Top right a fjord.
Centre right, mountains and a river.
Bottom left, a ship annotated '938 to Norway'.
Bottom right, a church.
Right page: top left, head and shoulder portrait of Bob Keeling in uniform with pilot's brevet and VR badge on his collar annotated 'Bob 1940'.
Top right, menu from the Queen's Hotel annotated 'Bob and Judy.'
Middle left, head and shoulder portrait of Bob in uniform and cap. Middle right, Bob with an open topped car, annotated 'September 1940' and 'High Northwaite'.
Bottom left, two women and a man sat on a bench.
Bottom right, two images of Bob in uniform.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending identification. Things]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> 1940-09]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Navy]]> Malta]]> 1940]]> 1940-06]]> 1940-09]]> 1941-01]]> 1941-03]]> 1941-04]]> 1941-05]]> 1941-07]]> 1941-08]]> 1941-10]]> 1941-11]]> 1941-12]]> 1942-01]]> 1942-02]]> 1942-03]]> 1942-04]]> 1942-05]]> 1942-06]]> 1942-07]]> 1942-10]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Sri Lanka]]> Australia]]> Malta]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Sri Lanka--Ratmalana]]> Germany--Cologne]]> 1940-09]]> 1941-06]]> 1941-09-28]]> 1941-12-03]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1942]]> 1942-08]]> 1942-10]]> 1946-03-21]]> 1943-08-07]]> 1943-06-17]]> 1939-10-29]]> 1945-08-17]]> 1941-11-15]]> P Bishop - book author]]> J Doxsey handwritten note]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Germany]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> 1939-09]]> 1940-09]]> 1939-12-03]]> 1939-12-18]]> 1940-01-01]]> 1940-01-02]]> A Gaunt]]> J Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Spalding]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Liverpool]]> South Africa]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> South Africa--Durban]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> Iraq]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> United Arab Emirates]]> Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah]]> Gaza Strip--Gaza]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Heilbronn]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony)]]> France]]> France--Royan]]> Czech Republic]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Würzburg]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Flensburg]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Egypt]]> Gaza Strip]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Czech Republic--Most]]> United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah (Emirate)]]> 1937]]> 1940-09]]> 1940-11-04]]> 1941-03]]> 1941-08-31]]> 1943-02]]> 1944-04]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-11-09]]> 1944-12-04]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-19]]> 1944-12]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-04]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-13]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-20]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-20]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-04-03]]> 1945-04-23]]> 1945-05-06]]> 1945-05]]> A Gaunt]]> J Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Spalding]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Liverpool]]> South Africa]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> South Africa--Durban]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> Iraq]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> United Arab Emirates]]> Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah]]> Gaza Strip--Gaza]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Heilbronn]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony)]]> France]]> France--Royan]]> Czech Republic]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Würzburg]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Flensburg]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Egypt]]> Gaza Strip]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Czech Republic--Most]]> United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah (Emirate)]]> 1937]]> 1940-09]]> 1940-11-04]]> 1941-03]]> 1941-08-31]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-12]]> 1944-04]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-11-09]]> 1944-12-04]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-19]]> 1944-12]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-04]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-13]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-20]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-20]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-04-03]]> 1945-04-23]]> 1945-05-06]]> 1945-05]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Devon]]> England--Paignton]]> 1940-09]]> P H Batty]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Christian]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Walsall]]> 1940-09]]> A H D Batty]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Northern Ireland--Belfast]]> Great Britain]]> 1940-09]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Zimbabwe]]> Zimbabwe--Harare]]> Zimbabwe--Bulawayo]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Bridgnorth]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Wolverhampton]]> England--Devon]]> England--Paignton]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Hull]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Castle Cary]]> 1940-06]]> 1940-07]]> 1940-08]]> 1940-09]]> 1940-10]]> 1940-11]]> 1940-12]]> 1941-01]]> 1941-02]]> 1941-03]]> Photo 2 is a close up of the bombs being loaded into the Wellington. Two armourers are steadying the bomb and a third is winding a winch to load the bomb.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> 1940-09]]> Ted Neale]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frank Batten]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> BNealeETHNealeETHv020002,
BNealeETHNealeETHv020003]]>
Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1940-09]]>
Harry Redgrave]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM401001-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM401001-0003,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM401001-0004,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM401001-0005,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM401001-0006]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1940-09]]>
Harry Redgrave]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0003,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0004,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0005,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0006,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0007,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0008,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400928-0009]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1940-09]]>
Harry Redgrave]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400912-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400912-0003]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> 1940-09]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> 1940-09]]> 1941-01-06]]> Dawn Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sam Harper-Coulson]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Coventry]]> England--London]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> France]]> France--Lorient]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Wales--Ceredigion]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1940-05]]> 1940-09]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> 1940-09]]> In October 1944 Jack was posted to 189 Squadron at RAF Fulbeck. His first three trips were aborted. He carried out 24 operations and two semi-operational trips (leaflets dropping and a diversion to confuse German radar). Several operations were to railway marshalling yards in Germany. He also describes an operation to Gdynia in Poland and the Dresden operation and its rationale.
Jack discusses the main duties of the wireless operator, his experience of ‘scarecrows’ and the difficulty of flying at night in close proximity to other aircraft.
When the war ended, Jack became warrant officer and was stationed at RAF Woodbridge, working on flying control tower signals. He left the RAF in April 1946 and returned to his job as trainee chartered accountant.]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Iraq]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> 1944-10]]> 1945-02]]> 1940-09]]> 1943-12]]> 1946-03]]>

After returning to the UK, Douglas went to an Operational Training Unit to get crewed up, initially at RAF Wymeswold and then RAF Castle Donington on Wellingtons. He went to RAF Marston Moor and on to 158 Squadron at RAF Lissett on Halifaxes where he describes an encounter with Group Captain Leonard Cheshire. Douglas relates how a rear gunner refused to fly and was court martialled.

Douglas flew three operations to Berlin and on the third took a direct hit. After most of the crew baled, he managed to land in the Netherlands before being taken prisoner. Stalag Luft VI, on the border of East Prussia and Lithuania, was followed by Stalag Luft IV after the Russians approached. For three months Douglas was part of the Long March before being rescued by the 6th Airborne Division and flown back home.

Douglas stayed on for three years after the war. He was posted to RAF Wing and went up to Cosford as a flying officer. He attended a Lancaster Conversion Unit and flew Lancasters. He finished at a development squadron at the Central Signals Establishment. He recalls flying a Lancaster at the first Biggin Hill Air Show in front of Winston Churchill.]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending review]]> Sound]]> Germany]]> Lithuania]]> Zimbabwe]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Great Britain]]> Lithuania--Klaipėda]]> Mediterranean Sea]]> 1940-09]]> 1944]]>