IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield
Roger Dunsford
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eng]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Canada]]> England--Norfolk]]> France--Paris]]> Netherlands--Zeist]]> Netherlands]]> France]]> 1942-04]]> 1943-03]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]>
Donald Briggs]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> France--Tours]]> Germany]]> France]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-15]]> 1945]]> Bertie Gray]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Andy Hamilton]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Scunthorpe]]> 1944-07]]> Bertie Gray]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Andy Hamilton]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944-07]]> William Taylor]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Karl Williams]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Revigny-sur-Ornain]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1945]]> ]]> Ron Merrideth]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Hugh Donnelly]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Revigny-sur-Ornain]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1944-07]]> 1945-02]]>
Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Herefordshire]]> 1944-07]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Paris]]> France--Creil]]> France--Givors]]> France--Joigny]]> France--Limoges]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Vitry-le-François]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-03]]> 1944-04]]> 1944-05]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-06-19]]> 1944-06-20]]> 1944-06-21]]> 1944-06-22]]> 1944-06-23]]> 1944-06-24]]> 1944-06-25]]> 1944-06-27]]> 1944-06-28]]> 1944-07-04]]> 1944-07-05]]> 1944-07-07]]> 1944-07-08]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1944-07-19]]> 1944-07-23]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-27]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-07-31]]> 1944-08-02]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1944-08-05]]> 1944-08-06]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]>
Photograph 2 is of a French airman standing in front of a Boston, 'C'. It is named Ville de Cherbourg. Large numbers of operations are recorded on the nose. Captioned ' S/O Massis, 342 Sqd Lorraine, July 1944.'

Photograph 3 is of three aircrew standing in front of a Boston with two ground crew standing on one wing and fuselage. Captioned 'Boston A/C, 342 Sqd Lorraine, Air Crew.' Large number of operations are recorded on the nose of the aircraft.

Photograph 4 is a front view of a Boston on the ground captioned '342 Sqd Lorraine, Boston A/C.']]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Free French Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1944-07]]>
John Heaton-Armstrong]]> Great Britain. College of Arms]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> 1944-07]]> E O Collcutt]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Angus Bustin]]> Anne-Marie Watson ]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944-07]]> Bill joined 138 Squadron at RAF Tempsford. He carried out 32 operations in Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Norway. Flying low, they dropped agents and supplies. He describes the clandestine liaison with resistance groups. On long flights to southern France, they would refuel at RAF Blida in North Africa. He also discusses carrying pigeons for intelligence gathering. Bill recounts how their aircraft was shot down on one occasion, returning from RAF Blida. On his return, Bill changed to Stirling aircraft which he very much liked. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in July 1944.
Finishing the Second World War as a flight lieutenant, he was sent to RAF Yatesbury working on codes and ciphers. He went to Belgium, Cyprus, Germany and Singapore. He worked at the Missing Research and Enquiry Unit in Belgium and finished at RAF St Mawgan having been served for 37 years.]]>
Rod Pickles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> Belgium]]> Cyprus]]> France]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> North Africa]]> Norway]]> Singapore]]> 1944-07]]>
His first operation was minelaying in the Baltic and he recalls standing in the astrodome to warn of enemy fighters. On other operations he would sit in the front turret and occasionally fire at enemy fighters, without success. Further minelaying operations were carried out and on his eighth, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and diverted to a US Army Air Force airfield where he stocked up on goodies, unavailable in England from the base exchange store.
On the 22 September 1943 he took part to an operation to Hanover and describes the night fighter tactics in detail. Following lengthy evasive action his aircraft was forced down to 5,000 feet where it was hit by by anti-aircraft fire and he was forced to bail out over Emden where he was caught by a member of the Luftwaffe who was visiting his girlfriend. After initial interrogation he was sent to the interrogation centre at Dalag Luft and after a two day train journey arrived at Stalag 5 prisoner of war camp.
On July 1944 the encroaching Russian army forced the evacuation of the camp and he was moved to the unfinished Luft 4 camp and remembers the bullying guards and poor conditions. Again in February 1945 the camp was evacuated and after crossing the River Oder in barges marched across northern Germany. After two months he arrived at Lübeck and escaped the column, narrowly missing being captured by German soldiers by conversing in French. Finding an allied airfield he was repatriated to England where he was treated as a hero.
After recuperation he attended a code and cipher course and was offered a commission if he would go to the middle-east. Wanting to get married he declined and wangled his way to 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon, were he was eventually demobbed in July 1946. ]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Holmes]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany]]> Europe--Oder River]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Poland]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Lithuania]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> 1936]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1943-09-22]]> 1944-07]]> 1945-02]]> 1946-07]]>
Italia. Regia Prefettura di Pistoia]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> ita]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Italy]]> Italy--Pistoia]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> On the reverse 'These enclosed with GLIMLAMP March 1997']]> Dwight Eisenhower]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> Laura Morgan ]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> EEisenhowerIEHarrisAT640605-0003]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> France--Caen]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-07]]> Below is a cartoon of a Lancaster 'JO-Y' and annotated 'to treat everyone the same I shall now proceed to sketch out a Christmas card picture whether you like it or not.
So a Merry Christmas Sis and loads of best wishes and a very Happy New Year. Cheers for now See you soon Your loving Brother Ron']]>
Ron Mathers]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Somerset]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Northumberland]]> 1944-07]]> K Hobbs]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Essex]]> England--Burnham-on-Crouch]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> France--Argentan]]> France--Brest]]> France--Caumont-L'Eventé]]> France--Creil]]> France--Isigny-sur-Mer]]> France--Le Mont-Saint-Michel]]> France--Limoges]]> France--Rennes]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> France--Orléans]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-07-30]]> Anna Hoyles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> 1944-07]]> 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]]> John Horsburgh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Australia]]> Denmark]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cumbria]]> Germany--Kiel]]> New South Wales]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944-07]]> 1945]]> Rupert Harwood]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> EHarwoodRTWHarwoodJ440702-0002]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944-07]]> Rupert Harwood]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> EHarwoodRTWHarwoodJ440709-0002]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944-07]]> Jim Allen]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> England--York]]> France--Paris]]> Scotland--Elgin]]> France--Neufchâtel-en-Bray]]> 1944]]> 1944-06-30]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-06-24]]> 1944-06-25]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-15]]>