Browse Items (391 total)

  • Temporal Coverage is exactly "1940"

Gunther Rall was raised in Stuttgart and, as a youngster, enjoyed outdoor and sporting activities. He was also a Boy Scout. He became a cadet in the army and joined the 13th Infantry Regiment. He met a friend in the air force and decided it was the…

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MHicksDK[Ser#-DoB]-151001-06.jpg
Recollection of work Ken Hicks carried out during the Battle of Britain on 222 Squadron at Royal Air Force Hornchurch. He notes that 37 pilots of 222 Squadron fought in the battle and 18 were killed.

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ETetleyLMTetleyA[Date]-01.jpg
Letter to his mother from Aircraftsman First Class Leslie Mellor Tetley. He writes about the results of his first examinations at No 6 School of Technical Training RAF Hednesford, the pressure of work and what was expected on the course in future.…

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MHobbsFJ1262633-160404-06.pdf
London County Council driving licence for Frank Hobbs address Tooting. Valid 1 December 1937 to 30 November 1938 with extension sticker to 9 December 1940. One conviction stamp for minor offence 20 November 1939

YAdderM170573v1.pdf
Day by day description of activities for 1940. Mentions sport, air battles and air raids, war news, weather, social life, RAF and navy operations. going to cadets, films seen, Morse and navigation lessons, battle of France, playing football and…

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BBrookMBrookMv1.pdf
Opens with some details of 625 Squadron and introduction with reasons for writing. Writes of beginning of the war when still at school and experiences before joining up. Mentions activities with Air Training Corps and being awarded an RAF bursary to…

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AAllenG150917.mp3
Graham Allen joined the Royal Air Force aged 19. He trained as a mechanic and worked on inspection and recovery of Spitfire aircraft. He later volunteered to be a flight engineer, and flew a tour of operations with 106 Squadron. His first operation…

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YManserLT66542v1.pdf
Leslie Manser's one day diary for 1940. Contains details about his life before he was accepted into the RAF and some details of his service life. Includes a blotter and news clipping.

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PHenwoodP1701.jpg
Priscilla was encouraged by a friend’s father to join the 600 Squadron in anticipation of the war. She was called up and was based at Finsbury Barracks, involved in recruitment. Priscilla also worked on the telephone exchange at Clerkenwell.
In…

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AFreemanP180109.mp3
Philip Freeman was a young child in Gainsborough during the Second World War. His brother Desmond left Gainsborough to work for Lord Londonderry in London. From there he volunteered for the RAF and trained as a pilot. He was a fighter pilot but was…

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AHarveyH180914.mp3
Harold Harvey was a child in Washingborough during the Second World War. He witnessed the construction of airfields around his home and could hear and observe the aircraft departing on operations. One November evening he and his mother and sister…

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PPennyJ1501.jpg
Jim Penny joined the Air Force in July 1940 when he was eighteen. He recounts the training which he undertook before he became a Bomber Command Pathfinder pilot for 97 Squadron at RAF Bourn. He explains the crewing up process and details those who…

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PHawkinsIFV1501.jpg
Ian Hawkins was training to be a teacher when he decided to volunteer for the RAF, joining in 1941. He commenced training under the Arnold Scheme in Canada and the United States and passed the course as a pilot. He returned to England as a sergeant…

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AHextellGJE160104.mp3
George Hextell joined the RAF as a flight engineer and flew operations with 51 Squadron on Halifaxes. After being shot down over Holland, he became a prisoner of war. Gives a detailed account of how his capture, imprisonment and liberation. Describes…

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ANeilsonW151116.mp3
William Neilson grew up in Edinburgh. After training as a pilot in Canada and the United States he served as a staff pilot at Number 1 Air Armament School RAF Manby. He discusses low level bombing practice. He was demobbed in 1946 and became a civil…

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PStachiewiczM17010014.jpg
Eight photographs on a page captioned 'Oboz w Septfonds, wiosna 1940'.
Photo 1 is two lines of soldiers.
Photo 2 is a column of civilians led by two soldiers.
Photo 3 is a group of civilians walking under an arch. A French and Polish flag are…

PStachiewiczM17010015.jpg
Item 1 is a map of the centre of Lyons.
Item 2 is a post it note in Polish.
Item 3 and 4 are small tickets marked 'Controle' with Mieczysław Stachiewicz name handwritten on.
Item 5 is a badge in red, white and blue with 'Secours National' -…

PStachiewiczM17010016.jpg
Photo 1 is a head and shoulders portrait of Mieczysław Stachiewicz in uniform.
Photo 2 is a group of men in a dormitory. There are no beds and the bedding is on the floor. The men are in uniform.
Photo 3 is a group of men outside in a yard.
Photo…

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ABoschD150730.mp3
Dirk Bosch was eight years old when the German army occupied his home town of Amsterdam. In this interview he describes what life was like for him during this time. He refers to seeing Dutch Jews rounded up and deported. He describes the hunger of…

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AMcDonaldEA150713.mp3
Allan McDonald was born in Hull and worked as an apprentice electrician before joining the Air Force. He passed the exams to become aircrew and trained as an air gunner. During training, his aircraft crash landed and he was soaked in petrol. He flew…

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AHarrisH180520.mp3
Please note: The veracity of this interview has been called into question. We advise that corroborative research is undertaken to establish the accuracy of some of the details mentioned and events witnessed.

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PMaggsRW1602.jpg
Robert Maggs lived in London until his family were bombed out and moved to the seaside. He joined the local Air Training Corps and later volunteered for the RAF and trained as a gunner. During training his plane crashed and he was left trapped. He…

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AVanRielJF150825.mp3
Coby Van Riel was aged about six when the Germans invaded Holland. She lived in a fishing port area of The Hague, where her father had numerous jobs to make ends meet in the difficult days before the war and her mother ran a chemist shop. She…

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AMahaddieH900726.mp3
Conversation recorded for the Nanton Lancaster Society.
Hamish Mahaddie, the recruiter for the Pathfinder Force recalls the life of Ian Willoughby Bazalgette VC who plagued him weekly for the opportunity to join the Pathfinders. He had been posted…

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PHicktonH1701.jpg
Pat Hickton was born in New Zealand. His mother passed away when he was young and he spent his childhood in a number of foster and children’s homes until he started working on the railway. He volunteered for the RAF and began training as a rear…

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