#1 A group of trainee airmen including two officers arranged in four rows. At the bottom and upside down is a caption' Herbert Davy Rear Gunner 626 Squadron ACRC St John's Wood London May 1943'.
#2 is Herbert leaning against a rear gun turret.
#3 is a head and shoulders portrait of Herbert and an air gunner brevet.
2 and 3 are captioned 'Herbert Davy Rear Gunner 626 Squadron'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1943-05]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Mauritania]]> Mauritania--Nouakchott]]> 1943-05]]> Great Britain. Ministry of Aircraft Production]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Air Publication 1480]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Free French Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> 1943-05]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Hancock]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Essex]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> North Africa]]> Tunisia]]> Tunisia--Sidi Ameur]]> Germany]]> Germany--Rees]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-07]]> 1943-08]]> 1943-09]]> 1943-10]]> 1943-11]]> 1943-12]]> 1945-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-03]]> 1945-04]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1939-09]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-05]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-10]]> 1946-02]]>
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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]]> Cathie Hewitt]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Canada]]> Ontario--London]]> Ontario]]> 1943-03]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-07]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Training Command]]> 1943-05]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frank Batten]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Ross and Cromarty]]> 1943-05]]> EW Cropper]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> 1943-05]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> fra]]> Text]]> MArrowsmithHL571013-160929-020002,
MArrowsmithHL571013-160929-020003]]>
Civilian]]> 1943-05]]>
W Harrison]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--London]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1943-01]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-04-13]]> 1943-05-18]]> 1943-12-16]]> 1943-12-17]]> The Times]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> British Army]]> Wehrmacht]]> Tunisia]]> United States]]> North Africa]]> 1943-05]]> A second identical copy has been damaged. On the front is annotated 'Group Captain GF O'Brien AFC CO'. ]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Bournemouth]]> 1943-04]]> 1943-05]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1943-05]]> H Madgett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Kent]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Nottingham]]> England--London]]> England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)]]> England--Sleaford (Lincolnshire)]]> 1943-01]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-05]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Ghent]]> France]]> France--Caen]]> 1942-05]]> 1942-10]]> 1943-01-11]]> 1943-05]]> Dawn Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway]]> England--Blackpool]]> France--Paris]]> France--Sangatte]]> 1942-04-20]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-10]]> 1943-12-30]]> 1944-01]]> 1944-04-06]]> 1944-05-01]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-08-31]]> 1946]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> Recruited as an engine fitter he trained at St. Athans and then volunteered for flying duties as it was a quick promotion. Because of his engineering background his flight engineering training was reduced to two weeks
He was then posted to RAF Swinderby to fly the Manchester and then to 97 squadron, which became a Pathfinder squadron, at RAF Woodhall Spa alongside 617 Squadron. In May 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Bourne and he was promoted to warrant officer. Henry was happy to stay as an NCO and did not welcome more responsibility.
After his first tour he was rested for six months as a senior instructor at 1661 HCU unit at RAF Winthorpe flying the Stirling. He compares flying the Lancaster and Stirling in some detail.
He returned to operational flying and recalls bombing La Spezia and landing in North Africa where his aircraft went u/s but he repaired it himself in order to return home.
Henry remembers that there were no great celebrations on VE day and he was demobbed in February 1946.
After a period in civilian life, Henry re-enlisted in the RAF in September 1948 as a corporal fitter and was posted to Malaya and Singapore. He left the RAF again in 1952 and then worked for Rolls Royce for 26 years, working on Merlin engines.
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Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Terry Holmes]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> North Africa]]> Singapore]]> Malaya]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943-05-19]]> 1943-05]]> 1940-04]]> 1946-02]]> 1948-09]]> 1952]]>

Ken describes his schoolboy life in Durham, including leaving the Anderson Shelter one evening and watching searchlights scanning the sky over Sunderland. One bombing on Durham was shortly after Coventry had been bombed: the mist rose from the river and shrouded the city, with local folklore being St Cuthbert protecting the Cathedral. During his father’s service at RAF Woodhall Spa, Ken recalled travelling there with his mother from Durham by train and seeing extensive bomb damage to York railway station. Ken served three years in the RAF, posted to RAF Insworth a non-flying RAF station where the RAF Records Section was based, transferring to the Coronation Unit for training ahead of the ceremony in 1953. He recalled route lining in the Haymarket, due to the narrowing of the road he was very close to the Queen’s coach and in the evening went to Buckingham Palace and assisted the police with crowd control. Ken recalls watching The Dambusters film with his father in 1955 and his father commenting on the accuracy of the film.]]>
Joyce Sharland]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Durham (County)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Tyne and Wear]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Durham]]> England--London]]> England--Newcastle upon Tyne]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943-05]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1953]]> 1954]]> 1955]]>
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]]>
Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943-05]]>
W H Layne]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> 1943-05]]> Jack Darby]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription. Allocated]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Canada]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> New Brunswick]]> 1943-05]]>