Geoff describes a couple of incidents relating to Bonn and Duisburg, part of his 24 operations. The last operation was to Heligoland. He carried out three food drops as part of Operation Manna and then had repatriated prisoners of war. He was posted to RAF Valley where they were preparing Canadian-built Lancasters for the Far East. They were scrapped after the atomic bomb. He was demobbed in March 1947. Geoff gives his views on Bomber Command.
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Tina James]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Chris Cann]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands]]> 1943-04]]>
Posted to 44 Squadron his first flight was a Second Dicky flight with another crew to Stettin in April 1943. Though their aircraft was not hit, one flying alongside was and caught fire - there were no survivors. The worst operation that Jim recounts is one to Peenemünde. After dropping their bombs, they were attacked and damaged by a night fighter. Their pilot managed to get them back on three engines. As they landed at RAF Dunholme Lodge, only one wheel was working, and they spun off the runway crashing with no casualties. The pilot and navigator were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Jim was mentioned in dispatches. After 30 operations Jim became an instructor based at RAF Silverstone. After the war he worked as a teacher.]]> Denise Boneham]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Kent]]> England--Scarborough]]> England--London]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> Poland]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> Ontario]]> 1941-06]]> 1942-02]]> 1942-11]]> 1943-04]]> He recalled an incident when they had been low on petrol and had to descend in a storm, the starboard engine on fire. The navigator bailed out, was caught up but the engineer released him with a knife and both came down safely.
In April 1943 his aircraft was attacked over Duisburg in the moonlight - he could see everything but landed safely. Eddie had done about 800 hours on Wellingtons but his preferred aircraft was the Lancaster. Eddie then got posted as an instructor and flew Oxfords and Mosquitos. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.]]>
Rod Pickles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Bournemouth]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943-04]]>
Mike Connock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Egypt]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Suffolk]]> 1940]]> 1943-04]]> 1944-12]]> 1945]]> G N Donaldson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Hamble-le-Rice]]> England--Eastleigh]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Scotland--Ross and Cromarty]]> Scotland--Evanton]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Huntingdonshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bristol]]> England--Essex]]> England--Clacton-on-Sea]]> Italy]]> Italy--Venice]]> Italy--Turin]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> England--Berkshire]]> France]]> France--Bordeaux Region (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> 1934]]> 1939]]> 1940-04]]> 1940-09-20]]> 1940-10]]> 1940-12]]> 1941-10-22]]> 1941]]> 1941-04]]> 1942]]> 1942-07]]> 1942-08]]> 1943]]> 1943-01]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-06]]> 1944]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1945]]> 1945-07]]> Keith Thompson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text. Diary]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Leicestershire]]> 1942-07]]> 1942-08]]> 1942-09]]> 1942-10]]> 1942-11]]> 1942-12]]> 1943-01]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-03]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-07]]> L L Irvin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Barth]]> Great Britain]]> 1943-04]]> Nigel Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> Bahamas]]> Canada]]> Alberta]]> New Brunswick]]> England--Devon]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Dartmouth]]> England--London]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> Québec]]> Ontario--Belleville]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-04]]> 1944-01]]> Centre left - four actors on stage, two in uniform, one dressed as a woman, one in pyjamas. Captioned 'F2 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Centre right - three actors on stage, the middle one with peaked black and white cap and holding basket. Captioned 'F9 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Bottom left - five actors on stage two in uniform and one dressed as nurse holding baby. Captioned 'F3 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Bottom right - two actors in shirtsleeves and ties on stage holding drinking vessels together. Captioned 'F10 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]>
Top right - blurred image of two actors, one dressed as women embracing on stage. Captioned 'F7 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Centre left - two actors at either end of a sofa on which a third actor dressed as women is standing. Captioned 'F5 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Centre right - three actors on stage, one on left dressed as women is talking to a man. while a third actor sits on sofa to the right. Captioned 'F4 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Bottom middle - two actors on stage, both dressed as women, talking to each other. Captioned 'F6 "Home and Beauty", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]>
Top right - five actors in medieval costume, two as women, all on stage. Captioned ' "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Centre left - two actors in medieval costumes on stage. Captioned 'E22 "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr'.
Centre right - two actors on stage dressed in medieval costume, the one on the right as a woman. Captioned ' "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Bottom left - five actors on stage dressed in medieval costume, two as women. Captioned ' E24 "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr'.
Bottom right - two actors in female medieval costumes on stage talking. Captioned 'E25 "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]>
Top right - blurred image of three actors in medieval costumes on stage. Captioned ' "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Centre left - group of eight actors in medieval costumes. Captioned 'E28 "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr'.
Centre right - group of eight actors in medieval costumes. Captioned ' "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Bottom left - two actors on stage in medieval costume - the one on the right dressed as woman. Captioned 'E30 "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3. Apr'.
Bottom middle - two actors on stage in medieval costume. Captioned 'E34 "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'.
Bottom right - two actors on stage dressed in medieval dress and turbans. Captioned ' "Merchant of Venice", Stalag Luft 3, Apr 43'. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]>
W Holmes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Canada]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Nova Scotia--Amherst]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Alberta--Calgary]]> Alberta--Innisfail]]> Saskatchewan--Estevan]]> Ontario--Ottawa]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--St. John's]]> Ontario]]> Québec]]> Saskatchewan]]> Alberta]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> Nova Scotia]]> Manitoba]]> 1942-07]]> 1942-08]]> 1942-09]]> 1942-10]]> 1942-11]]> 1942-12]]> 1943-01]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-03]]> 1943-04]]> Photo 2 is three airmen sitting outside a wooden building, annotated 'Blida 1943 April 150 Sqdn Sgt Willoughby (Nav O), Chadderton (Bomb Aimer O) Paddy xx Front Gunner (Mordimers Crew)'.
Photo 3 is two Lancasters being serviced on the ground, annotated 'Syerston ?'.
]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Algeria]]> Algeria--Blida]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> North Africa]]> 1943-04]]>

]]>
David Geach]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Greenock]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> Scotland--Edinburgh]]> England--Harrogate]]> England--Whitley Bay]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Stourbridge]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Wolverhampton]]> England--Stafford]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Ottawa]]> Atlantic Ocean--Cardigan Bay]]> Wales--Rhyl]]> England--The Wash]]> England--Nottingham]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> England--Cannock]]> Wales--Aberystwyth]]> Scotland--Orkney]]> France--Saint-Malo]]> France--Rennes]]> France--Isigny-sur-Mer]]> France--Cherbourg]]> France--Avranches]]> England--Southampton]]> England--Stamford]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--Peterborough]]> England--Bedford]]> England--Portsmouth]]> Netherlands--Friesland]]> England--Cromer]]> France--La Rochelle]]> France--Gironde Estuary]]> France--Nantes]]> England--King's Lynn]]> Italy--Turin]]> North Africa]]> Gibraltar]]> England--Thames River]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Ely]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Norway]]> Netherlands--Texel]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Denmark]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Brandenburg]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Hannover]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Poland--Wrocław]]> England--Southend-on-Sea]]> Italy]]> Atlantic Ocean--Firth of Clyde]]> Poland]]> France]]> Ontario]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Durham (County)]]> England--Essex]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Worcestershire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Selsey (West Sussex)]]> Wales--Caernarfon]]> 1943-03]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-07]]> 1943-08]]> 1943-09]]> 1943-10]]> 1943-11]]> 1943-12]]> 1944-01]]> 1944-02]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-04]]> The Times]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> British Army]]> Tunisia]]> North Africa]]> 1943-04]]> The Times]]> The Observer]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Wehrmacht]]> British Army]]> Royal Air Force]]> Tunisia]]> Tunisia--Qayrawān]]> Tunisia--Sūsah]]> North Africa]]> 1943-04]]> The Times]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Poland]]> Russia (Federation)]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-05]]> Photo 2 is eight airmen captioned '+20/8/43'.
Photo 3 is two men with their hands in the air, one soldier beside them. Two men with rifles are on the right, captioned 'Two Polish prisoners shot by firing squad'.
Photos 4, 5, 6 and 7 are two prisoners holding cards with numbers.
Photo 8 is a wooden cross with '5 Englische Flieger'.
Photo 9 is of the interior of a prisoner of war hut.
Photo 10 is a pilot captioned 'April 1943'.
Photo 11 is a man reading a book at a table.
Photo 12 is a man standing wearing flying boots.
Photo 13 is a man working at a table, captioned 'Peeling Potatoes'.
Photo 14 is a football match watched by a large group of spectators.
Photo 15 is the inside of a church.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> deu]]> Photograph]]> PTyrieJSB19010021,
PTyrieJSB19010022,
PTyrieJSB19010023]]>
Royal Air Force]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-08-20]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Hucknall]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> 1943-04]]> United States. United States Army Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Royal Air Force]]> United States]]> Georgia]]> Georgia--Macon]]> 1943-04]]>