Claire Bennett]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1944-11-12]]> Served at RAF Swinderby, RAF Syerston, RAF Woodhall Spa, RAF Waddington. Aircraft flown were Stirling, Lancaster I, Lancaster III, Lancaster VII.
Flew 25 day and 2 night operations with 617 Squadron to Brest, Westkapelle, Tromso (Tirpitz), Urft Dam, Ijmuiden, Politz, Rotterdam, Oslo Fjord, Bergen, Pootershaven, Bielefeld Viaduct, Nienburg Viaduct, Arnsberg Viaduct, Bremen, Farge, Hamburg, Swinemünde, Berchtesgaden. He also flew two Cook’s Tours and six Operation Dodge flights. His pilot on operations was Flight Lieutenant Goodman.
Includes a hand written note Dam Buster mines dropped in North Sea 31 March 1945. ]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> France]]> France--Brest]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Ijmuiden]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Netherlands--Westkapelle]]> Norway]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Germany]]> Germany--Arnsberg]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Nienburg (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Urft Dam]]> Poland]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Poland--Świnoujście]]> Italy]]> Italy--Bari]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-10-03]]> 1944-10-29]]> 1944-12-08]]> 1944-12-11]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-21]]> 1944-12-22]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1944-12-31]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-14]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-06]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-03-09]]> 1945-03-13]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-19]]> 1945-03-21]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-03-27]]> 1945-04-06]]> 1945-04-07]]> 1945-04-08]]> 1945-04-13]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-06-26]]> 1945-07-05]]> 1945-09-15]]> 1945-09-18]]> 1945-09-30]]> 1945-10-03]]> 1945-10-07]]> 1945-10-09]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Hancock]]> Trevor Hardcastle]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Huntingdonshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Worcestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Aulnoye-Aymeries]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Nord-Pas-de-Calais]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Zweibrücken]]> Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Germany]]> 1944-01-24]]> 1944-02-03]]> 1944-02-15]]> 1944-02-20]]> 1944-02-23]]> 1944-03-13]]> 1944-03-22]]> 1944-03-24]]> 1944-03-26]]> 1944-03-30]]> 1944-04-11]]> 1944-04-20]]> 1944-04-22]]> 1944-04-24]]> 1944-04-26]]> 1944-04-27]]> 1944-05-01]]> 1944-05-03]]> 1944-05-08]]> 1944-05-15]]> 1944-05-20]]> 1944-05-21]]> 1944-05-31]]> 1944-06-02]]> 1944-06-03]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-06-09]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> 1944-06-18]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> ita]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Poland]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Euskirchen Region]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands--IJmuiden]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Ontario--Hamilton]]> Ontario--Picton]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> 1943]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1944-12-08]]> 1944-12-11]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1944-12-31]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-12]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-02-26]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-03-27]]> 1945-04-06]]> 1945-04-07]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-13]]> 1945-04-15]]> 1945-04-16]]> 1945-04-19]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-05-10]]> 1946]]> Alan was posted to Bradfield Park for training and then to No. 2 Air Observers’ School in Edmonton, Canada. He was given a commission as a pilot officer and went to the Advanced Flying Unit at RAF Wigtown in Scotland, followed by the Operational Training Unit at RAF Lichfield. Alan describes the process of crewing up. He trained on Wellingtons and then went to the Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Winthorpe. Alan describes the night they had to parachute from their Stirling after a trip to the coast of Holland.
After Lancaster Finishing School, Alan was posted to 617 Squadron where the Commanding Officer was J B “Willie” Tait. His first operation in November 1944 was to bomb the Urft Dam in Germany but it was too cloudy to release the 12,000 lb Tallboy bomb on board. A second attempt was also unsuccessful. Alan then refers to two operations in the Netherlands where U-boat pens were bombed. Bergen was another operation. On 25 April 1945, their target was Berchtesgaden, their last operation leading a Main Force Group of 400 aircraft.

Alan then went to 467 Squadron at RAF Metheringham. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they were no longer required to go to Okanawa. Alan returned to Australia in February 1946 and joined Shell company in Sidney. ]]>
John Horsburgh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Queensland]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> 1942]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1944-01]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-11]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1946-02]]>

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Netherlands]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Montchanin]]> France--Montluçon]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Zweibrücken]]> Italy--Bari]]> Italy--Milan]]> Italy--Turin]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> France--Juvincourt-et-Damary]]> 1943-04-28]]> 1943-04-29]]> 1943-04-30]]> 1943-05-01]]> 1943-05-04]]> 1943-05-05]]> 1943-05-23]]> 1943-05-24]]> 1943-05-25]]> 1943-05-26]]> 1943-05-27]]> 1943-05-28]]> 1943-05-29]]> 1943-05-30]]> 1943-06-11]]> 1943-06-12]]> 1943-06-13]]> 1943-06-16]]> 1943-06-17]]> 1943-06-19]]> 1943-06-20]]> 1943-06-21]]> 1943-06-22]]> 1943-06-23]]> 1943-06-24]]> 1943-06-25]]> 1943-07-08]]> 1943-07-09]]> 1943-07-12]]> 1943-07-13]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-25]]> 1943-07-26]]> 1943-07-27]]> 1943-07-28]]> 1943-07-29]]> 1943-07-30]]> 1943-08-02]]> 1943-08-03]]> 1943-08-15]]> 1943-08-16]]> 1943-08-17]]> 1943-08-18]]> 1943-09-03]]> 1943-09-04]]> 1943-09-05]]> 1943-09-06]]> 1943-09-07]]> 1943-09-15]]> 1943-09-16]]> 1943-09-22]]> 1943-09-23]]> 1943-09-24]]> 1943-10-18]]> 1943-10-20]]> 1943-10-21]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-03-07]]> 1945-03-08]]> 1945-03-09]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-13]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-17]]> 1945-03-21]]> 1945-03-24]]> 1945-03-26]]> 1945-04-13]]> 1945-04-14]]> 1945-04-15]]> 1945-04-22]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-04-30]]> 1945-05-05]]> 1945-05-07]]> 1945-05-08]]> 1945-05-10]]> 1945-05-15]]> 1945-05-23]]> 1945-06-08]]> 1945-06-12]]> 1945-06-14]]> 1945-06-25]]> 1945-07-03]]> 1945-07-09]]> 1945-08-03]]> 1945-08-05]]> 1945-08-22]]> 1945-08-24]]>


This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> France--Lorient]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Cuxhaven]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Elberfeld]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Merseburg Region]]> Germany--Müllheim]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Plauen]]> Germany--Remscheid]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Netherlands--Friesland]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Scotland--Highlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1942-12-10]]> 1942-12-22]]> 1943-01-18]]> 1943-01-19]]> 1943-01-21]]> 1943-01-22]]> 1943-02-07]]> 1943-02-08]]> 1943-02-13]]> 1943-02-14]]> 1943-02-15]]> 1943-02-16]]> 1943-02-17]]> 1943-02-26]]> 1943-02-27]]> 1943-02-28]]> 1943-02-29]]> 1943-03-01]]> 1943-03-03]]> 1943-03-04]]> 1943-03-29]]> 1943-03-30]]> 1943-04-04]]> 1943-04-05]]> 1943-04-08]]> 1943-04-09]]> 1943-04-26]]> 1943-04-27]]> 1943-04-28]]> 1943-04-29]]> 1943-05-04]]> 1943-05-12]]> 1943-05-13]]> 1943-05-14]]> 1943-05-29]]> 1943-05-30]]> 1943-06-11]]> 1943-06-12]]> 1943-06-17]]> 1943-06-18]]> 1943-06-21]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Royal Air Force. Training Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Friedrichshafen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1940-12]]> 1941-01]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1945]]> 1958]]> 1963]]> 1975]]> KJ Brind]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France--Alençon]]> Great Britain]]> England--Aldeburgh]]> Germany--Berlin]]> United States]]> Florida--Pensacola]]> France--Reims]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> England--Hastings]]> France--Dieppe]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Reading]]> France--Domléger-Longvillers]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Calais]]> France--Berck-sur-Mer]]> England--London]]> England--Dungeness]]> France--Vierzon]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Orléans]]> France--Dijon]]> England--Bridport]]> England--Weymouth (Dorset)]]> France--Rennes]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Channel Islands]]> Europe--Mont Blanc]]> France--Tours]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Caen]]> Belgium--Kortrijk]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Belgium--Ostend]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Kiel]]> England--Mablethorpe]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Rüsselsheim]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Munich]]> England--Selsey (West Sussex)]]> France--Falaise]]> England--Old Sarum (Extinct city)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> Sweden]]> Sweden--Malmö]]> Sweden--Falun]]> England--Beachy Head]]> Germany--Rheine]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Emmerich]]> Netherlands--Nijmegen]]> England--Cromer]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> England--Marlborough]]> Florida]]> Poland]]> France]]> Germany]]> Denmark]]> Belgium]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Europe--Frisian Islands]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Kent]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Wiltshire]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> 1943-09]]> 1944-10]]> 1945-07]]> 1945-10]]> 1958]]> Flying log book for navigator’s, air bomber, air gunner’s, flight engineers for W. Daymont, flight engineer, covering the period from 11 August 1944 to 24 August 1945. Detailing his flying training and operations flown. He was stationed at RAF St Athan, RAF Hemswell, RAF Grimsby, RAF Elsham Wolds and RAF Driffield. Aircraft flown in were Halifax and Lancaster. He flew a total of 28 operations with 100 Squadron, 8 daylight and 20 night. Targets were Dusseldorf, Bochum, Dortmund, Wanne-Eickel, Aschaffenburg, Duren, Essen, Hamburg, Heligoland, Bremen, Berchtesgaden, Frieburg, Cologne, Leuna, Zeitz, Kleve, Dresden, Chemnitz, Duisberg, Pforzheim, Dessau, Kassel, Misburg, Plauen and Berlin. He also flew one Operation Exodus and two Operation Manna flights. His pilot on operations was Flying Officer Butler. 

 

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Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Belgium]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Aschaffenburg]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Hannover Region]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Leuna]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> Germany--Plauen]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Zeitz]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Freiburg im Breisgau]]> 1944]]> 1944-11-02]]> 1944-11-03]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-05]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-14]]> 1944-11-15]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-17]]> 1944-11-21]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-11-27]]> 1944-11-28]]> 1944-12-24]]> 1945-01-14]]> 1945-01-15]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-17]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-02-20]]> 1945-02-21]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-02-24]]> 1945-03-07]]> 1945-03-08]]> 1945-03-09]]> 1945-03-11]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-31]]> 1945-04-10]]> 1945-04-11]]> 1945-04-14]]> 1945-04-15]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-04-22]]> 1945-04-26]]> 1945-04-27]]> 1945-05-01]]> 1945-05-02]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> pol]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> 1945-04-25]]>
This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Paderborn]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> Germany--Wiesbaden]]> Netherlands--Gouda]]> Wales--Flintshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-02-24]]> 1945-03-13]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-17]]> 1945-03-19]]> 1945-03-20]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-03-25]]> 1945-03-27]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-10]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-05-02]]> 1945-05-07]]> 1945-05-25]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1950]]> 1951]]> 1952]]> 1953]]> 1954]]> 1955]]>
Flashback 1. Mentions first operation on 300 Squadron at RAF Faldingworth. Continues with account of training in England at Hucknall, Montrose and Western Zoyland. He then trained as an instructor and was posted as a flying instructor. He volunteered for operational duties and eventually was allocated to a bomber squadron at RAF Finningley training on Wellington where he crewed up before posting to RAF Faldingworth, Continues with description of first operation to Wiesbaden and mistakenly landing at RAF Fiskerton on return. Concludes with a 10 year old schoolboy's wish to be a pilot.
Flashback 2. Account of Tadeusz joining the Polish Air Force including the reasons for his ambition, early experience of gliding, labour camp and military training. Continues with account of flying training with various incidents. Describes events during German invasion and escape to Romania.
Flashback 3. Continues with events after arriving in Romania and then travelling onwards by boat to Beirut then onwards to Marseille, Lyon. Gives account of German invasion of France in May 1940 and his escape via Toulouse, Bayonne and St Jean de Luz and then by British ship to Liverpool.
Flashback 4. Writes of changing his name and of his career in the RAF after the war including continuing flying with 300 Squadron and his final operation to Berchtesgaden as well as prisoner of war repatriation flights and food drops in Holland. Continues with account of flying troops back from Italy and a visit to Berlin. He was posted to ferry aircraft of many different types.]]>
T Wier]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Poland]]> Poland--Zgierz]]> Poland--Dęblin (Warsaw)]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Hucknall]]> Scotland--Angus]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Rugby]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Wiesbaden]]> Romania]]> Lebanon]]> Lebanon--Beirut]]> France]]> France--Marseille]]> France--Lyon]]> France--Toulouse]]> France--Bayonne]]> France--Saint-Jean-de-Luz]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Liverpool]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Belgium]]> Italy]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Bridgwater]]> Romania]]> Romania--Tulcea]]> 1941]]> 1944-12]]> 1941-05]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-10]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1939]]> 1939-09-17]]> 1940-05-10]]>
M Brook]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--London]]> Canada]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> Ontario--London]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Hereford]]> Germany]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Germany--Plauen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> Ontario]]> New Brunswick]]> 1943-10-01]]> 1940]]> 1941-10]]> 1942-07]]> 1942-10]]> 1943]]> 1944-02]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-18]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-03-25]]> 1945-03-31]]> 1945-04-03]]> 1945-04-09]]> In accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donor, this item is available only at the University of Lincoln.]]> Peter Russell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Scotland--Fife]]> Scotland--St. Andrews]]> Northern Ireland]]> Northern Ireland--Antrim (County)]]> France]]> France--Brest]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Eastbourne (East Sussex)]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Bridgnorth]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France--Angers]]> Germany]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Harburg (Landkreis)]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Saint-Vith]]> Germany--Rheydt]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Goch]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Poland]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Witten]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Great Britain]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Swindon (Wiltshire)]]> 1939]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-10-23]]> 1944-10-28]]> 1944-11-02]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-09]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-11]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1944-11-18]]> 1944-11-19]]> 1944-11-21]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-12-25]]> 1944-12-26]]> 1944-12-27]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-04]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-03-01]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-18]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-05-25]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike French]]> Callum Davies]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--West Midlands]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Paderborn]]> Scotland--Grampian]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1945-03-07]]> 1945-03-08]]> 1945-03-11]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-27]]> 1945-03-31]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-04-22]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-05-01]]> 1945-05-02]]> 1945-05-07]]> 1945-05-09]]> 1945-07-03]]> 1945-07-05]]> 1945-08-02]]> 1945-08-04]]> 1945-09-07]]> 1945-09-10]]> 1945-09-21]]> 1945-09-27]]> 1946]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Netherlands]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hamburg Region]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Hildesheim]]> Germany--Merseburg Region]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Paderborn]]> Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> Great Britain]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-17]]> 1945-03-18]]> 1945-03-19]]> 1945-03-21]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-03-28]]> 1945-04-02]]> 1945-04-04]]> 1945-04-05]]> 1945-04-17]]> 1945-04-22]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-04-29]]> 1945-05-01]]> 1945-05-03]]> 1945-05-07]]> 1945-05-10]]> 1945-10-01]]> L Jackson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> 1946-01-22]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike French]]> Cara Walmsley]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Merseburg]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Ulm]]> Great Britain]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> Netherlands]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Manitoba]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Manitoba--Rivers]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1944-12-04]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-07]]> 1944-12-12]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-17]]> 1944-12-24]]> 1945-01-05]]> 1945-01-06]]> 1945-01-28]]> 1945-01-29]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-02-24]]> 1945-03-01]]> 1945-03-02]]> 1945-03-05]]> 1945-03-06]]> 1945-03-07]]> 1945-03-08]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-25]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-10]]> 1945-04-10]]> 1945-04-14]]> 1945-04-15]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-04-22]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-04-30]]> 1945-05-01]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dover]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Germany--Celle]]> Germany--Barth]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Colditz]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Füssen]]> Italy--Stelvio Pass]]> England--Capel (Kent)]]> Austria--Kaunertal]]> Liechtenstein]]> Austria--Feldkirch]]> Germany--Baden-Baden]]> Germany--Trier]]> Netherlands--Dokkum]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Poland]]> Germany--Spremberg]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Bremen]]> England--Bristol]]> France--Lille]]> Italy--Turin]]> Denmark--Esbjerg]]> Netherlands--Amsterdam]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> France--Dunkerque]]> Belgium--Ieper]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> Italy]]> France]]> Germany]]> Denmark]]> Austria]]> Belgium]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Kent]]>
The Earliest Years.
Born in Barnoldswick, then in Yorkshire, now in Lancashire in 1922. His father ran a wireless business until 1926. He describes his years at schools and a move to Norwich. The family then moved to London where he started an apprenticeship as an accountant.

Joining Up.
Cliff left the accountants to work in his father's radio business. Initially he was rejected by the RAF because he wore spectacles. He reapplied and passed various written, oral and medical examinations. Initial training was at Torquay then Newquay. Once training was complete he sailed from Greenock to South Africa.

Southern Rhodesia.
After acclimatisation in South Africa, Cliff and his colleagues were put on a sleeper train to Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. Training commenced on Tiger Moths but he was 'scrubbed' or rejected. He was reselected as an air gunner and completed a course in Moffat, also in South Rhodesia. Hospitality in Rhodesia and South Africa was described as generous and excellent.

Postscript.
Cliff describes a run-in with a training corporal who took a dislike to him. Despite faked evidence he proved his points and emerged with a clean record and passed his exams.

Operational Training.
In August 1942 he sailed back to the UK. He was sent to Bournemouth for assessment, then on to RAF Finningley for training then RAF Bircotes for operations. Next was a move to RAF Hixon and its satellite airfield at Seighford. He married Hilda on 1st March 1943 during a week's leave.

Second Time to Africa.
He was then sent to West Kirby, Liverpool to join a ship sailing to Algiers, for further training. Their destination became Blida where they started operations on Tunis and Monserrato airfield. They then moved to a desert strip to the east by 250 kms. From there they continued operations into Italy. Later they moved to Kairouan and continued operations into Italy, mainly Sardinia and Sicily. Each operation is described in great detail.
He has included a letter in Arabic with instructions to take the bearer to British soldiers for a reward. At the end of his tour they sailed back to Greenock.

Screened.
After some leave Cliff's next posting was at Operational Training Unit Desborough where he helped train new gunners. Due to an argument with an officer he was sent to RAF Norton for correctional training. On his return his case was reviewed and the severe reprimand was removed from his record.

Scampton.
Scampton was Cliff's next operational base then Winthorpe for its Heavy Conversion Unit on Stirlings, followed by Syerston on Lancasters then Bardney.

227 Squadron.
Cliff joined 227 squadron at Bardney. Again he covers in detail each operation. His flight was later transferred to Balderton. During this period he was awarded the DFC.

Final Leg.
His squadron was transferred to Gravely at the end of the war. He did a photography course and was transferred to Handforth. There was little work, some unpleasantness and eventually a period of extended leave, a spell at Poynton looking after prisoners then demob.

Back to Civvy Street.
Cliff returned to Whitehaven to revitalise a radio company. He gives great detail about the improvements made. Later he set up a similar enterprise at Maryport. Wired radio services were set to become less popular and financially worthwhile so seeing the writing on the wall he decided to emigrate.

Kenya.
Cliff and family flew to Nairobi, then bus to Kitale where his father was.

Hoteli King George.
Dissatisfied with life on his father's farm, Cliff took a job as a prison officer. He and his family moved to Nairobi. He relates several stories about prisoners and their better qualities but in the end he gets restless and leaves.

Civil Aviation.
Cliff joined the East African Directorate of Civil Aviation in April 1951 as a radio officer. He and his family were relocated to Mbeya, 900 miles from Nairobi. His skills as a radio engineer were well used in this remote location. After 2.5 years the family returned to UK on leave. On his return he was posted to Mwanza, also in Tanganyika. He describes in great detail a royal visit. They left on leave in June 1957 and collected a VW Beetle for transport to Kenya. Their next move was to Entebbe. This was not a happy posting and led to a transfer to Kisumu in Kenya. After three years they transferred to Nairobi to spend more time with their children, who were at boarding school there.

D.C.A. Headquarters.
His role here was Telecomms superintendent. He describes in detail the operations of his section. This was an unsettled period in Kenya with many Europeans returning home.

Dec' 61 on Leave.
Leave was spent at their house in Wales then in May 1962 Cliff returned alone to Nairobi. His family did return later. By this time his father had abandoned his farm and was building radios.

On Leave June 1964.
He bought another house in Wales and spent his leave restoring it. His wife's mother moved in. In November 1964 Cliff returned alone to Nairobi. he left within a year due to the worsening situation.

Job Hunting.
Several electronics firms were approached offering Cliff's services. He attended an interview with Pye who quickly offered him employment.

At Pye Telecommunications.
He found his colleagues unhelpful. A great deal of time was spent on a Turkish quotation that had been in progress for 10 years. A quotation to the Iranian Directorate of Civil Aviation contained complications leading to Cliff revising the quotation. Later there was a complicated installation job at the London Stock Exchange. Eventually Pye pulled out from the bid but a rival company won it, only to be taken over by Pye. At first the system was troubled but after a simple modification it worked perfectly.

Dresden 13-14 February 1945.
A one page description of the bombing of Dresden.

Curriculum Vitae.
Cliff Watson's CV, dated 1976.











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Cliff Watson DFC]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Bradbury]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Huntingdon]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Norwich]]> England--London]]> England--Torquay]]> England--Newquay]]> England--Birkenhead]]> Scotland--Greenock]]> Sierra Leone--Freetown]]> South Africa--Durban]]> Zimbabwe--Bulawayo]]> South Africa--Mahikeng]]> Zimbabwe--Harare]]> Singapore]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> England--Bournemouth]]> France--Paris]]> Algeria--Algiers]]> Algeria--Blida]]> Tunisia--Tunis]]> Italy--Sardinia]]> Italy--Cagliari]]> Tunisia--Bizerte]]> Italy--Monserrato]]> Italy--Decimomannu]]> Italy--Trapani]]> Italy--Palermo]]> Italy--Naples]]> Italy--Rome]]> Italy--Lido di Roma]]> Italy--Tiber River]]> Italy--Alghero]]> Italy--Castelvetrano]]> Italy--Pantelleria Island]]> Tunisia--Sūsah]]> Italy--Syracuse]]> Italy--Messina]]> Italy--Salerno]]> Italy--Bari]]> Italy--Comiso]]> Italy--Crotone]]> Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco]]> Italy--Paola]]> Italy--Battipaglia]]> England--Desborough]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> England--Whitehaven]]> Kenya]]> England--Yeovil]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> Kenya--Kitale]]> Tanzania--Mbeya]]> Tanzania--Mwanza]]> Uganda--Entebbe]]> Kenya--Kisumu]]> England--Cambridge]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Zimbabwe--Gweru]]> Zimbabwe]]> South Africa]]> Sierra Leone]]> France]]> Algeria]]> Tunisia]]> Italy]]> Netherlands]]> Germany]]> Norway]]> Poland]]> Belgium]]> Tanzania]]> Uganda]]> Iran]]> North Africa]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Iran--Tehran]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Germany--Homburg (Saarland)]]> Tunisia--Munastīr]]> Tunisia--Qayrawān]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Cumberland]]> England--Devon]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Huntingdonshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Lancashire]]> Italy--Capri Island]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Physical object]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Australia]]> Western Australia]]> Victoria]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Tasmania]]> Germany--Moosburg an der Isar]]> New South Wales]]> 1945-04-25]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Moosburg an der Isar]]> Austria]]> Austria--Sankt Johann im Pongau]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1997]]>