I had a rough idea of how long this should take us and was soon asking my navigator, Hugh Maher (pronounced Marr) if we were nearing our turning point. “No, not yet,” came the reply. It seemed to me that we must have passed the
2 I have included a copy of this leaflet in these memoirs (see page 16).
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Donald Cameron: World War 11 and Flying Memoirs
[page written in the French language]
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needles when I asked again. He had not yet fixed our turning point. Eventually I said to Hugh that by now, I was sure that we must be right across the English Channel and over the Cherbourg Peninsula, and asked what his air plot told him. He told me that he had not maintained his air plot, because this aircraft was fitted with GEE. He had been unable to get a fix with GEE.
Great! Now I felt certain that we were lost somewhere over France. After establishing that there was no way he could work out any reckoning of where we were, I had to resort to radio. The Wireless Operator called for a fix – no reply. I asked him to try again with a priority. This he did. Yes, we were over the Cherbourg Peninsula of Normandy. I then told Hugh that we would fly north east from this fix. He was to use only dead reckoning navigation, no GEE. When we reached our intended crossing route of the Channel, he would guide us to Fecampe, Rouen, up wind to dropping point, back to Fecampe and so on. This we did. How ever after leaving the French coast, Hugh decided to get himself a fix using GEE radar. He was really worried. He came on the intercom telling me that he had just got a fix with GEE. We were not over the English Channel, but were over the North Sea.
A fix with GEE is a definite thing. I began to doubt Hugh’s ability with his dead reckoning navigation. To reach base we should fly roughly west south west. He gave me the course to fly. Eventually he told me that we should be crossing the cost. It was pitch black but there was no sign of a coastline even though the clouds were no longer below us. I told Hugh that we were certainly not crossing a coastline, but he assured me that he had been doing an air plot, dead reckoning since the Fix. Well I said that we should get an answer on the R.T. That was my job, so I called. No answer, I called using the distress call, “May Day”. No reply.
At this point I asked the Wireless Operator to ask for a fix using a priority. No reply. We were fairly low on fuel by this time so I said, “Same again with S.O.S.” Back came an immediate fix. We were over Brittany, in France.
To get home I had to turn almost 180 degrees. Then I gave my crew the serious news. One wing was completely empty of fuel. Both engines were using the almost empty port wing tanks. We still had a 60 gallon tank full, not much to fly very far. When the engines stopped we would pull the cross feed to use both engines on this 60 gallon tank. If they stopped after that was gone we would bale out.
Once again we were over 10/10 cloud, and as things turned out, this helped up. The airfield at Christchurch, near Bournemouth was having problems with their lighting. My bomb aimer was the first to see clouds off to starboard with lights going on and off, lightening them up.
We headed straight for them and I called up to get permission to land, asking what the cloud clearance was. I also told them I was very short of fuel. They told me that I had 800ft clearance under the cloud and told me to land. As we broke through the cloud, incidentally now using the last 60 gallon tank, I found right in front of me a beautiful runway lit with green lights at the beginning, white along the
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sides and red towards the far end. I did not care what airfield Command station, Hurn. Later in my career I was based at this field with B.O.A.C.
Poor Hugh! Once back at OUT, the navigation boys did a thorough review of his night’s efforts. They credited him with successfully flying to the target area and to the dropping point. It was the GEE fix that was the big error. The chain of stations were designed for the east coast of Britain. They were useless off the south coast, where we were flying. Previously he had suffered a severe bash on his head, coming out of a crew bus with his equipment. The rear slanted doors had slammed on his head. Later, while flying with another crew doing practice bombing with smoke bombs, they apparently had a very heavy landing, which set off one smoke bomb they had not dropped. He was standing in the astro-dome and figured the quickest way out of what seemed to be a burning aircraft was to bash his way through the Perspex dome.
They found that he no longer had the ability to navigate. He was invalided out of the RCAF and sent home to Montreal. My entire crew was split up. I was sent to R.A.F. Station Silverstone, where I took over a crew which had no pilot.
January 30th, 1944
This is the night I first went on a bombing raid. I did not pilot the aircraft. The pilot was F/Lt. Hallet. He was a Newfie and really wonder how he ever qualified as a pilot. When we crossed the enemy coast on the way home, he this was, I just landed. It turned out to be a Coastal asked me whether I would like to fly right back to base, which of course I gladly did. As we came in to make our landing, he asked me what the green light was, just before the runway. “There has always been a red light there before.” The light, of course was the glide path indicator. If you were high it shone amber. If you were too low it shone red. Right on the correct glide path it shone green. I explained to him what it indicated. On his next bombing trip, he actually hit the top of one of the Drem light poles on the way in.
However he was terrific as an operational pilot, and I picked up some valuable tips from him. He pointed out the slight difference between our Pathfinder markers at the target and the decoy markers dropped by the Germans. He also showed me a Lancaster going down in flames and the German oil bomb which simulated this. We called them Scarecrows. Since the end of the war, we found that the Germans had no such things as these scarecrow bombs. They had, however a type of gun and gun sight which fired up from below on an angle. They called it in German, “Slant Music.” Maybe this is what we saw.
Before the briefing, we knew it was to be a long tripfull load of fuel. However, it was still a shock to walk into the briefing room. There was a big map of Europe with a red tape running from our base at Witchford, across the North Sea, over Denmark and the Baltic Sea. Then there was a 90 degree turn south to Berlin. The homeward trip was right across Germany, south of Brunswick and Hanover, north of the Ruhr, across Holland and back to our base. I really believed that this was to be the last day of my life here on
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earth. Yet there was no thought of not going. After all, this is what all my training had been for. In fact this was some final training for me before I took my crew with me. It proved to be an excellent training trip. I did not know any of this crew I was flying with, but they did a very good job. F/Lt. Halley made a point of showing me various things, some of which I have mentioned. At interrogation after the trip they did a good job of giving an accurate account of what happened. I felt ready now to tackle such a sortie on my own. However on 115 Squadron new pilots always did two trips as second pilot. My next trip would be on February 15th, 1944.
This raid was made up of 534 aircraft. There were 440 Lancasters, 82 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitoes. 33 aircraft were lost, 32 Lancasters and 1 Halifax or 6.2% of the force.
February 15th, 1944
This was my second sortie as a second pilot. This time I flew with a crew, every one of which had the DFM (Distinguished Flying Medal). The pilot was an excellent flyer, but in my estimation, not a good captain of his crew. I honestly believe they probably got their DFM’s in their fabulous interrogations, or de-briefings. I was really amazed at what I heard.
Fortunately it was a quiet trip, as far as contact with enemy fighters or flak were concerned. Again, the target was Berlin and we flew a very similar route to the one on January 30th. All the way along there was very little silence between crew members. One would talk to another and so on. My crew were never like that, even on local flights. On the ground we were just a great bunch of guys, but once inside the aircraft they were a real good crew.
There was a very unfortunate occurrence. After we had turned south from the Baltic and were flying towards Berlin, the intercom system broke down. There is a system of light signals for the bomb aimer to let the pilot know how to approach the target, to replace the, “right right” or “left” verbal instructions. Instead, the bomb aimer shouted his instructions from his position down by the bomb sight. The pilot couldn’t hear properly what he had shouted, turned the plane fairly quickly. The bomb aimer presumed they were being attacked by a night-fighter and jettisoned all our bomb load. There was quite a mix up until they set off for home, with bomb doors closed. As I recall, the intercom did come on again, so things settled down more or less.
In my judgement, our load of bombs were dropped well east of Berlin. Of course we were not told of other activities that night, but I did see a raid in progress in Frankfurt-on-Oder. I think our load was somewhere between these two targets.
Back at base we were ushered in for interrogation. According to that crew we had been attacked while running up to the target. The bomb aimer had taken an opportunity as we levelled off to drop our bombs, he claimed, pretty close to the markers etc. etc. I could not believe my ears. Mind you, from my point of view, I could not have had two second pilot trips with better teaching. The first on January 30th showed me how; this one showed me how not to. From now on I would be skipper of my own crew.
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There were 891 aircraft on this rain, 561 Lancasters, 314 Halifaxes and 16 Mosquitoes [sic]. The records show that on this night, apart from this raid, 23 Mosquitoes [sic] attacked 5 Night-fighter airfields in Holland, 43 Stirlings and 4 Pathfinder Halifaxes carried out mine laying in Keil Bay. Also 24 Lancasters made a diversionary raid on Frankfurt-on-Oder.
Total sorties this night were 1070. 45 aircraft were lost, (4.2%).
February 24th, 1944 - February 25th, 1944
On the 24th, I flew with my own crew for the first time. We bombed the ball bearing factory at Schweinfurt. Then, on the 25th, we bombed Augsburg. On the Schweinfurt raid there were 734 aircraft involved, 554 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes and 11 Mosquitos. This was the first Bomber Command raid on this target. On the previous day 266 American B17’s had raided this target. Bomber command introduced a new tactic on this night. 392 aircraft and 342 aircraft separated by a two hour interval. The first wave of bombers lost 22 aircraft, 5.6% of the force. The second wave lost only 11 aircraft, 3.2% of the force. Total losses were 33 aircraft, 26 Lancasers [sic], 7 Halifaxes - 4.5% of the force. These sorties were very similar and the same thing happened to us on both trips. It was a weird sort of route and seemed to last forever. Actually it was 7 hrs 45 min on the 24th and 7 hrs 15 min on the 25th. On both occasions we were routed over France and almost to Munich, before turning north to our targets. Many of our bomber stream wandered over Switzerland in error, The Swiss, true to their neutral position, fired anti-aircraft flak, apparently well away from any planes, but giving no excuse for the Nazis to say they were favouring the Allies. We ourselves did not track over Switzerland.
Our problem was with the searchlights around Munich. Both nights they got me coned in what were obviously radar controlled lights. One lit up on me and immediately the manually controlled lights swung right onto me as well. So there I was, very new to this job and feeling very naked; on view to the whole of Nazi Germany. To say I was scared would be putting it extremely mildly.
I immediately threw the Lancaster into a violent, “Corkscrew” manoeuvre. This is what was drilled into us once we started flying bombers. Mind you, I had never actually done it before, and luckily for me, we were taking part in a second raid that night, on Schweinfurt. What I managed to do was to keep the fires of Schweinfurt somewhere in front of me as I threw that aircraft down to port and up changing to starboard and so on. It seemed like hours that I was in those searchlights. Luckily the smoke from the target area blacked out some of the searchlights, and by this time the radar-controlled lights would be trained on some other unlucky aircraft.
Ever since those two sorties I have had a strong aversion to searchlights of any kind, even those used in advertising.
Another incident happened on the Augsburg sortie. Before we were caught in the serachlights, I noticed out of the side of my vision that, “Taffy” Jones had his arm up in
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the air. What made me look round, I’ll never know, but we were very fortunate that I did. Taffy was obviously the only one who saw a Messerschmitt 110 attacking us from above and starboard. He was apparently speechless with fear, which is not really surprising, but could have killed the lot of us. As I looked round to see what Taffy was doing, I realised what was happening and gave the stick a quick shove forward. With the Lancaster II, with Bristol Hercules engines you can cut all engines by doing this. I must have dropped a few hundred feet, but we saw all the cannon fire pass overhead. I spoke to Taffy after we got back to base. I asked him to try to poke me, or something if he couldn’t speak.
On the Augsburg trip someone had timed our searchlight ordeal. We were coned in searchlights for 10 minutes.
Taffy was a very good and very thorough flight engineer. Once we were back at base, my thoughts were to get through our interrogation, then our bacon and eggs and off to bed. Taffy, of course had to give a full report which included dial readings of quite a few dials. He always was last one off the plane. I was always trying to egg him on. Once I had finished our tour, my ground crew, “Chiefy”, told me that they estimated we would last only about three or four sorties. They thought I was always arguing with my flight engineer.
Mind you, I felt that we could not possibly get through any of our sorties, even before we got airborne!
March 24th, 1944
We set off on March 22nd for a sortie to Frankfurt, but had to return to base shortly after take off because of the failure of our port inner engine.
On March 24th, our next sortie was back to Berlin for me and first time for my crew. As it turns out this was the last major bombing raid on Berlin. 811 aircraft took part in this raid, 577 Lancasters, 216 Halifaxes, and 18 Mosquitos. 72 aircraft were lost, 44 Lancasters and 28 Halifaxes - 8.9% of the force.
In spite of strong winds which were not forecast, we had no difficulty in reaching our target. Our route home was the one I had followed during two previous trips to Berlin. This was south of Brunswick and Hanover. Jog around the north end of the Ruhr, etc. If we had followed the route given me by my navigator, Rex Townsend, we would have flown right across the Ruhr with all its flak. Fortunately, many ahead of us made this mistake, and it was strictly because of a serious error in the forecast winds. At any rate, using the Ruhr searchlights for guidance, we successfully negotiated our way.
After that things began to go wrong. First of all our oxygen supply ceased to function. I maintained our height until we crossed the coast and were over the North Sea. This was very likely the cause of our troubles; 20,000 ft is far too high without oxygen.
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Once over the sea, we came down to under 10,000 ft so that we would not suffer any effects of lack of oxygen. Another unforeseen thing happened. Low cloud had formed over all of East Anglia We must have passed fairly close to our base, judging from the talk we heard on the RT. However my navigator was not able to get us to Witchford, in fact, according to his findings we were still a good distance from Witchford. On we flew, my RT signals were getting fainter. When Rex told me we were approaching base, I realised we were nowhere near and were getting a bit low on fuel. Fog was forming on the ground. As it turned out we were very close to Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire. They were equipped with FIDO, the fog dispersal system of gasoline fires along both sides of the runway. I called up and received permission to land. It was nice to get down onto the ground that night.
If this trip of ours to Berlin sounds a bit tame you should watch the video, “Night Bombers.” This is about a sortie to Berlin just a week or so before this. You would get some idea of what all our bombing trips were like.
How I Became a Commissioned Officer
Sometime between April 14th and April 18th, 1944 I no longer was F/S (flight sergeant) but became P/O (Pilot Officer). This is a crazy, almost unbelievable story.
Up until this time on 115 Squadron I was a flight sergeant. My crew were all sergeants. We all used the Sergeants’ Mess. We all lived in one Nissen Hut. This was a very good way to live.
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Our flight commander, Squadron Leader, George Mackie wanted all his pilots to be Commissioned Officers. I was well aware of this, but was quite happy living together with my crew, so did nothing about it. George Mackie was a typical air force guy, complete with a big handle-bar moustache. Incidentally, he was from Aberdeen. His family owned Mackies Dairy in Aberdeen.
I got pretty good at avoiding this little business of applying for a commission. However, one morning I made my way to the flight office. Very unusual, the office was empty, except for Mackie. As soon as I went in he said to me. “Ah Cameron, just the man I wanted to see. Take a seat at my desk.”
I could see the forms all laid out for me to complete.
Mackie went over to a filing cabinet, took out his revolver, put in a full six rounds and pointing it towards me said, “Now fill in those forms.”
He was laughing and so was I by this time. I told him that he could very well be court martialed [sic] for threatening me with his revolver.
Who would they believe with such a story, you or me?’ Well I pretty well had to fill in the forms for him. This is how I advanced from an NCO to a Pilot Officer.
One strange thing about my flight commander, he was not a pilot. He was doing his third tour as a Bomb Aimer. The pilot of his crew never got beyond the rank of Flight Sergeant. They were lost on a trip to LeMans on May 19th, 1944 after he finished his 25 sorties.
Apparently, our crew were the only ones who reported seeing a Lancaster going down in flames on that trip.
Mackie must have had access to all the interrogations. He told me that I was the only one reporting this. As you can imagine, he was very upset. He asked me whether there was a chance of any survivors. I had to tell him that if they were in that plane, none of them could possibly survive. It just blew up.
I was sent on 7 days leave at this time, so that I could purchase my new uniform. A friend of mine, who was in the RCAF, P/O Don McKechnie said that I should not travel in a NCO’s uniform, now that I was a P/O.
Mary and I had our photograph taken during this leave. We have it on the wall in our front room. A careful look would show you that the pilot wings are actually RCAF and not RAF.
May 9th, 1944
This was a very short trip, just across the Strait of Dover to Cap Griz New. We carried deep penetration bombs. Our instructions were to bring back the bombs if we could not identify the target. Our target this time was one of the rocket launching sites for the V2 rocket which could not be avoided until they exploded in London.
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We found the whole area was covered with 10/10ths. cloud, so we returned with our full load of bombs. Of course, we were still far too heavy to land. Our instruction were to jettison some of our fuel load, so this is what we proceeded to do. We emptied two tanks, one in each wing. One tank emptied just fine, but the other one emptied into the wing. The fuel ran into the bomb bay. The fumes from this fuel filled the whole aircraft. I didn’t realise that these fumes were affecting the crew, except the rear gunner, who was sealed from things in his gun turret.
It was not until I started to make my final approach that I began to realise that these fumes had made me a bit drunk. I certainly did not fancy landing without my full capacity to know what I was doing. Don’t ask me why, but I had not brought along my goggles. In any case I had to stick my head out my side window to clear my head. Mind you I had to more or less close them to just a slit because of the speed. Never mind, we made a good landing with our full load of bombs. I made sure that I had my goggles with me after that
These are a few other incidents that happened to us during our Bombing tour. Here are one or two incidents during some sorties.
Dusseldorf: April 22nd, 1944
597 aircraft took part in this raid. There were 323 Lancasters, 254 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos.
On each night bombing raid, one or two squadrons were given the task of being a support to the Pathfinder squadrons, who mark the target for the main force. We still had to try our best to bomb the target aiming point, but this was not our main function. We had two jobs. One was to give the Pathfinders a bit more cover. The other was to toss out lots and lots of, “Window.”
Window was strips of foil, the length of which were designed to appear on radar as aircraft. I believe the first time it was used was on a raid to Hamburg. It succeeded, making the German radar showing millions of aircraft. This provided cover for the main force coming behind us, but not for us. We had to try and bomb the aiming point, either by the markers, if available, or by our own recognition of the target. There was no problem; the Pathfinder Force were doing a good job.
This was entirely different from bombing with the main force. We were accustomed to a barrage of anti-aircraft fire, but this time it was not a barrage, they were aiming at individual aircraft, and that included us. This was much more scary; this was much more close generally than we were used to.
Duisburg: May 22nd, 1944
510 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos carried out the first large raid on this target for a year. 29 Lancasters were lost, 5.5% of the force.
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Most of this trip was like any other trip, but two things stick out in my mind.
The first was as we approached the target. There were Lancasters circling everywhere, and cloud seemed to cover the whole target. They were obviously having trouble in finding the target. I instructed my Bomb Aimer, Attwood, that we would open the bomb doors as we ran up on the centre of the brightly lit clouds. If the worst came to the worst he should let them go as near to the centre of the searchlights as possible. Actually, this strategy worked in our favour. I soon found out the reason for all the circling. As we approached the centre of the lit up clouds, there was a big hole right down to ground level, and there, right on our path were the target markers. We were able to get an aiming point on our photograph. I was glad that we did not have to circle and try again.
Coming out of the target area, we had one of our many narrow escapes, and so did a German night fighter, who was heading into the target area to see what he could do. If he had been even six inches (15 cm) lower, or we had been that much higher, I am sure that we would have scraped each other and probably both planes would have been badly disabled and would have crashed. As he whizzed over us we felt the bump of the change of air pressure. That was the closest I ever got to a Junkers 88.
Cologne: April 20th, 1944
357 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos took part in this attack. 4 Lancasters were lost.
After our Berlin Raid on March 24th, there was a change in the role of Bomber Command. Although Harris was still our commanding officer, he now came under General Dwight Eisenhower. This meant that the emphasis was no longer that of knocking out German industry, but was more designed to help with the coming, “Second Front.”
We had trips to Ville Neuve St. George on April 9th, and Laon on April 10th. We had some flak damage on this trip. Then it was Rouen on April 18th.
These were mostly railway marshalling yards, making railway transport more difficult for the Germans.
However, on April 20th, it was back to industry in Cologne. The Lancaster we were flying had one bad failing. It was very slow in climbing. All planes had various quirks, but I did not like this one.
Our route to Cologne took us to a point due south of Cologne, then we turned north to the target, climbing from 18 to 20 thousand feet. I knew that our aircraft would have no hope of making this climb and keep on time, so I instructed Rex Townsend, my navigator, to make our time at the turning point one minute ahead of the scheduled time. Unfortunately we arrived there one minute late.
I could not possibly climb to height without falling behind the bomber stream. I maintained our speed, but we could not gain much height at all.
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We went ahead and dropped our bombs on target and were immediately hit, I presumed, by flak. Two fires developed, one in the port wing outboard of the engines. The second one was in the starboard inner engine nacelle.
I gave the order, “Prepare to Abandon the Aircraft.” Then several things happened. My indicator light came on which tells me my wheels are down and locked. (I knew they were still up). Another light told me that I had the wrong supercharger gear on for landing. (Good, at 18 thousand feet I was not landing) Through my mind flashed the briefing we had before take off. The winds over the target are from 270 degrees. If we all bailed out, we would float right back into Cologne in our parachutes. I made a spur of the moment decision to blow up with the aircraft along with all my crew. We had it drilled into us that the maximum time we would have was 2 minutes, before the plane would blow up. Even today, I wonder how I could decide to kill all 7 of us. I guess it was the thought of floating back into Cologne in our parachutes.
Taffy Jones, my flight engineer, had clipped on his parachute in preparation for bailing out. He had the presence of mind to drag my one out from behind my seat and was holding it up for me to put on. You see, I was one of many pilots who did not have a pilot’s parachute. Instead, I had the same harness as all of my crew. This was clipped onto the chest when being used. Of course there was no room for me to wear mine, while I was flying the aircraft. I said to Taffy, “Just put it down there,” pointing to the floor beside my seat. Taffy told me, when we eventually landed, that when I said that, he was no longer afraid.” If he only knew!
Well the fires soon seemed to be dying down and both went out together. A pencil through the covers on my warning lights gave us darkness in the flight deck once again. However what would happen when I landed was anybody’s guess. Would my wheels lock down. I decided to head for our emergency landing field at Woodbridge. This had a runway three times wider than our normal airfields and it was much longer as well. It was also lit up like a Christmas tree. Two bright searchlights pointing up and converging welcomed aircraft that were in trouble. We could see these as we left the enemy coast. We were given permission to land. I instructed all my crew to take up crash positions as I made the approach, which they did. My wheels and flaps seemed to functioning normally, but we could not be sure. Then thankfully we made a perfectly normal landing. What a great relief!
Next morning my ground crew were flown in to examine the aircraft – C-Cameron. I never used the call sign C-Charlie. One of my ground crew decided to get up onto the wing. Hoe thought he saw something wrong from the ground. We watched as he reached down through a hole in the wing. He pulled out a live British incendiary bomb from one of our fuel tanks. We had not been hit by flak, but by incendiaries from a plane above us.
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D Day: June 5th/6th, 1944.
The Normandy Coastal Batteries
This day 1012 aircraft took part in raids on the costal batteries at Fontenay, Houlgate, La Pernelle, Longues, Maisy, Merville, Mont Fleury, Pointe-du-Hoe, Ouisterham and St-Martin-de-Varreville. 946 aircraft carried out their bombing tasks. Three aircraft were lost, 2 Halifaxes on the Mont Fleury raid, and 1 Lancaster on the Longues raid. Only two of the targets – La Pernelle and Ouisterham were free of cloud; all other bombing was based on Oboe marking. At least 5000 tons of bombs were dropped, the greatest tonnage in one night so far in the war.
Our target was the coastal batteries at Ouisterham. Although we took off in darkness this trip turned out to be our first daylight bombing. We did not use any different tactics which turned out to be a little bit scary. As we flew towards the target it began to get closer to daylight, I remember another plane from 115 Squadron came alongside me and we continued in a sort of loose formation towards the target. Others about us were doing the same, so that when we reached the target and tried to fly over the markers, we would have all collided. I was fortunate that I was able to drop my bombs on target, but there was no way that I could say my photograph would show this. As soon as the bombs were dropped, I climbed above the crowd to avoid collision with other planes.
I was due to go on leave on June 6th, but because of this trip, all leave had been cancelled. Mary and I had arranged to meet at Kings Cross Station in London, but instead I was on my way back across the Channel and into bed at Witchford. Fortunately I found someone trustworthy to waken me if leave was on again. As soon as he woke me, I was off to London. I was not too worried about Mary, as she knew where we had arranged to stay.
Instead, when Mary arrived at Kings Cross, she saw hundreds of service people but no Don. Somehow she saw this woman in air force officer uniform, but with a different cap to the WAAF of the RAF. She spoke to her and asked whether she were Miriam my sister. Of course she said yes, and that she was there to try to meet Mary. I had not been in touch with Miriam, but of course she knew of our arrangement to meet at Kings Cross. They spent most of the day together. Miriam took her to her office with the RCAF, and introduced her to some of the people she worked with.
Mary and I had a very happy week together. We stayed with Mrs. Clark who had a house in the Elephant and Castle area. We had a lucky escape with this leave. The night when I put Mary on the train for Aberdeen, while I made my way back to Witchford, the room we had slept in was demolished by a German bomb. I think it was one of their Doodle Bugs, the ones you could hear approaching and hoped would pass you before its engine stopped. Our room was upstairs. Fortunately Mrs. Clark lived one level below street level, but level with the back garden. She was not hurt, but had to be taken to a decontamination centre to get all the oil cleaned off. This was another of our narrow escapes during WW2.
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After D Day
June 14th, 1944. Le Havre. There were 221 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos taking part in this raid. It was in two waves, one in daylight and the other later in the evening in darkness. We were in the second wave. The objectives were the fast German motor-torpedo boats (E-boats) and other light naval forces which were threatening Allied shipping off the Normandy beaches only 30 miles away. Both waves were escorted by Spitfires. 1230 tons of bombs were dropped including 22 Lancasters from 617 Squadron, each loaded with a 12000-lb. Tallboy bomb. The E-boat threat to the invasion beaches from this port was almost completely removed by this raid.
I reported no problems on this raid, but next morning, Chiefy Williams asked me what had happened. One of the propeller nacelles was bashed in, with the paint from a British bomb on the bashed part, another lucky escape that we were not even aware of at the time.
Including this raid on Le Havre, after D Day we did seven night bombing trips, mostly to railway marshalling yards. We also took part in 4 daylight raids, the last one on July 10th, completed our tour of operations. The final six or seven, although quite short trips were very worrying. We all felt that we could not possibly make it to the end of our 30 trips with 115 Squadron and the end of our tour of operations.
No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School.
RAF Station – Feltwell, etc.
After completing my bombing tour at Witchford I was sent to Feltwell. This was not far east of Ely. I was to be an instructor at this school. Crews came here after finishing their operational training, to get enough experience flying Lancasters before going to a bomber Squadron. I had to get experience in handling a Lancaster from a right hand seat, usually occupied by the flight engineer. They extended the connection of the wheel across from the regular control, for the instructor to use. The seat normally was fastened to the pilot’s seat and was clipped onto the right hand side of the aircraft when being used by a flight engineer. It was far from being comfortable. My complete training for this consisted of one afternoon, lasting 1 hour, 5 minutes. Now, I was an instructor.
Now that I was no longer flying with a bomber squadron, I found a room in a farmhouse about 5 miles from Feltwell in Methwold. This village consisted of 1 street, with 6 pubs. Our room had one 15 watt bulb for light. The floor slanted down from each side to a sort of trough along the middle. Mary came down from Aberdeen to stay with me. I told her that when I was finishing my flying for a day, I would fly over this house, and rev. up my engines, so that she would know I would be home shortly. This worked just fine until I once did an air test with another of the instructors. “Oh that’s where you live.” Mary never knew when I would be finishing. All my friends would rev their engines over the house.
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Mary, from about 500 miles north, could not understand the old man who owned the house. I, from 3000 miles away had to translate. The Norfolk dialect was really different to most English accents. His daughter and her husband kept house for him. They farmed a piece of land not attached to this property. The old man would sell her eggs from his chickens, as well as apples. In turn she would sell him any produce from their land. This was a new kind of family for us to experience. When we went on leave, to Aberdeen the old man would give Mary some apples. “Don’t tell Annie that I have given you these.” Annie had to buy her’s from him. What a way to live.
Some of the old Lancasters we flew at Fetwell were in very bad shape. Feltwell was not a paved airfield. We had to land on a grass landing strip. I had taken one crew to a bomber airfield for some experience. We were recalled because some fog was beginning to form at Feltwell. I took over the controls and flew back to base. They had lit some fire flares alongside the landing strip, but I had no difficulty in making my approach and landing. As I tried to turn the plane to starboard into where I was being guided, I could get no power from my port outer engine. I shouted to my guide to look at my port outer, as I could not get any power from it. He shone his light and yelled back that there was no engine there. It had dropped off as we landed. Years later I visited the aeronautical museum in Ottawa, with David, Patricia, Graeme and Heather. David and I were up looking into the cockpit of a Lancaster on exhibit there. Mary spoke to a man who was sitting on a bench looking at this Lancaster exhibit. Mary asked him if he had flown Lancasters. He said that no he had never flown, but he had worked as ground crew on them. He said that he had worked at No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School all the time it was in operation. I asked whether he had been there when the pilot of a plane that had just landed, asked the person directing the plane to shine a light on the port outer engine as he could get no power, and he said there was no engine there at all. He said yes, in fact he was the fellow who told me that there was no engine. What a small world. He belonged to an air force club in Oshawa and was very keen that I should join as well when he found that I lived in Scarborough. These clubs usually turn out to be just a drinking club, so I never did go near it.
After January 23rd, 1945, I was transferred to RAF Station Lindholme, near Doncaster in Yorkshire. This was a training station for Lancasters. We flew with crews who had not yet flown heavy bombers. They had a much more involved course of training.
I made a point of never looking at the students’ log books. I judged their flying ability from what they did for me. That was until I had one student, a flight lieutenant whom I thought was a danger to his crew. I looked in his log book and found that in his flying career he had never had less than, ‘Above Average’ in his records. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with me, so I asked the flight commander to take him up. He failed this man after a single trip and thanked me for letting him take him for a test.
On April 4th, 1945 I was sent on a flying instructors course at F.I.S. (Flying Instructors School) at Lulsgate Bottom, near Bristol, flying Airspeed Oxfords, where I did about 20 hours flying. This consisted of flying with only one
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engine, steep turns, really low flying, stalls, flapless landings, and forced landings (no power) – something called precautionary landings.
This turned out to be really great fun. I felt that this is how we should have been taught to fly Oxfords when I first started flying twin-engined planes. After this I became a category “C” instructor. While I was here, Miriam, my sister came from London to visit. We were able to take a tour through Cheddar Gorge and the cave. It was very interesting. The course lasted until May 4th, 1945, so of course Glen was born while I there. I was given 7 days leave to visit Mary and Glen in the Osborne Nursing Home in Aberdeen. They had to stay in the nursing home quite a long time because Mary developed a fever. They called it Milk Fever. She could not feed her baby, so he had to be brought up on National Dried Milk.
While on my way north I heard the announcement over the loud speakers at Crewe Station, that the war in Europe was finished.
Then it was more instructing at Lindholme for a short time. During this short time, I took some air cadets up for a trip in an Oxford.
I was still flying Lancasters as an instructor. However there was one interesting break. On July 6th, 1945 I took some passengers on what they termed a Cook’s Tour. The war in Europe had come to an end. My passengers were all service personnel from Lindholme. I took them across the North Sea to the Rhur in Germany, and we flew down over the Rhur to see what Bomber Command had done to German Industry there. In comparison, you would say that London, with it’s blitzes had hardly been scratched. It was absolute devastation.
On July 17th, 1945 I was sent to Bomber Command Instructors School at Finningly in Yorkshire. This is here I was paired with John Cooksey. Frankly, this is where I really learned how to fly a Lancaster. This even included how to land a Lancaster with no engines. Mind you, for safety’s sake the engines were left just idling, so that if I goofed we could soon have power. The instructor did the first no power landing and then asked me to try it. I came in with more speed than usual, thinking I was avoiding a stall. But when I leveled[sic] off for a landing I could not hold it down. It just ballooned up and I could do nothing about it. All he said was, “Do you know what you did wrong?” I of course said that I had approached too fast. He told me to try once more, and this time I had no problem.
John Cooksey and I got along together just fine. Neither one of us were really interested in becoming instructors. So I would put him through each exercise and he would do the same for me. If we did them OK and we did, we would spend the rest of the time exploring the countryside and coast around there. We were both upgraded to category “B” instructors. This is the highest anyone could be graded at this B.C.I.S.
I went back to Lindholme until I was sent to RAF Station, Snaith. This was a B.A.T. flight, where I was introduced to making a beam approach. The beam is a radio beam. On the beam we could hear a constant signal. If we
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were off to one side we heard the morse code for “A” on the other side it was the letter “N”. One was dot - dash. The other was dash - dot, so that when they came together you heard a constant sound. This was done with Oxfords and Link Trainers.
1332 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit)
RAF Station Dishforth
In February 1946, I was posted to Dishforth, where I flew the Avro York. This was just until I was familiar with handling this aircraft.
Transport Command. 246 Squadron. Holmsley South.
On March 9th, they sent me to 246 Squadron at Holmsley South. I was now a F/Lt. (Flight Lieutenant) in Transport Command, with my new crew. For the first time in my flying career, I had eco-pilot, and a really good navigator. They made sure that I was familiar with such
[photograph]
My Transport Command Crew at Cairo (jack Easton, Geof Sames, Gordon Megson, Me, Johnie Ottewell) April 26th, 1946
things as 3 engine landings and overshoots, flawless landings, ground controlled approach. This also included a GEE let down for bad weather approach. Then finally on April 15th, I started my first overseas trip. My route was from base to Castel Benito in North Africa and on to Almaza at Cairo.
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Incidentally, my entire cargo was Sunday newspapers As we stopped at Castle Benito the ground crew were keen to get a copy of some. I told them not to meddle, but said I was off to see about my flight on to Cairo. They were pretty good; the cargo did not appear to be tampered with, but I am sure we had a few less papers. We staged at Cairo for two days, picking up the next plane to come from Britain. From there we flew to Shaibah at Basra. Then a long hop to Mauripur at Kirachi [sic]. Then another two day in Kirachi [sic]. Our next hop was supposed to be to Palam at Delhi, but we were asked to land at Jodhpur. This was my first experience of using a runway which was just a black strip of thick oil. Well I made quite a good approach to land right at the beginning of this strip, because it did not look to be very long. As I arrived over the
[photograph]
Almaza, Cairo June, 1946
hot black strip ready for a three point landing - the aircraft started to float upward with the very hot air rising from the runway. I was determined to get the plane down so I just waited until we stopped floating
up, then gave her lots of power as we started to fall. Hey, we made a nice safe landing after all, even if it was not too smooth. I was glad I had quite a bit of flying experience by this time.
On the way home from Delhi, we made the same stops, except for Jodhpur, but when flying on the final stretch across the Mediterranean, we had to call up the station at Istres in the south of France for permission to carry on, depending on the weather in England. We were asked to land, so we had an extra day on our trip.
My next trip was the same route, but straight from Kirachi [sic] to Delhi, no stop at Jodhpur. Again we were asked to stop at Istres on the way home.
No. 242 Squadron, Oakington
The next trip, we carried passengers, service personnel of course. This involved first flying from our base to Lyneham, which was an international base, complete with customs officers. We had seats fitted. They did not look too comfortable to me. We carried troops who were being sent to relieve some who were coming back to Britain. This trip was only to Cairo. On our return journey we were bringing one stretcher case, complete with a woman medical officer. The man had a brain tumour. One officer, a Naval Captain, which is a fairly high rank, did not turn up on time. Well I refused to hold up the trip for him, telling the staff that he could pick up
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his luggage at Lyneham. I felt that getting my stretcher case to hospital in Britain was more important. There were a few fighter pilots among my passengers too. When we landed at Castle Benito, the plane just rolled smoothly along the runway with no kind of any bump. This was a rare thing for an Avro York. They could not be landed without a bump of some sort. My air quarter master (Steward) bragged to these fighter guys that I did this all the time. I reminded him that I still had to land them at Lyneham. By this time I was sure that Istres always asked us to land no matter what the British weather conditions before leaving Castle Benito. Sure enough, they asked us to land. However I told them that I was carrying an urgent Stretcher case and wanted to get him to a hospital as soon as possible. They did not hesitate to allow me to proceed. I realised that I had made one goof. The troops were all wearing tropical dress and wanted to change, but did not wish to embarrass the woman medical officer. I brought her up front with me and had told her that she could hear the various info. I received as we flew. When I pushed for not landing at Istres, she told me not to fly on if the weather was bad. The invalid was not that urgent. I had to tell her that there would be layers of cloud when we got there and maybe a bit of drizzle, but nothing to make it a dangerous landing. Actually we didn’t even have the drizzle, but did I ever bounce in on my landing.
Then I was sent with another crew to get some route experience for a trip to Singapore. F/Lt. Audis was the pilot. Well, after we left Basra and were flying down the Persian Gulf, I went back to have a rest. I don’t think I was really asleep, but suddenly I became aware that something was wrong. Even though the aircraft was cruising OK, I went up front and asked what the trouble was. Well the port outer engine was not functioning, something wrong with the supercharger. The pilot had decided to fly lower, so that he could see more closely things at ground level. However at the bottom of the gulf, we would have to climb to over ten thousand feet to get over some hills, before flying along to Kirachi [sic] over the sea. He got permission to land at Sharjah, where we would wait until a replacement engine could be flown to us. We were there from August 19th. to September 1st. Strangely enough a friend from my days on bombers flew the engine to us in a DC3 (Dakota).
Apart from one more flight along with another pilot, just doing an air test, that was my last flight with the RAF. I had flown total of 1201 hrs 50 min.
My flying with British Overseas Airways Corporation
While at Aldermaston, back at school, in training for my various licences, I flew once with Captain Green on an air test in a Viking aircraft , just for 1 Hr 20 min. This was strictly off the record and is not included in my log book. I also went up for an air test in a Dakota with Capt. Levy. This lasted !hr. 30mn. As we approached for a landing he suggested that I try the landing. I didn’t even know the speed to make the approach at. He told me the speed and said to go ahead. I would find that it would pretty well land itself. So I did land it and with a nice smooth landing.
I had to do some flying in the York again, which included landing fully loaded. I was sent on a cross country
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flight with another First Officer, F/O Clink. However I was to be in charge. We had all sorts of different personnel on board. They came and asked if I was ready for dinner. As I was in charge, I was to them Captain. Well you have no idea of the fancy treatment I was given. Of course the stewards were also in training and were being watched. I have never been so handsomely treated to a meal before or since.
When I was fully qualified I was sent to Turn, near Bournemouth.
My first trip as First Officer started on November 23rd, 1947. Captain Phillips was in charge. We flew to London. On the 24th our route was first to Bordeaux and then to Castel Benito, then on to Lydda. This was a staging Post for the crew. The plane flew on with a different crew. On November 28th we took over a different plane on to Basra and Kirachi [sic]. On November 30th we were off again, this time with a Cast. Maltin. We flew to Dharan at Delhi. When we took off from Delhi, as we were gaining speed for take off, Capt. Maltin suddenly shut the throttles right down and exclaimed, “Holy cow!” This surprised me to hear him say a thing like this, but when I looked to see the problem, there was a cow strolling slowly across the runway. I laughed and said to him, “I have never heard that expression used correctly before.” Captain Maltin flew us as far as Lydda on the way home. We found ourselves as supernumerary crew. In other words there were two crews, but only one plane, so we flew on in the same plane, but with a different crew. That saved us a day, as we stayed with the plane right through to Castle Benito, but were delayed a day, I think by a sandstorm before returning to base.
The next flight started on December 24th, 1947. We had two children by this time, so Christmas arrived a wee bit early, but, neither Glen or Patricia were aware of that.
The name of the plane was Macduff. G-AGOF. We flew to London late on the 24th. Our take off was on the 25th. None of us in the crew were happy about this. Neither were most of the passengers. Captain Kelly came aboard and looked around at the long faces, and asked the steward if we had Christmas Crackers on board. We did, so he asked that a cracker be given to every passenger and every crew member. There was a tiny decorated tree just at the entrance, which on the York was mid-way up the passenger cabin. When we all had our crackers Captain Kelly said, “Now all of you pull your crackers and put on the paper hat.” That broke the ice and we had a great trip after that. We made landings at Bordeaux for lunch (Christmas Dinner), then on to Castel Benito and Cairo.
Both passengers and crew had an overnight stop in Cairo. Then in early morning we flew down to Khartoum. A lovely breakfast was waiting for us in Khartoum.
As we flew south from Khartoum, Captain Kelly asked me to go back into the passengers to point out any wild game. He purposely flew fairly low and I pointed out large animals like giraffe and elephant and such like. Two little girls, about nine or ten years old, latched onto me at this time. They had a great time as I showed them quite a few animals on the ground.
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As for me, I was very interested in not only seeing all this wild game, but also we flew low over the Murchison Falls on this branch of the Nile River.
We arrived in Nairobi on December 27th and were treated once again to another Christmas Dinner. I am afraid the two little girls ended up sitting on my knees, one on each knee. This was hardly airline etiquette, but by this time passengers and crew were just like one huge family. When we finally returned to base, we received no less than 5 letters, commending the crew for a great trip. Most were being sent out from England on a scheme to grow ground nuts (peanuts), which turned out to be a complete flop in the end. None were very happy about going.
After Nairobi we flew past Kilimanjaro, quite a nice sight to Mombasa, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Then we headed south over Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. This was our final destination and my first crossing of the equator. There were no celebrations on board.
Our return trip was still in the Macduff as far as Cairo. Then we staged, flying on December 31st in a York called Marston, G-AGSO. Between Cairo and Tunisia Captain Kelly gathered the whole crew up front. The radio was tuned to the BBC in London, and as the new year came in we had a bit of a celebration. We were unable to land in London because of fog and were diverted to our base at Hurn. Here was still a lot of cloud below us, but I suddenly spotted our base and gave Cpt. Kelly a nudge. He was determined to land at base, but the passengers must have wondered what was happening. To say the least it was not a normal approach, although to us up front it was certainly not dangerous. So we came to the end of one of my most enjoyable trips.
On January 22nd 1948, I did the same route again with Captain Bennett. Then my final trip was to India once again with Captain Buxton. This time we went one more stop after Delhi, to Calcutta.
I am not sure which of these trips this incident happened, but on one of our stopovers in Cairo, we arranged with a local man to take us from the Bentley Hotel (I think that was the name) to the Pyramids and Sphinx, with a tour up inside the Great Pyramid. We would pay him for the entire trip. We settled on a price. Everything went very well. I opted to ride an Arabian horse instead of one of their moth-eaten camels. All went very well including the climb up inside the pyramid, until nearly down inside. Then this guide decided he would like a bit more money. If we wouldn’t give him this he would leave us in the dark. He had been lighting our way with magnesium strips. Needless to say the poor guy was completely surrounded by us, and told he had better not try any tricks like that. I think he thought we would take the magnesium and leave him behind, but anyway we got out okay.
By this time, my left eye had really started to go blind. I realised that I could not renew my licence and so resigned from BOAC.
My total flying time, including air force and civilian was 1455 hrs 55min.
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[medals and other insignia photographed on a black background]
[top] [RAF wings]
[1st row L to R] [1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; 1939-45 Defence Medal; 1939-45 War Medal]
[2nd row] [Bomber Command Tribute 1939 – 1945]
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Campaign Stars, Clasps and Medals
instituted in recognition of service
in the war of 1939 – 45
[list of awards]
[award certificate for those who served in Bomber Command 1939 – 45]
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[italics] Donald Cameron World War II and Flying Memoirs [/italics]
[bold] Footnote to My Flying [/bold]
Mary and I were at our trailer up near Norland, when we received a phone call from our daughter, Patricia. She asked us what we would be doing on August 19th 2000. I looked at our calendar and told her that we had tickets for the theatre in Lindsay. We were going with some friends.
Well we were told to cancel these arrangements. Our three children had combined to give me a trip up in the Lancaster at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton. They had joined to purchase membership in this museum for me ($75). As well, they paid $1000 for a flight of about 45 minutes in the Lancaster. It was a real thrill to be back in a Lancaster once again.
[colour photo of man and woman in front of a stationary Lancaster]
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[photograph of Donald Cameron wearing his war medals]
[article from the ‘News Advertiser’ dated 3rd September 2000, including photograph of Donald Cameron in front of a Lancaster aircraft]
High times for veteran flyer
Second World War pilot revisits his glory days
By Jane McDonald staff writer
When Don Cameron headed towards a certain aircraft on a sunny Saturday, Aug. 19, it was as though 55 years suddenly melted away.
“He strutted over that tarmac like a 20 years old,” says Pat Boocock of Ajax, the 53-year-old daughter of Mr Cameron who, with her two brothers arranged for her father to fly once again in a famous Second World War Lancaster. Mr Cameron wasn’t quite 20 years old when he joined the Royal Air Force in 1941. Originally from Toronto, he’d gone to Scotland in 1938 to study at an agricultural college. After war broke out the following year, he tried to join the air force when he reached the age of conscription.
“They told me, ‘No, you’re not a resident’” recalls the almost 79-year-old Whitby man. He joined anyway as a volunteer and headed for the southern United States to train as a pilot. And although he qualified as a fighter pilot, by the time he got back to England, he was posted to 115 Squadron, part of the RAF’s No. 3 Group Witchford. This meant flying multi-engine aircraft like the Wellington and Stirling. But his favourite by far was the Lancaster. Mr Cameron remembers, with the help of his log book, his first operational trip to Berlin when he piloted a Lancaster, the heavy four-engine bomber, many of which were built at Victory Aircraft, the Canadian Crown corporation at Malton, Ont.
[photograph with caption “Don Cameron still hadn’t come back to earth after flying in a Lancaster bomber, the same plane he flew as a pilot with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He went up on Aug. 19.]
“I flew five different (Lancaster) planes,” says Mr. Cameron of his time on operational missions. “Then somebody would take one up (when he was off duty) and not come back.” He had his own close calls like a particularly ‘nasty trip’ he made to Cologne, the city in northern Germany on the Rhine River, when his plane had two fires burning as he struggled to get his crew back to England.
“Cologne was the scariest,” he admits. It turned out to be British incendiaries that landed on us. We were coming out of Cologne and I gave orders to prepare to abandon the aircraft. Then the whole (pre-flight) briefing came back to me … I realized then that it would be better to blow up there than bail out and drift back into Cologne. That decision saved our lives.” Another time, after landing successfully on a grassy strip, Flight Lieutenant Cameron asked a ground crew member to shine his light on the port outer engine which he thought might have something wrong with it. “There is no engine,” answered the man.
But the plane he went up in Aug. 19 had all four engines. Lovingly refurbished by a dedicated group of volunteers, the pride of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Mount Hope Airport in Hamilton is the only airworthy Lancaster in Canada.
“I just heard about it on the radio three or four years ago,” says Mrs. Boocock. “I tucked it away in my mind but when my father started having heart problems, I thought we’d better do it soon.” She contacted the museum and was told her father could go up in its Lancaster for a ‘donation’. She and her two brothers came up with $1,000, which she says will be their father’s “birthday and Christmas” gift.
Mr. Cameron says he found the flight to be “quite similar” in many respects. “The only thing missing was the piece of armour plating that used to be behind my (the pilot’s) head,” he adds of the 45 minute flight that took him over Niagara Falls. And although it was “bumpy”, there was no need to worry about anti-aircraft flak hitting this Lancaster. One night in 1944, his plane came back from a sortie with 47 holes in it and he lost an eye after the war as a result.
“I really haven’t come down to earth yet,” says the happy and grateful family man. “It’s something I just never expected.”
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
World War II & Flying Memoirs
Description
An account of the resource
Writes of travelling to Scotland before start of the war and then joining the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Continues with account of training in England before going to Lakeland Florida for primary flying training, Cochran field for basic and advanced training on Harvard at Napier Field, Dothan Alabama. Continues training on return to United Kingdom at RAF Windrush flying Oxford. After getting married continues training at RAF Wing on Wellington and then on to RAF Silverstone and Wratting Common on Stirling followed by Waterbeach for Lancaster. Continues with account of first operation over Germany while still training at Wing on 4 Oct 1943. He then went to 115 Squadron at RAF Whitchford. He continues with accounts of first operation on 115 Squadron flowed by detailed accounts of operations in February and March 1944. Mentions that he was commissioned and then describes further operations to Germany and in support of D-Day operations and afterwards. Concludes with description of activities as an instructor at RAF Feltwell.
Creator
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D Cameron
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
England--Sussex
England--Brighton
England--Buckinghamshire
England--High Wycombe
United States
Florida--Lakeland
Georgia--Macon
Alabama--Dothan
England--Gloucestershire
England--Buckinghamshire
England--Suffolk
England--Northamptonshire
England--Cambridgeshire
Germany
Germany--Schweinfurt
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Duisburg
France
France--Normandy
England--Norfolk
France--Le Havre
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-03-23
1942-05-10
1942-08-11
1943-05-21
1944-01-05
1944-01-25
1943-10-04
1944-01-30
1944-02-15
1944-02-24
1944-02-25
1944-04-14
1944-06-05
1944-06-06
1944-06-14
1944-06-15
Format
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Thirty-eight page printed document with b/w and colour photographs
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
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BCameronDCameronDv1
Coverage
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Civilian
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
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David Bloomfield
115 Squadron
1651 HCU
1678 HCU
17 OTU
26 OTU
aircrew
bomb struck
bombing
bombing of the Le Havre E-boat pens (14/15 June 1944)
bombing of the Normandy coastal batteries (5/6 June 1944)
Cook’s tour
crash
Flying Training School
Gee
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
incendiary device
Initial Training Wing
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Lancaster Mk 2
love and romance
Me 110
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
promotion
RAF Dishforth
RAF Feltwell
RAF Hemswell
RAF Lindholme
RAF Silverstone
RAF Waterbeach
RAF Windrush
RAF Wing
RAF Witchford
RAF Wratting Common
searchlight
Stearman
Stirling
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
Window
York
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/240/3385/PCoxJ1606.1.jpg
1bcdedc530fd2f872407ddab9e936c8e
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/240/3385/ACoxJ160321.1.mp3
06100ff099a07721ae8e49ba1bd5acd8
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cox, John
John Cox
J Cox
Description
An account of the resource
Seven Items. Includes an oral history interview with John Cox (133397 Royal Air Force), his logbooks and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 626 Squadron before becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by John Cox and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-10-14
2016-03-21
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Cox, J
Transcribed audio recording
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Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
This interview is being conducted for the International Bomber Command Centre. The interviewer is David Meanwell the interviewee is John Cox .The interview is taking place at Mr Cox’ home at Old Oxted in Surrey on the 21st of March 2016. Right could you perhaps tell us a little bit about your, like where you were born and your up bringing.
JC. Yes I was born in a town called Bourne actually, in Lincolnshire, that was spelt Bourne on the 15th of November 1922 and I was brought up there, I had two brothers one younger, one older than me we all went to the local grammar school and eventually each of us went into the services my elder brother went into the Army, he became a captain in the Army and was posted to India for a good time in of the war. My younger brother was, didn’t join up because of his, he wasn’t old enough until shortly before the war finished. As far as I was concerned I was always anxious to get into the Air Force and I looked forward to it with some relish. My, we all went to the local grammar school, we all enjoyed sports, I particularly enjoyed cricket. I used to cycle to Nottingham, to Trent Bridge some forty miles away to see a game of cricket when I was about fifteen. So, and I used to play cricket locally, then I decided that, well it was decided for me after I left school that I had to earn a living and I considered myself fortunate to be, to receive an entry into the Midland Bank. Now in those days it was not customary for anyone in the Bank to be allowed to work in the town in which they were born. So I was sent in fact about some sixty miles away to at the age of sixteen to a town in Norfolk it was called Wymondham, it was spelt Wymondham but locally pronounced ‘Windham’ and I went there into a small branch of the bank and I enjoyed a very, a very nice period there, I was only there for about four months I suppose before war was declared and I clearly remember the Sunday morning when we listened to the broadcast to say that we were at war with Germany. Whilst I was there in Wymondham I again played a lot of cricket for the local teams, I was staying in a nice boarding house together with some of the younger people who required accommodation like I did. I was entirely happy, it was only when war was declared I of course that I had to look at things rather more seriously. I wasn’t old enough to go into the Forces at that stage I was only sixteen but nevertheless it was looming in the distance that I was eventually got to join up and I was looking forward to joining the Air Force.
DM. So what was the route you followed into the Air Force, how, how did you come to join the Air Force?
JC. Well before the war I was interested in gliding as well as other things. I did a bit of gliding which gave me which gave me a lot of encouragement that I might be accepted in aircrew I didn’t know whether it was or not. But after that and when my time came to be called up I had an initial interview at Cardington I think near Bedford that is where they used to keep the R101 I do believe, the airship in the hangars there or outside the hangars and there we had a medical examination and a very brief interview with three Air Force officers who asked very simple questions which any idiot could have answered and I was accepted in as potential aircrew. Sent back home again and then eventually I got the call to report down to London where, which was the general reception area for aircrew and I found myself living in some very expensive flats in St John‘s Wood, all the furniture and important articles had been removed from the flats and we were just sleeping on the floor of the flats. Incidentally I found myself in a troop of thirty chaps, I was the only Englishman, all the rest were from the West Indies and they had just come over to England for the first time and very anxious to see London and with the result that we didn’t see much of them for quite a time because they were absent without leave. However eventually they came to heel and we went through the usual motions of being marched round the streets of that part of London by the corporal in little troops of about twenty or so and he would stop us at some little tea shop where he got his free tea and we had to pay thrupence for a cup of tea. And then we had our medical examination in the Lord‘s Cricket Ground in the Long Room at Lord‘s, which was absolute sacrilege for a for a cricketer but nevertheless we had our examinations, medical exams there and then we proceeded to be issued with our uniforms. I remember the big boots we were issued which took a little bit of breaking in. We used to have our lunch each day, be marched to the zoo and we had our lunch in the zoo, the animals were still there, we could hear the sounds of all the various animals as we were having our lunch. From there we I was transferred to an Initial Training Wing at Cambridge to Pembroke College. We had the College had been placed at the disposal of the Forces during the war. I remember it was very cold indeed we used to have to wash outside in the mornings in a sort of a little tub, the living was a bit sparse but nevertheless it was very interesting we then began to enter into our studies, aircraft recognition and everything applying to flying. We used to spend a lot of time at Cambridge being marched from one university to another where we had the privilege of receiving our studies in some of the well known universities. And we, the idea was at the end of our initial training there we should be sent to an Air Force Station where we would commence our flying. The course in Cambridge covered learning the morse code and many matters concerning RAF law et cetera, et cetera. Anyway I found myself being sent up to Scotland to an aerodrome called Scone which is near Perth. This was in the middle of winter. It was in January and when we got there we were suppose to do some initial flying to see if we were going to be airsick and that sort of thing otherwise we would have been thrown out. However when we got there it began to snow, we were only going to be there for three weeks but in three weeks we got one hours flying, because each day it snowed, or each night it snowed and each day we were spent clearing the snow off the runways. However the three weeks went by reasonably quickly and I found myself flying I think a couple of hours in a Tiger Moth. They satisfied themselves that I wasn’t subject to airsickness and so I was then delegated or instructed to go to America. We went over to the Clyde and boarded a relatively small American ship I think it was called the USS Neville it was a small one. We went in convoy then over to the State everybody was seasick without a shadow of doubt but we had a, went over in convoy and we didn’t have any, meet any trouble from the enemy at all. But when we got to New York that was that was a very pleasant environment in which to find oneself. Well the Americans had only just, that week I think it was just come into the war, Pearl Harbour had just occurred and they were forced into the war. They were then, as Americans are, very “gung ho” and everything was everything was sort of orientated to ensure that the troops were being prepared for war. Great celebrations, well not celebrations but incidents of patriotism in Times Square, New York where there were banners all over saying ‘let‘s go USA’ that sort of thing, it was all, they hadn’t experienced any war themselves at that moment. They were extremely kind to us, extremely generous, they enabled us to and provided us with tickets to go to any function almost, free of charge in New York whilst we were there. Personally I went to, I chose to go one night to a boxing match between Joe Louis and man called Abe Simmons at Madison Square Gardens. That was just one of the things I went to, but after a few days there they then arranged for us to board into trains to go to the Southern states of America, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana et cetera.
DM. So after you left New York where did you end up.
JC. Well we then went by train to the Southern states, I was very much looking forward to getting, starting to fly because I remembered in about 1935 when I was about thirteen years old I went to Sir Alan Cobham’s Air Circus which was, which came to my local town in Lincolnshire and I was absolutely thrilled to go and also very anxious to fly in the future. So anyway we got down to Tosca Alabama initially on the train. There we were well received by the local population, they hadn’t experienced any war at all down there or in America at all at that stage and they couldn’t have been kinder to us they really gave us a warm welcome and in Tosca, Louis or Alabama. I was attached to the local aerodrome where we started our primary training, we were flying Steersman aircraft. I remember I had an instructor called Mister Allan who was a very good pilot, not an awfully nice man but a very good pilot. I think before he started working for the US Air Force he had been a crop sprayer flying, flying low level and he was a very good pilot indeed. Well I managed to survive the six weeks course there in Alabama having gone solo after a few hours and I think when we done sixty hours we moved on to Turner Field in Georgia where we were then flying a rather heavier type of single engined aircraft. We did sixty hours or so there. After that we went to our Finishing School at Ellington Field in Houston in Texas. There we were flying twin engined aircraft, the Cessna 89 and some much more sophisticated aircraft after about sixty hours there we qualified to receive our wings. I was one of the fortunate ones who was invited to remain there as an instructor of the American Air Force. The Americans of course had a war forced upon them unexpectedly after Pearl Harbour and they hadn’t got enough instructors to cope with the large influx of pupil pilots of their own. So a few of us were asked if we would remain as instructors for the American pilots.
DM. How did you feel about that, were you pleased to stay or were you keen sort of to get into the fray back in Europe?
JC. Well no, I was desperately anxious to get home quite honestly. But I got messages from my home saying please take this opportunity to be an instructor in America because they realised the dangers were less over there than they were back home.
DM. You were out of harm‘s way.
JC. Yes I was out of harm’s way. In any event it was a, it was a very pleasant experience we had a course, courses lasted about six weeks and each of us had six pupils and they, I think I did about four or five courses there until the end of the year. It was a very interesting assignment and we knew we were eventually going to come back into the general fray of things in England but we did enjoy it over there.
DM. How did the young Americans I assume they were mainly young take to an equally young Englishman teaching them how to fly an aeroplane?
JC. They looked upon us with great respect strangely enough. I think it was because we had come from England where the war had been going on for some time and somehow they thought they they.
DM. You were the experts.
JC. Yeah they thought we knew all about it, in fact we didn’t we had only just trained ourselves but I suppose we had been selected because perhaps we had done reasonably well in out training and we were commissioned and generally speaking we, we did enjoy it. I, we had lots of privileges there too, for instance we were enabled if we wished to have an aircraft each weekend and we could go anywhere within a thousand miles as long as we were back by Monday morning and that was fine. We could take anybody with us if they were in uniform and so each weekend, not every weekend but many weekends we did make use of this great advantage. I remember one weekend I flew from Houston in Texas to the Grand Canyon in Arizona and, and back again. There was one restriction which was placed upon us that was that we were not supposed to fly more than a thousand miles away from base. Well the Grand Canyon was in fact one thousand two hundred and ninety miles away. So what I had to do was to fly to an aerodrome called Winslow, Arizona and land there and that was about three hundred miles short of the Grand Canyon. I had to refuel there, fly into the Grand Canyon, we flew around I took a Sergeant with me who was my Flight Sergeant on the aircraft, on the ground staff and we flew in the Grand Canyon and then flew back to Winslow, Arizona to refuel. So in fact I hadn’t exceeded the thousand mile limit [laughs] but had cheated a little bit and it was a very pleasant experience.
DM. Did you have to do your own navigation for that?
JC, Oh yes, there was just the two of us in a twin engined aircraft and they were lovely aircraft Cessna’s very much heavier aircraft than our Airspeed Oxfords and over here over in England, a fine aircraft. Anyway but that was a privilege, that sort of privilege made life very congenial over there and I exercised it quite a lot. We used to go to New Orleans and Kansas City and Memphis Tennessee, each weekend if we wished, we didn’t do it every weekend, but if we wished we could make use of that facility.
DM. So you were flying around the United States visiting places like New Orleans and having quite a good time. Eventually all good things come to an end and you had to come back to England. So what, what was the journey like, how did that go?
JC. Well, the journey back from America was interesting; we actually came back on the Queen Mary. Now the Queen Mary at that time was plying backwards and forwards to New York, without, without any support, without any military support or naval support because it was so fast in relation to the other ships. And so when we came back there were only about twenty of us I think on the Queen Mary from the RAF. All the rest were German, were American Soldiers and there were sixteen thousand on board. It annoyed us immensely because they all thought it was an American ship as it was so large, the biggest in the world at the time they thought it must be American. It took a lot of convincing them it was in fact an English ship. My colleagues and I in the Air Force were invited or requested via the ships’ crew by the Captain to go onto the flying bridge I think they call it in the fore end of the ship and spreads right across the whole ship and we had to keep our eyes scanned for enemy shipping or anything which needed reporting to the Captain. We had eight on the bridge at the same time each of us had in front of him a disc which had a segment marked out for us and we had to survey that particular segment looking out for enemy activity. Another, occasionally we had the extreme edge of this bridge to do our observations from and that was right over the sea, it was over the sides of the ships. The object, the objective of having those observation points was that we could look back along the side of the ship to see if there were any portholes being opened or flashing of enemies or flashing of lights to the enemy. Of course we didn’t, all the port holes were in fact locked and so it would be a problem for anybody to make any signals to anybody, but that was the object of that particular exercise. It kept us busy, we used to, used to do it about one night in three on the way back but it, I think it took us about twelve days to get back which was a long time for the Queen Mary then, it was going across in about three and half days in normal conditions, but we came back via the Azores which for security reasons apparently we did came, did a long circuit that way, that way home. That’s why we took so long, but it was an eventful journey. The reason it was restricted to sixteen thousand on board was that they could only serve thirty two thousand meals a day. So we all had two meals a day but they were very good meals.
DM. What was the accommodation like?
JC. The accommodation, we were, we were housed in the cabins and they were probably about ten in each two man cabin. We had bunks there to sleep in and they were stacked up the walls of the cabins we had about three or four cabins, three or four bunks on each wall of the cabin, so we were very crowded. Nevertheless the food was, although we only got two meals a day they were absolutely marvellous meals for war time conditions.
DM. What port did you come back to?
JC. We came, we came back into Gourock I think in Scotland and then we would ship down to somewhere near Liverpool overnight and then we came, I think we were allowed some time to go home. We had a bit of leave, that was, that was before we started on any serious flying in England again.
DM.So at this time you have been trained, you have been a trainer, you have come back to Britain. You have obviously not been allocated a squadron or anything yet.
JC. No, no we hadn’t. We were allocated to our squadrons we had all done about a thousand hours of flying already. So we didn’t need a lot of flying training I would suggest but we had to obviously had to get used to the Wellington and the Halifax and then onto Lancasters. We went to different aerodromes for that purpose. We had a reception centre at Scarborough in Yorkshire where and, and we were billeted in hotels there till such time as we we were allocated to our next station for training. First of all, then a Wellington a rather heavy aircraft, I didn’t care much for them, but that was the first English aircraft that I flew really. I had flown Airspeed Oxfords and lighter aircraft but that was the first heavy one that I had flown. Then we went onto Halifax’s at another station and then further on, finally Lancasters. From that of course we were allocated a squadron and that is the begetting of another story.
DM. How did the crewing up for the Lancaster come about.
JC. Well the crewing was a bit haphazard in my mind. We were just let loose with the aircrew, potential aircrew and they said well ‘just sort yourselves out’, you know, ’pick somebody you like the look of and, and if you want him he’s yours.’ So It really was a hit and miss affair fortunately I picked a very good crew, they were all friends of friends they were all very capable at their jobs. They weren’t truculent or boastful or cocky they were just very good crew members. We didn’t have a lot of jollity while we were flying in fact we had none at all. I used to make sure that there wasn’t a lot of idle chatter over the intercom ‘cause that was a bit disturbing and I, I stopped any of that, but we, we always worked well together. When we were on the ground we would go out together, possibly into Lincoln to whoop it up a bit. I’d got a motor cycle I remember that was a great help to me, I could get into Lincoln in about twenty minutes time. One night I was coming home after having probably a spot of liquid refreshment and I hit the railway gates which were closed [laugh] and went right over the railway gates much to the. The signalman came out and admonished me, I told him ‘he hadn’t got his light on the gates’ and he said ‘of course you haven’t got it on because you have knocked it off.’ I threatened to report him to the authorities he said ‘you can do what you like’ [laughs] I didn’t get very far with him. Anyway in Lincoln itself the squadron there was 626 Squadron I joined at Wickenby eight miles outside Lincoln we also had the 12 Squadron on the same aerodrome and but by and large we kept to our own squadrons for community reasons, friendships but it was a well run aerodrome.
DM. When did you receive your commission because I assume -
JC. I got my commission in America.
DM. You did? While you were training?
JC. Well, at the end of training, yes, those who became instructors also were commissioned at the same time. So I had my commission and I was a Flight Lieutenant when I was flying from the squadron in Wickenby.
DM. Were all your crew British or?
JC. They were, there was a Scotsman but they were British as you say. But on the night that we were, we were shot down my rear gunner who was a Scot was injured on his motor cycle, he had been into Lincoln and he was coming home he he had a crash and he was injured so on that particular night of our, of our operations, when, when it was a bit fatal for us, I had another gunner allocated to me and he was a Belgian. I had never met him before but as far as I was concerned, he was a good gunner and but otherwise they were all English. Eh I’m sure they were all English, yes.
DM. So can you remember anything about your first mission what your thoughts were, how you felt.
JC. Well, I didn’t have any apprehensions at all in, in flying certainly early on my own crew were well trained by then we done a lot of practice flying together we were, we were a good happy combined unit. No I didn’t have any apprehensions about it, no.
DM. Now you were based at Wickenby and you came from Bourne so you were sort of a local lad to all intents and purposes but did that mean you were able to see more of your family than perhaps your colleagues at all?
JC. In fact it didn’t because we had, we had to remain on the station whenever there was a possibility of any flying and we didn’t know what the weather conditions were going to be so they couldn’t give us leave and the tour of operations would normally be relatively short. Either you got shot down or you finished your thirty tours, thirty operations and it wasn’t going to be spread over a long period. No it was nice to have my family close at hand but I don’t think I ever visited them whilst I was operating.
DM. So where were some of the places you flew over?
JC. You mean.
DM. Where were your missions to?
JC. Well my first mission was to Karlstad [?] and that was in December of that year. And then I went to Essen and to Ludwigshafen to Ulla and Bonne and quite a few more that was in about two or three weeks we covered those few. Subsequently I went to Gelsenkirchen, Nuremberg, Munich, Ludwigshafen, Wiesbaden, Kleve, [sound of papers rustling] Dresden, Chemnitz, Dortmund, Duisburg, Flashier, Dessau, Kassel, Essen, Dortmund and finally shot down over Nuremberg.
DM. Before that fatal, so to speak twenty-first mission when you were shot down had you had encounters with enemy aircraft or bad, bad experiences with flak?
JC. Yeah, yes on each occasion usually there was some, some enemy action which was, was a bit disturbing, on occasions we had a clear run. But places like Nuremberg and Munich and Chemnitz, was a long distances to go and Dresden was a long way to go. Off course there was a lot of criticism about our bombing of Dresden. We didn’t know before we went we were going to cause so much damage. It was of course because Dresden was built mainly of wood and burned rather readily. It was a great shame about that but it did help the Russians to get into East Germany and quite a lot sooner than they would otherwise have done. Because the Dresden railway yards were being used by the Germans to bring their troops up and the Russians were complaining that we weren’t doing much to help them. They had come back from Moscow driven the Germans back from the doors of Moscow almost to the borders of Germany again, but their lines of communication were so long it was causing them problems. Just as it had caused the Germans problems when they got were attacked Moscow. They got to the gates of Moscow virtually but the weather and the long lines of communication caused them to be defeated there.
DM. The criticism about Dresden, I have always assumed it was after the war. Was there any criticism at the time, do you remember, I suppose people didn’t know what had happened then?
JC. There was no criticism in the British press I don’t think, in fact it was hailed as a great success probably. When I was shot down which was not too long after my trip to Dresden it was shouted at me by the Germans, ‘Dresden, Dresden, Dresden’ and it had obviously hit home very hard there. And it was a, it was a very unfortunate affair that so many were killed. But at least it did help to shorten the war because within about a month or so the Germans, the Russians were in Berlin.
DM. So turning now to that mission to Nuremberg when you were shot down what, what led to your demise?
JC. Well, Nuremberg, we’d been before we thought we knew the way there, we did know the way there quite well. We had, we got caught in searchlights which was a frightening experience. The master searchlight got us at twenty thousand feet earlier on then all the other searchlights coned in on us and it was at twenty thousand feet the inside of the aircraft was lit up as though it was daylight. One felt very vulnerable because there was nothing you could do to get out of the searchlights. If you weaved about the master searchlight seemed to follow you then all the other searchlights coned in on you and for a few minutes it was, that was quite a frightening experience. But the last mission to Nuremberg when we were shot down, we were attacked by a Junkers 88 and we were about, we were on the bombing run in, we were the bomb aimer, the bomb aimer was at his gun sights giving instructions to the pilot who was me to change direction very slightly here and there as we went in and it was at that time that we were attacked by this Junkers 88, yeah.
DM. So can you tell us a bit about the night when you were attacked by the Junkers 88 and shot down?
JC. Yes indeed we had completed about two thirds, two thirds of our tour and we were therefore quite experienced we had been to Nuremberg on the 2nd of January 1945 and we had moments of excitement but were not unduly concerned about the second trip. My regular rear gunner had a motor car, motor cycle accident the day before and he was replaced by a Belgium that we hadn’t met before but he had been well recommended to us. The notes I made at the pre flight briefing show that we were to bomb in three waves, commencing at three minute intervals and our aircraft was to fly the second wave from 21:33 hours to 21:36 hours we were at twenty thousand feet and our bombs, we were dropping our bombs on a heading of 084 degrees. Mosc, Mosquito Pathfinders with illuminating flares would be available at 21:26 and then they would follow up with red and green flares. If the target was vis, if the target was visual then red target indicators would be backed up with green target indicators. The aircraft would be staggered between eighteen and twenty thousand feet and the bomb load was one four thousand pound bomb and six thousand four hundred pounds of incendiaries. The, we witnessed considerable night fighter activity on the way there particularly south of Stuttgart where we had seen one or two aircraft going down and they were shot down by heavy flak. We were not concerned with night fighters and we successfully took evasive action when the rear gunner reported the Junkers 88 on our tail but it was out of range. The searchlights were plentiful as we approached Nuremberg but not too troublesome except to the extent that it made our silhouettes more easily seen. At 21:24 hours we were just short of the target and contemplating our bombing run although our bomb bays were not yet open. Without any warning we were attacked from underneath and set on fire in the centre section flames and choking smoke funnel, funnelling forward to the cockpit. I had no intercom response from the crew. Almost immediately I, the Lanc went out of control and into a steep dive and I am convinced some part of it must have fallen off or a control linkage severed. Having regard to the nature of our bomb load I still cannot understand why we did not explode as it appeared to me that the incendiaries were on fire. Immediately I gave instructions to bale out, not knowing if my order was received but mid upper gunner and wireless operator were presumably either injured or prevented by the fire from escaping. The bomb aimer and rear gunner were captured on landing about thirty miles from the crash site. The flight engineer did not survive and I can only assume that after he jumped he was caught up by some sort, part of the aircraft which was in a very steep dive. The parachute of the navigator failed to open and he was buried in the neighbouring village of Burgoberbach. For my part I must have been no more than a few hundred feet up when I baled out. I saw the Lanc explode on the ground just below me and within seconds I landed about three hundred yards from the burning aircraft. A compound fracture of the right leg resulted in a series of bone graft operations in various RAF hospitals for the next, for the next three years and I was eventually invalided out of the Air Force at the end of 1948. The exceptionally large losses that night I think could be attributed to the fact that the German night fighters were able to penetrate the bomber stream at an early stage and on a clear night. From Stuttgart onwards we were very vulnerable. Nuremburg was always a hot target.
DM. Ok so you you you parachuted, you managed to escape the aircraft, you baled out, you landed near to the aircraft, it was obviously night. What what happened after that once you were on the ground. Did you hide, you were injured clearly so you weren’t very mobile.
JC. It wasn’t a question of hiding, it was a question of, I fell in a pine forest and the trees were very close together. Looking at it from as you parachuted down it looked like a pin cushion that you were going to fall into which I did fall into it and my leg, I could see that as I parachuting down my right leg was bleeding and that and my boots had come off both, both boots had come off and it was my fault because I hadn’t got the straps tied sufficiently tightly around them. So that was a mistake on my part but I, when I landed and crashed through the trees, there was no way which I could avoid crashing through the trees. I was there with a, with a shell wound in my leg, no boots on at all, my feet were absolutely bare and I was lying at the bottom of a pine tree in the middle of the forest. I thought my chances of escape from there were pretty limited. After that I didn’t know, I couldn’t do anything for myself, I couldn’t my leg was busted, broken completely with a shell wound and I was, I thought that was going to be my end because there was no way I could attract attention of anyone being in the middle of a forest. It was the next morning probably about six o clock or six thirty in the morning when it was just daylight I could see just through the trees the silhouette of an old lady who was gathering firewood. The Germans were very short of any sort of fuel and she was obviously thinking about her fires at home and gathering firewood. Well I, I hailed her through the trees and she didn’t see me initially because the trees were so closely together but then she did see me and she scuttled off. Well I thought at least somebody knows I am here. Then I was waiting then, I could only wait to see what happened. There was no way I could move with my leg as it was, no shoes, there was no way of escaping and I just had to trust to the Lord for my future. Well after about an hour I saw a soldier coming through the trees towards me. He was a very well dressed soldier and he was part of the, we were to call it the Home Guard in our country but had a much, much more military style about him and he had two guns in his belt but he came, he didn’t take the guns out of his belt or anything like that, he saw that I was helpless lying at the bottom of this tree and he looked at me and then indicated that he would come back. Well he went away and I didn’t know how long it was but an hour or two later he came back again and this time hauled me to the side of the forest that we were in and he had a hay cart there. Well, and he helped me onto this hay cart and started trotting away back towards the village. On the way back he, he also picked up the body of my navigator who was dead and I notice that the navigator had no parachute and I can only assume that he had not attached properly his parachute when he clipped it on, leaving the aircraft. I saw him leave the aircraft and I thought he’d got the parachute with him then but obviously somehow or other he he lost it on the way out. So I am afraid he was dead and they put him on the side, on the straw in this hay cart that I was on alongside me and trotted into the neighbouring village of Burgoberbach.
DM. Where did you go from there, what happened after that?
JC. Well after I got there of course they were very hostile, the local inhabitants and they continued to shout the name of Dresden to me quite frequently. I couldn’t do anything by way of response except look a little bit contrite and they took my, the body of my navigator off the hay cart and decided that the local hospital where they took me wasn’t appropriate for my particular wound which was quite serious, they couldn’t deal with me and so they transferred me to a pony and trap, put me on this trap and the same soldier who had picked me up out of the forest drove me about probably four or five miles to a German hospital and left me there. There is no doubt about it they were pretty hostile towards me and I wasn’t in a position to do much arguing with them.
DM. Was the hospital you ended up in, was it a military hospital or a civil hospital?
JC. It was a German, it was a military hospital, it was housed entirely with German soldiers and a place called Troisdorf and they, they received me there and they took me into the operating theatre, they looked at the leg and they put a plaster cast, plaster cast on it and they left a hole in the side of the plaster cast where the shell had gone in so they could treat that. In fact it, it was a good idea but it didn’t really work because of the leg didn’t improve. They weren’t antagonistic towards me in the hospital they were I thought reasonably, not friendly that would be stretching it too much, but they tolerated me and put me in a ward of soldiers. There were forty in the ward the beds were so closely packed, they were all injured German soldiers except me. There was a gap between each bed of no more than six, eighteen inches just enough so the doctor could come round between each bed but they were very, very, very closely parked the beds in the hospital. They I wasn’t treated badly, they didn’t give me a very warm reception. The soldiers in the ward strangely enough were not antagonistic. They were in the same boat as I was, they were all injured and I received a daily visit from the doctor, he couldn’t do anything because they probably got more important things to do. I was there for some weeks in the hospital hoping that one day the Americans would come along and release me.
DM. Did you receive any information as to what was going on in the war, did you manage to glean anything when you were there?
JC. The only, no, I had a, I was concerned that nobody knew where I was and furthermore the Red Cross weren’t aware of where I was so I couldn’t be reported as a prisoner of war. I was concerned my parents back home would assume that I had been killed because the Red Cross were normally pretty good within twenty four hours or so indicating that either members alive or he wasn’t. And there was no way in which I could ask the Germans to do anything for me in that regard no I felt very lonely and I was more concerned about my parents at home must be believing I had been killed and I wasn’t able to communicate with them and that happened, that applied for quite some weeks afterwards, so I was very sorry about that.
DM. Did, did you get a chance to write a letter before, before you left to your parents or you never had a chance to communicate with them?
JC. Oh there was no way at all, there was no question of writing letters it was a question of surviving really and this was on my mind the whole time that my parents would believe that I was dead because normally when one was shot down they went to a prisoner of war camp. The Red Cross would immediately take action to ensure the parents was advised that the son was still alive at least and in a prisoner of war camp. And of course the food in a prisoner of war camp would have been better than we were getting in the hospital. Our meals were very very sparse, mind all the German soldiers were getting the same food as I was. But we used to live on sort of a very watery soup if I remember and I lost quite a bit of weight there, yeah.
DM. When did you come to leave the hospital what happened?
JC. Well, I think it must have been about six weeks or so that I was there before the Germans, before the Americans came in.
DM. So was the hospital evacuated or ?
JC. Well they were on the brink of it and there was a lot of disturbance and I wasn’t quite clear what was going to happen. Certainly there was a lot of activity at the local railway station and I suspected that they, the patients were going to be evacuated, but on the other hand there wasn’t much sense in evacuating the only way they could go was further into Germany and into that part of Germany and the Americans were going to follow them anyway, so there wasn’t much point in it. So in the end I waited until I could hear the guns coming of the Americans I could hear them in the distance a couple of days before they actually arrived. They were approaching at about fifteen miles a day and when they got to the hospital they were, they had a man come, I managed to contact them. The hospital wasn’t evacuated and the Americans were not delighted to see me, I was just a nuisance to them. I got my leg in a full length plaster, they didn’t know what to do with me, but the only thing they could do was take me along with them. And I went along [laugh] with General Paton [laugh] and his officers for quite some days but I was going in the wrong direction, they were approaching at about fifteen miles a day into Germany and I was going the wrong way with them, but my main concern was still that I couldn’t get a message to my parents. I couldn’t ask couldn’t ask the Germans to do anything, they weren’t interested and General Paton was too busy with his troops and not of, not of an inclined nature to be helpful. It was interesting to see how they were progressing, they would do about fifteen miles a day and they would go through three of four villages during that time and there was no resistance of any substance at all for them they were just rumbling through. They would ring up the next village and say ‘we want to see the white sheets coming out of the windows by way of surrender otherwise we will come in shooting’. In no time at all you could see the white, look at the next village, and the sheets were coming out of the bedroom windows and they had pretty well a free run. But they had bypassed so many Germans on the way through and this is why they couldn’t do anything with me, they couldn’t send me back by ambulance. So many Germans had been by passed and there was still a great danger, well nuisance anyway, but General Paton was only anxious to, plough on through, through that part of Germany and he had no, virtually no opposition at all. We went, they always used to choose the best building in the village that they were going to stop in that night and kick anybody out if they were, if they were residing there and make that the Officers Mess. Every now and again they would pick up a village halls one night we stayed in a school the village school and I was interested to walk round the school. I thought whilst I was there I might as well walk round the classrooms and I was, it was very interesting to see that their style of education was obviously very much similar to ours. On one occasion I saw that there was a map on the wall and it was the south coast of England and the north coast of Europe there the English Channel between them, but I notice they called that the German Channel. I thought this was a bit off side, [laugh] I thought it was the English Channel but no it was the German Channel, never mind.
DM. How did you eventually come to leave General Paton’s army.
JC. Well eventually they began to get the Germans cleared behind them so that it made it, it made it possible to bring ambulances forward and eventually I, I was put in an ambulance together with about six of their own soldiers that were injured and brought back. I was about a fortnight day by day moving backwards from one medical station to another, Russian, American medical stations to another and I saw some. The Americans were treating the German injured as well as their own. I remember on one occasion there was a nurse giving a blood drip to an American to a German soldier and he was, he was in agony, crying out and she slapped him across the face and she said ‘shut up will you’ she said, ‘you should be grateful to get good American blood’ [laugh]. Anyway eventually I, I got back by ambulance to Rheims, “did I tell you this?”
DM. “No you didn’t.”
JC. Went there, Rheims where there was a very big American camp and these chaps were being sent back to England to go on to America the war was over as far, they weren’t, they were just American soldiers, they were surplus to requirements then in France and I was the only Englishman in this camp there must have been a thousand American troops there. Very basic. They were living in tents in the middle of Rheims and from there they were flying them back to England, the Americans were flying their own troops back to England and I, I eventually came back with them. On one occasion I looked along the line and I saw outside one tent a table, it was a big tent a table was displaying lots of little parcels on it. There was a master sergeant there sitting by this table and these, the soldiers were lined up receiving one of these little parcels and I so said to one of them ‘what are they queuing for?’ and he said ‘they are queuing to get their Purple Hearts.’ So I said ‘oh yes so I will try and get a Purple Heart’. I was the only Englishman in the camp it was all various Americans. So [laughs] I went, I got in the queue they were lined up and signing and taking their Purple Heart away and I, when I got there the master sergeant looked me up and down and said ‘what outfit are you in?’ you see and I said I was in the Royal Air Force and he said ‘well I shall have to see the colonel about you’ “I said, ‘don’t bother’ [laughs] and passed on. I didn’t get my Purple Heart.
DM. So did you fly home from Rheims?
JC. Yes they, I was the only Englishman on the flight it was especially for the Americans really they all, the pilot asked me to go and sit with him in the cockpit so that I could see the White Cliffs of Dover as we came over. We landed at an aerodrome in the south of England its name just escapes me, but I was there for a fortnight and it was only there that I could arrange for a phone call to made to my parents to say I have landed in England and that was a happy release for me. Then I went from there to Cosford near Wolverhampton which was the general reception area of all RAF prisoners of war as they came back. Whether they were injured or whether they didn’t, they went there. The prisoners of war went to Cosford where they had an absolutely marvellous organisation. These chaps came back like I did with ragged clothes, and that sort of thing, and they were fitted out with new uniforms. If they got brevets to put on their uniforms they were put on, and if, they were fitted up with new boots, fully fitted up and after a medical examination they were sent off home, to their homes which they were anxious to get to of course but as far as I was concerned I went and there was no way they could get me home immediately but I was there for about a fortnight being looked, having my leg looked after, put in another splint and then they did allow me to go home. There were some very good natured people about at that time who were prepared to drive these ex prisoners of war from Cosford Hospital to their homes where ever their homes may be. I was in Lincolnshire, my home was in Lincolnshire a long way from the hospital but some kind chap drove me all the way there all the way home. And he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t stay, with my parents to have a chat with or anything, he said ‘I must now turn round and go back’ and he went all the way back to Wolverhampton very nice of him. But I suppose that in those days there was rationing of petrol but these people who were prepared to do this, the transfer to patients back home to their homes obviously got a special allowance of petrol to do that. Yes, that was pretty much the end of my story.
DM. You didn’t stay on in the Air Force after the war?
JC. I stayed on for three and a half years not because I wanted to but because my leg, was needed treatment and, I was in hospital, Cosford Hospital for two years with various operations on my leg. I had bone grafts and that sort of things the first ones wouldn’t, wouldn’t heal l so I had new ones and it was a very long winded job. And then they sent me or allowed me to go to an RAF Regiment camp near my home in Lincolnshire where I was assistant administrating officer or something like that not having to do any work but it was a place to put me whilst my leg was continuing to heal. Anyway it was three and a half years before I actually left the Air Force. Meanwhile they paid me all the time which was good of them, in the Officers Mess.
DM. Did you go back into banking?
JC. Yes I went back into banking, first of all I went to the Lincoln branch of the bank. I couldn’t accept any pay from them because I was getting Air Force pay, so I was working for nothing but as far as I was concerned I was getting back into my line of business. From then on I, I took up various appointments in the bank I went to Northamptonshire, I went to Birmingham, I went to Coventry and different branches each time receiving a bit of an uplift in by way of promotion, eventually I, I, I managed a big branch in Birmingham and then I went to London and I was reluctant to go back to London because I was so happy in Birmingham. We lived in a nice house and got well settled but I had to go back to London. When I got there I objected in a mild manner, I know I agreed to the move, but they said be patient and within six months they had made me Manager of the largest branch in the bank in Threadneedle Street which was a surprise to me and obviously they had moved me around with this in mind from Birmingham. But I was there for about five years and then was eventually made a General Manager of the bank from which I retired.
DM. Did you keep in touch with colleagues from the war?
JC. No, well my Canadian bomb aimer he, he went back to Canada, I lost touch with him. The remainder, of course I lost four of the crew for one reason and another and the Belgian he went back he went straight back to Belgium he didn’t come back to England before going home, I don’t blame him either he went straight back home. So I,I didn’t have any more contact. I did have a lot of contact with the Germans afterwards at various reunions and entirely different.
DM. That’s the Germans that shot you down basically?
JC. Oh yes, I met them, they turned out to be quite nice chaps really, yes there we are. They visited me in England, came over and had a holiday then they went on to Ireland to extend the holiday a little bit and I took them round the RAF Museum. They wanted to look inside the Lancaster but they wouldn’t open, they wouldn’t allow them to open the door.
DM. That was mean.
JC. [laugh] So that is more or less the end of my story.
DM. Do have any thoughts, opinions about how Bomber Command were treated after the war. About the public reaction or lack of recognition?
JC. It didn’t unduly concern me but I, I agree that they did justify rather more publicity than they got publicity of a favourable nature, but that’s the way it is they weren’t, I don’t think people understood for a long time just the percentage of losses which were really incurred it seemed to be about one in two that were likely to not survive. No I didn’t get worked up about it, it was one of those things. Now of course some attention is being paid to that remission, yeah.
Dublin Core
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ACoxJ160321
PCoxJ1606
Title
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Interview with John Cox
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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IBCC Digital Archive
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Sound
Language
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eng
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01:08:49 audio recording
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David Meanwell
Date
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2016-03-21
Description
An account of the resource
John Cox grew up in Lincolnshire and worked in banking before he joined the Royal Air Force. After training as a pilot in the United States, he served as an instructor for almost three years. He flew 20 operations as a pilot with 626 Squadron,from RAF Wickenby, before his aircraft was shot down and he became a prisoner of war. He was repatriated from a German military hospital by American forces and returned to England. Spending two years in hospital at RAF Cosford, he received treatment and bone grafts to his leg. After the war he returned to banking.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
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Germany
Great Britain
United States
England--Lincolnshire
England--Shropshire
Alabama
Georgia
Texas
France
France--Reims
Germany--Troisdorf
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1945
Contributor
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Hugh Donnelly
Carolyn Emery
626 Squadron
Absent Without Leave
African heritage
aircrew
bale out
bombing
bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945)
crewing up
final resting place
Halifax
Ju 88
Lancaster
Oxford
pilot
prisoner of war
RAF Cosford
RAF Wickenby
Red Cross
searchlight
shot down
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1543/28498/ETansleyEHTansleyAE420526.1.pdf
bfde147702fbdb1e361f742d2b42233c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Tansley, Ernest Henry
E H Tansley
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2016-09-22
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Tansley, EH
Description
An account of the resource
98 items. <br />The collection concerns Pilot Officer Ernest Henry Tansley (1914 - 1943, 149542 Royal Air Force). He flew operations as a pilot with 57 Squadron and was killed 2 December 1943. Collection consists of photographs, letters, memoires, biographies, accounts of operations, logbook extracts and official/personal documents.<br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Anne Doward and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. <br />Additional information on Ernest Tansley is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/122894/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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[postmark] [postage stamp]
SEA. A.E. TANSLEY. JX263230
H.M.S. CHASSE. MARIE
TRAWLER BASE.
PORTSMOUTH
ENGLAND
[inserted] EXAMINER 71 [obscured number] [/inserted]
[page break]
A/C. (UK) TANSLEY E.H.
429.
COCHRAN. FLD.
MACON.
GA. U.S.A
[inserted] [calculations] [/inserted]
[inserted] [two obscured letters] ENED BY [/inserted]
[page break]
WRITTEN FROM COCHRAN FIELD
GEORGIA IN MAY 1942
TO BROTHER ALBERT.
IT APPEARS THAT SOMEONE HAS PENNED
IN SOME OF THE
UNREADABLE LETTERS
[page break]
A/C. (UK) TANSLEY. E. H.
429
[US Air Corps Crest]
AIR CORPS BASIC FLYING SCHOOL
COCHRAN FIELD, GEORGIA [inserted] U.S.A
Tuesday 26th May.
[underlined] Dear Albert [/underlined]
Seems ages since I wrote to you, and I suppose it is really: still I do not expect you worry quite so much about correspondence, now that you have Dolly there. Its when you are away from everybody that you miss things so much when some one who is dear to you, is fairly close it doesn’t quite hurt so much, you still feel you are part of the Old World; that you have not been deserted; you can still talk about things you understand & love; well I guess I am getting a little sentimental and that will not do, still you’ve got a rough idea of what I mean haven’t you? or have you? Anyway it doesn’t really matter.
Still on the same little old tub? I reckon you would miss that now, you’ve got quite an affection for it now I expect: you [inserted] know [/inserted] its funny how you get attached to even inanimate objects. Favourite tie and shirt, walking stick, but then we never had a walking stick did we. I had a letter from W. Spring yesterday, things seem to be going along much the same up there. They get 10/- a day for walking about now & the great Charlie still reigns; poor fools they are still building him up. You know I think we will have another war to finish up after this one.
Dad doesn’t seem to be getting much work. I hope they are managing to scrape along alright.
I understand [indecipherable word] & Diane are with them
[page break]
now, hope the arrangement works smoothly.
I suppose Fred will have his commission by now, expect he will feel very proud of himself.
I suppose its O.K. for him to walk with a naval rating & an aircraft hand.
At the moment of writing I am in hospital been in about a fortnight with Septic arm & measles. Still I leave tomorrow, although unfortunately I have been put back a class, so instead of leaving here in 5 days for advanced I have to stay another 6 weeks; if you knew how much I wanted to get home or how much I hate this place you could readily appreciate my feelings.
I do not know when I shall get home now probably about Xmas if at all, so I hope you’ll take care of yourself
Must say cherio [sic] for now give my love to Dolly.
Best Wishes
[underlined] Ernie. [/underlined]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Ernest Tansley to his brother Albert
Description
An account of the resource
Writes of worrying about correspondence when one is so far away from home and continues with philosophical chat. Catches up with family news. Writes that he is in hospital with septic arm and measles. He would be out the next day but had been put back a class. Does not know when he will be home.
Creator
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E H Tansley
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-05-26
Format
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Two page handwritten letter and envelope
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
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ETansleyEHTansleyAE420526
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Navy
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Hampshire
England--Portsmouth
United States
Georgia--Macon
Georgia
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-05-26
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Christian
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1543/28500/ETansleyEHTansleyD420823.2.pdf
c790fc61e2d649b1eb7d20750a501ea6
Dublin Core
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Title
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Tansley, Ernest Henry
E H Tansley
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2016-09-22
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Tansley, EH
Description
An account of the resource
98 items. <br />The collection concerns Pilot Officer Ernest Henry Tansley (1914 - 1943, 149542 Royal Air Force). He flew operations as a pilot with 57 Squadron and was killed 2 December 1943. Collection consists of photographs, letters, memoires, biographies, accounts of operations, logbook extracts and official/personal documents.<br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Anne Doward and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. <br />Additional information on Ernest Tansley is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/122894/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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[post mark]
Mrs A. E. Tansley,
41 Claxton St.,
Landport
Portsmouth
Hants.
England.
[page break]
OPENED BY EXAMINER 5232
A/C Tansley. E. H.
42 H.
Moody Fld.
Valdosta
GA., U.S.A.
[page break]
[U.S.ARMY AIR CORPS crest]
Aug 23rd Sunday.
Dear Dolly,
Thanks a lot for your letter. I'd have written to you before if I had known where you lived; thought perhaps you were living in a tent or something.
There's one question you put right at the bottom of the page and its the most important. “What do I think of your sailor?” Do I have to tell you how lucky you are: you picked the best of the bunch & no mistake. He is certainly looking well & I hope you are too. I don't blame you a bit for enjoying yourself while you can; life is short enough anyway.
It certainly took a war to make Albert do the “High Spots” though; how is he at the “Rumba”?
Will be leaving this place in [indecipherable words] thank the lord; these last few weeks seem to drag terribly.
I have one turn more of night flying to do, to finish the course. Should do that Monday, providing the weather is O.K. It's rather treacherous here, thunderstorms spring up so suddenly. So far I have been very lucky, many have not.
I am certainly looking forward to
[page break]
Seeing you all again. In fact that's all I do look forward to now. It will be simply grand. I can't tell you how [indecipherable word] I have felt being over here all this time. It's seemed simply ages.
I have asked to go on Coastal Command Flying Boats, want to see if I can help to protect Albert a bit, he seems to need it. I'd like to watch over his little old tub.
Tell Albert I am sending him some books. Here's to the next time and may it be soon.
Take care of yourselves
Love
Arnie.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Letter from Ernest Tansley to his brother Albert's wife Dolly
Description
An account of the resource
Thanks her for letter and comments on how lucky she is to have his brother as husband. Mentions he would be leaving current location soon and has only a little night flying to finish. Writes he will be happy to get home as he has been away so long. Says he asked for Coastal Command flying boats.
Creator
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E H Tansley
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-08-23
Spatial Coverage
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Great Britain
England--Hampshire
England--Portsmouth
United States
Georgia--Valdosta
Georgia--Valdosta
Georgia
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-08-23
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ETansleyEHTansleyD420823
Coverage
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Civilian
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
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Jan Waller
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Correspondence
Format
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Two page letter and envelope
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1826/33140/BScottEWScottEWv1.1.pdf
92a9acd045c19578c33cacdec86958b1
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Scott, Eric William
E W Scott
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-04-06
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Scott, EW
Description
An account of the resource
139 items. The collection concerns Flying Officer Eric Scott (1425952, 188329 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, a memoir, correspondence, documents, newspaper cuttings, a flying course handbook and photographs. He flew operations in North Africa as a bomb aimer with 142 Squadron and then after an instructional tour in Palestine started a second tour on 37 Squadron in Italy where he was shot down and finished the war as a prisoner. <br /><br />The collection includes three albums.<br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2040"><span>Album 1</span></a> <span>Photographs of Jerusalem, Bethlehem. Tel Aviv, Haifa and friends.</span><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2041">Album 2</a> <span>Photographs taken during training in the United States and England and during his service in North Africa and Italy.<br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2046">Album 3</a> Correspondence, newspaper cuttings, documents and the last issue of the Prisoner of war Journal.<br /></span><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Jacqui Holman and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
The Memoir of
ERIC WILLIAM SCOTT
[Photograph]
Immediately before and during
WORLD WAR II – (1939 to 1946)
[Page break]
ALLIED
EX-PRISONER OF WAR
MEDAL
[Photograph]
Obverse: The prominent feature of the front or obverse side of the medal is the strand of barbed wire which has entrapped a young bird, symbolic of freedom itself. These elements surmount a globe of the world indicative of the international parameters of the medal. The wording “International Prisoners of War” encircles the entire design.
Reverse: The haunting and vicious barb of the ever present wire is used symbolically to divide the reverse side of the medal into four elements, each bearing one of the words in the phrase “Intrepid against all adversity”.
Ribbon: One of the most distinctive medal ribbons yet designed, it is woven 32mm wide with an unusual feature in having a symbolised strand of white barbed wire 2mm wide placed centrally, this is bounded on either side by 4mm black bands representing the despair of the compound. These, in turn, are edged by two further white 2mm bands representative of the second and third fences of the compound, outside of these are 7mm bands of green, reminiscent of the fields of home and finally, both edges are comprised 2mm red bands symbolic of the burning faith of those who were interned.
[Photograph]
[Page break]
FOREWORD:
From the age of 14 1/2 years old – 1936 – I was employed by Clayton Dewandre Co. Ltd., of Lincoln. Initially my work included machine shop and fitting practices. During the latter part of 1938 I was accepted as a student apprentice and commenced work in the Research and Development Department as a student Technician. I attended evening college, on Monks Road, Lincoln, four nights each week studying for an ONC in Engineering.
When war was declared in September 1939 I was concentrating on the development of a twin piston air compressor, to provide air pressure for a new tank being developed at the Ministry of Defence at Chobham. I was involved in other projects too; new air/oil coolers for the Spitfire and Hurricane, power assisted controls for the same aircraft, radiators/coolers for army vehicles and tanks and new braking systems for vehicles and gun limbers.
In January 1941, having successfully completed my ONC Engineering Course, I decided that I would volunteer for the R.A.F. Because of my reserved occupation my only option was to try and be accepted for aircrew duties, which is what I wanted and would prevent Clayton Dewandre from blocking my acceptance.
R.A.F.V.R. TRAINING
I arrived at the RAF recruiting office in Saltergate, Lincoln, in February 1941. The necessary forms were completed, I was almost 19 years old at the time. Notification was received in March from the RAF to attend Cardington, Bedfordshire, for written, oral and medical examinations over a three-day period. These examinations did not prove difficult except for one oral question of “what route would I take if I flew from England to Turkey, without crossing belligerent countries?” My geography was never a strong point and I had to admit to the four officers of the board that I didn’t know.
However, I was accepted into the RAFVR as a Pilot under training (U/T Pilot) and sworn in along with approx. 50% of those attending at the time. My RAF number was 1425752 and a silver lapel badge showing RAFVR letters, with an eagle, was issued to each person.
The officer in charge of the intake of applicants explained that they had too many aspiring aircrew at the time, and because of the limited training facilities, we would now be on deferred service until notified. I returned to Clayton Dewandre and continued with development projects until call-up papers were received in August 1941. These instructed me to report to St. John’s Wood, London, adjacent to London Zoo! It was always known as A.C.R.C. (Air Crew Reception Centre).
[Page break]
[Photograph]
AIRCREW RECEPTION CENTRE
12/7 FLIGHT – LONDON – AUGUST 11TH 1941
[Page break]
We were billeted in large flats – six bunks to a room. I was “closeted” with five Scotsmen and for some days just couldn’t understand a word they were saying. What with shedding ones hair and other “foreign” phrases it was very difficult to communicate. However, they became very staunch friends during our initial training.
During our three weeks at A.C.R.C. we were re-examined medically, given all the necessary injections, inoculations, blood tests, etc., including a smallpox vaccination. Many of the recruits suffered quite a lot of pain from this intensive treatment, particularly from the vaccination. I was fortunate since, having been treated as a child, my reaction was minimal.
“Kitting out” was a major operation – large kit bag stuffed with spare boots, best blues, vest – airmen for the use of – underpants, numerous pairs of socks, four shirts with eight loose collars, two ties, two side caps, shoe cleaning brushes, button cleaning equipment, sewing wallet, gas masks and tin hat. We had to remove our civilian gear to the Wembley Warehouse and don our battledress equipment. Each side hat came complete with a detachable white flash which fitted around the front and was held in place by one of the turned-up peaks. This indicated that the wearer was aircrew under training. Whilst at the warehouse in Wembley we were instructed to pack our civilian attire and wrap it in brown paper, with the address clearly printed on the label provided. These were then dealt with by the RAF stores personnel.
Whilst at the A.C.R.C. we were divided into Flights of approximately fifty recruits and were drilled, drilled and drilled – every day – to “lick us into shape”.
Being a short person i.e. 5ft 6” I was always halfway down the flight rank. Those at the front and the rear were mainly ex-policemen. It meant that we shorties had to almost run to keep up with those in front and, to prevent those at the rear from treading on our heels. The corporal in charge eventually got the stride distance sorted out – R.A.F. Standard - which suited all concerned.
3
[Page break]
STRATFORD ON AVON
INTIAL TRAINING WING
[Photograph]
[Photograph]
PROMOTION TO L.A.C. NOVEMBER 3RD 1941
[Postcard]
[Page break]
INITIAL TRAINING WING, STRATFORD-ON-AVON :
AUGUST 1941 – NOVEMBER 1941
We were billeted in hotels commandeered by the MOD. I was in the Falcon Hotel – a very old building with sloping floors, small windows and creaking stairs and floorboards. Whilst at Stratford we had to do guard duty – two hours on – four off – from 6.0 pm to 6.0 am. During the winter months it was not very pleasant and the creaking/groaning of the swinging hotel signs were, initially, rather daunting particularly when coupled with the church clock chiming and listening for the officer and NCO of the guard watch coming round to try and catch us out.
During our stay at Stratford we were taught Morse code both sending and receiving, including Aldis lamps, navigation and the Dead Reckon Type with Mercators charts, maths, aircraft recognition, theory of flight, aero engine design and, of course, drilling!
Our working day commenced with reveille at 6.0am and breakfast at 7-7.30am and ended at 4.30pm (16.30 hours). Wednesday afternoon was for sport which I spent rowing on the Avon. I also had the opportunity of seeing a few shows at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.
We sat our exams at the end of October 1941 and I was promoted from AC2 (the lowest Non-commissioned rank to LAC – (Leading Aircraftsman) on the 3rd November 1941. This entailed sewing a cloth badge showing an aircraft propellor onto the sleeves of our uniforms. Pay also increased from two shillings and sixpence per day to five shillings per day. I was suddenly rich beyond my wildest dreams.
FLYING TRAINING
The way was now open to commence flying training. Prior to going home on my first leave, we were issued with an additional kit bag containing an inner and outer flying suit – special flying socks, flying boots, silk, wool and gauntlet gloves and flying helmet with goggles. Taking all this gear home was quite a problem, the total kit comprising one large kit bag, one flying kit bag, upper and lower pack, side pouches, gas mask and tin hat.
One week after completing I.T. Wing training I was posted direct to RAF Watchfield, No. 3 E.F.T.S. The airfield was all grass and was mainly a beam approach training school flying Oxfords and Ansons. Supplementary to this was an Elementary Flying Training School with Tiger Moths and Biplanes made by DeHaviland [sic, and this was my destination. The weather that November was very cold and a few minutes in the air, with the open cockpit aircraft, froze our faces. The bulky fling suits were a necessity and the boots, lined with sheepskin, did manage to keep the circulation going in the feet.
My fling instructor was Lt. Bembridge, a Battle of Britain Pilot. He was very anxious to show me the aerobatic qualities of the Tiger Moth. Often, after landing, my face would be ashen and I felt very sick but I was never actually air sick. The
4
[Page break]
WATCHFIELD, NR SWINDON
[Postcard]
GYPSY 7 ENGINE – 200 H.P. MAXIMUM SPEED – 120 MPH
NOVEMBER 21ST – DECEMBER 1ST
Total hours flying 6 3/4 in which time
I passed out Solo
[Page break]
aircraft was very good to fly being light and responsive to control changes. It was, however, quite difficult to land because of its lightness and we rookies often found ourselves trying to “put the wheels down” whilst we were still ten feet or more above ground level. This, with the subsequent bouncing, was known as “walking it in”. Undercarriage repairs were required every day, but on completing the required flying exercises – see pilot’s log book – and after 6 hrs 10mins dual instruction I was allowed to go solo. It was a tremendous feeling and quite frightening to know that I was on my own and a safe take off and landing was my responsibility. There were other RAF men on the ground watching my progress and biting their nails. I cannot remember exactly but I think I completed three take offs and landings during the 00.35 minutes solo.
The time at No. 3 E.F.T.S. Watchfield was apparently an elimination period. Those who had gone solo, 8 hours allowed, were detained to go for further training to either Canada, America, South Africa, Rhodesia, or Australia on what was known as the Empire Air Training Scheme. Those cadets who needed a little extra flying training, but showed promise, were posted to other E.F.T.S. schools in the UK whilst the remainder had to re-muster as navigators, wireless operators or air gunners.
The Empire Air Training Scheme was initiated because of enemy action and weather conditions severely limiting flying training courses in the UK therefore preventing the flow of trained aircrew, with operational service, at the rate required.
Generally, the country providing the training paid for new airfields to be built and a large proportion of the training costs. This included the U.S.A.
THE ARNOLD SCHEME – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Following a brief period of leave from Watchfield in December 1941, I was instructed to report to Heaton Park, Manchester. The weather was atrocious with rain and fog. Approximately 3,000 cadets congregated at that venue and we had to “hang around” until our names and numbers were called when we went to a billeting clerk to be told who we were to stay with and the address.
John Player and myself were given the same billet – a Mrs. Pimlett – the address escapes my memory. On arrival we were met by a middle-aged lady in best “bib and tucker”, complete with carnation. She welcomed us into her home, showed us our room and explained that she was going to a wedding. She then invited us to go to the evening reception and wrote down the address.
After a bath and general “tidy up” and, with best blues donned, buttons shining and boots polished, John and I went to the address given.
We were truly welcomed by the wedding party and enjoyed the evening with them, eventually returning home with Mrs. Pimlott.
We learned that our landlady had an invalid husband and she financed their living by taking in sewing of pre-cut garments and of course now by providing a billet for such
5
[Page break]
[Photograph]
Mid-Atlantic on board the ‘Montcalm’
12th January 1942
[Photograph]
Our only company across the Atlantic the ‘Volendam’
[Photograph]
Moncton Railway Station
Canada
[Page break]
as John and I. The sewing side was almost slave labour and she had to work all day and well into the evening to obtain a meagre income.
John and I departed Manchester for Glasgow on January 6th and embarked on the S.S. Montcalm. This ship had been an armed merchantman before being converted into a troop ship. A 4” naval gun was mounted at the stern and this ship was, we were told, of 13,000 ton capacity. We set sail on January 8th 1942 with a sister ship names Volendam which also had RAF cadets on board, and in convoy with other ships and destroyer escorts. After leaving Glasgow we called at Milford Haven and then nosed out into the Atlantic. The weather, after two days at sea, became very stormy and the ship pitched and rolled to an uncomfortable degree. Many men were sea sick and food was definitely out of order. John and I lived on arrowroot biscuits and lemonade for eight of the fourteen day voyage to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
During the very story crossing we were called upon to carry out various duties and mine was submarine watch! I couldn’t have recognised a periscope if I had seen one and in any event, the waves and ship movement were such that just staying upright was enough without looking for submarines.
Although I had been allocated a hammock for sleeping purposes, I just could not get into one, and kept falling out the opposite side so swapped for a bunk – even though the ship’s movement was intensified by a fixed bunk.
Because of the atrocious weather conditions our destroyer and convoy of ships disappeared after five days out into the Atlantic. The Volendrum went out of sight after a further two days sailing.
Eleven days after leaving Glasgow the bad weather gradually abated and we started eating Navy food again on the mess deck, but it was necessary to hang on to the plates to prevent them sliding off the end of the table.
After thirteen days at sea we were thrilled to see the bright lights of Moncton appear on the horizon.
The first things I saw after docking were large stalks of bananas – my favourite fruit – which I had not seen since 1939/40. I bought a complete stalk and shared them with John – they were delicious.
The temperature in Moncton was well below zero and a good covering of snow was evident. The cold could easily cause frost bite but it was a dry cold and providing that we were well covered, including ear flaps, a good walk would generate a pleasant glow.
The barrack blocks were well above RAF standards as also was the food.
We were at Moncton for only a few days whilst the “powers that be” allocated the 3,000 cadets from the Montcalm to the various training establishments in the U.S.A. and Canada.
6
[Page break]
[Photograph]
Canadian Prairies in January 1942
[Photograph]
Albany, Georgia, USA
Looking down Main Street – January 1942
[Photograph]
Our barrack hut – No 5 – 9th Feb 1942
[Photograph]
British Cadets marching back from Retreat Turner Field, Albany
[Photograph]
Right
Our black waiters at Turner Field Albany, Georgia
[Page break]
Our train journey commenced late January – destination: Turner Field, Albany, Georgia, USA, and lasted for five days. We slept in bunks which hinged down from above the windows. The Canadian prairies and Northern States of the USA were thick with snow – see photographs.
The train stopped for a short time at Grand Central Station, New York and also at the AMTRAC main station of Washington DC. We travelled south through Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia and the weather became warm and pleasant.
TURNER FIELD, ALBANY, GEORGIA
Our stay at Turner Field was only for approximately two weeks during which time we were introduced to the American Army Air Corp disciplines and daily routines.
We were housed in two-storey barrack huts – see photographs – each room housed two cadets and the standard of comfort was very good. The base had its own band and this marched round the camp at 06.30 hours at Reveille, at which time we had to don our shorts and ‘T’ shirts for thirty minutes of P.E., always starting and finishing with press-ups. With this rigorous daily routine we quickly regained our fitness. Each cadet was weighed by a dietician and allocated a “weight” table in the dining room and, by that means, the calorie intake was controlled. I was on an underweight table, weighing in at just eight stone. This table had lots of rich foods and unlimited bottles of milk. Needless to say, my weight remained the same but I did justice to the food!
During our visits to the dining room we were instructed that we must only sit on the first two inches of the chair. Why this stupid rule existed I do not know, also our backs had to be upright at all times, i.e. sat to attention. At 18.00 hours we were marched to the parade ground for the last post and lowering the Stars and Stripes, at which time we had to sing the American National Anthem.
CARLSTROM FIELD, ARCARDIA, FLORIDA
Our stay at Turner Field ended with the transfer of John Player, Stan Gage and myself, along with approximately thirty American and British Cadets, in total, to Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida. Arcadia was only a few miles from Sarasota and Fort Myers. Miami was approximately 200 miles further south.
Carlstrom Field had been a civilian pilot training base operated by Sembery Riddle Co. All staff were civilians except those responsible for discipline and routine flying checks. The civilians were taught on Piper Cubs whereas service personnel were trained on the American Military Primary Trainer, the Boeing PT.17 Stearman. This aircraft, although a biplane, could not be compared with the Tiger Moth. It was much heavier, more powerful, had a Wright Cyclone radial engine and, to our horror, had wheel brakes, the control of these brakes were by treadles attached to the rudder bars. This resulted in numerous ground loops with Cadets landing the aircraft in a tense condition and, inadvertently pressing down on one or more of the rudder bar brake treadles. Consequently, the maintenance staff were kept very busy repairing damaged wings.
7
[Page break]
[Picture]
[Page break]
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE CADET’S HANDBOOK
LATERAL CONTROL
Ailerons – The ailerons, which are the surfaces used for lateral control of the airplane (wing down or up) are situated on the outer, trailing edge of the wing and are used for rolling the airplane ….
[Pictures]
LONGITUDINAL CONTROL
The Elevators – are horizontal, movable control surfaces located, on conventional aircraft, on the tail group, controlled by forward or back pressure on the stick and are used for obtaining longitudinal control (up and down).
[Pictures]
NB: Handbook still complete and in good condition
[Page break]
FRONT COVER FROM CADET’S HANDBOOK
[Picture]
[Picture]
CARLSTROM FIELD – 1941
Compared with the photo to the left, Carlstrom Field – 1941, as pictured above, may with all conservatism, be termed the ideal training ground for fledgling pilots.
Constructed at a cost of over a million dollars, the new Carlstrom Field facilities offer the utmost in providing for the student pilot’s health of mind and body. Moreover, every piece of flight equipment is the finest available, insuring insofar as is humanly possible, the student’s rapid advancement as a steady, dependable pilot.
The instructors at RAI have been chosen with extreme care and trained at RAI’s Instructors’ Courses to the end that you may be taught to fly by an aviator who is one of the best in the game.
It is a matter of tradition and record, substantiated by the rosters of Military and Commercial aviation, that pilots trained at Carlstrom Field have gone forth as some of the most capable in aviation’s history.
[Page break]
My instructor was a Mr. R.L. Priest, a very patient man. We were all issued with a book which gave a detailed account of how to carry out various manoeuvres including aerobatics. I was allowed to fly solo on the 24th March 1942 – see Certificate in Cadets Handbook – after being checked by Mr. Jane. Further checks were made at 20, 40 and 60 hours, and if satisfactory the specified stages of the Primary Training were complete.
During our stay at Arcadia we were allowed off base – “open post” from 4.0pm Saturday until 10.0pm Sunday. After exploring Arcadia – only one day necessary – we ventured further afield to Sarasota and Fort Myers. Before being able to hire a car we had to obtain a licence from the local Sheriff which meant driving him round the block.
Eight of us shared one car. Those who had driven before and held British Licences went first and those, such as myself, hung back. However, after five cadets had taken the Sheriff round he said “Okay boys, let’s give you your licences”, so we all qualified.
John Player, Stan and I generally went into either Sarasota or Fort Myers during “Open Post” staying at the cheapest guest house we could find. Our pay was only five shillings, plus two shillings and six pence flying pay, plus six pence colonial allowance per day, i.e. eight shillings per day. The rate of exchange was 4.50 dollars to the pound. The American cadet pay was 10 dollars per day.
We met many good and generous hosts during our breaks from camp but we were amazed by the number of people (males) who wore Stetson and spurred boots, without a horse in sight!
Sarasota had a very large caravan trailer area, mainly used by Americans going south to escape the winter snows and cold weather in the north. The weather generally was very pleasant during our stay at Carlstrom but the extreme humidity made life rather uncomfortable and it was common practice to shower at least once during the night.
During our training, one of the flying exercises was pylon eighties which taught the cadet to allow for wind drift. This meant selecting a field and flying the aircraft with the wing tip held on one of the intersections, then flying diagonally across the field so the wing tip again intersected with the opposite corner of the rectangular field.
I am certain that almost all cadets were guilty of taking empty Coca Cola bottles up on this exercise and, choosing a field with cows, we would drop one after another of these bottles causing almost a stampede. The bottles gave a loud whistle during their descent. Many farmers waved their fists and tried to get our aircraft number on these occasions.
It was during my stay at Carlstrom that I heard the black staff – generally dining room and similar duties – join together after evening meal and last post, singing blues songs. They were very impressive and this practice among them was experienced by me at all of the other bases to which I was posted.
8
[Page break]
[Photograph]
The first batch of mail from home
Carlstrom Field, Florida
[Photograph]
Taken in the air, showing P.T. 17 flying above another aircraft – Carlstrom Field.
[Photograph]
Indian Children of Seminole Tribe, The Everglades, Florida
[Photograph]
Eric (left) & John – relaxing in Florida
[Photograph]
Home of the Stewart Family
[Photograph]
Dexter Ave. Montgomery
(Pop’s Car)
[Photograph]
Cameron Stewart at The Lake
[Page break]
Four day’s leave was granted at the end of our Primary Training. John and I decided to try and hitch to Miami. Our first lift, given by an insurance collector, took us a good 150 miles to Fort Lauderdale, calling in the Everglades at Indian settlements for their premiums. We met and spoke to the Seminole Tribe families and were permitted to take photographs of their children. A second lift took us into Miami where we checked in at a hotel. We didn’t expect to arrive in Miami on the same day as we left Arcadia.
During an evening meal we were approached by a middle-aged man from another table who enquired who we were and what we were doing in the USA. He asked us where we were staying and promptly said he would ring and cancel out room because we could stay in his hotel without any payment and this included all meals. He introduced us to his wife and friends and told us that he had emigrated to America after World War I and was from Sheffield. It was our good fortune to have been in the right place at the right time!
GUNTER FIELD, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
We returned to Arcadia after our leave to be posted to Gunter Field, Montgomery, Alabama for our Basic Flying Training.
Gunter Field was approximately six miles from Montgomery – the capital of Alabama and between the two was Kilby prison. During our first few weeks at the base it was noted that the electric lights dipped intermittently on quite a regular basis. We later learned that it was caused by the Electric Chair at the prison – very disconcerting to know that a prisoner was being executed when the voltage dropped.
Our aircraft for basic training was the BT.13 monoplane with fixed undercarriage. The exercises taught were virtually identical to those covered during Primary Training, except that we were not allowed to carry out snap rolls as they tended to twist the plane and fuselage. See Pilot’s log book for details of flying exercises. This part of our training concentrated more on instrument flying and cross-country daylight and night exercises.
My instructor was an ex-British Cadet from an earlier course, P/Officer Rogers. He was a good instructor and I enjoyed flying with him. Formation flying – three aircraft in ‘V’ formation could be somewhat traumatic at times, wing tips had to be placed and maintained between the wing and tail plane of the lead aircraft and not more than one wing length at the side. With air turbulence, particularly during afternoon flying, it was very dodgy. We also had to carry out low-level formation flying, as low as fifty feet. On one occasion, when flying along the Goosa River, the instructor in the lead aircraft was so low that water spray splattered us in the wing planes and a man who was fishing was so startled as we swept up the river, that he jumped in. Landing in formation was also very precarious. The lead aircraft pilot signalled by hand how many rotations of the main flap he was applying – we had to apply a higher number of rotations to ensure that we didn’t over-shoot him. On one occasion, I was rapidly rotating the flap handle when it came off its spindle. I had to make a rapid break from the formation. On another occasion an oil pipe in the engine nacelle fractured, spraying the windscreen and blocking all forward vision. Again it was a
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case of breaking formation and a hasty return to base, landing with only side vision! See large photographs of BT.13 – I am flying the nearest aircraft)
My Basic Training concluded on the 2nd July 1942. Durin my stay at Gunter Field, the first anniversary of Pearl Harbour was “celebrated”. The three American services decided to hold a parade in all major cities. The British contingent at Gunter were instructed by the O.C. RAF to take part. A Union Jack Flag was obtained and had to be paraded and escorted at the side of the Stars and Stripes. The first time they brought the British Flag onto the parade ground it was upside down. We were all issued with rifles – many months since we had carried out rifle drill, and even though it was July, with temperatures in the 90 degree F. region, we had to wear RAF Blue uniform. When we took these out of our kit bags the buttons were green and it took quite some time to bring them to parade ground condition.
Following the march through Montgomery, John and I made for the ice warehouse where we could buy a water melon to quench our thirst. It was at this point that an American youth came to us and suggested we should return home with him for lime drinks. He said his parents were across the road and they would drive us home. The youth was Cameron Stewart and his parents, Vannie and Pop. John and I went to the Stewart’s house and into the country on the Goosa river, almost every open post after that day. Very often Pop would pick us up to save us getting the bus into Montgomery. At that time Pop was co-owner of a gents outfitter’s shop. Their house was typical of those in the Southern States with Clapboard outer skin and very much like a plasterboard inner lining. All rooms were air conditioned and the freezer size, huge. All windows and door frames were wire netted to keep out the flies and mosquitoes.
The American hospitality was really rather marvellous, lines of cars would be parked outside the base on “open Post” and cadets were picked up at random and entertained by families for the weekend. Pop and Vannie’s hospitality continued when John and I were posted for Advanced Training to Craig Field, Selma, Alabama – a round trip of 100 miles from Montgomery – which Pop drove every weekend to pick us up.
This was the final stage to our graduation and the Advanced Trainer was the AT.6 Harvard, a high performance aircraft within the 200 mph bracket.
My instructor on this aircraft was P/O Percival and he allowed me to go solo after 2hrs.35 mins dual instruction. My stay at Craig Field was very short. During circuits and landings at an auxiliary airfield I was involved in an accident with another aircraft on the landing strip. The other aircraft was occupied by an American instructor who had disregarded all the ground rules for taxi-ing after landing and had decided to taxi to the take off point along the same route on which he had landed. I had chosen this line of approach to land and as the aircraft had already covered most of the landing length when I approached I did not see him reverse his tracks before I touched down. With a rear wheel it is not possible to see ahead after landing, until zigzagging when taxi-ing. Both aircraft collided.
Although there was a control aircraft on the airfield my instructor advised me that I wouldn’t receive any support from the American controller as he was a good friend of
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EXTRACT FROM PILOT’S FLYING LOG BOOK
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Telegram from mum on my 20th birthday – 10th March 1942
Also received telegrams from Jessie Brown, sister Dora Dickerson and sister Ethel Dixon (all telegrams still preserved in their original envelopes)
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PICTON, ONTARIO, CANADA
1942
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Approaching Canada’s Horseshoe Falls
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the instructor. Three American Officers checked my ability to fly the aircraft and at no time was my flying criticised. However, there had to be a scapegoat and that was me.
REMUSTERING – CANADA
On leaving Criag Field I was sent to Ottawa, Canada to appear before a board of officers who controlled the training of RAF cadets both in the USA and Canada.
During my interview we discussed the events of my accident and I was asked what I thought my next stage of training should be. I requested that I be considered for posting to an advanced flying school in Canada to complete my pilot training, having now achieved 130 hours in American aircraft.
I was instructed to report to a Group Captain on the board the following day for their decision. On attending this appointment I was told that they would agree to my request but I must also give written agreement that I would convert to twin-engine aircraft and stay in Canada for at least one year as an instructor. After much thought I declined their offer and opted to be retrained as a Navigator/Bomb Aimer at a school in Picton, Ontario. As my navigational training had already been concluded in America it was only a matter of a few night cross-country exercises to complete this part of my course, plus the written exams. The bombing and gunnery aspects were completely new, including theory and practice.
I graduated at the end of November 1942 and during my stay at Picton I had the opportunity of flying over and photographing the Niagara Falls. I was also able to make two visits to the Falls.
Other places visited were Hamilton and Toronto, the latter was visited on a number of occasions. It was at Picton that I met up again with Carl Hurlington and Jimmy Milichip both of whom had been sent back for retraining from pilot courses in Canada. Carl and I stayed together up to squadron allocation in North Africa.
RETURN TO THE U.K.
We embarked at New York, along with 30,000 other servicemen, on the Queen Elizabeth I – two weeks before Christmas 1942. The journey to Greenock (Glasgow) took four days and there were no escorts as it was considered that the ship could out-run the ‘U’ boats.
Only one cooked meal was served each day and every individual was given a ticket which showed which mess and meal time, which was part of the 24 hour serving. Supplementary food could be purchased from the various shops on board [sic] It was an uneventful journey and quite the opposite to the out-going one.
On arrival in Glasgow we were held for three days on board before it was our turn to be ferried ashore, after which we entrained for the RAF centre at Harrogate.
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Last week saw the departure of another contingent of British Pilot Officers, lads who had, many of them, passed through stages of their training at Maxwell and Gunter Fields, at Selma’s Craig and Dothan’s Napier, and have since been stationed as instructors at various points in the Southeast. Many of these chaps will remember Montgomery as the site of their “getting acquainted” with America, and many of them have formed ties with our town which will endure long after this present war is history.
When, some twenty months ago, Montgomery was invaded by the British, our capitulation was prompt. We fell before their onslaught like a Sicilian village before our own advancing troops. Into hundreds of Montgomery homes these cadets of the RAF were invited, perhaps a little doubtfully, but most of them quickly established themselves as wholesome lads, a little different in surface mannerisms and speech, but actually very like American boys, and very happy to find a friendly welcome in a strange land.
What began as a gesture of Montgomery’s hospitality developed, often, into fast friendships, and many Montgomery homes became “home from home” for youths from Yorkshire and Wales, Londoners and Scottish lads. RAF blue was a common sight on Montgomery’s streets. And, as the training program progressed, RAF men who had trained here began to take part in the raids over France and Germany and in other theatres of war. Montgomery is represented on these RAF sweeps over enemy territory just as it is represented in the actions of our Flying Fortresses.
Now the sight of an RAF uniform has become a rarity. With the exception of those who sleep on the hill above Montgomery, the RAF trainees have taken their wings and gone to the combat areas. They write back to Montgomery as if writing home, and Montgomery has a warm place in their hearts. Almost without exception they want to return in happier times to revisit this heart of the deep south.
“I know you’re glad to be going home’ someone remarked to a departing officer The officer hesitated. “Well yes, of course But I shall be back…definitely”
Written by ‘Pop’ Stewart for the Montgomery Advertiser
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Receipt for diamond engagement ring
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Jessie Brown 1942
Below: Sister Eva outside No. 4 William Street, Lincoln
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I was eventually interviewed by Leslie Ames the cricketer, who decided that because of the extent of my pilot training I should be a better asset to the RAF by being posted to a Wellington Operational Training Unit acting as Bomb Aimer, second pilot and supplementary navigator. I wasn’t sure how I could cope with it all but I agreed to his suggestion. – The following day I was given Christmas leave.
At this point in my memoirs I must introduce Jessie Brown. I met Jessie during the brief time that she worked at Clayton Dewandre and we began to go out together between my attendance at evening college and also at weekends. This was the period between my acceptance for the RAFVR and actually reporting for training.
Before leaving Lincoln we agreed that if either of us met someone else we were quite free to go out with them. However, both Jessie and I corresponded on a regular basis during my stay in this country and also during my time in America and Canada. Also we spent my leaves together. When I returned from Canada we decided that our relationship was very special to us, even though we had not known or been together very long. It was during my Christmas leave that we decided to become engaged. We went to Gravesend to see my sister Eva who was in the ATS and was stationed there. She was a telephonist on a Heavy Ack, Ack Gun Site but managed a short spell off duty so we went for a meal together and shared all our news. We travelled back to London and stayed in a rather cold and drab hotel off Regent Street for the night and went to a jewellers called Hinds to buy an engagement ring. Jessie chose a white gold ring with five diamonds. The assistant in the shop gave her a diary and this diary and the receipt for the ring are together in our memorabilia. At the same time, whilst on leave, we decided that if I was again posted abroad we would marry before I left.
Imagine my surprise when on arrival at Moreton-in-Marsh O.T. Unit we were told that, on completion of our training we would be posted to 205 Group British North Africa Forces. This news meant very hurried preparation for our wedding to take place at the end of March beginning of April. With the very limited facilities available and rationing of food, clothes, etc., the planning of such an event was very difficult and celebrations had to be extremely limited. The flying weather conditions during the first three months of 1943 were atrocious and our wedding date had to be postponed on two occasions but everyone was very understanding about these changes of plan. However, it did make life rather difficult for Jessie and others trying to make final arrangements.
The first and most important stage of OTU training was to “crew up” with other members of aircrew who it was thought could work as a team. I was a member of a crew made up of Pilot – Cyril Pearce – also a 42H class member in the USA but at different air bases – Jock Taylor (Scottish) navigator – Jock had joined straight from college and was the youngest crew member; Jack Morvel – WOP/AG and hailed from Bury – said he dyed to live but now lived to die – very encouraging and jovial character; Ted Peters – London – rear gunner.. [sic] Ted was a bit of a loner but we always encouraged him to join us in our out-of-base activities, mainly in Moreton, which at that time was just packed with airmen. Our crew was all NCO, and we knitted together very well. Most of our training was night flying on long cross-country exercises – Bulls Eyes – going from cities in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, carrying out various laid down routines such as infra-red simulated bombing of docks,
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19th April 1943 – St. Swithin’s Church, Lincoln
Carl Harlington, Enid Scott, Eric Scott, Jessie Brown, Eva Scott, James Brown
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factories etc., which would record on camera for accuracy. On some occasions the cloud base was so thick and low that we never saw the ground from take off to landing and all navigation was done by dead reckoning and Astro-shots. Our accuracy in locating “targets” and turning points were very hit and miss, hence the postponement in completing our training. Some crews were lost during this period, either crashing in the Welsh or Scottish mountains or from the mechanical failure of the aircraft. It was also during this final part of our training we had to “stand to” for participating in a 1,000 bomber raid on Germany. I never found out the intended target because it was cancelled prior to briefing.
Our training completed – not without a few hair-raising experiences, we eventually went home on “embarkation” leave.
Jessie and I were married at St. Swithins Church on 19th April 1943 and our reception was in the ‘Gym’ room of the Rose and Crown Inn at the junction of William and Dale Street, Lincoln. We really appreciated the number of local people who helped us and we didn’t seem to miss out on anything with regard to food. Carl Harlington, who was also at Moreton and who hailed from Thorne, Nr. Doncaster, was my best man, but he was the only RAF person present, though one or two others were invited.
Jessie and I spent our wedding night at my sister Mary’s house in St. Hughe’s Street, Lincoln and the following day we travelled by train to Stratford upon Avon where we stayed in a B & B which we found on arrival – address : Sheep Street. After three days we returned to Lincoln as my leave was completed.
On my return to OTU I found that Cyril Pearce had also married during his leave, to a WAAF – Doreen – who was stationed at Gloucester. They married on the Saturday and we on the Monday.
Our final stage at Moreton was to “pick up” a new Wellington aircraft from a dispersal airfield near Gloucester and fly it on a number of exercises to ensure that everything functioned satisfactorily before taking it out to North Africa. As this exercise usually absorbed three weeks of our time, Cyril and I arranged for Doreen and Jessie to join us at Moreton for a week, I.e. the last week prior to departure. We stayed at the “Wylwyn Café” which also let rooms. One of the events which stays in my mind was our visit to the circus at Moreton. We all went along including Jock Prentice – another pilot who had also been married during his leave and whose wife had joined him at Moreton. The circus acts were extremely poor but what topped the lot was the smell – particularly when they let the lions into the “arena”. One can imagine the shouts and comments which ensued from a few hundred airmen!
We learned during this last week at Moreton that Doreen was AWOL from Gloucester, so Jessie and Jock’s wife loaned her civilian clothes to wear to hide the fact that she was a service woman, bearing in mind that the Service Police were well represented at Moreton and the surrounding area. The final day arrived when we had to say goodbye to our wives and walk to the airfield knowing that we would be flying that day, 27th May 1943 on the first leg of our journey to North Africa – which was from Moreton to Portreath in Cornwall.
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OPERATIONAL TRAINING UNIT
MORETON-IN-MARSH
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We stayed overnight at Portreath and on 28th May at 6.30am took off and set a course to go around the tip of France, across the Bay of Biscay, momentarily seeing the coast of Portugal and Spain and crossed the Moroccan coast at Casablanca. We then corrected course for our overnight destination at Ras-el-ma. On landing, at approximately 3.30pm British time, i.e. a nine hour flight, we were relieved to open the hatch and climb out. The air temperature suddenly hit us as we stepped onto the ground and we were surrounded by black people (local) in strange uniforms and cloaks and even stranger rifles and other firearms. This was the guard for our aircraft. RAF Ground Personnel took us to report in, and then to the “canteen” (tent) for our meal before going to our billet to make our bed for the night. During the late afternoon, Cyril and I changed the engine coolers to the tropical type as instructed at Moreton. We took our tropical khaki uniforms, with the “long shorts” as issued and our Blue kit had also been changed to khaki to “merge” with the desert sand.
On 29th we set course for Blida near Algeria which was the Headquarters of 205 Group. This took us across the Atlas mountain range which was a truly magnificent sight. This flight was only of four hours duration.
My only significant memory at Ras-el-ma was when we started the engines to fly to Blida. It was my job to prime the engines and then give Cyril the “thumbs-up” to crank them and, if they didn’t fire straight away I gave another pump on the primer which was at the Nacelle. Normally three pumps were required to get the engine – a Hercules Radical – to fire. No-one told us that in warmer climates two pumps were adequate and consequently flames poured out of the exhaust and burned my hair, eyebrows and singed my eyelashes. The smell was terrible but luckily I was not injured in any way. The second engine was started with two pumps and yours truly stood well back.
On landing at Blida we were told that we would be staying there the following day. This station’s billets were ex-Foreign Legion and the beds were curved upwards towards the centre from top to bottom. Here we encountered for the first time the French Loo!! We never thought we would manage to cope with it but practice makes perfect!
We went into Algeria the next day and saw oranges growing on the trees in the streets, experienced our first Arab Souk and the way of “hard bargaining” before purchasing anything. We had received some pay in Francs before going into town but, apart from buying “lunch” and coffee I can’t recall paying for anything else.
On 31st May we once again took off and set course for Kairouan, Tunisia. It was a three hour flight and we landed at 3.0 pm, having had to circle for thirty minutes because of exploding oil drums at the “airfield” which had been “touched-off” by the heat of the sun.
Kairouan was a number of white buildings just a mile or so from the airfield. This airfield had previously been a cornfield and the stubble was very much still in evidence. Steel, interlocking tracking – made in USA – had been laid on top of the stubble to form the runway and of course it became very hot and was the main cause
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of tyre bursts, of which there were many. The accommodation was all tented as was the various messes, because the squadrons were a mobile unit. The two Wellington Squadrons – 142 and 150 which had been sent from Waltham, Lincolnshire had been giving tactical night bombing support to the 1st Army which had landed at Bone. The “Desert” Wellington Squadrons who were now also based around were 104, 40, 37 and 70 and further support was provided by a squadron of Liberators, South African manned, and one of Halifax’s. These night bomber squadrons formed 205 Group and could produce between 80 and 100 aircraft for a night’s operation.
FIRST OPERATIONAL TOUR – 142 SQUADRON
I flew my first operation with Sergeant Cox, his B/A was sick. He had completed two thirds of his tour and Jock Taylor and I shared his tent. The target was a small island occupied by the Italians and from which they could attack our shipping. It was only lightly defended from air attacks and it was an “easy” target. This operation was one June 9th and the island, Pantelaria. (see log book).
We didn’t fly again until the 19th June when we flew as a complete crew – the target was Messina. This target was just the opposite to my first trip and we learned very quickly how to shorten the bombing run to a minimum and weave to avoid the AA shells which, on all major targets, proved to be very accurate. Sergeant Cox and his crew failed to return on this trip, which came as quite a shock to Jock and myself, reminding us that we were very vulnerable.
We continued to attack targets in Sicily and the area in Italy near to Sicily, in readiness for the invasion which took place on the night of July 9th when we were told to stay over our targets for at least thirty minutes dropping one bomb at a time and attracting the searchlights which we must then machine gun. Jack Morvel went into the front turret for this time over the target, which for us was Syracuse. Major targets such as Naples, Leghorn, Salerno, Pisa and all the airfields, were heavily defended by both AA guns and fighter cover. We had a few close shaves and there were a number of occasions when the AA shells exploded and splattered our aircraft and the cordite passed through the fuselage. On one particular trip over Naples when we become coned in the searchlights, Cyril had to throw the aircraft around to try and escape because the gun-fire was uncomfortably close. Jack Morvel was hanging onto flares in the tricel shute ready to release them when I warned him what was going to happen. The sudden, almost vertical bank that Cyril made caused Jack to lose balance and he fell into the side of the Elsan toilet which promptly broke loose and emptied its contents all over him. He wasn’t ‘flavour of the month’ for days after and had to replace his uniform battle dress. We did however manage to locate and bomb the target and return home – but had to make a second bombing run.
Our first tour was completed – thirty eight operations – by a visit to the Civitavecchia marshalling yards on October 3rd 1943, i.e. June 9th had started a four month period.
During that time I wrote and received many letters from home and received parcels with a variety of contents. We were entertained by professional artists on make-shift stages in the open air – names such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Charlie Chester and others. Members of the War Cabinet made visits to the Group
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142 SQUADRON, NORTH AFRICA – JUNE 1943
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From left to right : Ted Peters, Eric Scott, Jack Morval, Jock Taylor, Cyril Pearce
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from left: Ted Peters and J Prentice with two crew who were killed over Naples July 1943
Our camp near Kairouan, Tunisia
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and told us what was and was not happening and why. We complained about the rations – mainly melted bully beef and biscuits, and the cigarettes that were issued. They changed the cigarette packets from ‘V’ to Woodbines, the contents remained the same, terrible. Fortunately we could purchase various other true brands from the Sergeant’s Mess.
We made several visits to Sousse, Hammamet and other smaller coastal places for a dip in the Mediterranean.
The lovely white walled city of Koirouan was a myth, it smelled to ‘high heaven’ and we couldn’t go to the Souk unless there were five or six of us together. The Arabs were definitely objectionable, probably because we were very tight in our bargaining at “tent level”. They did however win the “top award” when they took a tent whilst five men were asleep inside!! It was quite a shock to the occupants when they awoke.
Water allowances were very limited. The daily ration for a tent of five was a five gallon drum. This had to be for washing ourselves, our clothes and for drinking. The drinking water was kept in a hole just outside the tent, using a brown pot jug which kept the water at an acceptable temperature.
The air temperatures were very high during the day but were pleasantly cool at night after sunset. It was not possible to touch metal exposed to the sun after 10.0am and it was common practice to fry an egg on a metal plate in the sun. Our wash basin was an upturned tin hat with the inside removed and fitted into the tail fin of a bomb. Other improvisations such as making a comfortable bed frame and raising it from the ground away from dung beetles, scorpions, etc. were introduced within days of arrival or were “bought” with cigs, chocolate, etc., from crews who had completed their tour and were leaving.
Flies were a big nuisance, settling on food and spreading disease. Gyppy Tummy and Dysentery were experienced by virtually everyone and ‘having the runs’ was no fun at all.
Jock Taylor went down with yellow jaundice and was in the hospital tent for at least a week. He perspired considerably and every day his shirts were encrusted with salt from the body. His feet were also very odorous – but he did consent to leave his socks off during non-flying hours!
We had to be very careful not to get sunburn as this was a chargeable offence if it prevented anyone from flying.
Our posting to Tunis arrived and we were to stay at the transit camp for further instructions, presumably to await either air or sea transport to the U.K. During our stay in Tunis we met ‘Poni’ (the only name we knew him by). He was Maltese and his mother and sister, together with himself and his horses escaped from Malta because of the siege and came to Tunis where he continued to earn his living as a jockey, with his horses pulling a ‘cart’ on two wheels around the local race tracks. They appeared to be a wealthy family and he took us around Tunis for dinners in local hotels and objected then we insisted on paying for an occasional meal.
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PALESTINE – MAY 1944
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Y.M.C.E. Building – Jerusalem
Right: The British War Cemetery
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‘Mount of Olives’
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‘Garden of Gethsemane’
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We also visited Carthage, the construction of which astounded us, with the running water and drainage system. This ancient city is a must to visit for anyone travelling in the area.
We had a severe shock when our posting came through. Only Jock Taylor was returning to the UK because of his jaundice, the rest of us were to fly to Cairo by Dakota, have leave and then proceed to Palestine where a new Operational Training Unit was being opened to instruct RAF personnel coming through from Rhodesia, South Africa and other Empire Training countries, prior to joining 205 Group.
We flew from Tunis across the Sahara Desert, visiting Tobruk on the way and landed at Cairo airport. We were taken to Heliopolis, a large transit camp about five miles out of Cairo and were incarcerated there for three weeks.
Cairo was visited almost daily. We had lots of back pay to draw upon and we visited a number of shows and night clubs. Jack Morvel blotted our copy book on one occasion when a troop of dancers were caterpillering off stage and he promptly dashed onto the stage and joined the end of the line. We had to leave but we had seen the show at half price. The Arabs in Cairo had to be watched very closely. They would steal anything, even the wealthy merchants from the Souk area couldn’t be trusted.
Eventually we left Cairo by a train which had wooden lattice seats, for two days of journeying to Tel-Aviv. Our bums were numb by the time we arrived! Upholstered seating was out because of the bugs which abounded in the Middle East and all bed legs had to the placed in tins partially filled with paraffin to prevent the bugs getting into bed with you!
Our destination from Tel-Aviv was 77 OTU Qastina. The station was only partially complete when we arrives and we were the first “instructors” to enter the station. The Sergeant’s Mess had not been completed at that stage and our aircraft had not arrived.
We spent Christmas 1943 on the Station. The accommodation was brick built blocks with three persons to a room. We had good beds, good showers new ‘mossie’ nets and plenty of storage room. The temperatures were quite moderate and we had to wear our Blues during the early part of the year.
Most of the construction work was being done by Arabs with RAF supervision. They would only work when they needed money and would arrive on their donkey, hobble the two front legs and report for duty – all very slowly. Occasionally we would unhobble a donkey, slap it on the rump and then at the end of the day watch the face of the owner then he found it was missing. They always dramatised everything that happened to them.
The airfield had been built on a small plain which was also the grazing area for local village animals. This resulted in considerable difficulties controlling aircraft movements because the Arabs would drive their sheep, camels, etc., across the airfield and runways at random. We tried to discourage them by rounding up their animals,
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BETHLEHEM
A Judean Home
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Mother of Pearl Workers
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TEL-AVIV
Boulevard Rothschild
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Habimah Theatre
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HAIFA
The Road to Mount Carmel
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Technicum
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putting them into a compound and then insisting that they pay a ‘fine’ to get them back. The local Mokta (Mayor) visited us frequently and we prevailed upon him to stop the villagers from crossing the airfield. The climax came when a Defiant hit a camel which was crossing the runway. Unfortunately the aircraft was a write-off and we didn’t think much of the camel steaks either!
Eventually we were able to educate the Arabs to keep off the runways and, if they needed to cross, to wait for a green Aldis from the control tower. The Arab women could carry very heavy weights on their heads and this was demonstrated when two of them dropped bales of compressed straw onto the runway – we had to use the 15 cwt Chevrolet to drag them clear.
Whilst in Palestine we took the opportunity to visit the sights mentioned in the Bible. Jerusalem, Gol-Gotha, Haifa, Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem. The Jewish people were not kindly disposed to us. It was the period when ships with European immigrants were being turned away and would-be leaders were conducting terrorist activities. It was necessary to always be on the alert against attack.
Our main entertainment was either visiting Tel-Aviv for the day, being invited to the Polish Armoured Division near Ramalah, or having a dance in the Sergeant’s mess. The ATS and WAAFs were brought in by truck for these occasions.
When a course of ‘pupils’ passed out, one per month, they would invite their instructors to join them in the mess to celebrate the occasion. Many did ‘pass out’ but it was quite an event each month and I never needed rocking off to sleep on such nights.
The only other significant occasion I remember was P/O Izzard who was being taught to fly on one engine. I was also in the aircraft instructing a bomb-aimer. The screen pilot asked his ‘pupil’ to unfeather the port engine and return to normal power but unfortunately he feathered the starboard engine. We were too low to recover any power and the screen pilot had to crash land the Wellington in open country. Luckily no-one was injured but the aircraft was written off.
A week later I went for the weekend to The King David Hotel, Jerusalem. When I woke up the next morning my hair from ear to ear was on the pillow. I thought that someone had played a prank on me but soon discovered that my hair was still falling out. On my return to Qastina I reported to the M.O. who sent me to Tel-Aviv hospital. The Specialist went into raptures because he had not previously seen such a perfectly defined Alopecia profile of hair loss – just in line with the medical book. He brought into his consulting room both junior doctors and nurses but my question was what could he do about it and how quickly would it grow. The response was quite negative, I was told it would re-grow but over a period of months. The cause – delayed shock from the crash landing.
During the early part of my stay at Qastina I was sent to Ballah, down the Red Sea, on a Bombing Leaders and Instructor’s course. We worked fourteen hours every day either in the classroom or flying. We had to cram a three month course into two weeks. Immediately on arrival we were given a smallpox vaccination, apparently it
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had broken out in the area. Fortunately for me it didn’t take. They tried three times but then gave me an exemption certification. The course was very enlightening – our tutor being a Squadron Leader and ex Oxford University Professor. I came second in the course with a 96% pass, beaten by a New Zealand Maori with 98% - a man with considerable retentive abilities.
I continued to teach at 77 O.T. Unit, Qastina, until the end of June 1944 when I agreed to team up with Brian Jeffares a NZ pilot to return for a second tour of operations, based at Foggia, Italy.
My other recollections during the stay in Palestine were the frogs and toads. Thousands of them came out after dark and made such a fearful noise when we walked across the grass verges and tarmac roads they just squelched under our shoes. The other was the cheapness of fruit. We had a plywood tea chest, normal size, which we would half fill on a bi-weekly basis. This would cost around five shillings. Huge grapefruit was stacked at the side of the roads, like sugar beet, and left to rot because of the lack of transportation to send them to other countries.
Jack Morval and I were, on one occasion, invited out to a meal with an Arab family by a Palestinian Policeman. Quite an experience. We sat on mats around a large dish full of mutton portions, including eyes, of which everyone present had to eat at least one. This was not pleasant but I did manage to swallow one with my own eyes closed! The Arab family were upper-class and very good hosts and could speak quite good English. I was under the impression that the Palestinian Policeman dined with them on a regular basis.
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205 GROU – FOGGIA, ITALY 1944
[Photograph]
Our Crew see dots:: Brian Jeffries (NZ) Jack (Canada) Snowy Ayton (NZ) Eric Scott (UK) Jack Nichols (UK)
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SECOND TOUR OF OPERATION – 205 GROUP
Our Crew:
P/O Brian Jeffares New Zealand Pilot
W/O Snowy Ayton New Zealand Rear Gunner
F/Sgt Jock Nicholls Scotland W/O Air gunner
F/O Jack Canada Navigator
F/Sgt Eric Scott England Bomb/Aimer
We left as passengers in a Dakota bound for Capodichino airfield, Naples, on 23rd July 1944. Our first touch down for refuelling was Benghazi, then further stops at Tripoli, Bari and finally Naples. Flying time was 11hrs 50 minutes but the duration of the overall journey was fourteen hours. (See Log book).
We were allocated to 37 Squadron of 205 Group flying MK X Wellingtons but these were now fitted with the MK X1V bomb sights, another Barnes Wallis invention and considerably superior and more accurate than the old MK IX. It worked on a gyroscopic principle so that if the aircraft banked the sight only rotated half the amount, thus keeping the sighting vertical. This enabled short bombing runs to be made with great accuracy and gave profound relief to the crew as this period was the time most likely to be hit by Anti-Aircraft fire and coned by searchlights.
Following two days of air tests to acquaint ourselves with the locality and hazards we were listed for our first operation to an aerodrome in the South of France. A trip of almost nine hours duration. We had two bombs ‘hung up’ and I had to chop out a section of the ‘cat walk’ above the station concerned and then release them manually over the sea.
Over the next twelve days we completed seven operations, two of which were to the Ploesti oil refinery complex near Bucharest. This was the third most heavily defended target in Europe with many searchlights, light and heavy AA guns and, I have since learned, a ratio of two fighters to every bomber.
Our losses were very high in 205 Group, around 10%, but not nearly as much as the Americans who followed us on daylight operations. They lost well over 100 aircraft each day.
Our first operation on Ploesti was quite reasonable and we were not coned, although the gun fire was accurate and the smell of cordite in the plane was quite unmistakeable we came out unscathed. The next attack was quite the opposite. We approached the target at 15,000 feet and were at least three miles away from the aiming point when a master searchlight came straight onto us, followed by at least five others. We corkscrewed, dived and did every manoeuvre possible but could not get rid of them. We were then down to 8,000 feet and being hit by light and heavy AA fire. We did the shortest bombing run ever and then continued to take avoiding action, losing height all the time. We levelled out at 700 feet, at last free of the defences and about seven miles from the target. We saw a number of aircraft being shot down and much air to air firing by observing tracer fire. We knew that some of the fires on the ground were dummies and that some of the ground explosions were to make us think that
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[Drawing]
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more aircraft were crashing than was the case. However, our losses on that occasion were high.
Following the Ploesti trips two crews in our Group refused to go on any further operations. They were court martialled and accused of ‘lack of moral fibre’, lost their rank and brevet and sent to detention. I often wondered whether the court of officers presiding had ever been to Ploesti or any similar targets. It was a very frightening experience especially with such a small force of aircraft.
We pressed on, operating through August, September and into October. Being an experienced crew we were sometimes called upon to carry out Path-finding, when we had to locate the target using flares, in Chandelier then make a second run to drop target markers of either Red or Green, then a third run to drop our bombs. Not very healthy and also we were not equipped with ‘H2S’ or ‘G’, blind target identification aids, as fitted to all four-engined aircraft operating from the UK.
Some of our operations involved dropping mines on the Danube which prevented, delayed, or damaged barges being towed with German supplies to their front lines in Hungary, it particularly restricted the supply of oil to their forces in Italy and Germany.
Dropping mines was known as ‘Gardening’ and each crew were given a ‘Bed’ or stretch of the river in which the mines must be delivered. Naval officers briefed and de-briefed us on these occasions. We usually carried four mines. When about 100 miles from the target and depending upon the terrain, we would drop to between 600/700 feet to be under the Radar beams. As the river came into view, bearing in mind that it was always a full moon situation, we would drop to 200 feet. On identifying our Bed we would further reduce height, sometimes to 100 feet before releasing the mines. This ensured that the mines would not break up on impact with the water.
Inevitably there was much light gunfire from the banks and also rocket launches on barges in the river. The rockets whistled past the aircraft but we were never hit by either of the defences and we didn’t waste time getting away.
One of our squadron crew was shot down over the river on one mine laying trip but they managed to ditch, swim to the bank and three weeks later arrived back on the squadron. We wanted to know why it took them so long!
With the Russian advance, guns and fighter aircraft became even more concentrated and targets more difficult to attack, consequently our losses also increased because of this.
About the middle of October, Wing Commander Langton, our C/O sent for our crew and told us that the Group was converting to Liberators. He said that our tour of operations would be completed in the next week or so and that we would then return to the UK. It was not worth the expense of us converting for a few operations. The following day I filled in the necessary forms to apply for a commission as I considered that this would be more beneficial to me on my return than a Warrant Officer rank
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[Photograph]
Beside the main road from Bucharest to the famous oil town of Ploiesti, lies the beautifully tended Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery. While British Defence Attaché in Romania (1979-82) the author became curious to know how the 80 British and Commonwealth airmen, who lie in this peaceful place, met their deaths between May and August 1944.
He discovered that they were from the RAF’s 205 Group which, flying from airfields in the Foggia Plain of Italy, was the night bomber component of the Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force. They had lost their lives during the sustained day and night offensive against the Romanian oil industry and its distribution network, the transportation system supporting the German front in Moldavia and the mining of the Danube.
The cost to the Group, against these well-defended objectives – rated third after Berlin and the Ruhr - was 254 aircrew. 154 lost their lives, 73 became prisoners, while 27 evaded capture and returned to Allied lines after many adventures. 46 Bombers were lost.
Patrick Macdonald’s account of these operations is based on the contemporary official reports and intelligence assessments fleshed out by the recollections of many of the men who were there from all corners of the Commonwealth.
‘…a riveting story, well organised and well told… Patrick Macdonald’s book convincingly justifies his assertion that this bomber offensive, though little publicised at the time was no side show when set against other events nearer to the main arena of the war and for those who took part in it.’
British Army Review
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which was imminent. I was interviewed the following day by Wing Commander Langton who said that he would forward a recommendation to Group HQ without delay.
On the 17th October we carried out what we thought would be our final operation on a marshalling yard in Yugoslavia. However, on the afternoon of the 21st we were asked to fill in for a crew whose pilot had reported sick. The target was Maribor marshalling yards in Yugoslavia. Everything went wrong on that day. The aircraft was an old MKIII and one engine was ‘playing up’ when we checked it out in the afternoon. When we went to take off the engine was still showing high mag. drop. Further work was carried out but eventually we took off fifteen minutes late and with a slower than normal aircraft. Our arrival on target was at least twenty minutes behind schedule and, of course, we were on our own. After dropping our bombs we turned for home and tried to do a bit more catching up. On approaching the Yugoslavian mountains we were attacked by a German fighter from below. No-one saw it as it was in a blind position. The damage was mainly to the petrol tank on the starboard side, so I switched both engines to that tank to save fuel.
Despite the fact that we dog-legged, changed height and changed our position every few minutes, we were again attacked about fifteen minutes later and on this occasion the aircraft went out of control. Brian gave the order to abandon the aircraft. I opened the front lower entry/escape hatch, saw Jock and Jack the navigator go forward, then picked up Brian’s parachute and gave it to him, meanwhile he was trying to slow the descent of the aircraft which was quite considerable. On trying to clip on my own ‘chute I could only feel a clip on the left side – the right hand clip seemed to be flattened. Being dark I couldn’t see what had happened. There was very little time to ponder the problem because we were over the mountains which I could see from the side window. My only chance of survival was to jump and hope that the canopy shrouds would not entangle so that the ‘chute would open.
I said a very quick prayer asking God to give me a safe landing and then swung out of the forward hatch. I then felt for the rip cord handle and pulled it. Almost immediately there was a very load crack and I was jerked into a floating situation. At the same time I saw our aircraft explode on the ground. Not being sure of my ‘angle of dangle’ I was not ready when I hit the ground with considerable force. My face hit a boulder on the mountain side – I’ve never looked so good since. It was pouring with rain and numerous dogs were barking, presumably because of the exploding aircraft.
HOSTAGE/PRISONER OF WAR
The first thing I did after releasing my parachute was to thank God for my life, and also prayed that somehow Jessie and the family would know that I was safe.
After wrapping myself in my parachute for warmth and protection from the rain I went to sleep.
The tolling of a church clock and the barking of dogs woke me at daybreak. The rain had ceased and looking around I realised that I was about one third of the way up the mountain and it was mainly boulders and scree around and below me. My face was
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[Photograph]
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stiff and sore and coated with dried blood on one side. I collected my parachute into a manageable ball and then examined the harness. The right hand clip was torn away and the remaining metal, near the harness, was very distorted. It was apparent that either a bullet or shell from the fighter had hit the clip and torn it away. The thought of such a ‘close call’ made me shiver and I was thankful for my safe deliverance. I hid my parachute between a boulder and the ground on the face away from the valley.
There was a farmhouse near the bottom of the mountain in a concealed position. I watched the activity at the house for at least three hours. The farmer came out of the house with his dog, followed by a woman who assumed to be his wife. Later, a girl who was probably about twelve years old and a boy 8-10 years started to do tasks around the farmhouse. By this time the chimney was smoking. Looking at my watch I saw it was around 10.0 am when they all returned to the house. At 11.0 am I decided that the family were harmless and that I would approach them for assistance to try and contact Tito’s Partisans.
I didn’t have any problems negotiating the descent and arrived at the farmhouse unseen. The lady opened the door to my knocking and audibly gasped. I explained who I was with gestures and she called her husband. When asking them for help I tried to explain that my parachute could be retrieved and given to them in return. The man came with me and helped to bring my parachute down to the house. I offered him a cigarette and, with the ‘hot end’ I burnt a piece of the canopy as a keepsake. What I didn’t realise was that the farmer had sent his son the alert the military authorities.
On the boy’s return the farmer motioned me to follow his son, giving me the impression that he would guide me to the Partisans.
My freedom was short-lived however, as by evening we were picked up by the Croation Military who were co-operating with the German Army and also fighting the Partisans. They were a very ‘trigger-happy’ bunch of soldiers and I knew that it was useless to make a run for it so, with a number of guns pointing in my direction I was escorted to an ancient truck and driven under guard to Gospic and the Military H.Q. where I met Snowy, Jock and Jack. We were locked in a room and left overnight but were given a meal of what seemed like pasta and jam. It was good and very welcome. I quietly asked the other crew members about Brian, whether anyone had seen him or heard about him. Snowy said he thought he had gone down with the aircraft. Apparently, just before I escaped, Snowy had gone out backwards with the turret rotated at 90° to the fuselage. This was quite a common practice and a much quicker escape route for rear gunners. Unfortunately Snowy had got his feet tangled up with the firing cables and this prevented him getting clear of the turret. He then put his helmet back on and asked Brian to hold the aircraft a little longer so that he could clear the cables. Whether he told Brian when he was clear is not known but there is no doubt that Brian sacrificed his life for his New Zealand cobber – a very generous act of self-sacrifice and discipline. I do not know where Brian is interred or whether he has any known grave.
After sleeping fitfully we were allowed to go one at a time to wash etc. Meanwhile an American-born woman married to a Croation came to see us and provided breakfast
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[Post Office Telegram]
TRANSCRIPT OF OFFICIAL TELEGRAM
Mrs E.W. Scott 4 William St. Great Northern Terrace Lincoln
From Air Ministry 73 Oxford St. PC 23/10/44
Regret to inform you that your husband 1425752 Flight Sergeant E.W. Scott is reported missing as the result of air operations on 21st October.
Enquiries are being made through the International Red Cross Committee and any further information received will be communicated to you immediately.
Should news of him reach you from any other sources please advise this department.
Letter following shortly pending its receipt no information should be given to the press.
1140 A
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and a cup of tea. She also arranged for me to be taken by a guard to the local hospital to have my face treated and accompanied me to translate when necessary. After two days in the Military Headquarter, during which we were relieved of our identity discs – much to my disgust – we were taken to the local prison and locked up in a cell about 12 feet x 8 feet with a stone floor. It was very cold and we couldn’t seem to persuade the guards to give us some blankets.
Eventually the ‘American lady’ came to see us and explained that we were not prisoners of war but hostages. She arranged for blankets to be issued and reassured the guards that we would not harm them. This conversation produced a complete change of attitude from the guards who shared their Schnapps with us and a few days later brought playing cards out. They never won, Snowy was a past master at cheating.
About one-two weeks after capture, the military advised us that they were going to hand us over to the Germans as being only hostages they couldn’t be responsible for our safety with the Russian advance. We objected and asked why they wouldn’t allow us to contact the Partisans, if they showed us their location on a map we would attempt to walk to them. They would not agree to this and the following morning in heavy rain we had to board an open lorry for transit to Zagreb and the Germans. The journey took several hours and we were soaked to the skin when we were taken into the German camp and locked in cells which were constructed of wood. A long passageway linked each cell and we quickly found out that there were American airmen in the next two cells to ours. Apparently they had been shot down a few days previous after returning from a raid on Vienna.
The Feldwebel in charge of us was a very dour, Prussian type of German and shouted at us at every opportunity, and at the same time hitting us with his rifle butt whenever we wanted to visit the toilet. The food provided was very poor, but nevertheless, it helped to fill an empty stomach. The Americans decided enough was enough with the hostility of the Feldwebel and with us in accord started to sing ‘Or would you rather be a mule’. The Germans went berserk, hitting us again with their rifle butts until the Unter Officer intervened.
The following day we were handed over to four Luftwaffe guards and taken to the local railway station where we boarded a train bound apparently for Budapest.
None of us had smoked a cigarette for some time and, on boarding the train, we saw long cardboard-type holder s with what appeared to be tobacco inside. On closer inspection, however, they were only the tubes which had been attached to Turkish cigarettes – disappointment all round. After many hours of train travel with a lot of stops we arrived at Budapest Station around mid-morning the following day. We had not eaten or drunk since leaving Zagreb. The 8 plus 4 of us were taken to the German Military Police office on the platform, given a chunk of black bread and some German sausage. It was then we heard the Russian shells falling on the City and in fact they were hitting part of the station complex. The German guards, who were all in their fifties, herded us quickly back onto the train and with civilians who were cramming into the compartments and on the carriage roofs, the train left the station leading North from whence we had come.
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[Crest] AIR TRAINING CORPS [Crest]
CITY OF LINCOLN SQUADRONS
Nos. 204 & 1237
Lindum Holme, Lindum Terrace, Lincoln Tel: Lincoln 914
From O.C. 1237 Squadron. A.T.C.
Dear Mrs Scott,
It is with very deep regret that we learn that your son, Flt/Sgt. Eric Scott has failed to return from recent operations.
We need not tell you how very proud we are of Eric’s record with us and subsequently with the R.A.F. and how sincerely we hope that you may soon receive brighter and reassuring news of him but in the meantime please remember that all ranks of his old A.T.C Squadron are with you in thought and sympathise with you in these dark times.
Yours in deep sympathy,
[Signature]
Flt. Lieut.
O.C. 1237 Squadron, A.T.C.
AIR MINITRY,
(Casualty Branch),
73-77 OXFORD STREET,
LONDON, W.1
P/424636/3/P.4.A.2.
29 October, 1944.
Madam,
I am commanded by the Air Council to confirm the telegram in which you were notified that your husband, Flight Sergeant Eric William Scott, Royal Air Force, is missing as a result of air operations on 21st October, 1944.
The telegraphic report from Air Force Headquarters, North Africa, states that your husband was air bomber of a Wellington aircraft which set out to attack marshalling yards at Maribor, Yugoslavia and failed to return.
This does not necessarily mean that he is killed or wounded, and if he is a prisoner of war he should be able to communicate with you in due course. Meanwhile enquiries are being made through the International Red Cross Committee, and as soon as any definite news is received you will be at once informed.
If any information regarding your husband is received by you from any source your are requested to be kind enough to communicate it
/immediately
Mrs E.W. Scott,
4, William Street,
Great Northern Terrace,
Lincoln.
immediately to the Air Ministry.
It is desired to explain that the reference to publication in the Press was included in the telegram informing you of the casualty to your husband in order to avoid prejudicing his chance of escape by undue publicity, should he be at large in enemy-occupied territory. This does not mean that any information about him is available but it is a precaution adopted in the case of all personnel reported “missing”.
The Air Council desire me to express their sympathy with you in your present anxiety.
I am, madam,
Your obedient servant,
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The following morning saw us travelling through Yugoslavia again, with a number of stop/starts. Eventually we stopped and, on looking out of the carriage window I saw to my horror two Typhoon fighter/bombers of the RAF, fitted with rockets. They were only 200-300 feet high and I then guessed they were going around to line up with the train. I immediately altered the guards and the Americans. The main carriage window could be pushed down to act as an emergency exit and by this we hurriedly vacated the train, ran up a grassy slope, across a village green and positioned ourselves on the protected side of a stone war memorial. The rockets hit the engine and machine gun bullets ripped through the carriages. Although the train was marked with a Red Cross the majority of passengers were German Army personnel and many were wounded in the attack and some were killed. This caused considerable bitterness and a number of army men man-handled us from the village onto the grass slope and lined us up for execution. Our guards just didn’t do anything to protect us. I bowed my head and said a prayer for all of us, fully expecting to be shot there and then. Was I frightened? very much so. I thought that I had been brought safely through a number of traumas only now to be executed.
In those few seconds, however, a German officer ran in front of the armed squad of soldiers and commanded them to return to the train, which they eventually did with reluctance. He came to us and apologised and explained that he had been a prisoner in England during the First World War and had been very well treated and was not, therefore, allowing German soldiers to ignore the Red Cross and Geneva Conventions for prisoners.
We stayed with our guards on that grassy slope until lunch time the following day when a replacement engine was coupled and the train once again began its journey North. Our destination was Vienna.
On arriving at the outskirts of the City it was apparent that all was not well. The German Officer who had protected us from the firing squad explained to us that there had been an American bombing raid on the City that morning. Many residential areas had been hit and it was too dangerous to go across the City with our guards. However, he arranged for a fit young army man to run with us across the City to the other station and hand us over to their military police – our guards were to follow in a more leisurely and safe manner. Although we were much less than fit and ravenously hungry, we ran for dear life across Vienna. Chunks of stone, brick and other forms of masonry came our way but nothing hit us and we managed with our guide to dodge the people who tried to cut us off.
We all reached the station without injury and were pleased to be handed over to the German military police who once again issued us with the usual rations of black bread and sausage, for which we were very grateful. When our guards eventually arrived we boarded a train and had an uneventful journey to Frankfurt and were incarcerated in the German Dulag Luft, i.e. the interrogation centre for airmen.
We were each locked in a cell with a bed and blanket and a barred window gave light but an electric light burned day and night. There were many bed bugs which made life uncomfortable but it had to be accepted. If the toilet was needed we had to pull a cord
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Dulag-Luft Germany
13TH NOV 1944
I have been taken prisoner of war in Germany. I am in good health – [deleted] slightly wounded [/deleted] (cancel accordingly).
We will be transported from here to another Camp within the next few days. Please don’t write until I give new address.
Kindest regards
Eric Scott
F/Sgt
R.A.F.
[Telegram]
TRANSCRIPT OF TELEGRAM
Priority CC
Mrs. E.W. Scott 4 William St. Gt. Northern Terrace, Lincoln
From 73/Oxford St. PC 966 W1/QW/PP
Information received through International Red Cross Committee states that your husband F/Sgt Eric William Scott is prisoner of war in German hands.
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near the door and this dropped a wooden lever on the outside. When the guards were sufficiently satisfied that a prisoner could go to the toilet without seeing anyone else they opened the cell door and escorted the person to the toilet. Food was put into the cell by the guards three times each day. Breakfast consisted of two thin slices of black bread coasted with erstaz butter and jam. Lunch was a thin ‘watery’ soup and one slice of bread. Evening meal was once again black bread and sausage. I had four interrogation sessions whilst at Frankfurt, all were during the night between midnight and 4.0am. My interrogator was the same officer on each occasion. He offered me a cigarette which I took and, when he turned his back to me to look at a map, I took two more cigarettes from his box and put them into my pocket. Following several threats, because I had no proof of identity, with the absence of my dog tags, he told the guard to return me to my cell. After being locked up again I took a cigarette from my pocket but then realised that I had no means of lighting it – I had fallen for that one very easily.
The remaining interrogations were very similar to the first except that during the last one he told me more about 205 Group than I knew, so he was well informed.
Finally they sent me down to another part of the building for political interrogation. The next cell to me was occupied by an American and it was possible to talk to each other because the cells were open-topped. It was during this interrogation that I learned of the death of President Roosevelt. The following day and about ten-fourteen days after my arrival at Frankfurt, I joined the rest of our crew and entrained for a POW Camp.
We had an uneventful journey to Bankau, Upper Silesia and Stalag Luft VII.
Just prior to leaving Frankfurt we were each given a card to fill in for sending home saying that we were prisoners of war and were well. Also a cardboard suitcase with American-style clothing was handed to us through the Red Cross. This consisted of a great coat, pair of boots, four pairs of socks, woolly hat, two vests, two pairs of pants, two shirts and part of a Red Cross parcel of food.
STALAG LUFT VII
On arrival at the camp, most of the occupants crowded at the entrance to see if there was anyone they knew. It was then that I learned of the Arnhem fiasco and that the Dulag Luft housed many of the Glider Pilots. The entrance to Stalag Luft VII was by two large gates about twenty yards apart and both were well guarded. The compound was rectangular, with accommodation huts down each side. Each hut had at least six rooms off each side of a central corridor. The hut was about eighteen inches above floor level to allow the dogs to go underneath. Each room was equipped with a coal stove mounted onto a steel plate and eight bunks – four upper and four lower.
I was allocated an upper bunk in the first room on the left in the second hut on the right looking from the entrance of the compound. The rest of the inmates of the room were Aussies, a New Zealander, a Scotsman and English. In the same hut were two other Lincoln people, a Glider Pilot taken at Arnhem and a wireless operator shot
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CUTTINGS FROM THE LINCOLNSHIRE ECHO
[Newspaper cuttings]
A letter from ex-Cadet E. W. Scott brings the good news that he has been promoted to Flt.-Sgt. And is at present in Italy, starting on his second tour of operations. Flt.-Sgt. Scott is a bomb-aimer and has seen service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. On completing his first tour he had a short leave in Egypt and then went to Palestine, where he has for several months been instructing. He is now looking forward to finishing his second tour and then coming home.
LINCOLN FLIGHT-SERGT IS PRISONER OF WAR
Flight Sergt Eric W. Scott, R.A.F.V.R, reported missing in the Adriatic theatre of war two months ago, is a prisoner of war in German hands
His wife, formerly Miss Jessie Brown, of William-street, has received a post-card saying that he is well, but as he was expecting to be moved, told her not to write until she heard from him again.
Flight-Sergt Scott is the second son on Mr. and Mrs F. Scott, of William-street, Lincoln, and before joining the R.A.F. in 1941 he was employed in the research department at Clayton-Dewandre Co. Ltd. He was a member of the 1237 squadron Lincoln Air Training Corps.
Members of the squadron will be very pleased to learn that their old comrade Eric Scott, now a prisoner of war in Germany, has been granted a commission. Apparently this very excellent news came through about a week before he was reported missing, but his relatives have only recently been notified, and it is still doubtful whether Eric himself yet knows he is now a pilot officer. Congratulations, Eric, from your old squadron.
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Goodbye to the Wimpeys
ROME, Monday. – The Wellington bombers with the R.A.F. in Italy, the “Wimpeys,” have been replaced by Liberators for land warfare, it was announced tonight. Only a few remain for anti-submarine and shipping strikes.
Their four-year record began with the famous “mail runs” to Benghazi. Since then they have ranged over all the battlefields, from Iraq through North Africa to the Apls and the Balkans.
But now, said an R.A.F. officer tonight, “the old ladies are just not fast enough.” – Express News Service.
down in a Sterling [sic]. A third Lincoln man, by the name of Dennis Martin, was also in the camp.
The compound was enclosed by (a) danger wire approximately eighteen inches from the ground and fastened to posts driven into the ground at regular intervals. If anyone crossed the wire, for whatever reason without permission, the guards could legitimately open fire. (b) About ten yards further out from the ‘danger wire’ was the inner fencing, strong with barbed wire and with the top angled inwards. (c) A third fence, similar to (b) encircled the compound and was made in a similar fashion. Between (b) and (c) were coils of razor sharp wire about three feet in depth.
Four sentry boxes were positioned down each side of the compound and one at each end – the latter being centrally located. These boxes were approximately twenty feet from the ground and gave each sentry a good vision of his area. All boxes housed a ‘searchlight’ which arc-ed across the compound at regular intervals during darkness or could be manually moved by the sentry. A machine gun was also mounted in each box and each sentry had his own rifle. All were loaded.
When playing ball games, including golf, if a ball went over the ‘danger wire’ limit the guard had to be attracted and his permission obtained to retrieve it. Even then it was a bit dicey and it was advisable to have a number of the prisoners on hand when going beyond the wire to ensure that the sentry knew he was being watched.
The total number of inmates during my short stay there was 2,600. I arrived mid-December, the camp had only been opened the previous July. Some POW’s had, however, been transferred from other camps to ensure a smooth routine and operation. Our camp leader was an Australian, Bill Thompson. I met him again at a POW reunion about twelve-fourteen years ago at Nottingham. He was a good and hard working leader and all complaints from POW’s and German Staff were channelled through him. The escape committee consisted of six POW’s (old hands) who vetted each plan for escape. Many were turned down but, even when accepted, the people concerned had to wait in the queue. Many POW’s helped out with escape details, i.e. false papers, uniforms etc. The camp included a library and school. There was no shortage of teachers, some were tutors from the top Universities in the UK.
The Auditorium was also well used to promote plays, particularly those with satire against the Heronvolk, which usually resulted in the German Officers stamping out before the end. The German guards with or without dogs patrolled the compound and huts every day to try and ensure that prisoners were not engaged in activities which were ‘verboten’. Gardening was a regular task for prisoners, when the opportunity was taken to bury the spare radio. The news from the BBC was circulated to each hut once a day. Only two men knew who held the radio, the one who retained it and the camp leader. It was the duty of the occupants of the camp to keep the Germans occupied to ensure that the maximum number of guards were needed to operate the camp.
Every morning and evening all prisoners had to fall in by hut in the compound and be counted. Because I was relatively short in stature I was asked to be in the rear or middle line of three and, after being counted to move swiftly to a point in the line yet
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[Drawing]
BLOWER/COOKER-POW CAMP-STALAG LUFT V11
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to be counted. This ‘false count’ often meant being ‘on parade’ for at least one hour and, with the weather being extremely cold and with falls of snow it was no joke but had to be done. The senior NCO of the German guards became very hysterical and fired his revolver in the air if, by the third count, the number was one or two out of the official number.
With the two other Lincoln men I went for a one hour walk around the compound each day and then spent time making blower units for sale on the weekly market. A good blower, for high speed cooking was worth three blocks of chocolate from a Red Cross parcel. In the short time I was in Stalag Luft VII I made three blowers. See sketch.
Each prisoner received a Red Cross parcel each month. This meant that there were two parcels to feed the eight men in each room every week. The British parcels contained a tin of skimmed powdered milk, 2 blocks of high calorie chocolate, 100 cigarettes, dried prunes, tins of spam and corned beef, a very unique tin opener, tins of fish, flour, sugar, a pack of margarine, currants or raisins, tea and cocoa, the American parcels also had coffee. These supplemented the loaf of black bread, ersatze [sic] butter made from coal, ersatze [sic] coffee made from acorns and the watery soup plus sauerkraut, which was plentiful and was collected by one room member from the cookhouse each mid-day.
It was on one of these occasions that one of our POW’s was shot and killed by a sentry guard. The camp and Bankau air raid sirens had sounded about one hour previously. When this happened, all POW’s had to return to their rooms. This was quite a frequent occurrence and American Fortresses once again flew over the camp on the way to their target. We had to wait for their return before the all-clear sounded. On this particular day the Bankau all-clear was heard and it was past 12 o’clock – which was the time for collecting food from the cookhouse. Even after a further five minutes we did not hear anymore sirens so one sergeant, thinking that the camp siren must have gone, dashed out from his hut to be the first in the cookhouse queue. Half-way across the compound he was shot and killed.
Pandemonium broke out. POW’s with artistic flair immediately took pencil and paper to draw the facial details of the sentry. German officers tried to disperse the POW’s but there were far too many for them to make any impression. Our camp leader and two assistants came along with the Prussian Camp Commandant when he insisted that the sentry should be photographed and his name and other details should be given to our Camp Leader for action to be taken by the appropriate authorities at the cessation of hostilities. The sentry in question was relieved of his duties and posted without delay.
Sometimes ‘SS’ troops were brought into the camps for guard duties as a rest period and it was necessary to be very wary of these young Nazi enthusiasts.
Bearing in mind that I went into the camp in mid-December 1944, I was soon ‘volunteered’ by the other seven room occupants to try and make a Christmas pudding.
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[Newspaper cutting]
SCATTERED in the path of the Allied armies are many prison camps and internment camps. Some in the east, as the map shows, have already been overrun by the Russians.
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We had the flour, fruit and milk mix, also sugar and it was possible to buy potatoes and carrots from the Germans for a few cigarettes. My biggest problem was knowing what to cook it in even though it could be steamed. One of the room inmates had a spare pyjama jacket so it was unanimously decided that the pudding mix be stuffed down a cut sleeve and tied at both ends. This was done with great ceremony and the pudding steamed in a large gammell with a tube bottom made from tins out of the Red Cross parcels. We were usure regarding timing but decided to steam it on the stove for two hours.
On Christmas Day our mid-day dinner consisted of :
STARTERS
Mixed Stewed Fruit
MAIN COURSE
Fried Spam, Fried Potatoes, beans cooked in a tomato sauce
SWEET
Christmas Pudding
We finally had to steam the pudding for another hour. It was very solid and only a very small amount could be eaten. We shared the rest with other rooms in the hut. To say it tasted like Traditional Christmas Pudding would be an exaggeration but we enjoyed it and slept well during the afternoon on an unusually full stomach.
Although the food at Stalag Luft VII, supplemented by parcels, kept us going we didn’t increase in weight, rather the opposite for most POW’s. However, I remained at about 8 stone. On the Squadron my weight was between 8 1/2 – 9 stone.
The week after Christmas there were strong rumours of the camp having to be vacated because of the rapid Russian advance into upper Silesia. We were advised by our Camp Leader to make preparation for moving. I made a back-pack from my papier-mâché suitcase which measured about 18” x 12” and was waterproof. Four holes, one punched in each corner, allowed me to thread rope through to form shoulder straps for carrying. In this suitcase went spare vests, socks, pants, shirt and the blocks of chocolate I had been hoarding for such an occasion.
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[Postcards]
Postcards written on 10th and 17th December 1944 from Stalag Luft V11 just prior to the forced march
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On the 18th of January, with snow up to 12” deep and temperatures 10-15 degrees C below zero, we were told that we would be leaving Stalag Luft VII by foot at 4.0 pm that day, i.e. at dusk. We were each handed a Red Cross Parcel, the contents of which were distributed around our bodies. The first night of walking and freedom was a welcome experience. Each dawn, or thereabouts, we went into a farm and into the barns or cattle sheds to sleep. Because of the depth of snow my socks were always wet. I wore two pairs at a time to try and keep my feet warm. The pair I took off went into my shirt to dry and a replacement pair of dry socks put on before going to sleep. On one occasion during the first seven days, a pig had been slaughtered and made into soup in a large cauldron. The demand far exceeded the supply so I didn’t get any. The contents of the Red Cross Parcel virtually vanished after the first week. Washing faces and hands was a problem and generally had to be done using snow. My boots were pushed into the hay or at the side of a cow in an attempt to keep them above freezing but, with very little success. Generally it was necessary to hand-manipulate the shoe leather in order to get them on when it was time for moving.
The weather conditions became worse, blizzards as well as icy conditions – it was really appalling. Our breath froze in our beards and it had to be gently warmed by hand to prevent it being a mass of ice.
By this time the novelty of freedom had well worn off and airmen who had been injured during their bombing trip or on baling out and crashing, were very much the worse for wear. Some had to be left behind in houses, the occupants being mainly of Polish origin in Upper Silesia. Our rate of progress was very slow, about 20 miles each night.
The second week of walking was similar to the first except that the men were getting weaker and with little or no food provided our tummies started to shrink and become painful.
By February my chocolate store was exhausted, even though I had used it as a supplement to whatever food I could find, mainly frozen sugar beet, which now became my staple diet. A number of men went to sleep in the barns and didn’t get up again for the next night’s walk. Others collapsed at the roadside in the snow. Whether they were taken care of by the local inhabitants I don’t know. Even the German guards were dropping out because of hunger and cold.
There were occasions when we were urged to cross a bridge over a river and, on reaching the other side, the bridge was dynamited. We were surprised at this because all the rivers were frozen solid and could easily have carried vehicles.
At this stage of our journey we were allowed two nights each week to rest up because we were so close to complete exhaustion. We were told that we were heading for Luckenwalde Stalag IIIA, near Potsdam, Berlin. We were also told that the German High Command had been told to execute prisoners rather than hand them over the advancing British, American and Russian armies. We still managed to get news information so our radio was still with us.
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[Letter]
Letter sent to home – March 1945 – from Stalag IIIA
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There were so many days during the latter part of this forced march that I would have been quite willing to have laid down and died but yet it seemed so futile to give up after having endured so much since October 1944. I prayed very often for help to keep going and for a successful return to Lincoln but my expectations were very much tinged with the prospects of not making it at that stage of the march. The appalling weather continued and I felt very much like a zombie, just putting one foot in front of the other because the man in front of me was doing the same. We came to a point in the journey when the Camp Leader said enough was enough and told the Germans that they either abandon all of us to await the Russian Army or they provided transport for the remainder of the journey.
After three days at a large farm, where we did get a little food and where I saw airmen fighting each other for a piece of meat in a stew because of their hunger, we were walked to a railway embankment and, by helping each other, boarded a train with cattle truck accommodation. This was sheer luxury compared to walking.
A three day stop/start journey with the train halting each night, brought us to Potsdam and a relatively short walk to Stalag IIIA.
It was apparently late February but time didn’t mean anything anymore. The size of this camp was staggering. We were told that it held around 75,000 people, the majority being displaced workers of all nationalities and age ranges. Children were even being born in the camp.
From a military viewpoint there were Russian, Polish, French, Dutch, British and Americans. On arrival at Stalag IIIA we were each given a Red Cross Parcel. The priority however was for a shower and shave. It was apparent that we were covered in body lice and, even after showering and putting on a clean vest, the lice quickly reappeared in all of the vest seams. Boiling the vests and our battle dress tops in tin baths on open fires did not make any difference. When I first went into the shower I was stood next to the C of E Padre. He was at least 6ft 3in. tall and his ribs were really hollow and I just laughed but, when I looked at my own ribs they were identical. The small bar of swan soap – similar in size to that issued in hotels – just disappeared between our ribs. We were a good case of a starvation diet and over exercise. When the German doctors re-X-rayed us they also weighed us, I was just six stones.
With regard to the Red Cross Parcels, Lofty the Glider Pilot, sat in the aircrew compound, opened his tin of Peanut Butter and ate the lot – no bread or anything with it – it gave me a nauseating feeling just watching him. We didn’t know how long it would be before we got another parcel so we made this issue last as long as possible. The shrinkage of our stomachs also meant that we didn’t need much food to feel full.
Three weeks after arriving at the camp there was a full scale battle, with air attacks by both sides across the area. We had to take whatever cover we could as bullets and rockets passed across the compounds. We made a large white cross and laid it on the compound floor between the line of huts. The battle see-sawed back and forth for three days – it seemed more like three weeks. At first light on the third day all the German guards were gone and we were in control of our own compound. I immediately went to the German medical centre to try and pick up a Leika camera, a
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[Photograph]
Badges from a German Uniform
[Photograph]
[Photograph] Issue of RAF Watch – still working today
[Photograph] Right: Prisoner of War identification tag
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[Record Card]
RECORD CARDS RETRIEVED FROM CAMP RECORD OFFICE (see over)
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[Record Card]
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number of which were used for X-raying. I was too late but moving onto the record office I managed to find my own record cards and these I kept.
The Russian army arrived in strength the same day. Tanks just crushed the barbed wire fencing so that one side of every compound was open to free movement of prisoners. The Russian prisoners in the next compound to us went berserk. They were immediately given access and disappeared with the advanced Russian troops who were all of Mongolian extraction. The general appearance of the Russian advance troops was very rag-tag. Lorries had hard tyres, mules were used for towing guns, the soldiers didn’t have tin hats and their rifles and automatic weapons, etc., were of very varied make. Some were weapons captured from the German army.
When the main body of the Russian soldiers arrived they were all uniformed and more disciplined. However they were not well disposed towards us and if we wanted food we had to find it in the locality. Lofty and I went around the area including the outskirts of Potsdam to see if food was available. Many houses had been abandoned in a hurry but the food left behind was very meagre. We went into a Tailor’s shop and it was there that I found and kept a pair of scissors which I have used for decorating ever since. I also thought that the considerable length and very sharp points of the scissors would be a handy weapon if needed for my defence.
The Russians placed large tubs on open fires and made their yoghurt. This was all the nourishment they could offer us but the smell from the sour curds was terrible and despite my hunger I just could not eat any. Lofty however, devoured both portions! Many of the Russian troops had not seen flushed toilets before and continually came into the compound toilet blocks, put their feet into the bowl and pulled the chain several times, grinning all over their faces.
It was at this time ant a Russian took my watch and did his best to steal my wedding ring but he relented eventually and left me. A senior Russian Officer, with many aides, sat at a table in our compound and we had to file past giving our name, number, origin, nationality, etc. This took over a week to complete as many POW camps of British airmen had been sent to Stalag IIIA, including those from Sagan. Hence we now had a Group Captain, demoted by himself to Flt. Lt. in charge of the British aircrew contingent, irrespective of rank.
He advised all the men not to try and make their own way to the West of the Elbe because we would again be taken prisoner or shot by either side. The Russians wanted to arm us and send us into the battle for Berlin but of course this was refused based on the Geneva Convention. The Russians did not acknowledge this. Their next ploy was to send us home via Moscow. We were the first major bunch of British aircrew released and our leaders again refused this, really upsetting the Russians who put a loose guard around our compound.
Some days after the Russians had ‘released’ us numerous American trucks turned up at the side of our compound. All were driven by black soldiers and unarmed. Two white American officers were in charge and they had apparently been sent, with agreement by the Russians, to collect us and take us across the river Elbe to the American sector. The Russians who were responsible for us didn’t want to know and
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[Crest]
CATERPILLAR CLUB
26th April, 1945.
Mrs. Scott.
4, William Street.
LINCOLN.
Dear Mrs. Scott,
[Underlined] F/Sgt. E. W. Scott. [/underlined]
I was very glad to hear from the above that he had saved his life with an Irvin chute, and at his request have pleasure in sending his membership card herewith.
I regret that due to supply restrictions we are not able to order Caterpillar Pins for Prisoners until after the war, but one will be sent as soon as available.
Please excuse the form letter, but this is due to pressure of work.
With best wishes for his early return, I am,
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
Leslie L. Irvin.
MEL.
Encl. Card.
[Photograph] Cloth Caterpillar Badge
Right: Membership card of the Caterpillar Club [Photograph]
Below:
Two Caterpillar pin badges
[Photograph]
Piece of silk burned from parachute after bailing out
[Photograph]
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put an armed guard around the trucks and flatly refused permission for us to move. This situation continued for three days, then the American lorries were allowed to return – empty to their sector. One or two men managed to get away rolled in a tarpaulin in the trucks. One of these was Dennis Martin who went to 4 William Street and told Jessie that I was alright.
After a further two days we were ushered into Russian lorries and driven to the Elbe and once there we disembarked, crossed the river on foot by pontoon bridge and given a terrific welcome on the other side. We were all still full of body lice and, as we passed through a medical tent, we were checked for T.B., and D.D.T. was pumped from small guns down our vests and shirts.
The Red Cross, bless them, issued us with toilet and shaving gear. It was a very painful, but necessary task to remove my beard of three-and-a-half months, although I had done a rough trimming job with the tailor’s scissors. My battle dress trousers gaped open just above the leg pocket due to the material having rotted, particularly with boiling them in an endeavour to lose the lice. I looked more like a tramp than an airman.
We stayed with the Americans for two days and had some wonderful food, but could only manage small amounts.
Air transport them took us to Brussels airport where we were again given a warm welcome and fed and watered. After a further twenty-four hours it was my turn to board an RAF Lancaster to fly home. It was May and, although I had missed V.E. day, I though with a bit of luck I would make V.J. day. I never did identify the airfield at which we landed but we were bussed to a railway station and boarded a train – normal passenger service – to Cosford. I felt really uneasy being among civilians again and my torn uniform and general appearance in the compartment was cause for comment by the other occupants. The other significant factor was that I had no idea of the current news so couldn’t make any conversation. A lonely journey and one of self-consciousness.
On arrival at RAF Station Cosford I was ushered into a queue, in line with a table, behind which sat a records clerk with a sheaf of papers. These tables extended from one end of a hanger to the other. When it came to my turn the clerk asked me for my RAF number, rank and name but none of these appeared in his papers. He then asked me whether I had received any mail from home and I told him I hadn’t. The question now was, did my wife and other members of my family know that I was alive. I told him that I had sent the usual pre-printed card from Dulag Luft Frankfurt and had written letters home, Even so I had no evidence or knowledge of whether they knew I was a prisoner of war.
This lack of evidence, plus the fact that I was not on the register of returning prisoners caused me considerable concern. I couldn’t telephone anyone because I was not aware of telephone numbers. The clerk gave me papers to get clothing equipment, badges of rank, medal ribbons, shoes, and the many other pieces of equipment we had to have in the RAF. After visiting the ‘tailor’s shop’ where numerous local women were sewing on all the badges of rank etc., I took my equipment to a hut allocated for
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[Newspaper cutting]
In memory of the PoWs of the ‘Long March’
By Peter Davies
[Photograph]
The commemorative statue by the sculptor Pamela Taylor
THE MEMORIAL to RAF prisoners of war who died on the ‘Long March’, unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, yesterday, is a reminder of one of the Second World War’s most extraordinary – yet unsung – feats of endurance amid extreme privation and suffering. This was the enforced march of British, Commonwealth and Allied PoWs to western Germany from camps on the eastern borders of the Third Reich in the winter and spring of 1945.
In the summer of 1944, with the Red Army already on the borders of Germany, there were around 200,000 RAF, army and naval PoWs, besides thousands of Americans, in camps dotted throughout Germany and the occupied territories. Many of these lay in the east of the country and included Stalag Luft III, of Great Escape fame, 100 miles south east of Berlin. Others were more remote still: in East Prussia, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
To prevent their occupants being liberated by the advancing Russians, Hitler ordered that they should be marched westwards, out of harm’s way. Put in charge of this operation was an SS lieutenant-general, Gottllob Berger, a man with a history of brutal suppression of unrest in the occupied territories. However, with the Third Reich collapsing around him he seems to have felt it might be politic to ignore the Führer’s severer orders for the treatment of PoWs.
In the chaotic conditions of Germany in early 1945 when the evacuations began, this scarcely made any difference. Driven from the shelter of their camps, bullied, beaten and hectored by their guards, shot dead if they lagged behind or fell by the wayside, a quarter of a million PoWs stumbled and shuffled their way hundreds of miles to the west, without adequate food, shelter or clothing, in the bitterest winter Germany had experienced for 50 years.
The harrowing tale of the 86-day trek of the inmates of the notoriously brutal Stalag Luft IV at Gross Tychow in Pomerania to Fallingbostel in Lower Saxony, 500 miles distant, may stand as representative of the collective ordeal. A number of these prisoners had already made the 250-mile journey by sea from Stalag Luft VI at Heydekrug on the borders of Lithuania the previous summer, piled below decks in the disease-rife hold of a rusty cargo boat.
The march-out from Stalag Luft IV began on February 6, 1945, with the temperature 20 degrees below zero and with snow falling. Just 11km were covered before nightfall. Blisters on feet were soon bursting, opening them to infection. In the extreme cold resistance to disease was soon eroded. Injuries suffered in baling out or in combat were exacerbated.
Over the following interminable ice-cold days some lucky few might find a barn to lie in at night, but most were compelled to lie in the open. In snow- and waterfilled shell holes men clung to each other for warmth under a shared greatcoat. When guards were not looking the men raided the fields for potatoes, turnips and mangolds.
Raw rat became a delicacy. At times men were reduced to chewing grass. So near to starvation were they that one PoW recalled looking at his arm, suddenly realising it was a piece of meat and wondering, lightheadedly, whether he could bring himself to take a bite out of it.
The men were plagued with lice and the constant battle to rid themselves of them was a losing one. “If you kill one a thousand will come to its funeral” was the grim PoW saying. But the killer was dysentery, robbing men of their vitality – and dignity. In the utterly insanitary conditions it was almost impossible not to catch it. Men often chose to soil themselves as they marched, rather than falling out to risk being shot. Yet no one could afford to discard even the filthiest rags in the intense cold.
The brutality of their guards was compounded by the hostility of a populace who regarded the airmen as Luftgangsters and Terrorflieger as a result of the widespread damage from bombing raids. Friendly fire in one form or another was a constant peril. As the Stalag Luft IV men entered Swinemunde, bombs were falling on the port, while shrapnel from the flak defences fell among them.
In one of the worst incidents another group, ex-inmates of Stalag Luft III, were targeted by RAF Typhoon fighter bombers. In spite of frantic gesticulations by an officer who bravely exposed himself to cannon fire, waving his RAF greatcoat aloft, more than 60 PoWs, including him, were killed by pilots who could have no reason to imagine that a column on the move consisted of other than the enemy.
The figures for those who perished on these marches can only be estimates. Somewhere in the region of 10 per cent did not survive the ordeal. Commissioned by the Royal Air Forces ex-PoW Association, Pamela Taylor’s iconic study of a PoW dragging his remaining possessions on a makeshift sled commemorates those who did not reach the end of their terrible journey.
An extract from The Telegraph Newspaper after a ceremony to commemorate those who died on the ‘Long March’. Summer 2002
‘The marches were long and desperately arduous. Some POW’s walked for more than 500 miles and were on the road for many months. Hundreds died of exhaustion, disease and starvation. Those who survived were awed by their experience. How they escaped with their lives and eventually reached home is a gripping story of endurance and courage.
Extract from ‘The Last Escape’ by John Nichol & Tony Rennell
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us to ‘disrobe’ and shower. Our old uniforms were dumped into large containers but I did remember, however, to keep the piece of my parachute canopy and also my POW’s identity plate, together with the tailor’s scissors – my acquisition from Potsdam.
After donning my new uniform and packing the surplus equipment in a kit bag, I reported to the station orderly to collect a travel warrant, food coupons and some clothing coupons. My train time to Birmingham was given to me and I caught the next ‘lorry’ to leave the camp for Cosford Station. However, I had to stay overnight at Derby Station because of my lateness of departure but caught the early morning train to Lincoln to arrive home around 5.00 -6.00 am.
As I neared Lincoln I began to panic because of not knowing whether Jessie and the family knew of my existence. I walked from the Midland Station and arrived outside the door of No.4 William Street – and knocked.
Jessie came to the door with Dad’s mackintosh over her – we couldn’t believe we were together again. Everyone got up, even Grandma Dowse, to welcome me home. They did know that I was safe and had received my letters. It had been eight weeks however between receiving the ‘missing’ telegram and getting my first card from Dulag Luft, which was much longer than the norm for being advised. This of course was due to being held as a hostage and also travelling unnecessarily to arrive at Frankfurt.
Coming home was a wonderful experience and it was necessary to once again get to know my wife. There were both emotional and mental problems to pass through. I suppose today these would be dealt with by counselling, but such a process was not known in 1945.
Within twenty-four hours of getting home Jessie told me that I had been commissioned and had even received my new RAF number. The commission was backdated to my application in October 1944. It was therefore necessary for me to return to Cosford to obtain the changes of uniform, clothes coupons, shoes, socks, shirts etc. This meant staying two days at Cosford and then returning to Lincoln, but using first class travel. What a difference a day makes!
On my return home I went to Atkinsons the military tailors to be measured for my ‘best blues’, peak cap etc. All of this I had to pay for myself. I had already purchased a Canadian Crombie great coat from an officer who was being demobbed at Cosford before returning home. It was of better quality than could be obtained in the UK and was in excellent condition. I was able to obtain my mackintosh coat straight away so for May was adequately equipped.
After a few days in Lincoln Jessie and I went to Bridlington for a week. We stayed at Maud Gilberts, she had lived in Lincoln on Great Northern Terrace and Jack and Ethel had helped and supported her when she lost her husband at Dunkirk. As she hailed from the North East she had eventually returned to Bridlington.
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[Photograph]
Flying Officer Eric William Scott and Mrs Jessie G Scott
[Photograph]
Identity Disc
[Photograph]
New Wings
[Photograph]
Final entries in Observer’s and Air Gunners Flying Log Book
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I forgot to mention that my leave was for sixteen weeks and if I wanted anything either medically or otherwise I had to report to RAF Wittering, near Peterborough. Jessie gave up her job to be with me. As it happens I did have to go to our local G.P. because a rash of spot appeared on my body. He said it was caused by enrichments of the blood with returning to a normal diet. During my leave I went into town towards mid-day and to the Black Bull in the Hight Street as I had learned that returning military personnel congregated there. On my first visit I was amazed to see my old school friend Frank Curtis. He was a WOP/AG on Halifax’s, flying from Yorkshire. His left leg was missing, apparently having been virtually severed by shell fire whilst attacking flying bomb sights [sic]. He had been in hospital for some months but was now home on indefinite leave and on crutches. He was married to Lillian who unfortunately had contracted TB, but recovery was hopeful. The four of us spent many happy hours together and I travelled with Frank to Ely hospital to try on his new tin leg. After two or three visits he eventually came away with his tin leg on. It was a painful process learning to walk again, but eventually he succeeded in using it permanently with the help of a stick, and handed back his crutches.
During my sixteen-week leave I was visited by Jack our Canadian Navigator and I also saw Jock Nichols at Cosford. Snowy I did not see but learned from other New Zealand Ex POW’s that he was on a draft to return home, so that accounted for the four crew members who had safely returned to the U.K.
Wel all enjoyed V.J. day together – Frank and Lillian, brother-in-law Jim and sisters-in-law Mary and Janet, the latter cartwheeling down the road and also paddling in the beck. My leave came to an end and I reported to RAF Wittering where they fed us on venison and knocked us into shape military fashion. I was volunteered to lead a flight of NCO’s and other ranks on an official parade in Peterborough. I had forgotten all of my drill procedures so had to go ‘cap in hand’ to the Station Warrant Officer for verbal and physical instruction to enable me to carry out this function. So Flying Officer Scott had his first official function to perform since being commissioned.
After two or three weeks at Wittering I was re-musterd as a Flying Control Officer and posted to Pershore, near Evesham. We worked in three eight hour shifts 6.0am-2.0pm being the first. It was interesting work and, with the aid of a batwoman (WAAF) who kept my uniform, shoes, etc. immaculately clean, woke me at the appropriate times for duty, made my bed, changed towels, dealt with the laundry etc., life was quite good. Another officer who had been on flying control at Pershore for some months had rented a house in Cheltenham and his wife and daughter lived there whilst he commuted every second day to stay with them for 36 hours, which was allowed within the shift system.
It transpired that he was going on leave for two weeks and that the house would be vacant for that period. He gave me the opportunity of living there with Jessie for that time, paying rent and fuel costs. We jumped at this opportunity of being together and Jessie travelled down to Cheltenham, Ist Class! to meet the departing wife and family and to get to know the house and its workings before they actually left.
I had already received my cycle from Lincoln so, on my 36 hour break from duty I would pedal into Evesham, catch the Black and White bus to Cheltenham and they
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[Photograph]
Jessie and Eric with Jacqueline - (aged three months)
[Photograph]
Vickers-Armstrong Wellington III
Postcard sent from Jack and Marjorie Morval on 1st August 1994
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would look after my bike. It was a good arrangement and we really enjoyed that time together, even visiting Weston-Super-Mare. On departing Weston-Super-Mare on one particular visit we decided we would purchase a block of ice cream to take home. We put the block on the luggage rack above us as we were on the front seat near the door. Imagine our surprise on seeing runny ice cream dripping off the rack at the back of the bus. It was definitely a case of keeping a ‘low profile’! Cheltenham at that time was a very high class Spa town and we explored it thoroughly.
Following Jessie’s return to Lincoln, I was sent to Watchfield, the place where my flying began, on a Flying Control Officer’s course. This lasted two to three weeks. I then continued my duties at the control tower at Pershore until my demobilisation became imminent in August. The RAF advised me that they would be willing to extend my commission, but would require me to be posted to Hendon as a flying control officer on passenger transport. I pondered this issue and received much advice from both service friends and those at home. I decided eventually that if I stayed in the RAF both Jessie and I would be shunted around both in the UK and overseas and that our times apart would be unacceptable. I advised the RAF that I wished to be demobbed. Towards the end of August I reported to London where I received the necessary discharge papers, sports coat and flannels etc. and a travel warrant to Lincoln.
My life in the RAF was at an end and my leave was given to the end of September. After a week at home, before which Jessie had moved from 4 William Street to her mothers at 61 Great Northern Terrace, I reported to Clayton Dewandre to take up my career again as a technician. Because of my break in apprenticeship I was classified as a Dilutee. My weekly salary was £4.19s.6p, barely a living wage but somehow we managed.
Jacqueline was born on 18th of October 1946 at Great Northern Terrace and was the first baby to be delivered by our ex Royal Navy GP Dr. Leane. He always referred to her as his first demob baby.
That winter of 1946/47 was very cold with hard layers of snow. A quick thaw in April 1947 caused widespread flooding in Lincoln and we had to move out, going uphill to my sister Mary’s in St. Hugh’s Street. It took many days of mopping up, cleaning and disinfecting to make our two rooms habitable again.
In June 1947 we acquired a house to rent at 22 Chelmsford Street, through the good auspices of George James’ mother (sister-in-law Janet’s mother-in-law) who knew the Landlord, a Mr. Dalton.
After six/eight weeks of hard work we moved in and this was really the beginning of our life as a family.
36
[Page break]
[Newspaper article]
THE
Prisoner of War
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR DEPARTMENT OF THE RED CROSS AND ST. JOHN ORGANISATION, ST. JAMES’S PALACE, LONDON, S.W.1
VOL. 4. No. 39. THE FINAL ISSUE July, 1945
Message from Field-Marshal Lord Chetwode
THIS is the last issue of “The Prisoner of War.” There is no longer any need for the journal since those who were prisoners or internees in Europe are now free and with few exceptions are at home again.
The Red Cross and St. John War Organisation rejoices that this piece of its work has been finished. No Editor, I am sure, ever saw his paper come to an end with such satisfaction as the Editor of “The Prisoner of War.”
The flow of letters that has come from next of kin has told us how eagerly each copy of the journal was looked forward to each month. Time and again, mothers and wives have written to say that it has seemed to bring their dear ones nearer to them. I am certain that all who were prisoners and are now happily restored to their families will remember it as one of the best services which the Organisation has rendered. Their gratitude is a reward which we are proud to have earned.
To every man who has been a prisoner, and to every family now reunited, I wish a future of abiding peace and renewed happiness. They will all be mindful, I know, as are we in the Red Cross and St. John War Organisation, that war still rages in the Far East and that men and women of our race are held captive by the Japanese. There we still have work to do and for their next of kin we shall continue to produce “Far East,” the sister journal of “The Prisoner of War.” I am confident that we shall have the good wishes and the active support of all to whom, directly or indirectly, this journal has been a source of comfort during the three years of its existence.
The Editor Writes –
IT falls to me as Editor to make my final farewell in this last issue of The Prisoner of War. At the beginning of 1944 I wrote in these columns that the best New Year’s wish I could offer to all our readers was that before many months had passed they would no longer be our readers. That wish was fulfilled for some, as the repatriation ships came in during the year, but for many the eagerly awaited day was deferred until victory had been won. To-day there are no more Kriegies, no more letters from German camps and lazarets, no more Red Cross parcels – and no more need for this journal.
I cannot believe that any editor ever owed so much to so many of his readers. It has been on their letters, and those they received from their men in exile, that this journal has been built up. We depended on them for most of the news and all the photographs of life in the camps that we have published.
“Far East” will Continue
Far East, our companion journal, which started on its separate existence near the beginning of last year, will outlive us. It will be published as and when information becomes available about the lot of those in the hands of the Japanese. Unhappily news in the past has been rare, and the services that it has been possible for the United Nations to render have been limited, irregular, and unevenly distributed. But everything that it is humanly possible to do is being done. The Governments, the Red Cross Societies, the Protecting Power, the International Red Cross Committee and their delegates on the spot are leaving no stone unturned to bring succour to the prisoners.
“Not Forgotten”
On other pages of this last issue appear articles by the heads of the various sections of the Prisoners of War Department which have ministered to the many needs of prisoners in Germany and Italy. For all of them and their colleagues their work has been in the nature of a mission cheerfully and lovingly undertaken in the knowledge that they were not only succouring fellow-countrymen and women in exile but were helping them to realise that they were not forgotten by those at home.
F.M. Lord Chetwode, O.M.
On this page appears a message from Field Marshal Lord Chetwode, O.M., the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Red Cross and St. John War Organisation. It is upon him, as its supreme administrator, that the heavy burden falls of directing and inspiring the manifold human activities of the Organisation.
Not the least of the reasons why hundreds of thousands have had cause to be grateful to the Organisation for its work during these war years had been its “personal touch.” Sir Philip Chetwode crowned his brilliant career as a soldier by this great mission for the men in the Forces. Our readers will join us in congratulating him upon the barony which the King had conferred upon him in recognition of his distinguished work for sufferers in this war.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
(See Page 16)
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The memoir of Eric William Scott
Description
An account of the resource
Text and numerous b/w photographs (some of which are also located in sub-collection albums) covering from immediately before and during World War II - (1939-1946). First page has colour photographs and description of prisoner of war medal. Continues with account of RAFVR training including time at the Air Crew Reception Centre, St John's Wood, London, initial training at Stratford-upon-Avon and elementary flying training at RAF Watchfield. Gives account of journey to the United States to continue training on the Arnold Scheme at Turner Field, Albany, Georgia, Callstrom Field, Arcadia Florida, Gunter Field, Montgomery Alabama and Craig Field, Selma, Alabama flying Stearman, BT-13 and Harvard. At the last location an accident brought an end to his pilot training and he continues as navigator/bomb aimer at Picton in Ontario Canada. Pages contain many photographs, exttracts from the cadet handbook and his logbook. On return to UK he did operational training a RAF Moreton in the Marsh where he crewed up. He got married just before posting to North Africa. Gives account of journey to join 205 Group in North Africa and of first tour on 142 Squadron where he flew 38 operations and of life in North Africa. After this he was posted as an instructor to an operational training unit in Qastina Palestine where he had an opportunity to visit Jerusalem, Haifa, Bethlehem and Tel Aviv. In June 1944 he agreed to do a second tour and was posted to 37 Squadron at Foggia in Italy. Gives account of operations including gardening in the Danube river. Gives account of final operation to Maribor marshalling yard in Yugoslavia where after attack by night fighter he baled out of his aircraft. Follows with account of capture by Croatian military. hand over to the Germans and journey to Stalag Luft 7, Upper Silesia and life in prisoner of war camp. Then underwent the long march back to Germany in the face of Russian advance. Concludes with repatriation and life after return to England.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
E W Scott
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Thirty-seven page printed document with text and photographs
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BScottEWScottEWv1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
England--Lincoln
England--Bedfordshire
England--London
England--Warwickshire
England--Stratford-upon-Avon
England--Wiltshire
England--Manchester
Scotland--Glasgow
Canada
New Brunswick--Moncton
United States
Georgia--Albany
Florida--Arcadia
England--Gloucestershire
England--Cornwall (County)
North Africa
Algeria
Algeria--Blida
Tunisia
Tunisia--Qayrawān
Middle East--Palestine
Middle East--Jerusalem
West Bank--Bethlehem
Israel--Tel Aviv
Israel--Haifa
Italy
Italy--Foggia
Romania
Romania--Ploiești
Slovenia
Slovenia--Maribor
Poland
Poland--Opole (Voivodeship)
Germany
Germany--Potsdam
England--Shropshire
Florida
Georgia
New Brunswick
Israel
West Bank
England--Lancashire
Danube River
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-02
1941-10
1941-11-03
1941-12
1942-01-06
1942-01
1942-02-09
1942-03-24
1942-05
1942-06
1942-07-02
1942-11
1943-04-19
1943-05-27
1943-06-09
1943-10-03
1944-06
1944-07-23
1944-10-21
1945-03
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Anne-Marie Watson
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending text-based transcription. Under review
142 Squadron
37 Squadron
aircrew
bale out
bomb aimer
Caterpillar Club
Dulag Luft
Flying Training School
Harvard
lack of moral fibre
love and romance
mine laying
navigator
Operational Training Unit
pilot
prisoner of war
RAF Cardington
RAF Cosford
RAF Moreton in the Marsh
RAF Watchfield
recruitment
Red Cross
searchlight
shot down
Stalag 3A
Stalag Luft 7
Stearman
the long march
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1671/30472/MCameronD173516-200820-04.2.jpg
734de21ae87375e2c91d24641273e1c0
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cameron, Don
D Cameron
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-08-20
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Cameron, D
Description
An account of the resource
90 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Don Cameron (173516, Royal Air Force) a pilot who flew Lancaster on 115 Squadron. Collection contains his log books, a memoir, a aircrew categorisation card and photographs.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Neil Cameron and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
Permission granted for commercial projects
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
HEADQUARTERS AVIATION CADET BASIC TRAINING GROUP
THE AIR CORPS BASIC FLYING SCHOOL
OFFICE OF THE COMMANDING OFFICER
Cochran Field, Macon, Georgia
November 5, 1942.
GROUP ORDER NO. 48
1. For “Gross insubordination to commissioned Navigation Instructor, i.e., accusing instructor of aiding other students in an examination, 20th Ult.,” Aviation Cadet (UK) DONALD CAMERON, Class 43-B, is awarded 15 demerits, confined to restricted limits until transfer of Class 43-B to Advanced School, and will serve all scheduled punishment tours.
2. For “Being under the influence of liquor, and general misconduct of such nature as to be apprehended by the Military Police, about 0050 A.M., 1st Inst., “Aviation Cadet THOMAS GARVIN MITCHELL, Class 43-A, is awarded 15 demerits, confined to restricted limits until transfer of Class 43-A to Advanced School, and will serve all scheduled punishment tours.
[signature]
FRANK W. ISEMAN, Jr.,
Major, Air Corps,
Commanding.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Group order siting Donald Cameron for gross insubordination
Description
An account of the resource
States Aviation Cadet Donald Cameron was awarded 15 demerits and confined to restricted limits for gross insubordination to commissioned navigation instructor. Submitted with caption 'Disciplined for insubordination'.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
F W Iseman
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-11-05
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One page typewritten document
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MCameronD173516-200820-04
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
United States
Georgia--Macon
Georgia
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-11-05
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
David Bloomfield
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
military discipline
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/185/3629/LSayerT591744v1.1.pdf
83e258c6faf6ed7815681549299d9b06
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sayer, Tom
Tom Sayer
T Sayer
Description
An account of the resource
13 items. An oral history interview with Flying Officer Thomas Sayer DFM (1922 - 2021, 591744 54901 Royal Air Force), two log books, service material, newspaper cuttings and photographs. After training as a pilot in the United States of America, Tom Sayer flew Halifaxes with 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklington. He was commissioned in 1944 and became an instructor.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Tom Sayer and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-02-17
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Sayer, T
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tom Sayer's Royal Canadian Air Force pilot's flying log book. Book one
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LSayerT591744v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force. Coastal Command
Royal Air Force. Transport Command
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
one booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1943-02-22
1943-02-25
1943-02-28
1943-03-03
1943-03-06
1943-03-09
1943-03-12
1943-03-15
1943-04-30
1943-05-25
1943-05-26
1943-05-27
1943-05-28
1943-05-29
1943-05-30
1943-06-11
1943-06-12
1943-06-19
1943-06-20
1943-06-21
1943-06-22
1943-07-13
1943-07-14
1943-07-15
1943-07-16
1943-07-24
1943-07-25
1943-07-26
1943-07-30
1943-07-31
1943-08-09
1943-08-10
1943-08-11
1943-08-12
1943-08-13
1943-08-17
1943-08-18
1943-08-23
1943-08-24
1943-08-25
1943-08-27
1943-08-28
1943-08-30
1943-08-31
1943-09-01
1943-09-05
1943-09-06
1943-09-27
1943-09-28
1943-09-29
1943-09-30
1943-10-04
1943-10-05
1943-10-08
1943-10-09
1944-07-18
1944-07-19
1944-09-01
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Canada
France
Germany
Great Britain
United States
Alabama
Florida
England--Gloucestershire
England--Yorkshire
Georgia--Atlanta
France--Le Creusot
France--Montbéliard
Germany--Aachen
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Essen
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Krefeld
Germany--Leverkusen
Germany--Mannheim
Germany--Munich
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Peenemünde
Germany--Wuppertal
Italy--Milan
Germany--Düsseldorf
England--Cornwall (County)
Italy
Georgia
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Description
An account of the resource
Royal Canadian Air Force pilot's flying log book for Sergeant Tom Sayer from 28 July 1941 to 17 December 1944. Detailing training and operations flown with Coastal Command and Bomber Command. After training in the United States and Canada he served at RAF Linton on Ouse, RAF Marston Moor, RAF Pocklington. Aircraft flown were Stearman, Vultee, Harvard, Oxford, Blenheim, Whitley, Halifax, Anson, Horsa and Stirling. He carried out a total of 35 complete operations as a pilot, eight antisubmarine patrols with 10 OTU from RAF St Eval, one with 76 Squadron from RAF Marston Moor and 25 with 102 Squadron from RAF Pocklington on the following targets in France, Germany and Italy: Aachen, Berlin, Bochum, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Krefeld, Le Creusot, Leverkusen, Mannheim, Milan, Montbeliard, Munich, Nuremberg, Peenemunde and Wuppertal. His first or second pilots on operations were Sergeant Carrie, Sergeant Hewlett, Sergeant Lewis, Pilot Officer Mann, Sergeant Green, Flying Officer Phillips, Sergeant Davis, Sergeant Henderson, Sergeant Thorpe, Sergeant Miller, Flight Sergeant Cummings and Flying Officer Kay. He then became an instructor and glider tug pilot. The log book is well annotated and contains printed training material. He completed one additional special operation 18 July 1944 with 620 Squadron from RAF Fairford ‘(SAS. 3 chutists, 24 containers 4 paniers [sic])’ and 1 September 1944 from RAF Ringway ‘parachute jump 600’ singly into lake.’
10 OTU
102 Squadron
1652 HCU
17 OTU
620 Squadron
76 Squadron
81 OTU
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
Anson
Blenheim
bombing
bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943)
Bombing of Peenemünde (17/18 August 1943)
Flying Training School
Halifax
Halifax Mk 1
Halifax Mk 2
Halifax Mk 3
Halifax Mk 5
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
Horsa
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Fairford
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor
RAF Leconfield
RAF Linton on Ouse
RAF Marston Moor
RAF Ossington
RAF Pocklington
RAF Ringway
RAF Sleap
RAF St Eval
RAF Stanton Harcourt
RAF Tilstock
RAF Upwood
Stearman
Stirling
submarine
training
Whitley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/704/11815/LBeethamMJ[Ser -DoB]v1.pdf
8f08975309682a9cca55096aaf343edb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Beetham, Michael
Sir Michael Beetham
M Beetham
Description
An account of the resource
Five items. The collection concerns Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL (1923 - 2015) and contains his five flying log books. He flew a tour of operations as a pilot with 50 Squadron. After the war he flew on the goodwill tour of the United States with 35 Squadron. He remained in the RAF and rose in rank until his retirement in the 1980s.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Sir Michael Beetham and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-09-09
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Beetham, MJ
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Michael Beetham's pilot's flying log book. One
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book one for Michael James Beetham, covering the period from 2 March 1942 to 17 November 1945. Detailing his flying training. Operations flown, instructor duties and post war squadron duties. He was stationed at RAF Perth, USAAC Lakeland, USAAC Gunter Field, USAAC Turner Field, RAF Desford, RAF Church Lawford, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Wigsley, RAF Skellingthorpe, RAF Lulsgate Bottom, RAF Syerston and RAF East Kirkby. Aircraft flown were, DH82a, Stearman, Vultee, Cessna AT17, Curtis AT9, Oxford, Anson, Wellington, Halifax, Lancaster and Lincoln. He flew a total of 30 night operations with 50 Squadron and one Operation Exodus and two Operation Dodge with 57 Squadron. Targets were, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Stettin, Brunswick, Augsburg, Stuttgart, Marseilles, Essen, Nuremberg, Toulouse, Aachen, Juvisy, Paris, Schweinfurt, Bordeaux, Juvincourt and Bari. His pilot for his first 'second dickie' operation was Flight Lieutenant Bolton.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LBeethamMJ19230517v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Great Britain
Italy
United States
Alabama--Montgomery
England--Leicestershire
England--Lincolnshire
England--Nottinghamshire
England--Rutland
England--Somerset
England--Warwickshire
Florida--Lakeland
France--Aisne
France--Essonne
France--Marseille
France--Paris
France--Toulouse
Georgia--Albany
Germany--Aachen
Germany--Augsburg
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Braunschweig
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Essen
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Leipzig
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Schweinfurt
Poland--Szczecin
Germany--Stuttgart
Italy--Bari
Scotland--Perth
France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
Poland
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
France--Juvincourt-et-Damary
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1943
1944
1944-03-30
1944-03-31
1944-04-06
1944-04-18
1944-04-19
1945
1944-04-05
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
50 Squadron
57 Squadron
aircrew
Anson
bombing
bombing of Nuremberg (30 / 31 March 1944)
bombing of the Juvisy, Noisy-le-Sec and Le Bourget railways (18/19 April 1944)
bombing of Toulouse (5/6 April 1944)
Halifax
Ju 88
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Lincoln
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Operation Dodge (1945)
Operation Exodus (1945)
Oxford
pilot
RAF Church Lawford
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Desford
RAF East Kirkby
RAF Hunmanby Moor
RAF Market Harborough
RAF Morton Hall
RAF Skellingthorpe
RAF Swinderby
RAF Syerston
RAF Wigsley
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/778/15055/LGoffCC746538v2.2.pdf
1224348d25c1a3ec92fe925026d1df47
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Goff, Cyril
Cyril C Goff
C C Goff
Description
An account of the resource
Three items. The collection concerns Pilot Officer Cyril Goff (746538, Royal Air Force) and contains two log books and a handwritten note naming his crew. He was a pilot and flew 13 operations with 100 Squadron from RAF Grimsby.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by N Bussey and catalogued by David Leitch.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-12-12
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Goff, CC
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cyril Charles Goff’s pilot flight record and log book (USA issue). Two
Description
An account of the resource
Pilot Flight Record and Log Book for Pilot Officer Cyril Charles Goff from March 1942 to May 1943. Detailing Arnold Scheme training schedule in the United States at Americus, Montgomery, Albany and later at RAF Perton.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
David Leitch
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LGoffCC746538v2
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
United States
Great Britain
Alabama
Georgia
Alabama--Montgomery
Georgia--Albany
Georgia--Americus
England--Staffordshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
aircrew
Flying Training School
pilot
Stearman
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/968/17236/LBartonCJ168669v1.1.pdf
03b072441c793e470422c31d27a242a9
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Barton, Cyril
Cyril Joe Barton VC
C J Barton
Description
An account of the resource
Eight items. The collection concerns Cyril Joe Barton VC (1921 - 1944, <span>168669 Royal Air Force</span>) and contains his log book, letters, and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 76, 78 and 578 Squadrons and was p<span>osthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his efforts in saving the other crew members when returning from an operation to </span>Nuremberg on 30/31 March 1944.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Cynthia Maidment and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Some items have been reproduced with the kind Permission of the Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum.<br /><br /><span>Additional information on Cyril Joe Barton is available via the </span><a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/201483/">IBCC Losses Database</a><span>.</span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-10-06
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Barton, CJ
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cyril J Barton’s Royal Canadian Air Force pilots flying log book
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Description
An account of the resource
Royal Canadian Air Force pilots flying log book for Cyril Joe Barton. Covering the period from 19 January 1942 to 27 March 1944. Detailing his flying training and operations flown. He was stationed at Darr Aero Tech, USAF Cochran Field, USAF Napier Field, RAF Chipping Norton, RAF Little Rissington, RAF Chipping Warden, RAF Kinloss, RAF Rufforth, RAF Breighton, RAF Snaith and RAF Burn. Aircraft flown were, Stearman PT17, Vultee BT 13a, North American AT6, Oxford, Whitley and Halifax. He flew a total of 19 night operations, 2 with 1663 conversion unit while attached to 76 squadron, 10 with 78 squadron and 7 with 578 squadron. Targets were, Hamburg, Montlucon, Hannover, Mannheim, Bochum, Leverkusen, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Essen. <span>His first or second pilots on operations were </span>Flight Sergeant Myers, Sergeant Ward and Flying Officer Bennett. His log book is stamped Killed in action. This item has been reproduced with the kind Permission of the Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LBartonCJ168669v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Great Britain
United States
Alabama--Dale County
England--Gloucestershire
England--Northamptonshire
England--Oxfordshire
England--Yorkshire
France--Montluçon
Georgia--Albany
Georgia--Macon
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Essen
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Leverkusen
Germany--Mannheim
Germany--Stuttgart
Scotland--Kinloss
Alabama
Georgia
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
1944
1943-07-24
1943-07-25
1943-07-27
1943-07-28
1943-09-15
1943-09-16
1943-09-22
1943-09-23
1943-09-24
1943-09-27
1943-09-28
1943-09-29
1943-09-30
1943-11-19
1943-11-22
1943-11-23
1943-11-25
1943-11-26
1943-12-29
1943-11-30
1944-03-16
1944-03-17
1944-03-18
1944-03-19
1944-03-22
1944-03-23
1944-03-24
1944-03-25
1944-03-26
1944-03-27
1663 HCU
19 OTU
578 Squadron
76 Squadron
78 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
bombing
bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943)
Flying Training School
Halifax
Halifax Mk 3
Halifax Mk 5
Heavy Conversion Unit
killed in action
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Breighton
RAF Burn
RAF Chipping Norton
RAF Chipping Warden
RAF Kinloss
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Rufforth
RAF Snaith
Stearman
training
Whitley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/714/17632/LBlowH158577v1.1.pdf
efb1310acab9ed075cc762a68f8656a6
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Blow, Harold
H Blow
Description
An account of the resource
One log book containing photographs. The collection concerns Harold Blow (158577 Royal Air Force). He completed a tour of operations as a pilot with 9 Squadron and served as an instructor. After the war he served with 616 Squadron until he was killed on 22nd May 1954 flying a Meteor.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Patrick Blow and catalogued by archive staff.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-04-22
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Blow, H
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Harold Blow’s pilots flying log book
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book for Harold Blow, covering the period from 22 January 1942 to 30 May 1946 and from 10 July 1949 to 20 May 1954, detailing his flying training, operations flown, instructor duties and post war duties with 616 Squadron. He was stationed at RAF Sywell, USAAF Americus, USAAF Cochran Field, USAAF Moody Field, RAF Carlisle, RAF Little Rissington, RAF Chipping Warden, RAF Silverstone, RAF Winthorpe, RAF Bardney, RAF Bruntingthorpe, RAF Finningly, RAF Bishops Court, RAF Shawbury, RAF Tangmere, RAF Church Fenton and RAF Takali. Aircraft flown were, Tiger Moth, Stearman PT17, Vultee BT 13a, Beechcraft AT10, Oxford, Wellington, Manchester, Lancaster, Harvard and Meteor. He flew a total of 30 night operations with 9 squadron. Targets were, Kassel, Dusseldorf, Modane, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stettin, Magdeburg, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Schweinfurt, Augsburg, Essen, Nuremburg, Toulouse, Tours and Aachen. <span>His pilot for his first 'second dickie' operation was </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}">Pilot Officer Turnbull</span>. There is a green endorsement at the end for skill in bombing the target and returning with a damaged aircraft after a mid-air collision. The log book also contains four crew pictures with details and a paper clipping after his tour of the far East. Harold Blow was killed on 22nd May 1954 flying with 616 Royal Auxilliary Air Force flying a Meteor 8.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LBlowH158577v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Great Britain
Malta
Poland
United States
England--Cumbria
England--Gloucestershire
England--Leicestershire
England--Lincolnshire
England--Northamptonshire
England--Shropshire
England--Yorkshire
France--Modane
France--Toulouse
France--Tours
Georgia--Americus
Georgia--Macon
Georgia--Moody Air Force Base
Germany--Aachen
Germany--Augsburg
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Essen
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Kassel
Germany--Leipzig
Germany--Magdeburg
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Schweinfurt
Germany--Stuttgart
Northern Ireland--Down (County)
Poland--Szczecin
Germany--Düsseldorf
England--Sussex
Georgia
Great Britain
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
1943-10-22
1943-10-23
1944
1944-03-30
1944-03-31
1944-04-05
1944-04-06
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1943-11-03
1943-11-04
1943-11-10
1943-11-11
1943-11-18
1943-11-19
1943-11-22
1943-11-23
1943-11-24
1943-12-16
1943-12-17
1943-12-20
1943-12-23
1943-12-24
1943-12-29
1943-12-30
1944-01-01
1944-01-02
1944-01-05
1944-01-06
1944-01-21
1944-01-22
1944-01-27
1944-01-28
1944-01-29
1944-01-30
1944-01-31
1944-02-15
1944-02-16
1944-02-19
1944-02-20
1944-02-24
1944-02-25
1944-02-26
1944-03-01
1944-03-02
1944-03-15
1944-03-16
1944-03-18
1944-03-19
1944-03-22
1944-03-23
1944-03-24
1944-03-25
1944-03-26
1944-03-27
1944-04-10
1944-04-11
1944-04-12
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
11 OTU
1661 HCU
17 OTU
29 OTU
9 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
bombing
bombing of Kassel (22/23 October 1943)
bombing of Nuremberg (30 / 31 March 1944)
bombing of Toulouse (5/6 April 1944)
Flying Training School
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster
Manchester
Meteor
mid-air collision
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Bardney
RAF Bishops Court
RAF Bruntingthorpe
RAF Carlisle
RAF Church Fenton
RAF Finningley
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Shawbury
RAF Silverstone
RAF Sywell
RAF Tangmere
RAF Winthorpe
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/240/26908/LCoxJ133397v1.2.pdf
5116cf4dfbde297c183ecd34852b6838
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cox, John
John Cox
J Cox
Description
An account of the resource
Seven Items. Includes an oral history interview with John Cox (133397 Royal Air Force), his logbooks and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 626 Squadron before becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by John Cox and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-10-14
2016-03-21
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Cox, J
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
John Cox’s pilots flying log book. One
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LCoxJ133397v1
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book for John Cox, covering the period from 9 January 1942 to 12 June 1944. Detailing his flying training and instructor duties. He was stationed at RAF Perth, USAF Tuscaloosa, USAF Gunter Field, USAF Turner Field, USAF Kelly Field, USAF Ellington Field, RCAF Moncton, RAF Speke, RAF Calveley and RAF Newton. Aircraft flown were, Tiger Moth, Stearman PT17, Vultee BT13, Cessna AT17, Curtis AT9, Fairchild 20, Beechcraft AT10, North American AT6, North American BC-1, Dakota, Oxford and B-17.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Canada
Great Britain
United States
Alabama--Montgomery
Alabama--Tuscaloosa
England--Cheshire
England--Liverpool
England--Nottinghamshire
Georgia--Albany
New Brunswick--Moncton
Scotland--Perth
Texas--Houston
Texas--San Antonio
Alabama
Georgia
Texas
New Brunswick
England--Lancashire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
1944
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
B-17
C-47
Flying Training School
Oxford
pilot
RAF Calveley
RAF Newton
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1671/30469/LCameronD173516v1.2.pdf
3bba4ccee982fbbb1656515789fdcad8
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cameron, Don
D Cameron
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-08-20
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Cameron, D
Description
An account of the resource
90 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Don Cameron (173516, Royal Air Force) a pilot who flew Lancaster on 115 Squadron. Collection contains his log books, a memoir, a aircrew categorisation card and photographs.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Neil Cameron and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
Permission granted for commercial projects
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Don Cameron pilot's flying log book. One
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LCameronD173516v1
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Description
An account of the resource
Pilot’s flying log book, one, for Don Cameron, covering the period from 23 March 1942 to 22 January 1943. Detailing his flying training. He was stationed at RAF Booker, USAAF Lakeland, USAAF Cochran Field and USAAF Napier Field. Aircraft flown in were Tiger Moth, Stearman PT17, Vultee BT13a and Harvard.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
United States
England--Buckinghamshire
Alabama--Dothan
Florida--Lakeland
Georgia--Macon
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
aircrew
Flying Training School
Harvard
pilot
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2067/34126/LStimpsonMC155249v1.1.pdf
783b1394502ed4dbd7c1ab0923478974
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Stimpson, Maurice Cecil
Description
An account of the resource
124 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Maurice Cecil Stimpson DFC (1921 - 1944, 155249 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, photographs, documents, and pennants. He flew operations as a pilot with 156 Squadron and was killed 15 February 1944. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Tony France and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Maurice Cecil Stimpson is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/226992/">IBCC Loses Database.</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-09-22
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stimpson,
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Maurice Cecil Stimpson’s pilot’s flying log book. One
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LStimpsonMC155249v1
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Description
An account of the resource
Pilot’s flying log book for Maurice Cecil Stimpson, covering the period from 19 December 1941 to 30 July 1943. Detailing his flying training and operation flown. He was stationed at RAF Perth, USAAC Alabany, USAAC Moody Field, RAF Little Rissington, RAF Seighford, RAF Windrush, RAF Chipping Warden, RAF Blyton, RAF Hixon, RAF Lindholme and RAF Warboys. Aircraft flown in were Tiger Moth, Stearman PT17, Vultee BT13a, Beechcraft BT10, Curtiss AT9, Oxford, Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster. He flew one operation with 30 Operational Training Unit and 2 operations with 156 squadron. Targets were Brest and Hamburg. His pilots for his first 'second dickie' operations were Sergeant Overton and Pilot Officer Sullivan.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1943-06-03
1943-06-04
1943-07-24
1943-07-25
1943-07-27
1943-07-28
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Great Britain
Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Gloucestershire
England--Lincolnshire
England--Northamptonshire
England--Staffordshire
England--Yorkshire
France--Brest
Georgia--Albany
Georgia--Valdosta Metropolitan Area
Germany--Hamburg
Scotland--Perthshire
Georgia
United States
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
156 Squadron
1662 HCU
30 OTU
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
bombing
bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943)
Flying Training School
Halifax
Heavy Conversion Unit
killed in action
Lancaster
missing in action
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Blyton
RAF Chipping Warden
RAF Hixon
RAF Lindholme
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Seighford
RAF Warboys
RAF Windrush
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2357/45504/LFoskettW1323050v1.2.pdf
d138a6db77302690becc2c2a216e6a23
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Foskett, William
Description
An account of the resource
104 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant William Foskett (b. 1921, 13230505 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, correspondence, documents, and photographs.
He flew operations as an air gunner and navigator with 214 Squadron. After the war, he was stationed in Italy, France, Germany and North Africa.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Peter Foskett and catalogued by Barry Hunter with the assistance of Roberto Bassi of the Aeroclub Friulano Campoformido.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2021-04-07
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Foskett, W
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Bill Foskett’s civilian Pilot Flight Record and Log Book (Log Book 2)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LFoskettW1323050v1
Description
An account of the resource
Bill Foskett’s Aviation Supply Corporation Pilot Flight Record regarding his pilot’s training from 8th July until 2nd October 1942 at the US Army Air Force Training Detachment. Served at Souther and Cochran Fields, Georgia.
Aircraft flown were Stearman PT17 and Vultee BT13A
No operational flying.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
United States
Georgia
Georgia--Americus
Georgia--Macon
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Nick Cornwell-Smith
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
aircrew
Flying Training School
pilot
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2357/45505/LFoskettW1323050v2.1.pdf
d2a755280d8713bc33c070907e78a1e2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Foskett, William
Description
An account of the resource
104 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant William Foskett (b. 1921, 13230505 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, correspondence, documents, and photographs.
He flew operations as an air gunner and navigator with 214 Squadron. After the war, he was stationed in Italy, France, Germany and North Africa.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Peter Foskett and catalogued by Barry Hunter with the assistance of Roberto Bassi of the Aeroclub Friulano Campoformido.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2021-04-07
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Foskett, W
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Bill Foskett’s Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book. (Log Book 1)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LFoskettW1323050v2
Description
An account of the resource
Bill Foskett’s Flying Log Book from 20th March 1942 until 9th August 1943. Training started at 3 EFTS before moving to training bases in America. Returned to England to 15 OTU from July 1943.
Served at RAF Shellingford, Souther Field USA, Cochran Field USA, RAF Harwell.
Aircraft flown were Tiger Moth, Stearman PT17, Vultee BT13A, Wellington.
No operational flying.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Berkshire
England--Oxfordshire
United States
Georgia
Georgia--Americus
Georgia--Macon
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Nick Cornwell-Smith
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
15 OTU
aircrew
Flying Training School
Operational Training Unit
pilot
RAF Harwell
RAF Shellingford
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/555/32351/LPennyJA1345892v1.1.pdf
e2c7c76df86f1a75c3fa94e8dfa90ce5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Penny, Jim
James Alfred Penny
J A Penny
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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Penny, J
Description
An account of the resource
Three items. Two oral history interviews with Flight Lieutenant Jim Penny (b. 1922, 1345892 Royal Air Force) and his log book.
He joined the RAF in 1940 and flew operations as a pilot with 97 Squadron from RAF Bourn. Targets included Nuremberg, München Gladbach, Berlin, Montlucon Dunlop rubber factory in France, and the Modane Tower Tunnel. His aircraft was shot down over Berlin 24 November 1943 and he became a prisoner of war. He was liberated on 3 May 1945 and retired from the RAF on 19 July 1971.
The collection was catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-08-16
Requires
A related resource that is required by the described resource to support its function, delivery, or coherence.
Jim joined the RAF in July 1940 on his 18th birthday. His ‘Flight’ was sent to the US to train under the ‘Arnold scheme’. He went to a variety of bases to learn to fly (detained in 1st interview), flying the PT17 Stearman biplane, BT-13A, AT-6A Harvard, Vultee-13, and then the Armstrong Siddeley, before returning on the Queen Elizabeth as a newly commissioned pilot with the rank of Sergeant.
On returning to the UK, he was posted to RAF Shawbury (Shropshire) Advance Flying Unit. Jim’s next posting was to RAF Tilstock Heath where he ‘crewed up’. Complete with crew he arrived at RAF Sleap (an auxiliary station for RAF Tilstock Heath). On being asking if they would be willing to join the Pathfinder Force all agreed to accept the offer – PFF was elite after all. After HCU training at RAF Blyton je stated, ‘The Lancaster was the finest plane I’ve ever flown’. On 26th July 1943 Jim was promoted to Flight Sergeant.
He remembered the RAF casualties and how their work affected their mental state, particularly the Squadron Casualties. However, the awareness that they were regularly striking at the heart to Nazi Germany left the with an enduring pride in being a ‘Armada’.
Jim and his crew transferred to RAF Upwood – Pathfinder Navigation Training Unit then to RAF Bourne 97.
Jim flew to bomb Nuremberg, München Gladbach, Berlin itself many times, Montlucon Dunlop rubber factory in France, and the Modane Tower Tunnel in France. He was involved in 2 flights that were ‘Boomerang flights’. One of the October operations was to be part of the decoy flight that was to draw fighters away from Kessel onto themselves, and bomb Frankfurt.
In November 1943 they were judged to be a competent part of the PFF and were tasked to be a back-up marker crew – the ones with the GREEN flares.
They flew to Dusseldorf, Manheim and Berlin. On 24 November 1943 they were hit by flak, managed to survive, became a POW until he was liberated on 3rd May 1945.
On 6th October 1945 he reported to No 34 Maintenance Unit at RAF Montford Bridge. A year later he had refresher course at Moreton-in-the-Marsh, as a Warrant Officer.
In 1948 Jim joined the City of Lincoln, Lincoln Squadron Bomber Command at RAF Waddington. He left Waddington to join the RAF Central Flying School as a flying instructor which he found very rewarding when he sent a pupil solo. Jim tried for a permanent commission while posted to RAF Ternhill but failed because he was tone deaf. Jim was offered a branch commission at the age of 37.
He left RAF as Flight Lieutenant on 19th July 71. He had no regrets about serving in the RAF and was a part of the Shrewsbury RAFA and the Shropshire Aircrew.
Claire CampbellClaire Campbell
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
James A Penny’s pilots flying log book
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Jim Penny
Identifier
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LPennyJA1345892v1
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Canada
Germany
Great Britain
Italy
United States
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Lincolnshire
England--Shropshire
France--Modane
France--Montluçon
Georgia--Americus
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Leverkusen
Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Germany--Mönchengladbach
Germany--Munich
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Stuttgart
Italy--Milan
Saskatchewan--North Battleford
France
Georgia
Saskatchewan
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1943-08-14
1943-08-15
1943-08-22
1943-08-23
1943-08-24
1943-08-27
1943-08-28
1943-08-30
1943-08-31
1943-09-01
1943-09-03
1943-09-04
1943-09-15
1943-09-16
1943-09-17
1943-10-02
1943-10-03
1943-10-04
1943-10-05
1943-10-07
1943-10-08
1943-10-09
1943-10-18
1943-10-19
1943-10-22
1943-10-23
1943-11-03
1943-11-04
1943-11-17
1943-11-18
1943-11-19
1943-11-22
1943-11-23
1943-11-24
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book for James A Penny, covering the period from 10 November 1941 to 23 November 1943 when he was shot down over Berlin. He was stationed at AAC Souther Field, RCAF North Battleford, RAF Shawbury, RAF Sleap, RAF Blyton, RAF Upwood and RAF Bourn. Aircraft flown in were Lancaster, Oxford, Whitley, Halifax, Harvard, Vultee and Stearman. He flew a total of 20 operations with 97 Squadron. Targets were Milan, Leverkusen, Berlin, Nuremberg, Mönchengladbach, Montlucon, Modane, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hannover, Dusseldorf and Ludwigshafen. His first or second pilots on operations were Pilot Officer Fairlie and Squadron Leader Sauvage.
1662 HCU
81 OTU
97 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
arts and crafts
bale out
bombing
Flying Training School
Halifax
Halifax Mk 2
Halifax Mk 5
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 1
Lancaster Mk 3
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Blyton
RAF Bourn
RAF Shawbury
RAF Sleap
RAF Upwood
shot down
Stearman
training
Whitley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1895/35556/SGillK1438901v10013.2.pdf
560ed9f1d59ba4257564f21bcc9c2824
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gill, Kenneth
K Gill
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-09
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gill, K
Description
An account of the resource
One hundred and sixty-four items plus another one hundred and fifteen in two sub-ciollections. The collection concerns Flying Officer Kenneth Gill DFC (1922 - 1945, 1438901, 155097 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and family and other correspondence. <br />He flew operations as a navigator with 9 Squadron before starting a second tour with 617 Squadron. He was killed 21 March 1945 having completed 45 operations.<br /><br />The collection also contains two albums. <br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2114">Kenneth Gill. Album One</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2117">Kenneth Gill. Album Two</a><br /><br />Additional information on Kenneth Gill is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/108654/">IBCC Losses Database.</a><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Derek Gill and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Charles Letts’s
DIARY
[page break]
Telephone Numbers
Name Number
[page break]
Memoranda from 1941
Left home July 7th for London
Left London July 26th for Leuchars.
Left Leuchars Oct. 3rd for 9 days leave.
Left home Oct. 12th for Leuchars.
Left Leuchars Oct. 17th for London
Left London Nov. 22nd. for Clyffe Pypard
Left Clyffe Pypard Dec. 13th for 14 days leave.
Became engaged Dec. 16th to my darling.
Left home Dec. 27th for Heaton Park.
[page break]
Memoranda from 1941
[printed information]
[page break]
January 1 Thursday 1942
Were issued with extra kit, vests, gym. kit, overalls, new towel & a new kitbag.
Had to mark bags with code letters etc.
Wrote letters to Vera & home.
Had bath & went to bed.
[page break]
2 Friday 1942
Had two teeth out at 12.25pm. at Bowlec Station. What a job it hurt quite a bit & bled a lot.
Hugh McCoy went with me.
Had rest of day off.
Code words altered.
[page break]
3 Saturday 1942
Gums still sore but a lot better, had mouth-wash after breakfast & had nothing to do till 1.30pm.
Pay parade at 2.15pm received £2 what for beats me.
Finished at 4pm.
Wrote letter to Betty Hughes & one to Vera.
Rang up, [indecipherable words] out & rang again & Vera was out. Spoke to Mrs. Longden.
4 Sunday
Took in kitbags not wanted on voyage.
Went with Pete to tea at Alcocks’. Good night Wish Vera could have some.
Tried to get through but couldn’t.
[page break]
5 Monday 1942
Went to pack & messed about & got embarkation cards. Seems we’re going at last. Tried to ring but couldn’t get through. Wrote V & home.
Left Byron’s at 10.30pm for Park. Had supper & stayed there till 2.30am. Marched to station & got on train at 3.00am.
Woke up at Glasgow.
[page break]
6 Tuesday 1942
Arrived at 12.0a.m. on docks at Gourock. Went aboard steamer & was taken out to troopship, not bad accomodation [sic]. Sleep in hammocks & on mess-tables.
The lads are all here.
Wrote to V & home.
Had a bit of fun getting hammocks set up right. Slept in our clothes.
[page break]
7 Wednesday 1942
Got up at 6.30a.m. not bad night.
Was given guard duty for 24hrs, 1 on & 2 off. My post on bow of ship.
Left Gourock at 2.0p.m. & had a Yank destroyer to acompany [sic] us.
Quiet night. Running down the Irish Sea.
[page break]
8 Thursday 1942
Bacon & egg for breakfast. Finished guard at 9a.m.
Ran in to Milford Haven at 2- pm.
Left at 4 pm. With 2 Yank destroyers & 1 troopship with soldiers aboard.
Heading back up Irish Sea. Ship rolling a bit.
[page break]
9 Friday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Good night
Just out of Irish Sea. P.T. on deck after lifeboat drill.
Was given job of sweeping up decks every day.
Went up on boat-deck.
Heavy seas coming up
Was sick seven times in afternoon & evening.
Decided to sleep on mess-table.
Clocks put back an hour.
[page break]
10 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Fairly good night. Was sick again before breakfast. Had a kipper & kept it down. Just has pudding at dinner-time & a [indecipherable word] Powder. Heavy seas & gale-warning. Cleared out scuppers & lashed everything down.
Sea came over lower decks & Boat rocked awful.
11 Sunday
Everything in a mess on the floor. Heavy seas still running. Chicken for dinner. Read 2 books in afternoon. Don’t feel too good. Another gale coming up.
[page break]
12 Monday 1942
Clocks back another hour.
Nearly slid off table last night. Decks had all been awash. Heavy seas again. Was sick before breakfast. Ship rolling very badly.
One destroyer gone back owing to engine trouble.
Feel O.K. just now.
Nothing interesting.
[page break]
13 Tuesday 1942
Fairly good night, but sea still rough.
Ships pitching so much that propellors [sic] come out of water.
Feel fairly well.
Nothing interesting.
[page break]
14 Wednesday 1942
Good night, although sea was very rough.
Porpoises seen on port side after dinner.
Had a talk by a Yank officer.
Ropes put on deck for holding on to.
Battened down after tea. Lower decks perpetually awash. Sea came in twice at portholes.
A few lads were knocked over by waves & soaked.
Other destroyer packed up & gone away. Troopships on our own now.
[page break]
15 Thursday 1942
Decent night, storm calmed a little, sea still very rough. Should be in on Saturday now.
Some chaps had their money changed or rather given in today.
[page break]
16 Friday 1942
Good night. Heavy sea again. Spray coming over like rain.
Seems we just missed U-boats during night.
[page break]
17 Saturday 1942
Good night. Sea a bit calmer. Much colder, it snowed in afternoon. Picked up Yank destroyer so must be getting nearer.
Nothing unusual.
18 Sunday
Fine morning, rather cold. Chicken for dinner again. Should see land tomorrow. Wrote home & Vera.
Nothing unusual.
[page break]
19 Monday 1942
Up at 6-0a.m. On deck at 7-0a.m. Very cold. No land in sight yet. Sighted land at 9.30a.m. At last the journeys ended.
Stayed on board till 9.15 p.m. then boarded train for Monkton.
Seems very strange seeing so many lights.
Sent cable to Mum, cost 3/6 but it was worth it.
[page break]
20 Tuesday 1942
Arrived at Moncton [sic] at 5-0 A.M. & trudged through snow & rain to camp. Were given billets & then had egg & tomatoes for breakfast. Had a rest on bunk till dinner.
Pay parade at 2-0p.m. received 3 dollars. Cabled to Vera.
Went round Moncton & had a banana split & then to pictures. Plenty of fruit here, everything seems very strange & lights seem unreal.
Very cold here but it’s a dry cold & not so bad really.
[page break]
21 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-30 a.m. Breakfast & then parade for flighting.
Pay parade at 2.0p.m. & received 10 dollars (American).
Received our other kitbags then sent both kitbags by lorry to the train.
Our 1250’s came back at 9-0p.m. and then to billets & bed.
[page break]
22 Thursday 1942
Up at 4-0a.m. Breakfast at 5a
Paraded at 6-15a.m. & went down to station. Roads very slippery. Entrained at 8-0 a.m.
Grand scenery, rivers & lakes frozen over. Dinner lovely, negro waiters. Crossed to U.S.A. at 2-30p.m. Clocks put back an hour. Dinner at 6p.m. grand food. Changed trains at 8-0p.m.
Still in snow area.
No beds have to sleep on seats.
[page break]
23 Friday 1942
Woke up at New York at 5-30a.m. Ham & eggs for Breakfast Changed trains at Washington at 10-30 a.m. Very hot sun.
Grand dinner, chicken.
Country very dry & parched looking. Passed tobacco plantations & cotton fields & orange orchards.
Should be in tomorrow morning.
[page break]
24 Saturday 1942
Woke up at 4-0 a.m. at Atlanta dining cars taken off. Passed some fruit farms & tobacco fields
Population nearly all negro.
Arrived at Turner Field, Georgia about 9-0 a.m. Billets are fine. Breakfast grand food & waiters. Gave in blankets. Dinner fine. Collected kitbags, filled in forms etc. & had grand tea. Lecture on discipline etc. Went back to rooms at 7-45p.m. Lights out at 10-0p.m. Fine place here, very big & plenty of room.
25 Sunday
Up at 6-0a.m. Bacon & eggs etc for breakfast.
Were shown how to lay out our rooms. Haircut in morning. Scrumptious dinner.
P.T. at 1-30pm. to 3-30p.m. Played basket-ball.
Lecture again. Tea. At 5-0p.m. “Open Post” after tea while 21-00hrs. Went into Albany not much there. Bed at 10-30. p.m.
Very hot here, better than our summers.
[page break]
26 Monday 1942
Up at 5.45a.m. Breakfast then P.T. for an hour. Shower then lecture on system of guards. Break. Wrote to Vera & sent it by Letter Mail 5c. Drill period for an hour & a half. Very funny trying to learn American drill. It seems rather babyish to us & not half as smart.
Wash & Brush up then dinner.
Parcelled up laundry ready for collecting. Started writing home. Very warm. Lecture on “customs & courtesies”. Clothing inspection. Athletics, played touch rugby. Tea [deleted] h [/deleted] at 4.30p.m., very nice. Drill after tea. Went to see Bert in evening. Made out a list of all the Leuchars lads & got their signatures, put on it preference for Lakeland, Florida.
Bed at 10-0pm.
[page break]
27 Tuesday 1942
Up at 5-0a.m. Washed & dressed than had 40 winks while assembly sounded. P.T. after breakfast very stiff.
Lecture on Guard Systems of Air Corps then drill. We combine our own & their drill now, makes it a bit better. Shower then dressed for dinner. Took in list to Orderly Room & was O.K. Dinner fine, served potatoes & tea today. Customs & Curtesies [sic] again after dinner.
Issued with text books and manuals.
Thunderstorm & very heavy rain. Took in laundry to stores then to tea. No “open post” tonight. Read a bit, then wrote home.
Had a shower & then to bed after cleaning up.
[page break]
28 Wednesday 1942
Up at 5.45a.m. Washed & dressed then breakfast. Much colder today Americans wearing greatcoats. P.T. after breakfast then lecture on “guards” Seems we’ll have to do it soon. Drill followed & had to take a squad. Dinner at 11.30 a.m. Took in boots to be repaired to stores. Had lecture on Military Law, then athletics till tea time. No Open Post again tonight. Had a shower, then read old letters etc. . then retired to bed at 9-0p.m.
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29 Thursday 1942
Up at 5.45 a.m. washed & dressed, then breakfast. Warmer today than yesterday. Calisthenics after breakfast.
Drill followed, then had to line up in formation & sign a form, what it’s for I don’t know. Saw officers that came over with us on boat.
Dinner at 11-30pm [sic] . Lecture on Civics; then on Terminology used at Training Schools.
Athletics till tea-time, played touch rugby. , Very warm.
No “Open Post” again, lads getting discontented & “browned off”.
Cleared up, washed and so to bed at 9-30p.m.
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30 Friday 1942
Up at 5-45a.m. Breakfast. Raining hard, ground soaked. No P.T. Lecture on Terminology. Gave in size of collars & trousers. Dinner at 11-30a.m. Lecture on Civics, very tiring, bad speaker. Marched down to stores & drew rifles & bayonents [sic]. No athletics. Tea at 4-30p.m.
“Retreat” formation; did it very well indeed. “Open Post” till midnight.
Went to town with basket-ball players. Went to see “Manpower” at “Clair”. Not bad. Wandered round & got back at 10p.m. & so to bed.
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31 Saturday 1942
Up at 5-40a.m. Raining very hard.
No P.T. Soon cleared up. Inspection by Commanding Officer. Nothing to do till dinner. Finished at 12 o’clock. Washed & changed & went out at 1-30p.m. Called at Y.M.C.A. & Services Club. Tea at “Georges” very nice. Saw “Across the Sierras”, bought shirt & towel & cleaning rod for rifle. Back in camp at 10p.m. Cleaned gun. Bed at 11-0p.m.
February 1 Sunday
Up at 5-50a.m. Breakfast. Laid on bed & read till dinner time.
Wrote to Vera. Went to see Bert after dinner. Tea at 4-30p.m. read paper then went to see “Corsican Brothers” very good
Bed at 11-0p.m.
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2 Monday 1942
Up at 6-0a.m. Calisthenics before Breakfast. Lecture on Terminology then drill for an hour. A little warmer now than first thing this morning.
Break for an hour then dinner.
Took up positions for possible air-raids on hillsides.
Film on Military Hygeine [sic] after that. Collected boots at stores then ‘Retreat’ formation with rifles.
Tea at 5.45p.m. Cleaned rifle & bayonet & boots. Finished letter to Vera. Bed at 9.30pm.
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3 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6-0 a.m. P.T. before breakfast. Lecture on Terminology then rifle drill for an hour. Lecture on Civvies then break while dinner.
Athletics, played touch-rugby. Brought back laundry, not too good. Film on Personal Hygiene.
Retreat formation with rifles & bayonets. Tea at 5.45p.m.
No open Post. Cleaned up, packed up laundry etc. Had a shower & so to bed at 9.30p.m.
Am playing t. rugby tomorrow for Platoon.
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4 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-10a.m. P.T., wore our overalls over gym-kit.
Breakfast. Took in laundry, then lecture on History.
Drill with rifles & bayonets. Practice formal guard mounting. Break for an hour, then lecture on Geography. Dinner at 1.0pm.
Athletics, played T. rugby, no score. Film on Courtesy & Customs.
Retreat formation. Open Post. Went to Y.M.C.A. & watched basketball.
Had supper & arrived back at 11.0p.m. then bed.
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5 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.10a.m. P.T. a little warmer today. Breakfast, then lecture on History. Drill and Rifle Inspection. Mounted guard at 12.0 o’clock. Am on 3rd. relief Went on at 4.0p.m. at water tower. Off at 6.0pm. then tea. Wrote home. On again at 10p.m. till 12.0p.m.
Not bad doing guards here.
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6 Friday 1942
Off at 6.0 a.m. Calisthenics for others Breakfast then relieved guard for 1/2hr. On again at 10a.m. & off at 12.0a.m. Dinner. then parade for pay. Received 20 dollars. Bought two singlets from store. Read in afternoon after check-up. Weigh 158 stripped. Said I’d been payed in dimes & nickels.
Open Post. Didn’t go out.
Went to canteen, then library. Read a bit & then to bed at 10p.m. Rather tired.
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7 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.0a.m. Breakfast. No P.T. Cleaned up, then inspection. Nothing to do till dinner. Read in afternoon. No “Open Post”. Went to Camp Cinema to hear violinist. Very good show. Saw “Marry the Bosses’ Daughter”, not so good, bad acting. Bed at 10-30p.m. Bert came “home” today from hospital.
8 Sunday
Up at 6.0a.m. Breakfast. Ready for 8.30a.m. Left camp for Sylvester. 75 of us. Church first then split up for dinner. Bert & I went to Cooks. Grand time. Had to come back for retreat. No “Open Post”. Went to see Mac. Read & then to bed. Clocks on an hour.
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9 Monday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Breakfast then Calisthenics. Drill then break. Lecture on history Before dinner. Bought two pairs of underpants at store. Dinner at 12-30pm.
Talk on Aircraft Rec after dinner. Went to sleep again as usual.
Athletics, played touch-rugby.
Big parade for Wing Commander Hogan. Says we’ll be moving in 12 days time. Tea after that, then Retreat. Went to see Mac, with the boys. Read a bit and then to bed.
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10 Tuesday 1942
Up at 7-0am. Breakfast then Calisthenics. Rifle drill after for an hour. History lecture before dinner at 12-30pm. Film on Aircraft Recognition after dinner, not so good. Lecture by Mr. De Lom on Army & Customs etc. very good.
Athletics played touch-rugby again & won. Tea at 5-30p.m. then Retreat. Started raining. “Open Post”. Got a lift to “Adam’s Inn”. Still raining so Bert & others went back. Arrived at Sylvester at 8-30pm. Had a grand supper. Very nice people indeed. Left at 11-10p.m. Mr. Cork ill so couldn’t drive me back. Got a lift on a petrol waggon & arrived back just in time, only just too. Still raining, but I had a grand time.
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11 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.45a.m. Breakfast. Johnie stayed in bed. No Calisthenics, ground too wet. No drill either. Saw “Target for Tonight” at camp cinema. Break then dinner after History Lecture. Aircraft Recognition lecture sleep as usual for half an hour. Bert took my trousers to be pressed at camp tailors.
Athletics & more touch-rugby, won again.
Tea at 5.30pm. then Retreat. John & Ted went to a dance in Albany for R.A.F. boys only.
Bert & I went to P.X. read a bit & then to bed.
The lads came in at 2.0a.m. had a good time.
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12 Thursday 1942
Up at 6-45am. Breakfast then Calisthenics. Supply Formation, drew extra Cassack bag.
Lecture on History, went to sleep.
Dinner at 12.30pm. Film at 2-0pm. on Aircraft Recognition.
Lecture on Customs & Courtesies. Athletics till tea-time, played touch rugby, & won; champions of squadron. Tea then retreat formation. Won colours for being smartest squadron. “Open Post”. Bert & I left at 7-30pm. with staff sergeant. Went to pictures to see “North of the Yukon” Drove out of town & passed all the “Barbeques, Joints, & night-clubs etc.
Stopped at “The Esquire” for a 7 up drink. Left at 11-25pm Called for a “hamburger with” in town & got back at 11-55p.m.
Very good evening out.
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13 Friday 1942
Up at 7-00a.m. Breakfast. Calisthenics, rather cold wind.
Drill for an hour with rifles.
Lecture on Organisation; went to sleep as usual. Dinner at 12-30 a.m.
Lecture on Aircraft Recognition, slept.
Athletics till tea time. Played touch-rugby, drew with “B” squadron champions. Replay needed. Lost at football.
Tea at 5.30p.m. then Retreat formation. Won colours again for smartest squadron. No “Open Post”. Wrote home. Shower, cleaned up and then to bed.
Bought pipe from P.X. not bad.
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14 Saturday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Breakfast. No P.T. Took in bed-sheets. Cleaned up, cleaned windows. Inspection at 10-30a.m. Everything O.K. Dinner at 12.30p.m. Got changed and left camp. Caught bus to Sylvester & arrived at 1-45p.m. Drove around town & picked up two girls Betty & Margery. Went to a dance & tried jitter-bugging, easy enough. Back to Cook’s for tea, scrumptious. Drove round country, & called back at dance for 10 minutes. Left at 10.30p.m. & back in billets at 11-45p.m.
Grand day.
15 Sunday
Up at 7.0a.m. Breakfast. Back to bed till dinner time. Dinner. Filled in diary wrote home. Frank got blood-poisoning. Rain all day. Tea at 5.30p.m. Went to P.X. Boys went to pictures. Bed at 10p.m.
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16 Monday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Still raining. No Calisthenics. Back to bed for 1/2hr. Breakfast at 8.45am. Air Corps Lecture at 10-0a.m. Not much good.
Drill at 11.0a.m. Rained again. Lecture on discipline at 1-00pm by a Lt. Colonel.
Dinner at 2-0p.m. No Athletics
Collected clean laundry from stores. Tea at 6-45pm.
Went to Albany with Eric, very close & sweaty. Went to see “It Happened in Bombay” at “Clair”. Caught bus back to camp. Bed at 12.00pm.
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17 Tuesday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Ground too [missing letter]et no Calisthenics. Start guard [missing letter]t 1-0p.m. Lecture on Bombardment Aviation. Dinner at 2-0p.m. Went on guard at Water Tower [missing letter]gain. American guard there too. Off at 5-0pm. Tea at 6-45p.m. read a bit, had a coffee & on at 9p.m. Coffee at 11-10p.m. then bed till 2-45a.m. [Off at 5-0am & bed again while 8-30a.m. Breakfast & on again at 9-30a.m. Finished at 11.0a.m. Dinner at 2-0p.m. Gave in rifles and bayonets. Tea at 6-45p.m.] see over.
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18 Wednesday 1942
Finished guards at 11-am. Dinner at 2-0p.m. Gave in rifles & bayonets at stores. Slept till tea-time.
Read a bit, had a coffee & then to bed. No Open Post as we were late for parade yesterday.
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19 Thursday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics, rather cold. Breakfast at 8-45a.m.
Lecture on Observation & Reconnaisance [sic] by Lt. Honeycut, very good.
Drill for an hour.
Gave in books before dinner.
Dinner at 2-0p.m. Athletics in afternoon. Played touch rugby & won again, finals tomorrow some time.
Read a bit, then retreat formation, did very well.
Tea at 6-45p.m. Boys went to see McCoy. Went to P.X. for an hour, then wrote to Vera.
Bed at 10p.m.
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20 Friday 1942
Up at 7.0a.m. Calisthenics as usual. Breakfast at 8.45a.m.
Lecture by Lt. Lamb, had a good time, sang a few songs.
Drill for half an hour. Break till dinner. Bought new ‘Parker’ pen at P.X. $8.75 down to $5.25. Dinner at 2.0p.m. Pay parade, received our money handed in on boat & $11 pay.
“Open Post” after Retreat. Went to Albany, had steak & chips. Went to Services Club, party on, had a good time, College graduation dance. Called in at Clubroom then caught a wagon back to camp. In at 11-45p.m.
Bed at 12-15a.m. Tired.
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21 Saturday 1942
Up at 7.0a.m. Didn’t go to Calisthenics slept under Johnies bed. Breakfast. Cleaned up, then to P.X. bought new tie. Had photo taken. Finished Vera’s letter.
Dinner at 2-0p.m. Went to town with the lads. Saw “They Died with their Boots on”. very good.
Had tea at Georges’. Walked round and caught bus at 9.10p.m. In bed at 10.30p.m.
Leave at 8-0pm. tomorrow.
22 Sunday
Up at 7.0a.m. Breakfast at 9-0a.m. Received kit at stores. 3 shirts, 2pr. pants, 4 sets underwear, 6prs of socks. Packed kit & cleaned room out. Dinner at 2p.m. Tea at 6p.m.
Put kit on waggons. Entrained at 7.30pm.
Left at 8-0p.m. for Arcadia.
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23 Monday 1942
Woke up at 7.0am Not a very good night. Arrived at 7.30a.m. Taken by truck to camp. Grand place, rooms for four, lockers, shower and washplace to each room. Kit arrived at 10.a.m. Cleaned up & put kit away in lockers.
Dinner at 1-30pm. Grand food & mess hall. Went to stores and drew leather jacket, goggles, helmet & books. Room inspection. Tea at 6.0pm. Talk at 8.0p.m. by officers. Raining hard.
Bed at 10-30p.m.
Very nice place here, tennis courts, swimming pool, basketball court etc. Large rooms, good lighting, table & chairs.
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24 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.25a.m. Cleaned up & breakfast at 7.0a.m. Paraded at 8.0a.m. & went down to Flight Line. Given some instructors & shown kites. Had controls etc. explained. Seems we’ve a lot to learn.
Dinner at 1.10p.m. Medical check after dinner. Went to lecture block and drew text books. Nothing to do till tea-time except retreat formation.
Tea very good. Cleaned bathroom, took all evening but looks good now. Had a shower & then to Bed at 10.30p.m.
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25 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.25a.m. Breakfast at 7.0a.m. Went down to hangers and flight line at 7.30a.m. No flying, left at 9.0a.m. Had a coffee & came back to billets. Calisthenics at 11.45 to 12.45. very good. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Classes at 2.0p.m. till 5.30p.m. Didn’t do so much 45 mins. on & off.
Retreat formation then tea. Cleaned up, had a shower & to bed at 10.30pm
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26 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.25a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Went down to hanger.
Had lecture on take-offs, circuits, wind directions, drift, S bends etc.
Very warm now, still in blues. Did Calisthenics for an hour, Sun very warm & turning red a bit. Shower & then dinner at 1-10p.m.
Classes at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m.
Retreat Formation at 6.15p.m. then tea. Had a chat with American Cadets.
Had a shower, wrote up notes on Navigation & so to bed at 10.30p.m.
Sent dad cablegram for his birthday, cost $2.85. about 14/3 approx.
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27 Friday 1942
Dad’s Birthday, hope his Cablegram arrives in time.
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Went down to Flight Line. Mr. Jones was absent. No flying, heavy squalls & Nor-west wind. Read Manual for an hour. Left at 10.0a.m. Had a coffee then looked up Theory of Flight.
Went to P.X. & Bert bought a camera. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Classes 2. to 4-30p.m. Left early to watch tennis exhibition.
Took some snaps. Retreat Formation at 6.15p.m. Tea after retreat. Wrote up notes on Navigation. Bed at 10-30p.m. after a shower.
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28 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Down at “Ready Room” at 7-50a.m. No Mr. Jones again. Read Handbook again. Calisthenics at 11.45a.m. for an hour. Played football. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5-15p.m. Left early, went to canteen for orange soda & ice. Retreat, then tea. Wrote home, then did notes on Meteorology. Bed at 10-30p.m.
March 1 Sunday
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Calisthenics at 8.0a.m. for an hour Very cold. Down at Ready Room at 9-30a.m. Mr Tanquay our instructor.
Up at 10.20a.m. for 40 mins. Grand plane. Dinner then Ground school till 5.30p.m. Retreat then tea. Wrote notes on Flying.
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2 Monday 1942
Didn’t get up while 7.0a.m. Missed breakfast parade. Went to canteen and had coffee & ham sandwiches. Rained very heavy. No Calisthenics. Down on Flight Line at 9.30a.m. No Flying, ground too wet. Stayed in hanger with Mr. Tanquay, explained Army Forms 1 & 1a. stalls, & forced landings.
Had a coffee, then dinner at 1.10p.m. Ground School 2pm to 5.30p.m. Changed into blues for Retreat. Tea after. Inspection at 8.30p.m. Demerits for speck of dirt on toilet. (Hope his rabbit dies)
Wrote letter to Vera. Bed at 10-30p.m. Received [deleted] lett [/deleted] cable from mum.
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3 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics for an hour. Down on Line at 9-30a.m. Up at 10-20a.m.
Did. climbing turns, stalls, medium turns & landed after 50 mins. Received 1 demerit for leaving mop & broom in room.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. Ground school at 2.0p.m. Had exams in engines & Theory of Flight. Retreat formation at 6.20p.m then tea.
Wrote to Vera, then wrote up notes on Flying.
Bed after a shower.
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4 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics for an hour. Down at Flight Line at 9.30a.m. Went up at 10-0a.m. Took off on my own. Did turns, stalls, and spins. Down after 45 mins.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. Changed into blues. Ground School for 3 1/2 hrs. Has sandwiches in canteen then waited for bus. Arrived in Sarasota at 8.30p.m. Went down to U.S.O. on pier and were invited to stay at the “Gulf View” Inn. Car took us & manager showed us round & introduced us to his guests. Band in dancehall, had a grand time. Pedro & I sang “Yours” and others joined in singing popillar [sic] songs, negro waiter sang [inserted] poor [/inserted] blues. Marvellous place, very welcome. Rooms for two with single beds. Bed at 1-0a.m. Very Tired.
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5 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.45a.m. Washed & dressed and went down for a walk on the beach. Waited in the lounge for the boys & then to breakfast. Read in lounge while girls came in then went down to the beach.
Went in for a dip but found it rather cold.
Dinner at 12-30p.m. Left at 1.30p.m. by bus to Sarasota. Bought a camera and a swimsuit.
Had a look round then went to a picture show as it rained. Caught bus at 5-30p.m. and arrived in Arcadia at 7-0p.m. Had tea in a restaurant then got bus back to camp at 8.30p.m. Bed at 9-45p.m.
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6 Friday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. rather tired. Breakfast at 7-0a.m.
Calisthenics for an hour.
Went down on Flight Line at 9.30a.m. Rain had soaked field, no flying, no instructors. Back to billets and wrote up notes on Flying.
Dinner at 1.10p.m. Ground school 2 to 5-30p.m. Pay parade after, received $16.
Retreat formation at 6.20p.m.
Tea at 7.0p.m.
Cleaned up room for inspection. Played basketball. Shower and then to bed at 10-30pm
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7 Saturday 1942
Up at 6-50a.m. Breakfast at 7.15a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then changed for flight line. Flew at 9.50a.m. Took off did climbing turns, stalls, spins. Did spins on my own, not too bad. Dinner at 1-10p.m. then groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5-30p.m. Warmer today than yesterday. Played basket ball again. Shower & bed at 10-30p.m.
8 Sunday
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Down on “Dawn Patrol” this week. No flying, ground too wet. Calisthenics for an hour. Dinner then groundschool, didn’t do much. Tea then wrote home.
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9 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Dawn Patrol. No flying, ground too wet. Gave in note-books for checking. Mr. Tanquay seemed pleased.
Didn’t do Calisthenics, wrote home instead. Dinner at 1.10p.m. Groundschool 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Had exams in Navigation & Meteorology, did them O.K. Retreat formation then tea. Open Post. Managed to get on bus for Sarasota at 7-0p.m. Arrived at 8.30p.m. Booked a room at Hotel Watsons. Went with boys round towns to night-clubs etc. Had a good time & bed at 3-0a.m.
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10 Tuesday 1942
Up at 9-0a.m. Had breakfast at a restaurant then wandered round town. Bought a watch $4 quite good too. Saw Mr. Whipple at U.S.O and were invited out to dinner. Seven other chaps out there too.
Had a fine time on beach, sea very nice. Plenty of people there too. Saw Priscilla and Annette. Left at 4-30p.m by taxi. Got on bus at 5-3p.m. & arrived in Arcadia at 7-0p.m. Had ham & eggs at cafe then got bus back to camp. Booked in at 8-0p.m. Cleaned up, had a shower & then to bed at 9-30p.m. Very tired.
The lads are very red with the sun.
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11 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.15a.m. Dawn Patrol. Bert up first, Johnie, then me. Took off, climbed to 2,500ft. did stalls power on, then power-off. Did a spin, not too bad. Landed at auxiliary field & took off again O.K. Landed again at field & taxied up to line, & parked ship. Calisthenics for an hour then dinner. Groundschool 2-0p.m. to 5-30p.m. Had exam in Theory for Flight. Retreat formation then tea. Played basketball, had a shower then wrote up notes on flying. Bed at 10.p.m.
Six of our lads solo’d today.
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12 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Dawn Patrol again. Heavy ground mist no flying till 9-0a.m. No 1 ‘T’ pos changed to No 2 ‘T’ Pos at 10.0a.m. Up for 15 mins. Taxied to line, took off, climbed to 1500ft. did gliding turns, entered traffic, & landed again. Not too bad.
Calisthenics for an hour, played football, very warm. Took some snaps on Flight Line. Dinner at 1.00p.m. then Ground School 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m.
Retreat formation at 6.20p.m. then tea. Wrote up notes on flying then started letter home.
Entered log-book up.
Bed at 10-30p.m.
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13 Friday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. breakfast at 7.10a.m. Dawn Patrol again. Johnie up first. Heavy ground fog came up & flying was suspended. “T” pos. changed from No. 2 to No. 4 & flying resumed at 11-0a.m. Didn’t go up. Calisthenics for an hour.
Took film in for developing. Dinner at 1-10p.m. Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Plot to do in navigation easy enough. Retreat then tea-parade.
Played basketball till 8.0p.m. Had a shower, then read notes for exams tomorrow.
Bed at 10-0p.m.
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14 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Dawn Patrol again. Johnie & Bert up. Cloud came in low, flying stopped. No flight again for me. Left line at 10.35 a.m. Calisthenics for an hour. Dinner at 1.10p.m.
Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5-30p.m. Exams in engines & theory for flight. Retreat at 6-15p.m. then tea. Finished letter home. Bed at 10.15p.m.
15 Sunday
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then down on Flight Line. Flew for an hour, nothing right. Dont fly regular enough. Dinner at 1-10p.m. then Groundschool. Retreat then tea.
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16 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30am. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then down on Flight Line at 9.30a.m. Flew for 33 mins, a lot better today. Dinner at 1.10p.m. Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Retreat formation then tea at 6-30p.m.
Played basket-ball for an hour, cleaned up for inspection, which didn’t come off. Wrote up notes on flying. Read a little then to bed at 10.0p.m.
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17 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.0a.m. Down on line at 9.30a.m. Flew at 10.15a.m. for 47 mins. Did stalls, spins, landings & take-offs. Not so good today. Dinner at 1-10p.m. Groundschool at 2.0p.m. Exams in Meteorology & Engines. Retreat formation then tea at 6.30p.m. Wrote to Vera, then to bed at 10-15p.m.
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18 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics for an hour.
Down on line at 9-30a.m. Heavy low clouds, thunderstorm broke at 11.30a.m. Heavy rain. Had a talk with Tanquay on flying generally.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. Groundschool 2.0 to 5-30p.m. “Open Post” till 12.p.m.
Went to Arcadia with the lads, walked round a bit then went to skating rink & had a good time.
Caught last bus and got in to camp at 11-45pm.
Bed at 12p.m. very tired.
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19 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.0a.m. Cleaned room, then Calisthenics for an hour.
Down on line at 9.30a.m. Flew at 10.5a.m. for 45 mins. Did stalls, spins, S. turns, & rect. courses. Had a good day today.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. then groundschool, test in Theory of Flight. Retreat at 6-20p.m. and tea at 7-0p.m. Wrote up notes on flying then to bed at 10-30p.m.
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20 Friday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then down on Flight Line.
Flew for 45 mins. Take-offs & landings O.K. Stalls not so good. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Pay Parade after. Received $21 dollars. Arranged to go with boys by car to Sarasota.
Retreat then tea. Played basketball, then wrote up notes on flying. Bed at 10.0p.m.
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21 Saturday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast then down on Flight Line. Flying not so bad today. Calisthenics for an hour then dinner. Changed into blues I then went with boys to Sarasota in private car. Touched 97m.p.h. & arrived in 45 mins. 54 mls.
Had a good time at the Lido & went in sea for a while. Drove round & had tea in town. Left at 8-15p.m. and arrived in Arcadia at 9-20p.m. Drove round & then back to camp for 10p.m. Tired.
22 Sunday
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast then down on Flight Line. Flying not so good. Check tomorrow. Calisthenics then dinner. Groundschool after, exam. in Meteorology not so bad.
Tea at 6.30p.m. Wrote up notes on Flying.
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23 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Down at Flight Line at 7-45am. Check ride, progress, with Flight Commander Eckart. Flying not so good, passed on to Army for another opinion. Calisthenics for an hour then dinner at 1-10p.m.
Groundschool in afternoon, test in Navigation, fairly easy. O.K.
Retreat then tea at 6-30p.m. Cleaned up for inspection which didn’t take place. Had a coffee, then cleaned buttons, boots etc. Read a little then to bed at 10p.m.
[page break]
24 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Down on Flight Line at 7-45a.m. Up for Army Check. Took it at 12-15p.m. Got through it, flying not so good though. Calisthenics for an hour, then dinner.
Flying again this afternoon. Went for another Check Ride with Lt. Flophenstein & was eliminated for mechanical & dangerous flying. Back to Moncton next Tuesday.
Tea after Retreat. Received February’s News Letter from Dick Thomas.
Wrote to Dick after a coffee at canteen. Read a book & then to bed at 10-30p.m.
20 lads went back to Moncton today after being eliminated.
[page break]
25 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Cleaned buttons & boots etc. then cleaned room a bit.
Hung around all morning waiting for board meeting. Dinner at 1-10p.m. Went round camp and took some snaps of swimming pool & flight line etc. Retreat formation then tea. Had a coffee at canteen then read a while. Bed at 10.3p.m.
Seniors had Graduation Dance tonight, good band. Listened to band while 12p.m. then dropped off to sleep.
[page break]
26 Thursday 1942
Up at 7.30a.m. Didn’t go to breakfast. Had sandwiches in Canteen. Wrote letters home, to Vera & Betty Hughes. Went to try & get leave but have to wait for board. Dinner at 1.10p.m. Read book all afternoon. Retreat then tea.
Read a while, cleaned up, then to bed at 10-p.m.
[page break]
27 Friday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Cleaned room up, then went to see if boys had heard when board was to be. Filled in diary.
Board meeting at 11-0a.m.
Nothing much in it. Said I’d do for Observer, dangerous flying, & mechanical flying too. George & I managed to get leave while Monday noon. Had dinner then cleaned up. Tea at 6.30pm. then got bus for Sarasota. Arrived at 9-0p.m. Went to U.S.O. then on to Casa Madrid & saw film.
Called in at Manhattan & met Mr & Mrs Harris, & Mrs Bauer. Invited us out to hotel.
[page break]
28 Saturday 1942
29 Sunday
[page break]
30 Monday 1942
[page break]
31 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.15a.m. Gave in blankets & sheets etc. Took kitbag to Administration block at 9-0a.m. Signed papers at 9.30a.m. & gave in Clearance Form.
Got kit ready, then went to the boys. Had dinner at 11-30a.m. Saw Maxine & Flossie, then the lads & then departed with kit for train. Saw Kathryn in Arcadia. Left at 1-15p.m. for Moncton.
[page break]
April 1 Wednesday 1942
Bad night, didn’t sleep very well.
[page break]
2 Thursday 1942
Crossed border at Vanceboro’ at 7-0a.m. Had passport checked & baggage. Dinner at 12-0a.m. very good. Arrived at Moncton at 3-45p.m. Walked up to camp & messed about giving in particulars for an hour. Billeted in same block as Jack Kellet & boys. Went into town & had tea. Walked round then went to pictures to see “Shanghai Gesture” very good too. Arrived in camp at 11-30 p.m. and so to bed.
[page break]
3 Friday 1942
Stayed in bed till 11-0a.m. Cleaned up & then had dinner
Went to town & met Mr Grant & had a ride round in his car. Had tea at his house & then late dinner at 7-0p.m. Stayed until 11-30p.m. then Mr Grant brought us back to camp.
Had a grand evening very nice evening & can go there when we want to.
[page break]
4 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.45a.m. Cleaned up, then breakfast. Paraded at 9.0a.m.
Went up to pay accounts & drew $5 as a casual payment. Went into town for dinner. Walked round then had tea. Went to pictures at night to see “Ride Em Cowboy” with Abbott & Costello. Back in camp at 10-p.m. Had a shower & then to bed.
5 Sunday
Up at 6.45a.m. Cleaned up then breakfast. Church parade 9.0a.m. Went into town for dinner. Walked round then back to camp for tea. Pressed trousers & jacket, filled in diary. Bed at 10-30p.m.
[page break]
May 11 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Paraded at 8.0a.m. Drill for an hour, went to Medical Quarters for a check-over. Filled out forms etc., then dinner. Saw minister of United Church. Met our officer & had a chat with him.
Tea at 4.0p.m. Parade at 5.0p.m. for retreat. Wrote letters.
[page break]
12 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m.
Paraded at 8.0a.m. Went to lecture block at 9-0a.m.
Went to hangar and had flying kit issued. Not so good.
Dinner at 12.0a.m. Went & had signals test, not so bad. Was shown round plane & had things explained. Were fitted with parachute harness. Drew issue of books, & instruments etc., Tea at 4.0p.m. Paraded at 5p.m. received passes & left camp at 7.0p.m. Had a coffee then went up to the social at St. Lukes. Had a grand time & left at 11.30p.m. Arrived back in camp at 12-10a.m. & so to bed.
[page break]
13 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. breakfast by 7-0a.m. Paraded at 8.0a.m. drilled for a while then Signals course. Navigation till dinner time.
Dinner at 12.0a.m.
Signals at 1-30p.m. for an hour then Bombing for two hours. Tea at 4-30p.m. Retreat 5-15p.m. Signals 6.30p.m. for an hour.
Filled in diary.
Paraded at 9.0p.m. made bed & did a bit more of diary.
[page break]
14 Thursday 1942
[page break]
Notes for 1943
[page break]
Cash Account – January
Date Particulars Received Dollars. Paid
3. English £2-0-0
20. Canadian. 3 - -
21. American. 10 - -
[page break]
Cash Account – February
Date Particulars Received Paid
6TH. Feb. American. $20-00
20TH. Feb. American. $11-00
[page break]
Cash Account – March
Date Particulars Received Paid
6TH. MAR. American. $.16 - -
20TH. MAR. American. $21 - -
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Kenneth Gill 1942 Diary
Description
An account of the resource
Starts with account of movements in RAF for 1941. Continues lwith entries for daily activities. Embarks Greenock, Leaves Milford Haven on 8 January for voyage across Atlantic and describes voyage to Canada. Arrives Moncton 20 January describes daily routine. Left for United States on 22 January. Describes train journey via New York, Washington, Atlanta and arrived at Turner Field, Albany Georgia 24 January. Goes on with daily entries describing activities mentioning food, lessons, sport, weather, rifle training, social activities and physical training. Mentions visit to Sylvester. Transfers to Arcadia, Florida 22 February. Starts flying training at end of February. Continues with description of ground school, flying and other daily activities. Mentions visit to Sarasota. Failed pilot flight check on 24 March 1942 an was sent back to Moncton, Canada. Entries for a few days activities and entries then peter out for April and May and then cease.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
K Gill
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-01
1942-02
1942-03
1942-04
1942-05
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-01
1942-02
1942-03
1942-03-24
1942-04
1942-05
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Glasgow
Wales--Pembrokeshire
Wales--Milford Haven
Canada
New Brunswick--Moncton
United States
New York (State)--New York
Washington (D.C.)
Georgia
Georgia--Atlanta
Georgia--Albany
Florida
Florida--Arcadia
Florida--Sarasota
Florida
Georgia
New York (State)
New Brunswick
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Diary
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Multi-page printed booklet with handwritten entries
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SGillK1438901v10013
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
aircrew
entertainment
military living conditions
military service conditions
pilot
sport
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1895/35565/SGillK1438901v10017.1.pdf
ed5601d49fc7a6f06c54ef97071a2a5a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gill, Kenneth
K Gill
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-09
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gill, K
Description
An account of the resource
One hundred and sixty-four items plus another one hundred and fifteen in two sub-ciollections. The collection concerns Flying Officer Kenneth Gill DFC (1922 - 1945, 1438901, 155097 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and family and other correspondence. <br />He flew operations as a navigator with 9 Squadron before starting a second tour with 617 Squadron. He was killed 21 March 1945 having completed 45 operations.<br /><br />The collection also contains two albums. <br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2114">Kenneth Gill. Album One</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2117">Kenneth Gill. Album Two</a><br /><br />Additional information on Kenneth Gill is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/108654/">IBCC Losses Database.</a><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Derek Gill and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[Postmark]
MR. & MRS. F. GILL.
55, KYFFIN AVENUE,
HALTON.
LEEDS.
YORKSHIRE.
ENGLAND.
[Page Break]
P.C.90
OPENED BY [missing letters] AMINER 7 [missing letters]
[inserted] Dave Middleton at Leuchars
Sgt Alvey Full Buch Station Team
Cpl McLeod looking after you Drill Instructor [/inserted]
[Page Break]
1438901 L.A.C. GILL. K.
No 31 R.A.F. PERSONNEL DEPOT.
MONCTON.
NEW BRUNSWICK.
CANADA.
JAN. 27TH. 1942.
Dear Mum and All,
Well how’s everybody at 55 going on these days? Hope you’re all well & it’s not too cold. At present it’s very hot here, hotter even than our summer, but I’ll come to that later.
Hope the cable arrived safely, I sent it from the docks when we tied up.
We got ashore at 9.15p.m. on Monday the 19th and were transported by train to Moncton (as above) arriving there at 5.0 a.m. the next day. The temperature was well below zero & the snow was very hard packed & slippery. On arriving at the depot we were given billets, a good breakfast, & told to parade again at 1400 hrs. This gave
[Page Break]
2/
us plenty of time for a few hours rest which we badly needed.
In the afternoon we received 3 dollars in Canadian money & told to go & have a good in Moncton. Needless to say we needed no second bidding & proceeded to stuff ourselves with fruit of all kinds, chocolate, candy & food etc. The cinemas are not up to much in Moncton rating somewhere on the status of the Western in Florence Street. The lights in the streets & shops seemed very unreal and made our eyes ache, although the snow may have helped a lot. The streets were frozen hard & sleighs pulled by horses were much in evidence. The next day, Wednesday we were paid 10 dollars in American money, collected our kitbags from one pile & stacked them again elsewhere for further movement to our new abode. We were issued with new Identity Cards & had our photographs taken again. The following morning we had to get up at 4.0 a.m. breakfast at 5.0 a.m.
[Page break]
3/
and parade in kit, ready for moving off at 6.15 a.m. We had to make our way gingerly along the ice-covered roads to the station. Several of the lads slid most of the way on their posteriors but we arrived safely enough. At 8.0 a.m. we boarded the train and settled down to enjoy the scenery. The rivers were solid masses of ice & the lakes were like huge sheets of glass glistening in the early sun. Passing through wooded areas was like a fairyland. The snow sparkled like diamonds & the ice dusters on the trees shone like a myriad of tiny lights. The snow on the telegraph wires had melted then frozen again, giving the effect of tinsel stretched from pole to pole. This effect lasted for several miles and it really did look grand.
Dinner-time came round & we made our way down the train to the restaurant cars. Waiters made us comfortable and then proceeded to bring in the food.
[Page Break]
4/
We started off with tomato juice, followed by salad, then pork & potatoes (roasted) beans, spinach, cabbage & carrots, after that came rice & raisin pudding with cream. We finished off with coffee & biscuits and believe me we did feel heavy on our feet after that. Tea was on the same lines as dinner.
The American border was reached at 14.00 hrs and all watches were retarded an hour. Our identity cards were stamped by an official & we found we had a temporary 6 months passport for U.S.A.
At 2000 hrs we changed trains at Portland and moved off again in about ten minutes. During the night we ran out of the snow area and I awoke at 5.30 a.m. in New York. We did not leave the train however so we didn’t get much idea of the place. Breakfast consisted of grapefruit, porridge or cornflakes, bacon and egg, coffee, bread & butter & syrup. After that I had a little snooze & woke up as we moving
[Page Break]
5/
in to Washington at 10.30 a.m.
The sun was very warm indeed and our heavy uniforms stuck to our backs.
We changed trains again & moved on at 11.00 a.m. The country round this part seemed very dry & parched, the earth being a rich red colour, and the grass very coarse and light brown.
How everything survives on it beats me, but judging by the many tobacco fields something does. Dinner was chicken accompanied of course by the lesser ingredients.
During the afternoon we passed miles of fruit trees which at a guess I’d say were oranges. The only people we saw in them were coloured people, but I suppose there were white folk somewhere about.
Tea-time brought another well-prepared meal which we justice to. The train-men said we would be in early so we retired to bed at 9.0pm.
At about 9.0 a.m we arrived at Turner
[Page Break]
6/
Field, Georgia. The dining cars had been taken off and we had not had breakfast. However these Americans don’t waste time and we were soon in billets. Breakfast was served at 10.0 a.m. and consisted of corn-flakes & milk, bacon & two eggs & flapjacks, bread and butter, jam, honey, syrup etc, etc, Coloured men waited on us & boy we kept them busy.
The rest of the day was spent in collecting kitbags, returning blankets, and arranging things in general. Dinner and tea were grand meals, and if the American public are used to such food, they won’t know what’s hit them when full rationing comes in.
The beds are grand affairs & we have pillow-cases & white sheets, two wool blankets and a eiderdown. Getting out of bed on a morning is an effort that takes some concentration to say the least. On Sunday we were up at
[Page Break]
7/
6.0. a.m. and had bacon & [underlined] eggs [/underlined] for breakfast them shown how to lay out our rooms. The rest of the morning was spent in getting a haircut which costs the R.A.F. 30 cents or 1/6s. After dinner we had P.T. for two hours, had a shower, then dressed again for a lecture on discipline etc. Tea was served at 5.0 p.m. and after that we were free until midnight. Naturally we moved out of camp en masse & I was lucky enough to get a lift onto town in an officers car. The town is Albany, but being a Sunday we didn’t get a fair conception of its’ size and it’s salient feature. I haven’t been in since then but it seemed to us that you walked round one block about 50 yards square and you’d had it. The usual “drug stores” were much in evidence and quite full up. A “drug store” here is a shop where you buy almost as
[Page break]
[Missing Page 8]
9/
as we knew at Leuchars.
After duties I wrote to Vera and sent it by ordinary mail just to see how long it takes to get an answer. We had to be in billets by 7.45p.m. but that didn’t worry us any. I was in bed by 10.0 pm. and asleep in no time.
This morning I was up at 5.0 a.m. washed & dressed then slipped under the eiderdown for a snooze until reveille at 6.0 a.m. P.T. followed breakfast, then a lecture on Guard Systems etc. Drill followed on after that & we now do our own about-turns, inclinations on the march & American everything else except the salute. The commands are entirely different & when I can remember them all I’ll send you a list. More lectures on “Customs & Courtesies” followed dinner, & after that we were issued with text-
[Page Break]
10/
books and took in our laundry. Athletics was cancelled owing to a very nice thunderstorm, incidentally this was the only time when the weather resembled anything like ours. The rain came down very heavily, & they brought up wagons to carry us from the store where we were sheltering to our billets. Tea was at 4.30p.m. and as it was still raining, drill was cancelled and also “open post”. At 7.45 p.m. the bugle went and everybody had to go into billets for the night.
Well that’s as far as I’ve gone up up [sic] to now, but I’ll let you know everything we do as long as I can remember to fill in my diary.
The American people are very kind to us and treat us very well indeed, and I’m looking forward to being able to exchange views
[Page break]
11/
with quite a few before we leave here. The officers in charge of us are very nice indeed, and very considerate, realising our strangeness they go to great lengths to explain thing to us and make us comfortable. We only have to ask for things & we get them; for instance potatoes & tea are now served at meal times, and they are trying to get us a short wave radio so that we can listen in to our own news & programmes. Newspapers are brought to our rooms every morning, so we can study the American aspect of the war & life in general for 25 cents a week in comfort. I’m in the best of health & weigh about 11st stripped so don’t worry about me. We expect to stay here about three weeks before moving on to the Primary Flying School. The lads from Leuchars
[Page Break]
12/
are all here, and we’ve asked to be kept together all the way through. I think that’s all for now; hope I haven’t missed anything or spelt many words wrongly, I’m too tired to read it over just now.
Will you send me Ronnie’s address in your letter please, & let me know how he’s going on. You might send him this letter on when you’ve done with it if you like.
Tell David to look after Vera for me and ask him what he wants bringing back when I come home again.
Keep well all of you & chins up.
Good-night and God Bless You All.
Your loving Son.
Ken xxxxxxxxxx
David xxxxxxxxxx
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Kenneth Gill to his mother
Description
An account of the resource
Mentions travel by rail to Moncton and comments on cold weather. Writes of his activities, food available and local shops. Goes on to describe onward train journey to the United States including food, countryside, weather and stops. Arrived at Turner Field, Georgia and goes on to describe activities, living conditions, training and staff. Expected to stay for three weeks before moving on to primary flying school. Page 8 is missing.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
K Gill
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-01-27
1942-01-29
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-01-27
1942-01-29
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Canada
New Brunswick--Moncton
Great Britain
England--Yorkshire
England--Leeds
United States
Maine--Portland
Washington (D.C.)
Georgia--Albany
Georgia
Maine
New Brunswick
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
Civilian
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Eleven page handwritten letter and envelope
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SGillK1438901v10017
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Claire Monk
military living conditions
military service conditions
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1895/35566/SGillK1438901v10018.2.pdf
477763f2b5cef20be73b95eaa758b6c5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gill, Kenneth
K Gill
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-09
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gill, K
Description
An account of the resource
One hundred and sixty-four items plus another one hundred and fifteen in two sub-ciollections. The collection concerns Flying Officer Kenneth Gill DFC (1922 - 1945, 1438901, 155097 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and family and other correspondence. <br />He flew operations as a navigator with 9 Squadron before starting a second tour with 617 Squadron. He was killed 21 March 1945 having completed 45 operations.<br /><br />The collection also contains two albums. <br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2114">Kenneth Gill. Album One</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2117">Kenneth Gill. Album Two</a><br /><br />Additional information on Kenneth Gill is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/108654/">IBCC Losses Database.</a><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Derek Gill and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
EXAMINER 1234
[underlined] BY AIR MAIL. [/underlined]
[post mark]
[rubber stamp]
MR. E. MRS. F. GILL.
55, KYFFIN AVENUE,
HALTON,
LEEDS,
YORKSHIRE,
ENGLAND.
[page break]
P.C. 90
OPENED BY
[page break]
1438901. L.A.C. GILL. K.
No. 31. R.A.F. PERSONNEL DEPOT
MONKTON.
NEW BRUNSWICK.
CANADA.
FEB. 15TH/42.
Dear Mum & all.
Hello all, how's things with you at home? all well and keeping your chins up?
I'm doing fine here just now and keeping fit. The food is still very plentiful and delicious, although I suppose pretty soon rationing will have started for things such as sugar etc.
I've put on a bit more weight since I left home and scale 158 lbs (11st. 4lbs) stripped so I'm not doing so bad am I? My best suit still fits fairly well but my old suit has got as tight as a drum round the chest
[page break]
2/
shoulders & waist. However we should be receiving khaki suits soon so that should relieve the situation. The weather here is still like our summer-time and my face has turned a little darker (like I am at Leuchars).
The service issue pants & singlets got a bit warm, so last week after being paid $20 we went on a shopping trip & I got two sets of under-clothes & a new shirt. Things like that are a little cheaper here than at home and I've still got $15 left after shopping & ten days entertainments & refreshments.
The American people are very hospitable towards us and last Sunday seventy-five of us were invited to dinner at Sylvester a little town twenty miles from here. Bert & I were lucky & had our names drawn from the hat. (Bert is one of my room-mates).
[page break]
3/
Transport took us over to Sylvester and our first call was service at church. There we put all our names on a paper & the families put their names against the boys they were to take. The service was very good, a cross between Church of England, Methodist, and an oratory on Hyde Park Corner. The minister broke into his sermon by saying "O.K. folks that clock's wrong, & I'm gonna quit in about five minutes anyway. Still we enjoyed it & the hymns were sung in great gusto. After the service Bert & I found we'd drawn a Mrs. Cook for dinner, & found ourselves being introduced to a lady of about thirty with two small children, Sidney and Sandra. Their car was outside & we were whisked away to a large wooden bungalow. We were introduced to Mr. Cook and after a little chat we settled down to a large dinner. I can't remember the names of all the dishes but they were grand. After dinner we went
[page break]
4/
for a drive round the town & countryside, while the negro maid cleared away the dishes. The car was a Dodge Super DeLuxe with 110 h.p. under the bonnet. It had a wireless, heater, cigarette lighter, and automatic synchronised gears as special features. We have to hand it to America for cars & car-comfort anyway. Returning to Cook's we played table-tennis until 3.30 p.m. then they gave us a pile of magazines and a large bag of pecan nuts & took us back to the church where we picked up our transport again to return to camp. Before we left they gave us an open invitation to return any time we liked while we are here. Since then I've been twice, once on Tuesday on my own, & again yesterday with Bert. On Tuesday I didn't arrive arrive [sic] there while 8.30 p.m. but was made very welcome and had a good time. We phoned them on Thursday and they asked us over for tea on Saturday.
[page break]
5/
We arrived at 2.0 p.m. and Mr. Cook took us for a ride while Mrs. Cook cleared up a bit. After that Mrs. Cook took over the car and we toured Sylvester being introduced to young ladies & proud mothers etc. We finally found two who were disengaged sortof [sic] & bundled them into the car with us. The whole lot of us then went to a dance & had a very good time. There were quite a number of our boys there and plenty of girls. We had lots of fun trying to jitterbug and finally made the grade with a roar of approval from our host & hostess.
The two girls Betty & Marjery had to leave & attend to their regular social activities, so Bert & I & the Cooks went home to tea about 7.0 o'clock. Tea was more like late dinner & we had ham, scrambled eggs, chip potatoes, vegetable salad, tomatoes, pickles & cheese all on one plate. After that we had Butterscotch pie as dessert
[page break]
6/
& finished off with coffee & cakes. We needed a rest after that lot so we sat & talked for an hour. They took us back to the dance at 10 o'clock & we said "Cheerio" to the girls etc. & departed after a couple of dances. Bert & I decided to thumb a lift back, rather than use our hosts petrol & tires, and we left at 10.30 p.m. after a very good day. It didn't take very long to get a lift & we arrived at the camp gates at 11-40 p.m.
A camp car picked us up there & drove us back to our billets by 11-50 p.m. By 12-10 a.m. we were in bed & fast asleep.
That's just how it happened and if all the people over here are like the Cook's and their friends we have nothing to worry about.
By the time this reaches you I'll have moved on to some
[page break]
7/
other place, most probably in Florida and I hope we find the people there as good as they are here.
Well dad, I may be a bit late if this doesn't get to you before the 27th but I will wish you a "Very Happy Birthday".
That's all for now mum, I'm looking forward to receiving your first letter yet, but theyv'e started arriving so it shouldn't be long now.
Don't worry about me, I'll be alright, look after yourselves & remember me to Aunts & Uncles etc.
Good Night & God Bless You All.
Your Loving Son.
Ken. Xxxxxxxxxx.
David. Xxxxxxxxxx.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Kenneth Gill to his mother
Description
An account of the resource
Writes of life at Turner Field, Georgia, including food, putting on weight, weather, pay, the hospitality and American people, local churches, American cars and on base activities. Continues with description of visits to local town. Expecting to be moved on to Florida.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
K Gill
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-02-15
1942-02-18
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-02-15
1942-02-18
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
United States
Georgia--Albany
Georgia--Sylvester
Florida
Great Britain
England--Yorkshire
England--Leeds
Georgia
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Seven page handwritten letter and envelope
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SGillK1438901v10018
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Sue Smith
military living conditions
military service conditions
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1895/35567/SGillK1438901v10019.1.pdf
47deff97bcd4650b2b1862443c513d34
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gill, Kenneth
K Gill
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-09
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gill, K
Description
An account of the resource
One hundred and sixty-four items plus another one hundred and fifteen in two sub-ciollections. The collection concerns Flying Officer Kenneth Gill DFC (1922 - 1945, 1438901, 155097 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and family and other correspondence. <br />He flew operations as a navigator with 9 Squadron before starting a second tour with 617 Squadron. He was killed 21 March 1945 having completed 45 operations.<br /><br />The collection also contains two albums. <br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2114">Kenneth Gill. Album One</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2117">Kenneth Gill. Album Two</a><br /><br />Additional information on Kenneth Gill is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/108654/">IBCC Losses Database.</a><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Derek Gill and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[Postmark and postage stamp]
Mr. & Mrs. F. Gill.
55, Kyffin Avenue,
Halton
Leeds.
Yorkshire.
England.
[page break]
1438901 L.A.C. GILL. K.
No. 31. R.A.F. PERSONNEL DEPOT.
MONCTON,
NEW BRUNSWICK,
CANADA.
FEB. 27th./42,
Dear Mum, Dad & all,
Hello all! how's things with you these days? I hear Leeds has had a fair share of snow as usual this winter.
Well dad, I hope your cable reached you in time for today; talking of birthdays will you thank Aunt René for her birthday card for last November. I received it last Saturday & it had been to Leuchars, London, Clyffe Pypard, Padgate, Peterborough, London again, Manchester, Ottowa, Moncton & finally to Albany in Georgia. I also received January's News Letter from church which hadn't had such as long a journey as my card had, but it shows there must be something in R.A.F. organisation after all.
[page break]
2/
Since I wrote last, we've been moved from Turner Field, Albany and are now at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida.
The field is about fifty miles from Palm Beach & Miami, so when I start flying again I might get a glimpse of them. The billets here are the best we've ever had or likely to have. Four of us share a large room, with polished floor, two large windows, oak-table & chairs, wardrobes & neon-lighting. Through a communicating door we have a shower, two washbowls, plenty of mirrors, towel rails, tiled floor etc. In fact it's like a bachelor flat, & suits us down to the ground. The barracks are as per diagram, so you see we don't do so
[diagram]
[page break]
3/
bad, as far as games go.
The food here is very good & service is as good, if not better than our hotels at home. So far, we havn't flown here yet owing to weather, but we're hoping to fly tomorrow, (all being well). My instructor is the Assistant Flight Commander & it is his job to check on pupils & eliminate them if they are not satisfactory, so if I can fly to his standards I should get through. The kites we have here are about twice as heavy, & have twice the horsepower as a Tiger Moth, but that isn't worrying us much (as yet). I don't think I've much else to say as regards news just now. I'm in the best of health, & turning a very nice tone of reddish brown with the sun. Don't worry about me at all. I'll be O.K.
Keep your chins up all of you & look after yourselves. Give my
[page break]
4/
love to Uncles & Aunts & Grandma & Grandad, I can't write to everybody because we have lots of writing up to do & not enough time to do it all in. That's all for now,
Good night & God Bless.
Your Loving Son.
Ken. [kisses]
David [kisses]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Kenneth Gill to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
Catches up with family news, birthdays and other news. Mentions he had now moved to Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida. Describes living conditions and provides sketch map of camp. Comments on food, weather, and that they had not yet flown, Writes about flying training and aircraft.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
K Gill
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-02-27
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-02-27
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Yorkshire
England--Leeds
United States
Georgia--Albany
Florida--Arcadia
Florida
Georgia
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four page handwritten letter and envelope
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SGillK1438901v10019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Sue Smith
aircrew
military living conditions
military service conditions
pilot
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2067/34224/YStimpsonMC155249v1.2.pdf
ab8a65164385aab54f4e858d538da99c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Stimpson, Maurice Cecil
Description
An account of the resource
124 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Maurice Cecil Stimpson DFC (1921 - 1944, 155249 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, photographs, documents, and pennants. He flew operations as a pilot with 156 Squadron and was killed 15 February 1944. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Tony France and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Maurice Cecil Stimpson is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/226992/">IBCC Loses Database.</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-09-22
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stimpson,
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[crest]
THE AIR FORCE DIARY
[page break]
8/4[?]
5
[page break]
Curly grips Films
[page break]
PERSONAL MEMORANDA
Name STIMPSON MAURICE CECIL
Service No. 1337721
Home Address PARKFIELD LODGE, HEADSTONE LANE, N. HARROW, MIDDX
Dates of Promotion LAC. 14-11-41
[page break]
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Prestwich 2007
Mrs Archie H.E. 1467
Nellie N/wd[?] 823
Vera Pin 162
Aunty N/wd 213
Crowthers Scar. 2882
Mrs Roseway Pin 1342
Flat [two indecipherable words]
Faded ['thereford' sign]
(G/NCO.)
Wymslow
Kit
[page break]
ADDRESSES
Pat.
Oakwood
15 ST Mary's Rd.
Prestwich
M/C
[page break]
Mr. [indecipherable word]
2. Dunholme Green
Lower Edmonton
London N.9.
Mr Cooper
4 Mcdonald Rd
Morecombe & Heasham
Lancs
[page break]
c/o Sinclair
53 Polefield Grange
Berry Old Rd.
Prestwich
Manchester.
[deleted] Pendleton 2392 [/deleted]
2271 Pendleton
[page break]
1942 JANUARY
A good oil up at Perth Oriks[?] House
THURSDAY 1
Running fit
Air Plot
Multiple wind[?] finding[?]
[page break]
TUESDAY 6
("Leave") left Perth 2030 hrs
Paid.
WEDNESDAY 7
arrived home about 3 PM. Mum quite surprised
[page break)
FRIDAY 9
Ted came home, had a good time
[page break]
SUNDAY 18
Took Dorothy to flicks not very interresting[sic], long walk home everything under control?
MONDAY 19
Made a date with Dorothy but I didn't go. Went to town with Terry instead
SATURDAY 24
Went to Coop & took Margerie[?] home long walk rained like hell, home 1.30. Met Dorothy, bit complicated about not keeping the date.
[page break]
SATURDAY 31
Went to a dance with Joan & anty[?] had a good time, slept at Joans not [underlined] with [/underlined] her, poor old Pete.
Took Pat home wanted me to write
[page break]
FEBRUARY 1942
SUNDAY 8
Water! Water, Water! NAAFI sold out
Very rough waves over front of ship, sick again. Waves 20' cheesed off to the teeth, feed[sic] up with sleeping in our stinking hold No 4
MONDAY 9
Fairly Calm, up 4.0. Made some Bovril "was it good." Very cold got rougher during day but not too bad. Pork chop for dinner, oh boy)
Past[sic] Newfoundland during day did not see it too far out
TUESDAY 10
Fairly Rough
Very misty, land was just seen for a few minutes, played card all the afternoon, saw Mickey Rooney on the screen at night.
never answer if your name is called it means a guard,
WEDNESDAY 11
Calm.
Very cold 30°f, Catalinas[?] escorted us near coast, Dodging Guards all day. found some eats where[sic] they good. met another convoy, Fire in hold trust 4 hold. Fruit & biscuits Grand.
[page break]
frozen stiff, but to see land was well worth it, Catalina's taking off. anchored ready to bearth [sic] 1100 hrs. Snow amongst fir trees ashore,
THURSDAY 12
[underlined] LAND [/underlined] 16° frost
Bloody cold, ice frozen round water line, Docked 5.30 disembarked 6.0 caught train to Moncton went mad when we saw chocolate, oranges, but only [indecipherable word] any good, arrived 2.0 FRI. Had a real good meal,
FRIDAY 13
Went to bed 6.0 clock lovely firm bed, road covered with ice.
Paid $10
[page break]
SUNDAY 22
Changed to U.S.A. money
MONDAY 23
Up 4.0, Parade 6. left Moncton 8.0. Snow every marvelous scenery. Watches back 1 hour. Crossed Moose river in U.S.A. In the morning Train very fast
TUESDAY 24
Snow gradually dissappearing[sic] lovely lakes & rivers.
Lake Ontario "took 45 mins to Pass, just like the sea. Toronto not allowed out of station had a look at engines (two) Detroit & saw skyscraper for first time
Snow gone but not too warm. Turner Field 7.30 officers look tough. Billetted then a slap up meal, plenty of sand.[?]
[page break]
24
24
12
THURSDAY 26
Woke up by band marching all round camp, be on parade in 15 mins,
[page break]
MARCH 1942
THURSDAY 5
Experienced 20 mins in [indecipherable word] trainer. not too bad.
FRIDAY 6
Paid $5
Went Albany not very exciting
[page break]
SUNDAY 15
Went out to Dinner to Poulon, we intruded to have a ride, 10 piled in the car.
[page break]
FRIDAY 20
12 dollars paid
[page break]
MONDAY 23
Paid $3
SATURDAY 28
Caught taking photos, interview by Master Sgt & Capt Davisson destroyed film have camera tomorrow
M.P. was a [two indecipherable words]?
[page break]
SUNDAY 29
Left Turner 1100 Reached Dorr 1145. Had an enjoyable swim.
MONDAY 30
Had another swim, improving gradually, no diving yet?
TUESDAY 31
Started flying Stermans got on quite well. Mr Smith instructor much better than I anticipated.
Broke my goggles, Terry did the same in the evening
APRIL 1942
WEDNESDAY 1
Started Ground Sch. not so bad
[page break]
FRIDAY 3
Paid $20
SATURDAY 4
Open Post, went to flicks, visited several night clubs, well oiled arrived in Billets next morning 4.30
[page break]
SUNDAY 5
$650 for Taxi to Shellmans[?] three nice girls Byrel, Martha, Sara,
[page break]
SATURDAY 11
1st Solo, round three times, last time did a ground loop[?]. O.K.
[page break]
FRIDAY 17
Paid $21
SATURDAY 18
Went in hospital
[page break]
SATURDAY 25
Came out of Hospital had a good time
[page break]
JUNE 1942
TUESDAY 2
Moved to Macon[?]
WEDNESDAY 3
Mother's Birthday
[page break]
SEPTEMBER 1942
MONDAY 21
My 21st
[page break]
OCTOBER 1942
TUESDAY 27
left Moncton N.B. Canada 0900. hrs
Tremendous & good quarters Easely loose[sic] your self.
WEDNESDAY 28
Food Good
Plenty of canteens short of money[?]. Lost myself about a dozen times
[page break]
THURSDAY 29
Still in port, Good breakfast, nothing to do. Took things easy
Usuall[sic] boat drill
FRIDAY 30
Set sail 1000 hrs. Bag pipes played on the way out, bags of hurries [Hurricanes?] low flying [indecipherable word]
SATURDAY 31
Slept well, lovely breakfast, Gunnery practice.
clocks[?]
[page break]
NOVEMBER 1942
SUNDAY 1
Making good speed Fairly rough but[?] stable
clocks
MONDAY 2
Not allowed on Deck, Very little to do, 50[?] cigs issued.
TUESDAY 3
Not allowed on Deck Everything quiet. Duff gen on when we were docking.
clocks
WEDNESDAY 4
Anchored. Fog quite thick, delayed disembarkation.
Panic every where
[page break]
THURSDAY 5
Plenty of tenders, Bag pipes busy. Left ship 1500 hrs. Marveleous[sic] reception by the People, Train journey, had fun throwing candy to the kidies[sic]
FRIDAY 6
Arrived
0400 hrs, good organisation, up at 0900 hrs. bloody tired,
Rang Vera,
[page break]
DECEMBER 1942
SUNDAY 27
Surry[sic] House, High St, Esher, Surry.[sic]
[page break]
FLYING LOG-BOOK
[inserted] 6.41 7.55
[underlined] 4.12
12.07
DATE AIRCRAFT CREW DEPARTURE ARRIVAL TIME IN AIR REMARKS
19-12-41 T.MOTH DUEL[sic] 65 mins
21-12 55
22-12 6856 30
23-12 9128 Mr. Smith 40 2345
31-3 P.T.17 No. 13 Duel 1415 1500 45
1-4 No. 6 [indecipherable]
stalling[?]
2-4 No. 10 stalls 49
3-4 5 " spins 53
4-4 7 " " bumps 53
6-4 [indecipherable] 4 S.S.P. circuits 52
7-4 4 S. circuits 50
landings
8-4 4 Stalls circuits 52
landings
9-4 5 circuits & Bmp
47
[page break]
Norway Oslo
Sweden Stockholm
Finland Helsinki
Yugoslavia Belgrade
Romania Buckarest
Bulgaria Sofia
Hungary Budapest
[page break]
[underlined] Subject, [/underlined] Explanation of the report, late for 1930 Pay parade 12 inst.
Report of June 13 [underlined] To [/underlined] The Commandant of flying cadets
1. The Report is correct
2
3 The offense[sic] was unintentional
[page break]
Sandiford
2 Park Lane
Hale
Cheshire
Eng
[page break]
STATIONS VISITED
1-9 - 4-10 A.C.R.C
4-10 - 15-12 Scar. 10 ITW
16-12 - 6-1 Perth 11 EFTS
14-1 - 1-2 Heaton Park A. FLT. 1 SQD[?]
2-2 - 4-2 Gourock
4-2 - 12-2 Atlantic
13-2 - 23-2 Moncton
25-2 - 29-3 Turner Field
29-3 - 2-6 [indecipherable]
2-6 - Cochran Field
[page break]
1500138 Rob[?] J.H.
1529904 EA
2 shirts
1 Pants
1 Vest
1 Pyjamas
2 prs socks
3 handkerchieves
1 Ties
4 Collars
2 Towels
1 Bag
[page break]
[underlined] 1. Infinity. 8f. 50 [/underlined]
[page break]
[newspaper cutting]
BOMB WAS BLOWN BACK INTO PLANE
When his bomber was hit by A.A. fire over Hamburg, an R.A.F. flight-sergeant saw the head of one of the bombs, with fuse still attached, blown back into the bomb-aimer's compartment.
With great coolness and regardless of the danger, he cut away the fuselage with an axe, released the fused portion and threw it out of the plane.
For this deed Flt.-Sgt. Thomas Cable, of Cleethorpes, Lincs, gains the D.F.M.
He is one of 137 officers and men of the R.A.F. decorated for gallantry and devotion to duty in air operations in many theatres-attacks on Berlin, the Ruhr, against U-boats, in the Western Desert and in Burma and Ceylon.
[page break]
C[?] 6BD, PRSD 8 6 RCXMVHPR922PACY578Q [deleted] 0 [/deleted] NMT
Chap 9
Page 131
Chap 14
[page break]
[deleted figures]
[deleted] W. N.A. [indecipherable letter] [/deleted]
OWILL YOU TELL US WHAT TIME IT IS PLEASE
[underlined] SEND SLOWER [/underlined]
[deleted] FO [/deleted]
PACK U [diagram of a little devil]
[page break]
8069
Walker F J T
Warnes C A
B Sqn
Flying Cadet Basic Training [indecipherable word]
Cochran Field
[two indecipherable words]
[page break]
[back cover of Diary]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Maurice Stimpson's 1942 Diary
Description
An account of the resource
An intermittent record of Maurice's year. It starts with some time in the UK then he travels to Perth then the US for pilot training.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Maurice Stimpson
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Harrow
England--Prestwich
England--London
England--Heysham
England--Hale (Greater Manchester)
Canada
New Brunswick--Moncton
United States
Georgia--Macon
Georgia--Albany
Georgia
New Brunswick
England--Cheshire
England--Lancashire
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
YStimpsonMC155249v1
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending text-based transcription. Under review
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Diary
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One printed diary with handwritten annotations
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Sue Smith
aircrew
pilot
Stearman
training