1
25
21
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1982/41574/LHope169139v4.2.pdf
781dde810de17852ace660d30587286a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hope, Arthur Denis
A D Hope
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-11-12
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hope, AD
Description
An account of the resource
26 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Arthur Denis Hope (169139 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, correspondence, documents, newspaper cuttings and photographs. He flew operations as a wireless operator with 62 Squadron before becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Bruce Neill-Gourlay and Pat Hoy and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
A D Hope’s personal flying log book. Four
Description
An account of the resource
Personal flying log book 4 (aircraft operating crew) for A D Hope, covering the period from 15 March 1950 to 15 February 1963, Detailing his civilian flying duties. He was based at Broxbourne, Southend, Stansted, and Gatwick airports. Aircraft flown in were Tiger Moth, York, Tudor, DC4, Super Trader, Bristol 170, Britannia, Viscount, DC6 and Comet.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Arthur Hope
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Essex
England--Hertfordshire
England--West Sussex
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LHope169139v4
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1950
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
aircrew
Tiger Moth
York
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1937/38348/LJolliffeFSW197221v4.1.pdf
111122231c809862e71aa1d6a367a0ec
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jolliffe, Frank Sidney Walter
F S W Jolliffe
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-09-18
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Jolliffe, FSW
Description
An account of the resource
129 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander Frank Sidney Walter Jolliffe (b. 1923, 1314311 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, documents and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 149 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Margaret Lowe and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Frank Joliffe's flying log book. Four
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain, Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
England--Norfolk
England--Wiltshire
Singapore
England--Warwickshire
England--Kent
Great Britain
Malaysia
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Fighter Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text. Log book and record book
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LJolliffeFSW197221v4
Description
An account of the resource
Aircrew flying log book 5, for F S W Jolliffe, navigator/radar, covering the period from 8 September 1961 to 8 May 1983. Detailing his flying duties with 60 squadron, all weather fighter combat squadron and number 2 air navigation school. He was stationed at RAF Tengah, RAF West Raynham and RAF Hullavington. Aircraft flown in were Javelin, Sycamore, Belvedere, Britannia, Comet, Caravelle, Valetta, Varsity, Lightening, Dakota, Alouette, Chipmunk, Pembroke and Gazelle. His last flight crewing an aircraft in Singapore was on 3rd December 1962 when they had to eject from their Javelin.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
aircrew
navigator
RAF Biggin Hill
RAF Hullavington
RAF West Raynham
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1343/22177/LTyrieJSB87636v1.1.pdf
2593c27faef4f15089ccae84e95bc4f2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tyrie, Jim
Tyrie, JSB
Description
An account of the resource
34 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Jim Tyrie (1919 - 1993, 87636 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs, correspondence and prisoner of war log as well as a photograph album. He flew operations as a pilot with 77 Squadron before being shot down in April 1941.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Brian Taylor and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-06-01
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Tyrie, JSB
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jim Tyrie's flying log book
Description
An account of the resource
Flying log book for J S B Tyrie covering the period from 1 July 1939 to 9 August 1959. Detailing his flying training and operations flown Following which he was shot down 9 April 1941 and became a prisoner of war. Returning to flying duties 25 May 1945 to 27 October 1964 detailing his duties as instructor and with 90 squadron. Also included his flying in various aircraft including his airline flying. He was stationed at RAF Perth, RAF Hatfield, RAF Cranwell, RAF Abingdon, RAF Stanton Harcourt, RAF Topcliffe, RAF Wheaton Aston, RAF Seighford, RAF Perton, RAF Moreton, RAF Finningly, RAF Lindholme, RAF Wyton, RAF Shallufa, RAF Khormakser, RAF Hendon, RAF Gatow, RAF Shawbury, RAF Worksop, RAF Wunstorf, RAF Bruugen, RAF Chivenor, RAF Akrotiri, RAF Nicosia, RAF Sopley, RAF Watton and RAF Bishops Court. Aircraft flown in were, Tiger Moth, Oxford, Whitley, Wellington, Dakota, Lancaster, Vengeance, Anson, Lincoln, Proctor, York, Viking, Valetta, Auster, Meteor, Varsity, Prentice, Canberra, Vampire, Whirlwind, Hunter, Shackleton, Viscount, Brittania and Hastings. He flew 7 operations with 77 squadron. Targets were St Nazaire, Hamburg, Berlin, Brest and Kiel. His first or second pilots on operations were Pilot Officer Bagnall and Sergeant Lee.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LTyrieJSB87636v1
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea
Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay
Cyprus
Cyprus--Nicosia
Egypt
Egypt--Suez Canal
France
France--Brest
France--Saint-Nazaire
Germany
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Kiel
Germany--Niederkrüchten
Germany--Wunstorf
Great Britain
England--Berkshire
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Devon
England--Gloucestershire
England--Hampshire
England--Hertfordshire
England--Lincolnshire
England--London
England--Norfolk
England--Nottinghamshire
England--Oxfordshire
England--Shropshire
England--Staffordshire
England--West Midlands
England--Yorkshire
Northern Ireland--Down (County)
Scotland--Perth
Yemen (Republic)
Yemen (Republic)--Aden
North Africa
Great Britain
Cyprus--Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1939
1940
1941
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1941-03-10
1941-03-11
1941-03-12
1941-03-13
1941-03-14
1941-03-23
1941-03-24
1941-04-03
1941-04-04
1941-04-07
1941-04-08
1941-04-09
10 OTU
21 OTU
77 Squadron
90 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
Anson
bombing
C-47
Flying Training School
Initial Training Wing
Lancaster
Lincoln
Meteor
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
prisoner of war
Proctor
RAF Abingdon
RAF Bishops Court
RAF Chivenor
RAF Cranwell
RAF Finningley
RAF Hatfield
RAF Hendon
RAF Khormakser
RAF Lindholme
RAF Moreton in the Marsh
RAF Seighford
RAF Shallufa
RAF Shawbury
RAF Stanton Harcourt
RAF Topcliffe
RAF Watton
RAF Worksop
RAF Wyton
Shackleton
shot down
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
Whitley
York
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/900/25214/LJarmyJFD134695v2.1.pdf
fa27685ef56b2de2930311ab5cc7c6e5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jarmy, Jack
Jack Francis David Jarmy
J F D Jarmy
Description
An account of the resource
23 items. And oral history interview with Jack Francis David Jarmy DFC (b. 1922, 134695 Royal Air Force) his log books and photographs. He flew operations as a navigator with 75 and 218 Squadrons.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Jack Jarmy and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-09-21
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Jarmy, JFD
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jack Jarmy’s flying log book for observers and air gunners. Two
Description
An account of the resource
Flying log book for J Jarmy covering the period from 13 January 1958 to 29 June 1966. He flew with 204 Squadron was based at RAF Kinloss, RAF Ballykelly, RAF Gibraltar and RAF St. Mawgan. Aircraft flown were Shackleton (9 flights exceeded 12 hrs), Anson, Varsity and Devon.
This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike French
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LJarmyJFD134695v.2
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Gibraltar
England--Cornwall (County)
Northern Ireland--Londonderry (County)
Scotland--Moray
Great Britain
aircrew
Anson
navigator
RAF Kinloss
RAF St Mawgan
Shackleton
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1027/26179/LMcVickersCG1042135v1.1.pdf
2345da87e3c847e2ac316c46eb50751b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
McVickers, Christopher George
C G McVickers
Description
An account of the resource
Five items. An oral history interview with Flight Sergeant Christopher George McVickers (1922 - 2018, 1042135 Royal Air Force), his log book identity card and disks and his decorations. He completed a tour of operations as a wireless operator with 218 Squadron.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Christopher McVickers and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-10-06
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
McVickers, CG
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Christopher George McVickers' flying log book
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LMcVickersCG1042135v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Egypt
France
Germany
Great Britain
Oman
Singapore
Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea
Atlantic Ocean--English Channel
North Africa
England--Cornwall (County)
England--Cumbria
England--Lincolnshire
England--Norfolk
England--Nottinghamshire
England--Rutland
England--Suffolk
England--Yorkshire
England--Wiltshire
France--Calais
France--Le Havre
France--Saint-Omer Region (Pas-de-Calais)
Germany--Borken (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany--Braunschweig Region
Germany--Castrop-Rauxel
Germany--Chemnitz
Germany--Dortmund
Germany--Dresden
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Gelsenkirchen
Germany--Hattingen
Germany--Kiel
Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany--Krefeld
Germany--Merseburg
Germany--Mönchengladbach
Germany--Neuss
Germany--Recklinghausen (Münster)
Germany--Saarbrücken
Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany--Wilhelmshaven
Gibraltar
Northern Ireland--Ballykelly
Oman--Masirah Island
Scotland--Kinloss
Wales--Bridgend
Germany--Wuppertal
Egypt--Suez Canal
Great Britain
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1944-07-08
1944-09-05
1944-09-06
1944-09-08
1944-09-12
1944-09-13
1944-09-28
1944-10-05
1944-10-07
1944-10-15
1944-12-31
1945-01-01
1945-01-03
1945-01-06
1945-01-13
1945-01-15
1945-01-29
1945-02-01
1945-02-03
1945-02-13
1945-02-14
1945-02-15
1945-02-18
1945-02-19
1945-02-23
1945-02-27
1945-03-09
1945-03-12
1945-03-18
1945-03-22
1945-03-29
1945-04-04
1945-04-05
1945-04-09
1945-04-10
Description
An account of the resource
Flying log book for C G McVickers, Wireless operator, covering the period from 6 April 1943 to 16 August 1965. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and post war flying duties with 90, 97, 12, 100, 101, 199, 192, 220, 210, 224 and 205 squadrons. He was stationed at RAF Compton Bassett, RAF Stormy Down, RAF Topcliffe, RAF Millom, RAF Ossington, RAF Bircotes, RAF Gamston, RAF Chedburgh, RAF Wratting Common, RAF Stradishall, RAF Woolfox Lodge, RAF Methwold, RAF Feltwell, RAF Tuddenham, RAF Full Sutton, RAF Binbrook, RAF Scampton, RAF Hemswell, RAF Shallufah, RAF Watton, RAF St Mawgan, RAF St Eval, RAF Kinloss, RAF Ballykelly, RAF Gibraltar, RAF North Front, RAF Masirah Island and RAF Changi. Aircraft flown in were Dominie, Proctor, Anson, Wellington, Stirling, Lancaster, Lancastrian, Lincoln, Mosquito, Washington, Canberra, Shackleton, Prentice, Neptune, Varsity, Viking and Comet. He flew a total of 31 operations with 218 squadron, 21 Daylight and 10 night. Targets were Wemars/Capel, Le Havre, Frankfurt, Calais, Saarbrucken, Kleve, Wilhelmshaven, Vohwinkel, Castrop Rauxel, Neuss, Gelsenkirchen, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach, Dortmund, Dresden, Chemnitz, Wesel, Datteln, Hattingen, Bocholt, Hallendorf, Merseburg and Keil. His pilots on operations were Flying Officer Lloyld, Flying Officer Hill and Flying Officer Boome.
100 Squadron
101 Squadron
12 Squadron
1651 HCU
1653 HCU
1657 HCU
192 Squadron
199 Squadron
205 Squadron
210 Squadron
218 Squadron
220 Squadron
82 OTU
90 Squadron
97 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
Air Gunnery School
aircrew
Anson
B-29
bombing
bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945)
Dominie
Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Lancaster Mk 1
Lancaster Mk 3
Lancastrian
Lincoln
Mosquito
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Operational Training Unit
Proctor
RAF Binbrook
RAF Chedburgh
RAF Compton Bassett
RAF Feltwell
RAF Full Sutton
RAF Gamston
RAF Hemswell
RAF Kinloss
RAF Methwold
RAF Millom
RAF Ossington
RAF Scampton
RAF Shallufa
RAF St Eval
RAF St Mawgan
RAF Stormy Down
RAF Stradishall
RAF Topcliffe
RAF Tuddenham
RAF Watton
RAF Woolfox Lodge
RAF Wratting Common
Shackleton
Stirling
training
Wellington
wireless operator
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1548/30377/LPrickettTO40427v3.2.pdf
956cd69f3452f8d8a29e9d3b89c7c928
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Prickett, Thomas Other
T O Prickett
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-10-11
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Prickett, TO
Description
An account of the resource
13 items. The collection concerns Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Prickett KCB, DSO, DFC (1913 -2010, 40427 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, documents and photographs. He served in the RAF from 1937 to 1970 and flew operations as a pilot with 148 and 103 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Lady Prickett and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
Permission granted for commercial projects
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Thomas Other Prickett’s pilots flying log book. Three
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book, three, for Thomas Other Prickett, covering the period from 21 June 1944 to 2 November 1966. Detailing his flying training, instructor duties, staff duties with the RAF Delegation to the USA, Empire Central Flying School, Middle East Air Force and second tactical Air Force. He was stationed at Washington, Clewiston, RAF Hullavington, RAF Tangmere, RAF Ismailia, RAF Jever, RAF Bassingbourn, RAF Finningley and RAF Akrotiri. Aircraft flown in were C-45, PT-17, AT-6a, P-47, AT-7, Oxford, Harvard, Reliant, Spitfire, Mosquito, Tiger Moth, Rhone Buzzard, Wellington, Lancaster, Master, Hotspur, B-25 Mitchell, Meteor, Anson, Auster, Dominie, Proctor, Vampire, Devon, Valetta, Lincoln, Pembroke, Sabre, Prentice, Hunter, Chipmunk, Canberra, Vulcan, Argosy, and Hastings.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
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IBCC Digital Archive
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Mike Connock
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
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One booklet
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
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LPrickettTO40427v3
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Cyprus
Egypt
Great Britain
United States
Egypt--Ismailia (Province)
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Wiltshire
England--Yorkshire
Florida--Clewiston
Germany--Jever
North Africa
England--Sussex
Florida
Germany
Washington (D.C.)
Cyprus--Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
5 BFTS
aircrew
Anson
B-25
British Flying Training School Program
Dominie
Flying Training School
Harvard
Lancaster
Lincoln
Meteor
Mosquito
Oxford
P-47
pilot
Proctor
RAF Bassingbourn
RAF Finningley
RAF Hullavington
RAF Tangmere
Spitfire
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/667/38115/LAlgarHKM1801102v3.1.pdf
226c672364229396fd65bf0bb43bd2f0
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Algar, Harry
Harold Keith Mael Algar
H K M Algar
Description
An account of the resource
Thirteen items. An oral history interview with Flight Lieutenant Harry Algar (1924 - 2022, 1801102 Royal Air Force) and his log books and documents.
He flew a tour of operations as a bomb aimer with 463 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Greg Algar and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-05-20
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Algar, H
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
H K M Algar’s aircrew flying log book. Three
Description
An account of the resource
Aircrew flying log book for H K M Algar, navigator, covering the period from 11 August 1959 to 25 August 1964. Detailing his flying duties with 204 Squadron and 38 Squadron. He was stationed at RAF Ballykelly, RAF Kinloss and RAF Luqa. Aircraft flown in were Shackleton, Anson, and Varsity.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
Spatial Coverage
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Great Britain
Malta
Northern Ireland--Londonderry (County)
Scotland--Moray
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Coastal Command
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
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One booklet
Identifier
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LAlgarHKM1801102v3
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
38 Squadron
aircrew
Anson
navigator
RAF Kinloss
Shackleton
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1027/11399/PMcVickersCG1701.2.jpg
e63e360b9d8c44c497cd07bf38ac604f
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1027/11399/AMcVickersCG171006.1.mp3
e70c5002647526a9e94ca6d62c386bfe
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
McVickers, Christopher George
C G McVickers
Description
An account of the resource
Five items. An oral history interview with Flight Sergeant Christopher George McVickers (1922 - 2018, 1042135 Royal Air Force), his log book identity card and disks and his decorations. He completed a tour of operations as a wireless operator with 218 Squadron.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Christopher McVickers and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-10-06
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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McVickers, CG
Transcribed audio recording
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Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
HB: Right. This is an interview for the International Bomber Command.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Digital Archive between Harry Bartlett, representing the Archive and Christopher George McVickers who was a member of 218 Gold Coast Squadron and served throughout the war in —
CM: Well —
HB: With 218.
CM: ’41.
HB: From 1941 through and served after the war through to 1965.
CM: ’67.
HB: Thank you. I was wrong.
CM: Well —
HB: I have.
CM: Don’t forget I wasn’t flying for the last eighteen months. I was just, I was a missile controller.
HB: Right. Right. So, Kit isn’t it?
CM: Kit.
HB: We call you Kit.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Right. Where you were born, Kit?
CM: Blackhill, County Durham.
HB: Right. And did you go to school at Blackhill?
CM: I’ve no recollection of ever going to school.
HB: No.
CM: I forgot about it. I went to school quite obviously.
HB: Obviously.
CM: Went to school at Benfieldside.
HB: Aye. And, and your first job was in —
CM: Errand boy.
HB: Yeah. In the —
CM: As you did in those days. This was, I’m talking 1935 ’36 you know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Did up to fourteen.
HB: So you were an errand boy.
CM: I failed the eleven plus.
HB: Right.
CM: But it wasn’t — I had a broken arm during that period and also went to hospital with scarlet fever during that period.
HB: Right.
CM: When I came back to school because obviously the sickness thing. And the eleven plus was pending, I couldn’t do it at the time.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because I couldn’t sit at the desk like that.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So I missed all the revision and everything else. So, they all said, you’d have no chance with that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I took, I took it privately. By myself.
HB: Oh right.
CM: Just with my arm out of the, just like that. So consequently I didn’t know how to pick my pen up or to write.
HB: Aye.
CM: So I made a mess of it and I failed it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So there was a lot of talk about it at the time. Jane knows all about this. And my father made such a fuss of this. ‘My son has never had a chance. He’s had no chance. No revision. Nothing at all.’ Sat down with his arm out of his sling and taking an important — so that’s, but at that time they did their very best.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But they couldn’t do anything about it.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. So you just —
CM: I was going to pass the eleven plus but I didn’t due to circumstances.
HB: Yeah. So you became an errand boy.
CM: Yeah. I was. I won’t say I was a very humble errand boy but I was the best errand boy in the locality.
HB: Yes. Absolutely. And you went to the steelworks I understand.
CM: Yes. My father, my father’s brother Kit who was the, as I said was general secretary of the Iron, Steel, British Iron, Steel and Kindred Trades Association. So he had so much power he could say to me, ‘It’s your sixteenth birthday coming up Kit lad.’ Kit lad. He said Kit lad. He said, ‘Just report to the timekeeper and say you’re Uncle Kit sent you,’ he said, ‘You’ll be set on.’ So I thought, My God, this is nepotism but in a fine sort of way but that’s how I got the steelworks.
HB: And that was at, that was in Consett.
CM: Within two years of course, those were ’36 ’37 then the war broke out and instead of being, doing, on the staff of the steelworks which I was they said, ‘Ok. We’re going to need all the best men we’ve got to man, man the furnaces,’ because a lot of the people on the furnaces had been, were Territorials and they’d been called up anyway. So semi promotion was not only I was going to be boy plus beyond boy to the eighteen year old man. Man’s, man’s business. So suddenly I got promotion beyond the dreams of avarice.
HB: Oh lovely.
CM: But the only fault of it was the timekeepers thought these were boys and they’d be boy labourers. Therefore, they must pay boy labourers wages. So about three months later Kit said to me, he said, ‘How are you spending all the extra money Kit lad?’ And all I was getting was, I said, ‘Well, I’m not getting any extra money.’ I’m getting boy’s labourers wages. He said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Just stay here. Don’t move from that place for ten minutes.’ And off he went to see the, not the commanding officer —
HB: No.
CM: The general service manager. You know, the boss. Came back and said, ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘You’ll get all the backpay you get at full men’s wages. Not only that it’s all the people who’ve been doing the same thing as you. They’ll get the same thing. Well, I was the most popular chap in the steelworks. By this time it was quite a lump sum between boy’s labourers wages and men’s labourers wages.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Anyway, I did pretty well because leaving school at fourteen didn’t make much difference. I had the intelligence then in the first place. Which I would, that’s why my father said I would have been a cert for the grammar school.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I had the grammar school brains without the grammar qualifications.
CM: That’s —
HB: So I did alright.
HB: So that was up to, that was sort of ’37 ’38.
CM: That’s right. Well —
HB: So, so, how, how did you come to join the RAF?
CM: It was 1941 before I joined the Air Force.
HB: Yeah.
CM: By that time I was nineteen.
HB: Yeah. And did you, did you volunteer Kit?
CM: Oh yeah. Yeah. They wouldn’t let you go unless you volunteered.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And you had to be, you had to volunteer for either submarines or aircrew or some other damned dangerous job.
HB: Yeah.
CM: They wouldn’t let you go otherwise. They wouldn’t let you go just to be an ordinary soldier.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: You know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: You’re more important then to be manning the furnaces.
HB: Yeah. So, so it was so you basically you were in a Reserved Occupation.
CM: Oh, that’s right. Yes, I was. Yes.
HB: And then to —
CM: Like Kit. Like Kit himself.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: The boss. And the boss of the steelworks. They were all Reserved Occupation.
HB: Yeah. So you then went from Reserved Occupation and you volunteered for aircrew.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Right.
CM: But if it had been anything other than aircrew they would said no.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Back to where you were more useful.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Which I was by then. I was an experienced furnaceman. A fourth. There a fourth hand, third hand, second hand and first hand. You know, four men manned the furnaces. So you progressed from fourth hand to first hand but it took you about forty years to do it.
HB: Yeah. Oh yeah.
CM: The SiC turn system. [unclear] was in operation.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. So —
CM: Organised by my Uncle Kit.
HB: Yeah. So you come and join the RAF. And you obviously had to go for your [pause] you obviously had to go for your training. Where did, where did you go for your training?
CM: First three months was Blackpool.
HB: That’s —
CM: General service training.
HB: Yeah.
CM: You know, square bashing.
HB: Was that at Padgate?
CM: No. That was at Blackpool.
HB: At Blackpool.
CM: Yeah. Blackpool.
HB: Right and —
CM: And from there to Yatesbury.
HB: You went to Yatesbury.
CM: Yeah. But, well say Yatesbury. In actual fact it was a branch of Compton Bassett which was the Ground Radio School. Yatesbury was the Air Radio School.
HB: Ah. Right.
CM: You went to the Ground Radio School because we weren’t going straight on to be at the air gunner’s course. There was a bit of backlog so we went in —
HB: Oh right. Yeah.
CM: Graduated as wireless operators at this station. I was supposed to get to Anglesey but there wasn’t flying there.
HB: Oh right.
CM: But they had a small station that was there to get experience of this.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Just general wireless operating which stood me in good stead because by the time we really got to the squadron, you know, I was an experienced wireless op.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Not only just getting practice but doing the real thing.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But that made me a pretty good wireless operator to start with, with the experience I had.
HB: Oh right. So that —
CM: So —
HB: So you progressed through that training.
CM: That’s right.
HB: In ’41.
CM: That’s right. And then I was doing these stints at various units and then eventually I was called back. This time to Yatesbury to do what they called the refresher course. Six weeks.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Refreshers. Getting, you know the last time that we were nineteen year old nincompoops. They said — we’d better give them a bit more of a refresher.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That was good.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because I found that I learned more in the six week refresher course than I’d learned for the whole three months before. Getting it again. Because by that time —
HB: Yeah.
CM: I knew what I was all about.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I could take it in better. So, as I said I came and graduated as a W/op AG at [pause] we didn’t do any flying at the gunnery school. It was at a ground gunnery school only because at that time, 1943 the losses, the losses were so great they wanted people desperately at the squadrons. And that’s where I got a, I did a —
HB: Yeah.
CM: I was a w/op AG without doing the air gunnery course. But I still wore a gunner’s brevet because I’d been trained as a ground gunner. That’s, they just cut the courses short.
HB: Yeah.
CM: At that time.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So, I graduated in June, 2nd of June 1943 as a w/op ag. Wireless operator/air gunner.
HB: Air gunner. Yeah. Right. So in [pause] you end up in 1943 in, at the OTU at Ossington.
CM: That’s right.
HB: That’s obviously where you start, start your proper flying and wireless operating.
CM: That’s right. With Sergeant Topham.
HB: Yeah.
CM: As my captain. But he couldn’t, when he went to the Lancaster finishing, the Stirling OTU. What did they call it? Heavy Conversion Unit.
HB: Yeah.
CM: When we eventually got there we realised that Johnny Topham, even though he was a wonderful man. He was an ex-police, police sergeant from Newcastle he picked me because I was an ex-errand boy from Consett.
HB: From Durham. County Durham. Yeah.
CM: But he couldn’t fly a — he couldn’t land a Stirling. Stirlings are very very difficult aircraft to land because they’re high up.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I can show you a photograph of a Stirling, you know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: A hell of a, if you fell out the cockpit of a Stirling you’d kill yourself.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It’s so high.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And he couldn’t land the Stirling. Very difficult to judge the distance.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because of this huge electrical undercarriage and everything.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Very difficult to gauge. Two or three feet as you circle, bang down with a hell of a — break the undercarriage. So you had to be really a skilful, have the feel to start with and Johnny couldn’t do it.
HB: Right.
CM: So he had to go by the board. He went to Lancaster Finishing School and got away with another crew and did a tour of operations.
HB: Right. So, so —
CM: Nevertheless, I went, we got Johnny, with Johnny Lloyd who was an ex-instructor.
HB: Ah right. So that’s, that’s the Lloyd that appears in the operational record.
CM: That’s right.
HB: With you. Oh right. So, it says in your logbook you just, perhaps you can explain it to me it says OTU satellite Bircotes.
CM: That’s right. In each of these OTUs they always had a spare. For diversions and things like that. And sometimes you’d be stationed at the satellite because it was more convenient. To take more, more aircraft in the air. More people going through. So Bircotes was a small grass field right almost just on the edge of Bircotes mining village.
HB: Oh right. Yeah.
CM: So but there was a lot of juggling about there with pilots like Johnny Topham I’ve just been telling you about and other people like that. John Lloyd, the other bloke too, he went LMF as well. So it was branded as a kind of a jerky sort of tour.
HB: Yeah.
CM: You went to. You see it followed through the worst thing. I’d be a long time in the squadron with Johnny Lloyd and of course every time he took us he took us fly us he took us, he could fly a Stirling, every time he took us to it he could [unclear] with it. They thought was great. We thought was great actually to have a captain who could fling a Stirling around the sky as if he’d been born and bred to it. But of course the authorities didn’t like it. They wanted to be trained in the orthodox sort of way.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So my passes to these sort of things is varied, many and varied.
HB: Yeah. I don’t know if you can remember this, Kit as just an interesting little note in here. September the 4th 1943. You’re with Sergeant Topham as the pilot.
CM: That’s right. Johnny Topham.
HB: And you’re doing a, you’re in a Wellington.
CM: That’s right.
HB: And you’re doing a cross country test.
CM: Yes.
HB: Routine test. And it says in here that you couldn’t maintain your height.
CM: That’s right.
HB: So what happened?
CM: Crashed at, crashed at Catfoss. Doesn’t it, doesn’t it mention crashing at Catfoss?
HB: Yeah. Yeah. It does.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Yeah. So, so what? You just hit the ground and slid.
CM: Well, we were coming in to land. The communication wasn’t very good. But he had got to the air traffic control that we were coming in to land because he had lost, lost an engine. He couldn’t maintain height. But when we approached the runway there was a Beaufort, a Beaufort. At Catfoss was Beauforts. It was a Coastal Command station.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And he’s on the end of runway. So what can we do? We had to get down because the aircraft wouldn’t make it. It wouldn’t have got off the other side.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Only one engine and that engine was derated.
HB: Ah.
CM: It was derated and therefore it was not, they couldn’t put us off anyway. In spite of the fact the engine was, and we’d lost one altogether they’re going to crash anyway. So at the very end of the runway Johnny was trying to get over the Beaufort that was standing at the end of the runway who obviously wasn’t aware what was coming in behind. Just at the last minute he just kind of boosted over the Beaufort and hit the ground but then that lifted pretty well high up. Then when we landed this time hit too hard, undercarriage split and we crashed in to —
HB: Slid down.
CM: That’s it.
HB: Anybody hurt?
CM: No. Of course with the Wellington when it crashes on the ground you can’t get out.
HB: Oh right. Yeah.
CM: Did you know that?
HB: Yeah.
CM: You get in through the nose.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And that goes straight against the ground. So they’d got a screened, a screened navigator basically standing beside me in the astrodome. And he undid, I wouldn’t have known about this, he undid the four screws under the astrodome and just on the approach he knew. He knew what he was doing. He was going to make an escape hatch to start with before we even got down.
HB: Right.
CM: And he put us down. He says, ‘You’re going out there.’ The only snag is that when we hit I was knocked arse over t [laughs] and I was lost. But the navigator he hung on. He was experienced. He hung on and he was the first out. And when the others would have got out the same, the pilot got through the cockpit.
HB: Aye. Aye.
CM: Which took a lot of time to take in. Of course I was hit in the back and I strolled out of the, from underneath the astrodome and I heard the navigator say, ‘The w/ops still in there. The w/ops still in there.’ Because expecting the Wellingtons are notorious burners.
HB: Aye.
CM: Experienced. And then one of the, one of the brave members of my crew got in. I’ve forgotten his name, what it was now. But he was the chap and he hooked me out. He sort of picked me up and pushed me through the astrodome.
HB: Right. That’s —
CM: And I can’t, looking back I can’t ever remember thanking that chap.
HB: No.
CM: I was so shocked that they did that. That Kit McVickers was involved in this crash. I couldn’t get over it. But I can’t ever, I may have done. I think I should have done through my background and training.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But I can’t ever remember saying. Look [pause] I can’t even remember his name.
HB: And that was just a, and that was just a routine training flight.
CM: That’s right. That’s right.
HB: At night. A night time one.
CM: I was very pleased of course that the crew were around me.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The most wonderful men. But then again all the crews I’ve ever had. They were all wonderful men.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. So then you moved on to the Conversion Units at Chedburgh and Wratting Common.
CM: That’s right.
HB: And that, and was that when, that was when you moved to Stirlings was it? From the Wellingtons?
CM: That’s right.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah. Oh, I see what you mean. Yes. Yeah. Topham was, Topham was your, was your pilot nearly all the way through there. And then [pause] it’s alright. I’m just, I’ve turned two pages in your logbook here. At Stradishall is where you joined up or you occasionally flew with Lloyd. What, what was his name? What was his name?
CM: What? Whose? What was —
HB: Lloyd. The pilot. Lloyd. What was his name? His full name.
CM: Just on Stirlings.
HB: No. On, yeah, Stirlings. Yeah.
CM: Well, first of all there was Johnny Topham.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And then Johnny. Johnny Lloyd. Both Johnny’s.
HB: They were both Johnny.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Right. So you, so then you pick up with Johnny Lloyd at Stradishall.
CM: That’s right.
HB: And you, and you do your training there and then you’re posted to 218 Squadron at Woolfox Lodge.
CM: Woolfox Lodge. Yeah. The best station I’ve ever been on.
HB: Right
CM: Right on the Great North Road.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: The billet. Within one minute of leaving my billet I’d be out on the side of the road and the boys — here’s my younger daughter now and her husband are coming. You’re very popular Mr Bartlett. Fred is it? Fred or Jim? First name.
HB: Harry.
CM: Harry. God, I was going to [unclear] yeah. And of course there was always traffic going backwards and forwards.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Military traffic.
HB: Yeah.
CM: You always get that. So I was lucky in that respect. This is, this is Mr Bartlett. Harry Bartlett.
Other: I Know. We spoke on the phone.
HB: Let me just, let me just, let me just stop the tape.
CM: Fiona.
HB: For a second.
CM: Yeah.
[recording paused]
HB: It’s 12.30 and we’re going to restart.
CM: Does that mean that memorable conversation hasn’t been recorded then?
HB: No. Perhaps as well we haven’t recorded that bit of the conversation. Right.
CM: But that, that was part of my life and of course we depend on communications with the girlfriends to keep us going. We looked forward. No one was more popular than the postman at Bomber Command. Letters coming in. Really beautiful. People loved their communications.
HB: Absolutely. Absolutely. Right. Well, we’ll just go back. We’re on 218, Gold Coast Squadron now. And that’s — sorry I’ve, I’ve closed the book and lost the page.
CM: It is bewildering because it isn’t straightforward because losing these people to LMF and one way or another it became a little bit bitty through my tour.
HB: Yes. Yes. That’s [pause] sorry that’s — I’ve, I’ve somehow managed to lose the whole of the Second World War there to closing the pages. A clever thing to do.
CM: I know. It’s easily done.
HB: Right. So, so you’re on, you’re on Stirlings. We’re in 1944 and you’re flying operations then. And you’re doing all the standard.
CM: But don’t forget at that time there’s the preparation for, D-Day was coming and of course although we were on the squadron but we were the new boys. And they didn’t want, with this big invasion going to take place, new boys cluttering up the edges. So consequently we found ourselves as a crew just chucked a little bit to one side because they wanted to get the main force trained. We were just incidental. So the only chance we’d got of getting operational in those days was mine laying. But of course even mine laying went by the board. We were also trained. Trained up to do this raid on the, with 617 Squadron dropping radars. Dropping Window all along the route to indicate a big fleet going to the north of where they actually landed. And 218 and 617 were two squadrons doing that. I wasn’t even on that because we were just on the, we were the new boys.
HB: Yeah.
CM: On the edges.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But with all this activity going on but not being part of it and we were too late to join it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: They didn’t want to be cluttered up because at that time it was getting on for June wasn’t it? If you look at the date it’s getting on for June the 6th
HB: Yeah.
CM: D-Day.
HB: Because, because throughout what you’re talking about. Through, throughout June and [pause] June and July you’re flying bullseye.
CM: Yeah. The bullseye was the last thing before you actually did operations. It just kept, took in all the aspects of bombing.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Without actually being there. Bullseye. It was. There was some navigation, dropping bombs and practice bombs and flares. We did use operational techniques without being actually on operations.
HB: Right. Right.
CM: That sort of thing.
HB: Right. So, we’ve come through June. We’ve got into July. You’re still doing a lot of training flights.
CM: That’s right. Because that was the aftermath. Things were still in a bit of chaos.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I did my first operation there. Sometime around, around about. Generally, on pages you can see war operation. I didn’t even know how to report in my logbook. You never put war operations. You put operations.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Have you seen it yet? Operation. War operation. That was the only one we did in the Stirling.
HB: I’ll have a quick. I’ve got it. War operation.
CM: The one.
HB: That was the 8th of July.
CM: Yeah. So I missed getting the —
HB: Yeah. That was in a Stirling.
CM: That’s right.
HB: With the pilot, with —
CM: Lloyd.
HB: Warrant Officer Lloyd. Johnny Lloyd. Johnny. Johnny Lloyd.
CM: That’s right.
HB: And that was — Attacked FB. Flying —
CM: Flying bomb.
HB: Flying bomb depot.
CM: Yeah.
HB: In daylight.
CM: That’s right.
HB: [unclear] Capel. Yeah.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Right. So that was, that was your first was it?
CM: That’s right.
HB: That was your first op.
CM: Also shortly after that they decided they weren’t going to fly Stirlings anymore so in all the chaos their transferring to Lancasters. You see.
HB: Right [coughs] excuse me. Oh yes. Because by August you’re doing, you’re doing the training on Lancasters. And then we get to September ’44. Then it really starts doesn’t it?
CM: Well, our Johnny went LMF if you read it.
HB: Who? Who went LMF?
CM: Of course that’s not in my logbook because you couldn’t put anything. You didn’t even leave. You just didn’t leave the ground.
HB: No.
CM: You just sat on the side of the runway.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So it’s not, it’s not even listed because why, why should it be? We didn’t get airborne.
HB: No. Who? Who, who actually went LMF?
CM: That you’ll find that in the end Warrant Officer Lloyd ends. No more for him at all. And they get a new one. This one. It took a bit of, it took about three or four weeks to get a new captain who was Hill. Warrant Officer Hill.
HB: Oh yeah that was —
CM: Who was the best pilot.
HB: That was December. Yeah. In the December. Right. And well we’ll, we’ll come on to that because you’re flying with Lloyd in Lancasters. NF 955 and 56. And you’re doing operations at Le Havre. Three. Three times you went over Le Havre.
CM: That’s right.
HB: And —
CM: On the last trip there, when Glenn Miller was — we jettisoned all our bombs in the sea because the target was covered with, covered with, covered with mist.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So you couldn’t drop them because there was civilian people in Le Havre.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So we jettisoned in the sea and that was the day that Glenn missing, Glenn missing went miller [laughs] Glenn Miller went missing.
HB: Oh right.
CM: Flying to the site of a new concert they were going to have.
HB: Oh right.
CM: He must have been, he must have been the most terrified man in the world to suddenly find you were flying over the North Sea just within a few miles of France and suddenly being bombed by, in the middle of the ocean, the middle of the North Sea by about five hundred bombers.
HB: Oh.
CM: The jettison area couldn’t, they couldn’t, they could have jettisoned by the city but civilians were there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was a terrible waste. And he must have thought what on earth is happening here?
HB: And that was, that was —
CM: The gunner from 90 squadron at Tuddenham he saw, he saw this little plane. Pioneer or some —
HB: Yeah.
CM: He saw it actually go in.
HB: Did he?
CM: So there’s no doubt about that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The September. The bombing.
HB: Because that’s, that’s 5th 6th 8th of September. Yeah. And then you did an operation to Frankfurt.
CM: That’s right. A night.
HB: A night operation.
CM: We lost four aircraft on one flight on that raid. In that incident. Because it’s a city you see.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. And that was, that was Lloyd flying that. And then you did an attack. Oh, 28th of September you did an attack on Calais.
CM: That’s right.
HB: A German garrison.
CM: We could, we could actually see the airfield from where we were bombing it. And then we lost three aircraft on that raid. The Calais raid.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The fire. The 88 millimetre fire from, from Calais was so accurate that the aircraft was shot down within sight of their base.
HB: Oh no. Oh dear.
CM: So at Calais is hardly worth anyone going actually.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Just shoot the bombs from the guns from Dover.
HB: Right.
CM: But I remember that as being very very fraught because it was a small target and there were five hundred bombers on it. It was absolutely bloody dangerous.
HB: So, I mean your last — it says in here your last operation with Johnny Lloyd was Wilhelmshaven.
CM: Wilhelmshaven. That’s right.
HB: Yeah. That was 5th of October. And then you did, you did some navigational training which was abandoned.
CM: Who was flying on the navigational training?
HB: That was Lloyd. That was Johnny Lloyd.
CM: Oh that’s —
HB: That was an abandoned exercise.
CM: Yeah.
HB: And then —
CM: Now, one of those trips wouldn’t be in my logbook because we didn’t get airborne but he suddenly decided he wasn’t going to go.
HB: Right. Because then you’ve got a you see where they’ve cut the logbook to fit this folder they’ve lost the actual first day. So it’s really early on in December and you’ve got Johnny Lloyd flying on a familiarisation with a Lancaster. Circuits and landings.
CM: That’s right. So it was only, it was when I was on Lancasters that we did the aborted trip on the —
HB: Yeah.
CM: He went LMF.
HB: And then —
CM: So —
HB: And then within a couple of days you’ve got WO, Warrant Officer Hill.
CM: That’s right. Well, there you are you see. One didn’t fly and then you’ve got to get a new captain. Still, we never saw Johnny Lloyd again.
HB: Yeah.
CM: He just vanished off the face of the earth.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s what I say. All these things —
HB: On the time, on the date.
CM: All these things of the crew were hushed up.
HB: Yeah.
CM: You don’t hear very much about but mostly it was never put down in black and white.
HB: On the day that, on the day that as you described it he went LMF. What, what happened on that day? Can you remember?
CM: Well, taking off as I believe about 2 o’clock on the afternoon. That’s right. And as I said the 149 Squadron which was with us at Methwold were coming on to the peri track this way and we, 218 were coming around this way. So the peri track was filled with aircraft converged on the runway here. Right. Well, so when we went into the runway on the right hand side we were blocking the runway. No one could take off. Then we started to backtrack slowly. Taff in such a state by the door I can’t imagine what it was like. Silence in the crew. Turns around in front of all this other aircraft, took aim [unclear] and off he went again. Exactly the same thing. [unclear] went straight in there and of course the commanding officer in the background weren’t having that. So anyway straight in. They came in the jeep at the foot of our aircraft and straight away, barking. Couldn’t move. And then, ‘Follow me.’
HB: Yeah.
CM: Before the jeep went back to dispersal.
HB: So, he was, he was sitting in the pilot’s seat.
CM: That’s right. He was —
HB: But he just couldn’t take off.
CM: That’s right. He just wouldn’t take off.
HB: He wouldn’t take off.
CM: He said he could but he didn’t want to. He realised I think that Good God, I’m going to be ruddy be killed on this operation. I’m not sufficiently good. I’ve overstretched my capabilities. And I’m not really, I should have taken more notice of [pause] I think he was worried he was going to make a mess of things.
HB: Right.
CM: This turmoil inside for some reason. I don’t know. Presumably —
HB: So you got back. You go in. You got back to this dispersal.
CM: We got back. He stayed in his seat. He says.
HB: Yeah.
CM: One of the commanding officers came running at the aircraft. He says, ‘Stay where you are. Stay where you are.’ And then he says, ‘Don’t anyone move. Leave the captain there and come out now.’ Stop what you’re doing. Just drop it. Come out.’ So we all trooped out and they had a whatsthename, jeep waggon came out. A little bus to take us back. And one of us said, ‘What’s going to happen to Johnny?’ You know. Because he was very popular you see. We loved him. Johnny Lloyd. He said, ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘He’ll be taken care of. Don’t you worry about that. Johnny’ll be taken care of.’ And we found out later that he’d ditched, within twenty four hours he’d left the station.
HB: Right.
CM: And within, ooh a few weeks we found he’d been turfed out of the Air Force.
HB: Right.
CM: He then went back to his place where he lived and he became destitute. That’s the story we found out later and he was ashamed of himself. Humiliated. His status as a captain and as a solicitor, it was the damned report, it was terrible. But then we found he’d, there’s a rumour that his family had gone off and sent him to Australia and he was doing his training as a solicitor. But the booze. The booze also took part in it this time.
HB: Oh right.
CM: And nothing went in there. In the erratic, an erratic state, to doomsday if you like. Just died in Australia.
HB: Oh, that’s a shame.
CM: I’ve still got — he gave me the book of poetry I’ve got down there somewhere. With his name in the front.
HB: Right.
CM: Johnny Lloyd. He was a very clever man. During the time we were there, the time we were hanging about. I’ll tell you about it. A chap who had been sent on leave to, to Ireland was court martialled and they want someone to take the case. And so Johnny said, ‘I’ve got nothing to do. I’ll take it.’ And he’d been sent on indefinite leave on this unit [unclear] To an escort unit. And he was sent on leave and they’d forgotten about him. They just kept on sending him a renewal of his leave and his money every fortnight. So of course he thought, well, the money’s coming in I must be on, still on indefinite leave.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Well, it lasted about two years this.
HB: Oh no.
CM: So anyway Johnny was, to cut an awful long story short he was, Johnny, he was a very good solicitor. Very good [unclear] He had the gift of the gab. A Welshman but a poetic Welshman.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And a solicitor. And he got, he got the chap off. It was the talk of the command.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Of 3 Group for a long time.
HB: Obviously, a well —
CM: Eloquent and [unclear] Put on a defence that they couldn’t penetrate. What could the man do? He was living in the neutral part of the, though he wasn’t in the war. He was there getting his regular payments and money and free meals and ration cards.
HB: Oh dear. Yeah.
CM: So he said what could he do? He must have been sickened. ‘I’m not doing the right thing but what can I do? If I go back now they’ll probably court martial me.’ Which is what they did when he did get back.
HB: So, Johnny. Johnny —
CM: So there you are. That’s an incidental.
HB: Yeah. No. No. No. It’s important. Johnny. Johnny. Johnny Lloyd was a popular man.
CM: Oh yes.
HB: Did you ever see him after the war?
CM: No.
HB: At all.
CM: Shirley and I —
HB: That was it.
CM: My wife and I went to this place of birth and every time we mentioned the word Johnny Lloyd everyone clamped up.
HB: Oh right.
CM: We got, we got the one chap who was at the boozer. The boozer. [unclear]
HB: Yeah.
CM: He knew Johnny and said he was a fine man but he said he didn’t get a job and he could be found on any any day any time on the street ends, ‘Can you give me sixpence for a cup of tea?’ But that’s a big blow to me as a chap who loved him. And Shirley who didn’t know, didn’t know him but to come across that sort of situation.
HB: Sad.
CM: So he went to Australia. Drank himself to death.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I did go to his house because I think one of his relatives still lived there but they wouldn’t, they wouldn’t talk to us.
HB: No.
CM: And Shirley, my wife could charm the birds out of a tree but even her eloquence couldn’t do it.
HB: No. That’s a shame.
CM: So what I did, my duty by him. I wanted to find out what really happened but I failed. Well, I knew that what the end was.
HB: You say, you say failed. I think you probably did your best.
CM: I can take you and show you a photograph of Johnny Lloyd. My script is, my computer has been u/s but I’ve got a photograph of my crew. The crew I finished my tour with and the one that was with Hill. But this one here was done on the Stirlings when he first came to the squadron.
HB: Right.
CM: And it’s a very good photograph which was of Johnny —
HB: That’s, that’s alright. We’ll grab the, grab the photo in a minute.
CM: In a minute.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Oh, I was going to turn the computer on. You know when it comes up —
HB: Don’t, don’t worry about that.
CM: Ok.
HB: We’ll sort that. We’ll sort that in a minute because what I wanted, what I wanted to do was was to get through. You’ve got —
CM: Operations.
HB: You’ve now got —
CM: Operations. Yeah.
HB: Another pilot —
CM: Yes.
HB: That you’re getting to know and learn. Now, you said earlier to me before we started the recording he was an experienced pilot.
CM: Johnny. Yes. He was at, oh for two years at an airfield. An Advanced Flying Unit.
HB: Right.
CM: Flying Ansons.
HB: This was Hill?
CM: That’s right. That was Johnny. But that’s, that’s appeared in the book of course, but he was a well-known pilot.
HB: Right.
CM: He was an exhibitionist through the routine. Very good at it.
HB: Oh right.
CM: But he wasn’t meant for operations. Johnny. He was poetic. He’s like that famous Dylan Thomas.
HB: Sorry. That’s Johnny. That’s Johnny Lloyd is it?
Other: We’ve moved on.
HB: Yeah.
Other: From Johnny Lloyd, dad.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Eh?
Other: We’ve moved on from Johnny Lloyd.
CM: We’ve —
HB: Right. So, it’s Johnny. So, so Hill.
CM: Yeah. Well, Hill —
HB: We’ve now got him as the pilot.
CM: He was an experienced pilot from the Far East err the Middle East.
HB: The Middle East.
CM: He’d had a tour of operations on Wellingtons.
HB: Right.
CM: So, when we got him —
HB: What was, what was his first name, Kit?
CM: First name? Bill.
HB: Bill. So that’s Bill Hill.
CM: That’s right.
HB: And he’d come to you from the Middle East.
CM: Yeah. He’d been in this country some time actually.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But he wasn’t trained on Lancasters and when we got him he was just an ex-Wellington pilot. And then we went to, through the, he did the Lancaster finishing course there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Change of direction with Bill Hill. Then back with, back to my old squadron again.
HB: And —
CM: 218.
HB: And really really quite quickly he’s in to an operation.
CM: That’s right. Because he was experienced.
HB: On New Year’s Eve 1944 to Vohwinkel, in the Ruhr Valley.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Wow. And you obviously, and then, and then you had to go, you did that in the daytime and then you had to go back and do it in the night time.
CM: That’s right. I remember that one.
HB: Blimey. And that, that’s yeah. You’re then really then in to doing quite a few of these operations.
CM: That’s right. That’s when, that’s when my tour really started, because —
HB: Yeah.
CM: Johnny sorry Bill Hill was determined to get through a tour. He wanted to do it as quickly as possible.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Yeah. He was a good.
HB: Well, he’s got a good team.
CM: He was an excellent pilot. He was an ex-deputy headmaster and he was only about twenty five.
HB: Oh right.
CM: He was a clever lad.
HB: Yeah.
CM: He used to do comic turns as well on the stage.
HB: Did he?
CM: Oh yes. And in the air. He keep coming back from operations Johnny err Bill, Bill Hill was witty with us all together. And also on Dresden I remember he said to me, he said, ‘Wireless operator.’ I said, ‘Yes, captain.’ He said, ‘Do you want to see a, see a sight you’ll never ever see in your life ever again?’ I said, ‘Well, yes.’ He said, ‘Well, just get in the astrodome and have a look down. Down stairs. Dresden.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was too. I’ve never seen anything. The first thing I saw when I was in the astrodome was smoke. Something you hadn’t even heard of. Smoke from the burning city coming past the aeroplane. But you could see the [unclear] of streets burning ferociously.
HB: What height would you be at there?
CM: Oh about twenty thousand feet.
HB: About twenty. Yeah.
CM: It varied twenty, between twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. It could be fifty feet.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was so that you wouldn’t — to lessen the risk of collision over the target.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because all the aircraft coming in on the markers from all directions, you know. Coming in.
HB: So you were at twenty thousand feet and you’re actually flying through the smoke.
CM: Yeah.
HB: From Dresden.
CM: So the smoke was so intense. The wooden mostly, part of the really beautiful buildings the wooden buildings were quite inflammable and they were set alight. And there it was.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Start the whole firestorm as they called it.
HB: Can you, can you remember what they told you on the briefing for Dresden?
CM: Yes. They said there were people in the town, the troops concentrating in the town. They said, not only that but not only ball bearings but some things very important mechanisms to further the war.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Radar and all sorts of things they had scattered all over Dresden. All sorts of other things. Now, our enemies are saying well it was a quiet town. It didn’t do anything at all. It wasn’t. It was very well armed but they didn’t have any, this late in the war all the guns had been taken away because the Germans thought oh they’re going to leave Dresden alone because it’s a wonderful city. They’re good that they, because that business with Churchill started off and Dresden, Chemnitz and Berlin and all these taken at this, we wrecked them all. Dresden was wrecked in one raid.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Eight hundred and fifty bombers.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Just saturation. It’s in there I think, is Dresden.
HB: Yes, yes. Yeah. I’ve got —
CM: Nine hours fifty minutes.
HB: Yeah. It’s got, it’s got marked in your book here. Dresden. Saturation raid. And Chemnitz.
CM: Yeah. Next day there wasn’t such a good raid because the weather was bad.
HB: Yeah. I’m just going to check because I think. I’m not sure about the batteries on this. Oh no, we’re alright for a minute.
Other: Dad.
HB: Alright for a minute.
Other: Would you like me to make you another cup of tea?
CM: Ask Mr, Mr Hartley. I presume you’d prefer to be called Harry.
HB: Harry.
CM: Harry.
Other: Harry would you like —
CM: In Geordieland you would be called called Harry Hartley.
Other: Daddy, would you like me to make you a cup of tea?
CM: Yes, dear. It’ll freshen up the one that.
Other: I’ll make you a fresh one.
HB: Right. So —
CM: I told you that was the thoughtful one, didn’t I?
HB: Yeah.
CM: She’s the more thoughtful one.
Other: Dad faces us off against each other as you’ve probably realised.
HB: Oh, I gathered that [laughs]
Other: Yeah.
HB: Right. So, yeah. So, we’ve got, he’s certainly rattling through the operations here because you’re, you’re talking for, this is February 1st 3rd 9th 13th 14th 18th 19th 23.
CM: That’s right. That was —
HB: And that’s operations every two or three days isn’t it?
CM: That’s right. That’s right.
HB: Right. And and that, so I mean that’s how it goes through to April ’45.
CM: Well, there you can see the tour, the tour expired citation. Can you see that? Tour expired.
HB: Hang on.
CM: It would be in the last few pages of my logbook.
HB: Yeah. First operational tour completed.
CM: That’s it.
HB: 9th of April.
CM: Just got to put a tour in before the end of the war.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because I was still, I was very young you know Mr Hartley. I was always, I wasn’t a kind of a middle aged old bastard. [laughs]
HB: Oh no. No.
CM: I was quite youthful.
HB: Oh no [laughs] I mean, I mean you were born in ’22.
CM: Yeah.
HB: And you’ve gone in there at what? Nineteen? Twenty?
CM: That’s right. That’s right. Nineteen.
HB: Nineteen. Right. And, and —
CM: I joined —
HB: Then you finished, you finished your tour there and —
CM: Kiel. It’s on the top of the —
HB: Yeah. Yeah. Your last one was Kiel.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Naval, the naval arsenal.
CM: And on that raid there’s the battle cruiser, German pocket battleship. The last one that was [unclear]. We sank that on that raid. It was moored in the Kiel Harbour. It was moored at the side of the quay and it turned over.
HB: Oh right.
CM: As well as other members of the Bomber Command which were much more [unclear] than me. They sank the Tirpitz in Trondheim harbour. It wasn’t me that did that.
HB: No
CM: But Bomber Command sank more battleships than the Navy.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It’s incredible that when you think of it.
HB: That’s amazing that. Right. So we’ve got — we’ve now gone to 90 Squadron at Tuddenham.
CM: Tuddenham. Yeah.
HB: But before we get there. Right. We were talking about girlfriends earlier on.
CM: Girlfriends. Not Tuddenham.
HB: We were talking about entertainment and dances and all this sort of business and this carry on.
CM: Scandals.
HB: No. No. No. I’m not after, I’m not after scandals.
CM: They’re not scandals.
HB: I’m not after scandals at all but if you want to tell me any scandals I’ll talk to you.
CM: There weren’t many scandals.
HB: But did you actually, looking at the picture on the wall you obviously met your wife during the war.
CM: No.
HB: No.
CM: No. I married my wife just after the war. My first wife.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And —
HB: And did you meet, did you meet your wife during the war?
CM: No. She was a girlfriend from home.
CM: Right.
HB: Jean Smith. Unfortunately, we were married for about, only about three or four months she became pregnant.
HB: Right.
CM: And about a few months after that she had a miscarriage and she had, she contracted tuberculosis. Galloping tuberculosis and within six weeks we knew she was going to die.
HB: Oh no.
CM: Just this, this galloping thing. You couldn’t. Just a few months after that they found a cure for tuberculosis. Even this severe one that Jean had. But it was too late for her.
HB: Was that when —
CM: She went down just like I’m doing, it happened to have, no matter what I eat I can still lose weight.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Just lose weight. But that’s the same with poor Jean no matter what she ate she turned in to a shadow and just faded away.
HB: And what, when was that? What —?
CM: That was in ’46 I think, really.
HB: 1946.
CM: Because I’d, I’d left the Air Force by then but I didn’t stay left because as soon as Jean died I thought well what the hell do I do? Going back to the steelworks. Three shift system, you know. I think I’ll go back there. I was very happy in the Air Force. So my father said well Jean I’m afraid that we weren’t going to keep her long like. So I wasn’t long in the when I left the Air Force I was sent home, you know, and she just died. So she died and I wasn’t the sort of man to hang around of course and I started going out before I met Shirley. My beloved wife. My really beloved wife. Married fifty seven years. Two children. And a beauty. Look at that photograph on your right hand side.
HB: Oh yes. I’ve, I’ve already seen the photos. Yeah. Yeah.
CM: And you see that on the wedding photograph I haven’t got the common sense to hold my wife by the hand. I said why couldn’t it, to anybody that sees that now, ‘Oh, you made a mess of that Kit lad.’ I said, ‘Why didn’t the photographer say for Christ’s sake. Hold your wife by the hand.’ Not hold your belt by the hand. But they didn’t. Now, if I’d been a photographer I think I would have said, ‘Hold your wife by the hand.’ Certain things, certain trades must do that’s to make sure that the pose is right.
HB: Yeah.
CM: However, it’s nice. You see my wife. She was only eighteen then.
HB: So where did you meet Shirley?
CM: Grimsby. I was stationed at Binbrook.
HB: Right.
CM: I figured out that for over five years I was in two Bomber Command squadrons.
HB: Right.
CM: 12 and 101.
HB: Right. Right. So, so when we’re, so let’s just go back to 218. You’re in 218.
CM: Yeah. Yeah.
HB: You’re based at Woolfox Lodge.
CM: Well, when tour expired the crew left. All the crew. Leaving me behind because I had just been promoted to warrant officer. They wanted a warrant officer to take charge of the parachute section. So they left me behind. And they said also, ‘You’ve done a few trips less than your crew. Therefore, you’ll be available for a spare.’
HB: Right.
CM: So I was, so I was a new warrant officer and I was still on the squadron.
HB: Right.
CM: Which had the parachute section.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But I had to pack that in deliberately because the chap in charge of the parachute section, genuinely head of the section itself came to me. He said, ‘Mac,’ I didn’t let the fact that he’d missed out the sir because I was a warrant officer by then. And he said, ‘They’ve got fifty parachutes not on inventory.’ Right. I said, ‘Yes,’ knowing what was coming. He said, ‘Well, if they’re not on the inventory they don’t belong to anyone.’ He said, ‘We could make ourselves a little bit of money here.’ I got a cold, I remember feeling a cold feeling. I’ve gone through a tour of operations. I’ve risked my life and I never knew, knowing the McVickers luck I was going to be found out before I could say one word I was going to be found out. So, I said, ‘No. I want nothing to do with this,’ and I went straight from there to my commanding officer at the station, not the station commander the one that’s responsible, and said, ‘I have a problem sir.’ He said, ‘What is it?’ I said, ‘It’s very personal sir but it’s taken me a long time to think about this.’ He said, ‘You’ve got, I think you’ve told me this you’d better get on with it. And I said, ‘My flight sergeant, he wants me to do a, about the inventory.’ I said, ‘I want absolutely nothing to do with it.’ He said, ‘You’ve done the right thing.’
HB: Right. Yeah.
CM: ‘You’ve done the right thing.’ And all that’s happened as far as I know he was just taken off. Taken off. Was posted.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I’ve shared this because I felt very guilty about this. He said, ‘It’s your duty to do that.’ So that was a bit of guilt in my life.
HB: Yeah.
CM: However, it is. It is. It was the right thing to do. If I’d been involved I would have lost my whole career on operations. All the medals would have [makes noise] you know.
HB: Yeah. Everything.
CM: So anyway I I don’t know whether that would figure in your synopsis but they’d say, ‘Was he a nice chap?’ ‘No, in all my years he was a bastard after all.’ You know.
HB: No. No. No. No. What, I mean what obviously what you’re now telling me is, is this is, this is at the end of the war and there’s big, obviously a big change of attitudes.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Now. So, and and you’re posted out to Conversion Units and you, and you eventually end up at Binbrook.
CM: That’s right.
HB: As a warrant officer there. And I mean there you’ve, it’s still very intensive. Even in 1947 you’re still flying. Flying an awful lot.
CM: Oh, that’s right. Flying was there. That was still a bomber squadron.
HB: Yeah.
CM: In fact I used to say to Mike Chalk my friend, he said, ‘We’re the only two buggers that, we’re the only two wireless operators left on the squadron.’ I said, ‘We can’t be operational.’ Then the Korean war came up and we had, we had not only Binbrook but all the crews there were no more than you could purpose with four or five to crew. Couldn’t make up proper crews.
HB: Oh right.
CM: So, by this time they started the new ranks. I don’t know if you know anything about this. Because this is something that should be very interesting to you. What happened immediately after the war. If you look at this photograph here.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Take a little look standing up, Harry.
HB: Oh no, I’ve seen that one.
CM: And what do you see on the arm of your favourite flight sergeant? By that time ranks had changed and I was, can you see that rank?
HB: That’s. Is that, is that the change to master.
CM: No. That was the master. That was signaller 1. Three. Three stars and a crown.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Now, that was the same as flight sergeant. I’d been reduced to flight sergeant anyway so they reduced me even further to signaller 1 which was the same as a flight sergeant. So anyway, it resulted in a mass exodus.
HB: Right.
CM: Of people. Some of the officers had been given a commission by an interview and there they were walking around. Didn’t touch them at all.
HB: Right.
CM: So people got fed up with this because there were still more NCOs than officers and of course they were leaving in droves. The next we knew that’d, just over two years and the next thing we knew was revert. Take the stripes off, take the stars off, revert back to whatsaname, whatever that indicated. And in my case it was flight sergeant so put flight sergeant stripes on. Same as there.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So —
HB: Got one there.
CM: Not many people know about this.
HB: No. No.
CM: At the same time it’s a very important aspect of Bomber Command after the war. Not only Bomber Command but all the Commands.
HB: Yeah. Yes.
CM: All aircrew. The NCOs were given a kick in the teeth and shat on from a very great height.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Now, they recognise that there’s been that but they promised there’d be recognised, all that they should be kept the aircrew separate from the sergeants but it was good that way but what we sort of did was the complete dislocation of all the squadrons of Bomber Command. They didn’t have, they didn’t have a Bomber Command.
HB: No.
CM: By this. Not very much talked about that but I can show you letters I’ve written there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: About this.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And I think this is relevant.
HB: It is. It’s all, it’s all relevant. It is all relevant.
CM: You didn’t know about this and yet you’re an interviewer.
HB: No.
CM: You can see it there.
HB: No.
CM: Passed the —
HB: That’s right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Because it was only because I had certificate that I was married. Jean. You’ve seen Jane.
HB: Yeah.
CM: My other daughter. That’s her as a baby. That’s in —
HB: So that so that, that’s occurring as the Korean war’s —
CM: That’s right.
HB: Brewing up.
CM: Though Bomber Command wasn’t involved at all in the Korean war.
HB: No. No.
CM: Because they couldn’t be. They didn’t have enough crews. Now, you see that must have hit the people who organised this. It must have hit them with a hell of a wallop. They were responsible for the absolute the demolition of one of the most powerful weapons known to history. The Bomber Command was as you know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Far bigger than the American Air Force in, in its numbers. And don’t forget they made big mistakes, the Americans at the beginning of the war. They thought they could fight the fighters off. They couldn’t.
HB: No.
CM: They shot a lot of fighters down but they couldn’t fight them off.
HB: No.
CM: They lost fifty aircraft, fifty each on two of the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s a hundred and twenty aircraft. No. A hundred aircraft. A hundred aircraft.
HB: Yeah.
CM: These B17s. There were only them that you can recognise and of course Bomber Command and I think my God and they introduced this new rank and they all kept going out in droves and asking to get premature release. We’ve destroyed a really good Air Force. That, that is never talked about.
HB: No.
CM: But I talked about it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I wrote a letter [unclear] a student.
HB: Yeah.
CM: You’ll have to come again. I put it all down in black and white.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And I’ll show it to you. You might, you might create a, Mr Hartley what’s known as a coup.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Because nobody else knows about it.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: And I’ll show you something and you might think after all you must have the better interviewing technique. You speak with posh language but you didn’t get this information.
HB: No. No. That’s true.
CM: You flashed a photograph of me out in my, in my James Bond days. I was auditioning for James Bond [laughs] You see.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Things are made in —
HB: Was this occurring after you’d gone to the instructor’s school? Or before?
CM: It was, it happened if you look at my logbook it says it should be ‘47.
HB: So I’ve got you going, I’ve got you going to Scampton in July ’47.
CM: That’s right. I was on detachment there.
HB: On Lincolns.
CM: That’s right. Because all the Bomber Command was on, at Binbrook.
CM: All Lincolns.
HB: Yeah.
CM: All Lincolns.
HB: And so was, so the time you’re talking about when they decimated the NCO level.
CM: Yeah. Yeah.
HB: Is that before ’47 or after?
CM: Well, it was 1948.
HB: Oh right. Right.
CM: I was married in ’48 look at the bit.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Even though I’m wearing a, what’s, look carefully a warrant officer’s uniform right. If you look carefully you can just see the badge.
HB: Yeah. With the circle.
CM: But we were allowed to wear the officer’s uniform because at that time there was a hell of a shortage of uniforms.
HB: Oh right.
CM: And just keep on wearing it until as soon as we get new uniform. So there we were parading around as warrant officers even though we weren’t. And eventually we had to have the warrant officers tapes off and put the whatsanames on, but that was very humiliating you know Harry.
HB: Yes, I can imagine.
CM: And just you remember especially the warrant officer suddenly got bumped to sergeant’s stripes. Stars instead of stripes.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was just humiliating in the extreme. There was a tremendous amount of ill hateful feeling about it in the squadrons. They detested the officer who kept the, nobody who kept their own rank.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And at the same, they graduated as officers, they graduated as, but the same, exactly the same training. Exactly the same job.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Yet they were left alone.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And that of course that led to tremendous resentment.
HB: Yes, I can imagine.
CM: But regardless of what happens in this interview I will dig out certainly this for your own personal viewing.
HB: Yeah. Oh, I’d be, no, I’d be, I’ll be interested in that. I’ve got a — I don’t know if I’ve read this right. I’ve got you here in your book. In your, in your logbook at number 100 Torpedo Bomber Squadron, Hemswell.
CM: That’s right. That was the squadron when I came and joined the Air Force. I was posted to Hemswell. Hemswell was.
HB: Is this when you, when you rejoined?
CM: When I rejoined the Air Force.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Yeah.
HB: And that was August. I’ve got August ‘47.
CM: ’47 would be.
HB: August ‘47 for that. Yeah. And then it goes. And then it goes through. Were you instructing there?
CM: No. At Binbrook, no. I was a —
HB: No. At Hemswell.
CM: At Hemswell.
HB: With the torpedo bombers.
CM: That was a detachment, I think. No. That was at, this was what was the squadron name at the top?
HB: It just says number 100 torpedo bomber squadron.
CM: That’s right. That’s right. That’s Hemswell.
HB: At Hemswell.
CM: I was just attached to the squadron. Binbrook was being resurfaced.
HB: Ah right. Right. That — yeah. Yeah. Because then you returned to Binbrook.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Yeah. I see what you, I see what that, I see what that does. So you’ve come through to ‘47 ’48.
CM: That’s right. Yeah.
HB: And you’ve gone to 12, 12 Squadron.
CM: 12. That’s right. Famous squadron.
HB: At Binbrook.
CM: VCs. The VCs were the two men who sacrificed their lives at the bridges at the invasion. You know, they bombed the bridges and both were killed, attacking success of one of those bridges and they both got VCs. But they’re all [unclear] the Fairey Battle this was.
HB: Oh right. Yeah.
CM: At the beginning of the war. But the airman that was flying with them wasn’t a sergeant. He was an LAC so the thing is this. The argument that he was an LAC. Therefore he wasn’t entitled to a DFC but as a LAC he wasn’t entitled but also quite obviously to the DFM which the two sergeants had got. The VC, sorry the two sergeants had got. He got nothing, but the LAC was doing the exactly the same job as the pilot and the navigator who got, two got VCs. They couldn’t leave him out and isolate as if he’d done nothing. God knows what acts of bravery he would have done, but they didn’t. They just a little kind of, little bit of [unclear ] but they got VCs and he got nothing at all. That was quite a bit, that was at 12 Squadron. That was a squadron to which I belonged at that time. The chap called Norris [unclear] and on Pampas and Seaweeds.
HB: Yeah.
CM: We did, did a lot of Mousetrap trips on those squadrons
HB: Yeah. I noticed. I noticed that in your —
CM: Pampas.
HB: Operation Pampas. Yeah.
CM: And on one of those trips we met the Queen Mary in 17 degrees west and Nogger said, he said to the crew, ‘This a chance I wouldn’t miss for a thousand years.’ A thousand pounds. I’m not sure which. I think it was pounds. And we said, ‘Yes, Nogger,’ because we were all in awe of him. He was a skilful pilot.
HB: Which, which was he?
CM: We did an exhibition of flying to the occupants of the Queen Mary that they’d never seen in their life. Much better than you’d ever see in the —
HB: Yeah.
CM: He did everything.
HB: Was his name Norris?
CM: Nogger Norris. Yeah.
HB: Nogger Norris.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Right. Yeah.
CM: And I took a photograph of the Queen Mary but it was taken with my father in law’s box brownie camera. So, it was, even though I was pretty close to it it looks as though it was farther away.
HB: Yes. Yeah.
CM: But when we took the photograph with one of these alongside, Giles the cartoonist was on board the Queen Mary. Right.
HB: Right.
CM: He was on board.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And he, and Giles saw this, he saw this going on. This kind of shooting up. And he drew a cartoon of it and on the cartoon you could see the Lincoln aircraft 17 degrees west shooting up very close to the Queen Mary. In caricature. In drawing.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So, we didn’t know about that. So when we got back after all this shooting up and God knows what. I lost my trailing aerial as well. Is it in the book?
HB: There’s a thing in here. It just says trailing aerial struck by lightning.
CM: Do you see how many hours it is?
HB: Eight hours thirty five.
CM: Eight hours.
HB: Yeah.
CM: All through the Pampas you’ll see they’re all about six hours. So, the captain —
HB: Yeah.
CM: We came back late wanted to know exactly where we’d been for the two hours that’s missing. So Nogger Norris knowing this, before we landed said, ‘Don’t forget chaps. We haven’t seen the Queen Mary. Ok.’ So, when we landed we kept our buzz. A good crew. We kept it mum.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So the first thing that happened was the flight sergeant in charge of the ground staff got Nogger and [unclear] over to see the where my aerial left the aircraft. And my aerial left the aircraft, came down the, fair lead from the reel, down where we sat through the hole in the bottom of the aircraft and about three or four inches down at the fuselage it had welded itself onto the side of the fuselage about nine feet. It was nine feet along the fuselage, just up the fuselage, welded and beyond that there was a little nidge of about an inch and a half sticking up and it was beautifully rounded at the end. And the flight sergeant said to Nogger and I, he said, ‘That takes a bit of power to do that.’ To do that.
CM: Yeah.
CM: It takes a few volts to do that.’
CM: Yeah.
CM: I thought, Christ almighty all those millions of volts within two feet of my Charlie.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So, anyway it was interesting at nine o’clock the following Monday morning. This was a Friday night, Friday morning. The commanding officer [unclear] there, Nogger there and me here and the other navigator Chuck. I can’t remember his name now. It’s a terrible thing. Those names would have come easily six years ago.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CM: And just as he started I was right though about these missing two hours. And suddenly the shutters opened at the back and the adjutant popped his head through. He said, ‘Sir. Sir.’ He said, ‘Adj, I told I wasn’t to be disturbed for the next, the next hour.’ He said, ‘I think you’d like being disturbed by what I’ve got to show you.’ So, he said, ‘What is it? What is it?’ So the Adj took something in from the fellas and said give it to the commanding officer. And [unclear] remembered stern faced [pause] And I saw his face changing from stern to kind of a little smile at the edge of his face. And eventually [laughs]
HB: Yeah.
CM: He said, ‘Nogger,’ gave him the papers, ‘I know exactly what you were doing for those two hours.’ And of course it ended up with laughter. Because no harm had been done.
HB: No.
CM: And there was the, Giles with his family aboard the, the Queen Mary and on the side of the ship you see a beautiful sketch of the our aircraft. Can you believe that?
HB: I can. I can believe it.
CM: I cut it out, put it in my logbook and it rotted for the next twenty years. and just rotted away. And when we decided to put these down, these things down in print I realised that I didn’t have this. Now all my family, all my, have you seen them, have you seen them?
HB: Yeah.
CM: And others as well have tried to get copies of that. It’s not, it’s not to be got. Even the people getting back, the back, the numbers of the aircraft, of the Daily Express.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: It wasn’t there either. But Fiona looked up my career in the Air Force list as a warrant officer in the air force list she found it wasn’t listed and it said not to be released until 2022.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. It’ll be, it’ll be in the Official Secrets Act.
CM: So, so because that’s nothing to do with the Queen Mary. It also stopped me from having any contact with other things attached to that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So that I didn’t get it. Peter particularly at the museum museum archives but they couldn’t get that.
HB: No.
CM: But somebody’s got it. So I couldn’t make a proper story about it because I didn’t have the proof. Because people would say, ‘Oh yes, I’ve seen that. Oh yes. Indeed.’
HB: Yeah.
CM: But that was it.
HB: So then.
CM: I’m listening.
HB: We get to 1949 and we’re off to shorts.
Shorts and topi and off to the sunshine in Egypt.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Was that, what was —
CM: Shallufa. Then we went there and Bomber Command went there after the war. For a month every, like six or seven months I was there. Eight or nine months.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The desert was good weather. It was good flying weather.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s what was good. That’s what we went for. Took off from Shallufa and we did El Shatt. I always thought that couldn’t be the proper name. El Shatt. E L S H A T T. El Shatt. I was ashamed of putting it in my logbook [laughs] Bombing range.
HB: And yeah like you say just there for a few months and then you know what what accommodation did you live in in Egypt then? For those few months.
CM: Nissen. Nissen.
HB: In the Nissen hut.
CM: Well, the Nissen was corrugated iron. They were small.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Plenty of wood there and that sort of stuff.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. And then you’re back to —
CM: Don’t forget that Shallufa in the winter was colder. It was colder in Shallufa than it was in Binbrook.
HB: Yeah. I can, oh I can believe that. Yeah.
CM: By God, I’ve experienced some cold. Literally shivered. And shivered all night.
HB: Yeah.
CB: Couldn’t get warm.
HB: And you’re back to Binbrook.
CM: That’s right. Detachment you see.
HB: Yeah.
CM: [unclear] 12 Squadron detachment and 101 Squadron detachment.
HB: And then [pause] this is where the change comes isn’t it? In 1949. Because you go to Scampton on a Conversion Unit.
CM: Scampton. That’s right.
HB: And then. And then you go to 101. Binbrook.
CM: That’s right. I went back to Scampton because that was the Lancaster Finishing School then.
HB: Right.
CM: Right. So, that led to the —
HB: Yeah. Oh. Yeah. You did say. You did say that. Sorry I just need to keep checking this. The batteries.
CM: They won’t be able to understand a word I’ve said, Harry.
HB: Well I can understand you and that’s all that’s all, that’s all that’s important.
CM: You’re nearly a, you’re nearly a Geordie yourself.
Other: Dad.
CM: Yes, dear.
Other: In ten minutes I’ve got, I’ve got an appointment.
CM: Fiona, darling, I thought you’d gone. Didn’t you think she’d gone, Harry?
Other: No. I’m sitting here but in ten minutes I’m going to have to go because I’ve got an appointment in Ashby at 2. So I’ll go on my appointment.
CM: That’s right.
Other: It’s just, it’s just the flats.
CM: Make sure Harry’s alright. A glass of whisky maybe.
Other: Can I get you anything at all, Harry?
HB: No. No. I’m fine. I’m fine.
Other: Would you like another drink?
HB: As long, as long, as long as Kit is alright.
Other: He’s got his cup of tea. Dad has his lunch at —
CM: The only thing that’s wrong with me is ninety five [unclear]
Other: Dad has his breakfast really late like, you know sort of late late so he has his meal, his lunch sort of often about 4.30. So he’s —
CM: Oh yes. That’s it.
Other: But, so I will come back, dad after I’ve done my appointment.
CM: Yeah. Ok.
Other: My son is wanting to buy a flat in Ashby.
CM: Right.
Other: And we’ve got an appointment to look around it with him.
HB: Right.
Other: Just to see what we think. And we cancelled it yesterday because we got stuck in traffic. So I’ll go.
HB: Well, what, what I’ll probably do is.
Other: I’ll come back.
HB: I’ll finish the interview and then I’ll contact you later and let you know how we’re going to come back.
CM: That’s right. I said to —
Other: You’re most welcome if you think you —
CM: Fiona said, ‘Oh he won’t, he’s not interested at all in what you did after the war. He’s not interested in,’ this and that. And I said, ‘You don’t know what he’s interested in until he comes.’ I thought about this because that is something that I think is very, that people should know about.
HB: Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Other: It’s an interesting one.
CM: The dirty trick that the Bomber Command well not just bomber but the Air Force generally.
HB: But it, it’s that transition period we are also interested in.
Other: Yes.
HB: Because we’re going from a time of world war.
Other: Yeah. Conflicts.
CM: That’s right
HB: Into a peacetime and policing operations.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Of, you know Korea and all those.
CM: That’s one of the reasons why we never got the medals. Can’t you see that. We can’t demote them, treat them as S H I T and then kind of go we’ll give them medals as well.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Couldn’t do it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So that was what the fuss was about. We didn’t. We were not even honoured in Bomber Command.
HB: Yeah. Well, it’s a quarter past one. I’m going to just stop the tape for a minute while —
CM: Ok.
HB: Your daughter goes.
HB: And then I’ll restart it in a —
Other: And if you wish —
[recording paused]
HB: Right. We’re recommencing the interview. We have had cups of tea and a comfort breaks. So we’ve moved on now to around about 1952 at RAF Watton in 192 Squadron.
CM: Central. Central Signals Establishment to use its full name.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s to mask what it actually did. It was a spy squadron.
HB: Right.
CM: But Central Signals Establishment gave it a kind of fancy name but [unclear] believe anything if you like. Not a hundred percent anyway.
HB: That might, that might answer the question. In your logbook you’re flying with Flight Lieutenant Neil.
CM: Yeah. Flight lieutenant. He was, that was on Super Fortresses. In other words B29s.
HB: B29s.
CM: I’m an ex, an ex-Boeing B29 wireless operator.
HB: Yeah. Were they called Washingtons?
CM: That’s right.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The Washington was an American name for an American aircraft.
HB: Right.
CM: But we called them Washingtons. American but it was also British.
HB: Right.
CM: So there was a Washington [unclear] married them both together.
HB: So in your logbook it says your duty on [pause] in at the end of 1952 was left scanner and right scanner and special operator.
CM: Spec op. That’s what you called spec ops because you did this job I was telling you about. I don’t know whether I’ll be shot at dawn about this but it’s still secret. Top secret. But it was literally finding out the frequencies of the radars and the special operations. We did that. Once we got that we could be able to jam it. To jam it. And once you knew where the frequency was on the end of the spectrum you could put a jam in there and make it impossible to operate.
HB: So who’s, who’s radars were you trying to discover?
CM: Yeah. But I don’t know how you can’t mention that without breaking the Official Secrets.
HB: You won’t break the Official Secrets Act now.
CM: Yeah. As I said in this Fiona found out that nothing’s to be divulged about me personally in the Air Force until 2022. My hundredth birthday. So you make that of what you will.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: But the B29 as I say were a joy to fly after Lincolns. We used to, we used Lincolns to Watton before that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But the B29 was a luxurious aircraft. Do you know that it was separated by a tunnel? There’s the front end of the aircraft right the co-pilot, the captain and the engineer and all this but the back end of the aircraft was nothing else but spec ops. Right.
HB: Right.
CM: And the whole thing was connected like, like two bellows. The front bit was pressurised. There was a tunnel going over the bomb bay to the rear compartment. So to get from the front to the rear they crawled along the tunnel.
HB: Oh right.
CM: It was from here to well just beyond the window there you know.
HB: So you’re talking —
CM: No bigger. No bigger than that wide.
HB: So you’re talking a good twelve fourteen feet then of tunnel.
CM: That’s right. So getting there hurt your knees crawling up and down so people didn’t tend to go forward. Anyway, the two people at the back were about that stationed from the observer point.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s the back end of the tunnel. To see, to be able to see the engines, all the engines, the flaps. Right. And the undercarriage. They couldn’t see them from the front.
HB: Oh right.
CM: Even the engineer. So I was the left scanner and right scanner but the eyes for the engineer who couldn’t keep on crawling back and forwards along the tunnel.
HB: Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So important.
HB: Oh yeah. Yeah.
CM: So I always went for the right scanner because I felt that it was the one place to be to keep a good lookout for the —
HB: Right.
CM: And sway up and down left scanner, right scanner. Otherwise it would be, you couldn’t put spec op. You could be spec op, yes. But on transit you were just kind of sat sitting. You used to fly from Watton to Nicosia in Cyprus and then fly from there the next day with all these aerials. There was an armed guard when we landed in Nicosia and the aircraft was never ever left alone. And the next day we would take off with the full crew of course and the trip would be about, we’d be down there eleven hours, twelve hours doing nothing else but scanning all the frequencies. Picking up their radars. You had to be very lucky because they knew when there was spy aircraft around. They’d switch off. But they had to switch on to see where that spy aircraft was. So watching out all ready to go because it only took a few seconds. It was on. You recognised it. You’d press a button. The camera would take a photograph.
HB: Right.
CM: So I scanned the photograph and the recording and did this virtually the same thing as sitting at home and doing this thing with you, because as we were doing that the recording, they’d take it back to Watton and you’d see it properly. You didn’t see it.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: They had —
HB: Yeah.
CM: Yeah. Boffins.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Boffins. Whatever they are.
HB: Yeah. The boffins.
CM: Boffins.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So it was an important job and I think I was part of the Cold War as well as the hot war. So that should —
HB: Yeah.
CM: Be a footnote of that thing that I said. Mr McVickers bravely advanced for the, to be a spec op and took part in the Cold War. Which I did.
HB: Well that’s right. I mean, I mean it’s, it’s very obvious from your logbook that —
CM: I’m a lying bastard.
HB: No. Oh, no. No. No. No. Nowhere near. No. You’ve certainly, you’ve certainly done a bit. I mean there’s, there’s a section here that’s quite fascinating because in the middle of doing your spec ops and whatnot you go to the School of Marine Reconnaissance.
CM: No. No. That was when I was posted there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So when you’re posted you’re still kind of doing whatever you were doing beforehand.
HB: Right.
CM: They sometimes overlapped a bit before you went and it’s doing middle of the road.
HB: Yeah.
CM: A flew flights, you know. That’s what it amounts to.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The School of Maritime Reconnaissance now.
HB: Yes.
CM: The Royal Air Force, St Mawgan, Newquay, Cornwall. It should be on top of the whatsthename —
HB: Yeah.
CM: That was, that was a five months course. Now within, after doing four months to start the flying phase of it the CO sent for me and said they were very very short of flyers at 224 Squadron. I said, ‘What do you mean, sir?’ He said, ‘They desperately need a signaller.’ And I said, ‘I really am not the person to pick. I’ve been off the flying for five years. I’ve done no flying on this and I’m on a course. I’m on a [unclear] aircraft radar work at all.’ ‘Nevertheless,’ he said, ‘You can, with all your experience could pick it up with no trouble at all.’ That wasn’t true. When I got to 224 Squadron which was down there if you looked at 224 squadron —
HB: I’ve got 22 —
CM: Not 224.
HB: I’ve got 220.
CM: That’s the one. 220 Squadron.
HB: 220 Squadron.
CM: 220 Squadron.
HB: Yeah. St Eval.
CM: St Eval.
HB: St Eval.
CM: And that’s —
HB: That was on Shackletons.
CM: Well, within, within about a fortnight they realised that I wasn’t trained on the radar and the radar was the most important thing. I wasn’t trained on it. So I thought — I was in a hell of a state. And I told the commanding officer that I’m really not trained for this work. But I’ve just been sent. I’d no idea at all why I was sent there because Cornish the commanding officer said to me, ‘We don’t need you. We don’t need any training chaps, we’re fully, fully committed.’ So I thought what the hell is going on here?
HB: Yeah.
CM: I think, now during the time I was there they sent me to to Mount Batten. Now Mount Batten was the headquarters of Coastal Command. And I was replacing a man who was doing Anson flying. Supposed to be an instructor. A very important instructor flying from station to station and everything. And the man had gone sick for something. Obviously transitory. But when I appeared on the scene he suddenly made a remarkable recovery.
HB: Right.
CM: So I was stuck there at Mount Batten [unclear] let’s get it right here because Mount Batten is the commanding. This is the most important place in Coastal Command. Why don’t you use that to do something for yourself? So I went to see the postings department which posted all the people in Coastal Command. Everything was done from there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And I flannelled one of the, with the WAAF officers who were there. I said I’m in a bit of a dilemma here Miss, Ma’am and explained what had happened and everything, ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I think we can probably do something for you. What would you like to do?’ So I said, ‘Well, there’s one Neptune station dealing with nothing else but Neptunes. Lockheed Neptunes.’ I said, ‘This is based in Topcliffe in Yorkshire and would be ideal for me for getting home and everything else and also picking up, because I’d been on a course, picking up on what had left out in being mid-course. ’I said ‘Perfect solution, She said. She said to me ‘Your next course. I’ll put your name down. I’ll put your name down now. So it’s finished. Nothing has happened. You go.’
HB: Right.
CM: So when I went back to the station. St Eval. 220 Squadron. I could say to the people I’m posted. You know. I obviously shouldn’t have been here in the first place. I’ve been reposted. So I was gash again. I was completely gash. And I just spent my time sitting in the mess and making myself a bloody nuisance where ever I went, you know. And soon enough, as soon as the [unclear] came up I got the posting off to go to Kinloss to do the Neptune course.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I was on Neptunes for two and a half years. The best aircraft I’ve ever flown in my life.
HB: And what was, what was the Neptune?
CM: Lockheed Neptune. I’ll show you what.
HB: Oh, that was, it was —
CM: Lockheed was the one before the Boeing, well after the Boeing but —
HB: Yeah. Yeah. Because obviously you’d been flying on Shackletons.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And then you go to Neptune.
CM: I’m afraid it will have to wait now for the next time you come actually.
HB: Oh, no, don’t worry about that. I’ve found. Yeah. I’ve found Topcliffe now. Yeah. With Coastal Command.
CM: That’s right. It’s all Coastal Command.
HB: Yes.
CM: That’s a Bomber Command Lincoln. That’s one of the Lincolns. If you look at the SR is the code letters.
HB: Right.
CM: The code letters for 101 Squadron.
HB: Right.
CM: We, I was on B flight there, George [ ] was the co-pilot and the bomb aimer in the astrodome. That’s me. Best photograph I’ve ever had taken. You see they get access to the photograph.
HB: Yeah.
CM: What had happened, there had been an aircraft sent to take photographs of the villages and towns actually but the photographer being a clever little bugger he said it would far better if you had an aircraft superimposed and we happened to be airborne SR 101 Squadron.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Doing bombing at Wainfleet range. So, they called us up, ‘Are you finished there?’ ‘Oh, we’re finish in a few minutes.’ They said, ‘Go through to Cleethorpes and rendezvous with this aircraft that’s taken —'
HB: Oh right.
CM: And that’s how we got it.
HB: That’s how they took the photo.
CM: It’s a good photograph of Cleethorpes. You can see the [unclear]
HB: And that’s the, that’s the Lincoln aircraft. Right. Yeah.
CM: And that’s the Lincoln, that’s right. And that’s me.
HB: And that’s you in the astro.
CM: No matter how, no matter how vague it is that’s me. It’s one of the —
HB: Well, you need, you need to put that in the pile for, to copy. And that one definitely. Right. So, right we’ve got you, got you in Topcliffe and you’ve done rocketry and all those sort of things and then —
CM: Made drops to the weather ships.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Weather trips. All that sort of thing.
HB: So, I mean you were at Topcliffe a good, a good long time weren’t you?
CM: Two and a half years. I did a full tour.
HB: Yeah.
CM: On Neptunes.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But I was the first. The first They took one, one squadron member from each squadron. At least one. One member and posted them separately just to see if it could be done. Suddenly they found themselves with all these Neptune crews. No pilot could have told us yarns, you know [laughs]
HB: Oh right.
CM: So, so the experiment they took the flight sergeant McVickers, that was me and Flight Sergeant Chalmers and another one called flight sergeant [pause] Oh I can’t remember his name. But [unclear] squadron, just us three people on a course on Neptunes.
HB: Yeah.
CM: [unclear]
HB: It’s alright. I’m just, I’m just double checking the battery. Make sure the battery’s still alright. Yeah. Yeah. That, yeah that’s an aspect that we don’t, that’s an aspect we don’t sort of come across, you know. Obviously they’re trying out different ways of putting.
CM: That’s it. Well, you see we’re flying there but tac incident said put that new chap Flight Sergeant McVickers on the —
HB: Yeah.
CM: A cold chill went down my spine. Because I hadn’t had any — I’d had exams. I’d had the exams instructions on the radars. The APS 20 and things like that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But I didn’t have the practical. I’d never used it in the air. So I mean, to ask you to sit down and do something from scratch which I didn’t even know how to switch on, you know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Anyway, they forgave me for all that and telling me off and I did alright for two and a half years.
HB: So, so Neptunes. The Neptune. I mean, it goes, it’s obviously a well used aircraft.
CM: I’ll show you a photograph.
HB: For that.
CM: You’ve never seen anything like it.
HB: For that.
CM: It was the most luxurious aircraft I’ve ever seen in my life. Neptune. Never. There was one of these commanding officers, ‘Oh you can’t take photographs.’ [pause] Yes. If you come again. I know now what you’re after I’ll have anything ready.
HB: No. No. No. Worry not. Worry not about that. I mean the important thing is getting your, your story.
CM: Operations.
HB: Yeah. Absolutely. So, now, we’ve gone, you’ve gone to Kinloss in [pause] you’ve been on the Shackleton course. That’s in ’56. 1956.
CM: What was that in 1956?
HB: That was, that was you were at Kinloss in ’56.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Doing a course.
CM: Yeah.
HB: A Shackleton course.
CM: Yeah. That would be the Neptune course because there was flying attached to that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: We were flying on those. On Neptunes.
HB: And then [coughs] excuse me. You’ve got [pause] ’56 you’re off to 224 at Gibraltar.
CM: Gibraltar. Yeah. 224 Squadron.
HB: And that’s on Shackletons. Where were, where were you operating then from Gibraltar?
CM: Well, once again I’ve got to show you this. The base of Gibraltar. The base of the rock there’s an open space. And you can imagine the north face, they always shows the north face in Gibraltar so that’s the face facing north. Right in front of the north face of Gibraltar they built a runway. The sea is at one end at Algecirus Bay and then extended in to the rocks so the whole thing, was not enough room for a proper runway but they kept on building it out to sea, out towards Algecirus, Spain. So there was a long enough runway. Our photographs you can see sticking out of the Bay.
HB: Yeah. So, so you were you were obviously looking at your logbook you were flying out of there regularly. Did you cover the Mediterranean and —
CM: That’s right.
HB: Western approaches or —
CM: The Med, did cover the Med but also as you say the Western Mediterranean, but we did all the trips to Malta and Corsica and Sardinia and visiting there. North Africa of course.
HB: Yes.
CM: Is on the right hand side as you go along. So a lot of trips just landing there. Anyway, I did the exercise. Managed to survive. Became quite proficient at the radar but you know I thought that’s not fair for me. I’m cast out of my course.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Which I would have joined the squadron with the crew as to be a signalman. A signalman. It would be good to replace that man as a special job and he made an immediate recovery. The best thing that ever happened to him was me appearing. So I mean, he thought, oh Christ and he recovered.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was a cushy job.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I mean this is what sort of comes through in your logbook is you’ve got this level of consistency going through now.
CM: That’s right. I did.
HB: And, and as, as an air signaller and you were going through here [pause] sorry. What did I just notice? Yeah. That was something caught my eye. In 1957 you were doing communication trials with HM submarine Subtle.
CM: That’s right. I went to one trip to Ballykelly. We went, this chap and my number two and my signals team, we went to this submarine. HMS Subtle [unclear]
HB: Yeah.
CM: And we went for a full day in a submarine. One of the, well one of the most enlightening experiences I’ve ever had.
HB: Yeah. So you actually went in the submarine.
CM: Yes. I’ll tell you something else. I’ve lifted the periscope up. Transferred, transferred into — I’ve watched the submarine sink from, from the periscope area.
HB: Yeah.
CM: They gave us two a really wonderful experience of a submarine. [unclear]
HB: Yeah.
CM: Which was invaluable for, that’s what we were there for. Submarine killers.
HB: Yeah.
CM: In Coastal Command that’s what we did. We looked for submarines and sank them.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So we were gaining experience that was something good. And they showed us, the crew showed us the biggest pile of pornographic material, photographs I’ve ever seen in my life. It was about this big. And the [unclear] as well. God, it really embarrassed me.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I never seen. Every angle. Every possible. I thought these people are all sex maniacs. Because we were getting it regular. This was the [laughs]
HB: Yeah. The, the where — what I’m, what I’m what I’m interested in is you started your career in wireless ops and wireless operator in the ‘40s and we’re now in to the late 50s.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Coming up to the 60s.
CM: New equipment is coming up.
HB: So all of that equipment as it comes along I mean, was it every time new equipment you came out you had to go on a training course?
CM: No.
HB: Or did you a lot of on —
CM: No. If there was something radical, something completely different you’d go on a training course, because nobody could do anything about it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And the men in the latter part were the men that got the Air Ministry details, put everything down, the whole thing. They’d learned from there. Then they’d teach the people who were going through the courses. That’s right. So the radar, the equipment on the Neptune aircraft is so far advanced that until just recently in the last ten or fifteen years it was still being used in the spy planes.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was so accurate. The APS 20 it was called. Air Pulse Search.
HB: Air Pulse Search. Oh right. Yeah.
CM: Ever heard of that? Air Pulse Search.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And the other one in the part of the wings, took part of the wings. One had the APS 30, the APS 31 and yet that’s just the system where you could lock on to an aircraft and home on the aircraft. Or anything. A ship.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Very very accurately with the APS 31. So the APS 31 and the APS 20 made perfect for long distance. They were used for aircraft coming in. The APS 20. An aircraft designed by the Americans for their aircraft, the Neptune was the aircraft used by us for long distance search except for the big fighter stations.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Air defence of Great Britain stations. They had their own.
HB: I’m interested in a note here in your logbook, Kit for [pause] we’re talking March 1958. And it’s something I’ve not seen anywhere else. You’ve suddenly got a list of it says, this is the 6th of March — anti-submarine air offensive operations.
CM: That’s right. It’s the whole squadron.
HB: A large [unclear] of those.
CM: The submarines, our submarines had taken the place of enemy submarines.
HB: Right.
CM: But about the German expression. They were enemy submarines. We had to find them. So they’d been given —
HB: Right.
CM: We had a good idea what they were using in submarines but we had to find out. In other words we had taken our submarines as being enemy submarines. We had to find out all about them.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Well, that was really good training.
HB: Yeah. Ah right. That’s explained it then because I was, I was suddenly thinking 1958.
CM: I was stationed at Kinloss then.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Wasn’t I on the, that’s when I was on [ unclear]
HB: No. No. That was you were still at Gibraltar in ’48 err ’58 sorry. ’58.
CM: I was in Gib then.
HB: Yeah. You were in Gibraltar then. That’s what caught my eye was the fact that you got offensive operations but, yeah I understand that now. Yeah. Yeah. So it’s that transition you see that you’ve gone through all of this equipment. It’s, and its, I presume not only has it become more technical.
CM: Complex.
HB: It’s become small.
CM: Complex.
HB: Yeah. Complex. It’s almost become smaller as well.
CM: That’s right.
HB: I would presume.
CM: More adaptable.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The telephone valves, valves suddenly vanished off the face of the earth and first thing in this system, they got the APS 20 which was about this size.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It suddenly became about this size but the big thing was the screen.
HB: Right. So it went from, it went from the size of a coffee table down to —
CM: Well, yeah. In the [unclear] sense.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But, but it was an interesting job. Can you imagine to a schoolboy to be with all this anti-submarine equipment?
HB: Yeah.
CM: The finder. It was very very interesting. And if you’ve got something real on the screen. Something that was enemy, you know. Not so much enemy.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Simulated enemy. You think this person diving the submarine I have got him in my sights offensively [unclear]
HB: Yeah.
CM: With depth charges which we had.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. That, well that —
CM: We’d be doing the job which we knew we’d be employed in doing if a war broke out.
HB: That was your job. That was your job wasn’t it? And then we get to 1960 and you’re back to Kinloss [pause] flying Shackletons again.
CM: Yeah. This would be the Shackleton then would be in January was it?
HB: Yeah. Shackleton 1 it’s got. Yeah. You got people like, you got numerous pilots with you. All sorts of different pilots.
CM: I think that would be on [unclear] it was [unclear] training. Must have been flying the aircraft that trained them.
HB: Right. Right.
CM: Numbers and numbers of the —
HB: Yeah because you’ve got, you’ve got exercises.
CM: That’s right.
HB: A3, A1, A4, A5.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Not exercises for me but exercises for the pilots.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Trained in, that was for the aircraft and I was just crew then.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Did all the dogsbody stuff. All the stuff that —
HB: Yeah. Yeah. The sweeping up. Making the tea.
CM: I did cooking as well.
HB: Cooking.
CM: Oh we had a, you could get airborne for twenty four hours in a Shackleton, you know.
HB: Right.
CM: Twenty four hours. I never did one. I did a twenty two hour trip once but it’s too long. I think a complaint. ‘I’m not having this. You’d better cut my hours down.’
HB: Yeah. I mean there’s some seven and nine and ten hour flights here.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Yeah. And then yeah as I say you carry on, you carry on at Kinloss for a good old time again.
CM: So my next posting after that was I did a [unclear] on the ground staff doing, looking after these, they called the a space stage two trainer. Looking at simulating trips in the air but not leaving the ground.
HB: Right.
CM: You could make exercises. You could make them up all the time.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So instead of wasting money on petrol you could do the same thing on the ground. Get the same experience. The same equipment and everything. So that was saving money.
HB: So was that, was that sort of classroom based or was that in some sort of simulator?
CM: No. This was actual equipment. You’d sit in these cubicles with the same stuff that you’d have in the aircraft.
HB: Right.
CM: You have use of the headquarters in these cubicles. You’d have other aircraft in these cubicles. And all the equipment.
HB: Yeah. So the cubicle would be set up exactly as if you were in the air.
CM: That’s it. But radar. Of course you couldn’t get a radar signal there so they simulated that. Simulated kind of things coming up.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: But nevertheless you could save a lot of money by just doing it on the ground.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was all handle work. Key work.
HB: Yeah. I can see. I mean I can see in here that I’ve come to that part. Yeah. Of the sort of the sort of staff training and what not. The [pause] yeah because that I mean obviously the booths that you talk about that were set up, you know with the equipment.
CM: That’s right.
HB: They obviously became the forerunners of what we now know in the modern —
CM: Yeah.
HB: Era of the flight simulators.
CM: That’s right. That’s right. But the link trainer I mean, it’s a simulator.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But you can get, you can fly blind with. The thing is you couldn’t get airborne so got to fly blind there except for putting specs on, hoods on people which they did do. But it was too costly and too —
HB: Yeah.
CM: The link trainer fulfilled that role exactly. They couldn’t see anyway, so you had to go by the instruments.
HB: Oh right. Yeah.
CM: You see people used to use the instruments and have faith in the instruments you were using. That was good. The link trainer was good for that.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: People who were poor at blind flying became excellent after a few spells on the link trainer.
HB: I have noticed throughout your logbook —
CM: Hmmn?
HB: I’ve noticed throughout your logbook there’s regular little comments signed by senior officers. Wing commanders and such of, “above average,” “high average.” That’s how they’re assessing you.
CM: That’s damning you with faint praise.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. So where are we now? We’ve got to — now, yeah this is, this is the thing. 1963.
CM: Posted to Changi.
HB: You’re in — yeah.
CM: Posted to Changi.
HB: 205 Squadron, Changi.
CM: The best posting I ever had.
HB: Was it?
CM: My wife, she was a very good looking lass but by God the people there the commanding officers they wouldn’t, they would all make a beeline for Shirley whatever the occasion was.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Commanding officers, flight commanders, ordinary people in reserve couldn’t get a look in. So, I said to Shirley, ‘Who are you with, darling? The commanding officer or me?’ ‘You darling.’ ‘Good.’
HB: So a little bit of marital strife there [laughs]
CM: Shirley and I had a very good looking daughter if you see photographs of Jane when she was fifteen sixteen.
HB: Yeah.
CM: She was a very good looking girl. Just like her mother.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. Well I saw that in that photograph. Yeah. But so that again that’s flying out in the Shackleton Mark 2s and that’s and I presume that’s doing much of the —
CM: Well, you should come across somewhere there at Changi that we had a wall, if you look at my medals. I’ve got a medal which very very few people have had. Fiona’s put it somewhere where you wouldn’t miss it. So Fiona’s put my medals where we’ll never miss them so the chances are I’ll never find them.
HB: Oh no. Worry not about that.
CM: This one’s particularly good.
[pause]
HB: So that would be [pause] so I’m just trying to find it actually in here. Would that be, would that be Borneo? Would that be the Indonesian Confrontation?
CM: Yeah. That’s right. That’s right.
HB: In ’63.
CM: That’s what I would show you if I could find the damned thing.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The medal I got for it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Fiona’s, Fiona’s put it in a place —
HB: You’re a bit, you’re a bit far away from the recorder now Kit.
CM: My daughter has put my medals in a place where I can’t miss them. Therefore I know I’ll ever find them.
HB: Don’t worry about them.
CM: Ok.
HB: We’ll sort them out later. I was just trying to find —
CM: Well you’ll notice that those top of the. Something called Hawk Moths.
HB: Hawk Moths.
CM: Hawk Moths. We were fighting in the Indonesian confrontation.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But there’s one thing we weren’t allowed to do Harry. We weren’t allowed to kill them.
HB: Oh right.
CM: It wasn’t a war. It was a confrontation. Once we started killing the bastards it went to a — so what we did they supplied from Sumatra. If you can imagine Sumatra or just in the Malacca Straits. There’s Malaya one side and Indonesia on the other.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Sumatra. But they used to go across from Sumatra to Malaya and do damage. Dropped by parachutes and people and all this business so we knew that we had to get these people as they’re flying, as they’re sheering across the Malay Strait with motor, motor torpedo boats they were, I think. Big boats but vulnerable. We found that the only thing we could frighten them to death with was this. We used to get, we used to have one, it was always at night. They always came across at night. They didn’t come across in daylight. The fighters would have got them.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But they couldn’t do what we could do. We could kill them or make severely inconvenience them by a simple method of using our four engines.
HB: Right.
CM: Four Griffon engines. So much power. One thousand eight hundred and fifty horsepower and the propellers had to be contra rotating to absorb all the power. They had tremendous [unclear] Simple as a Shackleton pull you out of anything, any trouble you were in just open the throttles and get out of it. And what we used to do was to fire off these 1.5 magi flares. There was thirty six of them in banks of, packs of six. Six sixes are thirty six. Six sixes. Now, they used to burn. Burn in the air. Bang when they go up there and when they reached their zenith it would burst. It would burn with a really fantastic light for about thirty five, forty seconds. Not very long. But long enough at thirty five seconds to appear what was going on. And as they went out, bang another one would go off. And this was going out this would lit up again. So you could get maybe a minute of continuous light. A minute’s a long time.
HB: Yes. Yes.
CM: You know, you know the smart gun there, get the radar detector going towards it and just suddenly, they’re not expecting it up it would go. Bright as day. So what we could do then look at the boat going along from Sumatra to the main whatsaname Beach in Malaya.
HB: Malaya.
CM: And you’d fly towards Malaya ourselves so the boat length ways. Not that way but that way. So then —
HB: So you’re coming in on the side of the boat at ninety degrees.
CM: That’s it, but you’d go down to ten feet. Just above the waves and you opened the throttles and go over this boat. Just dead, bend down just a little bit and level off and the whole blast of this right against the, the force of it, the force against the boat and over she’d go, and all the crew as well.
HB: So it would capsize.
CM: Capsized. Yeah. That’s something else. You’ve got a scoop here.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I’ve never heard this mentioned anywhere, that was.
HB: And that, that’s in the —
CM: But you see it there as Hawk Moths.
HB: It’s Hawk Moth operations.
CM: You can see.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. I can see Hawk Moth here.
CM: That was down in the Malacca Strait.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And of course we wouldn’t then, we’d find a few people. There’s always people swimming around.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So we said after all if it doesn’t kill them they’ll probably get in to the boat anyway. You couldn’t sink these damned things.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But all the stuff had been tipped out.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And the whole operation, their operation would be cancelled.
HB: Yeah.
CM: In other words we won the war.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: That’s why it’s important to me to find where Fiona has hidden my medals. So she can, she can find them easily.
HB: Oh we’ll find them. We’ll find them at the end of the interview, Kit. Don’t you worry.
CM: She’s lovely. She’s a lovely lass but by God she doesn’t have the thoroughness of Jane.
HB: Right.
CM: Jane’s very thorough.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. There’s quite a few. Quite a few of these Hawk Moth operations in there.
CM: And of course during my time there we won the war. Sukarno gave in.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: I was chosen to be the photographer at the HMS Bulwark and HMS Centaur, the Ark Royal and the huge fleet out there just out for the Confrontation. They formed two lines of ships. The capital ships, the aircraft carriers and the battleships and destroyers and all the little ships.
HB: Oh right.
CM: That were there. And we flew down through the, we had an avenue of ships and we were taking photographs actually.
HB: You were doing the aerial photos.
CM: I was on the verge of coming back, I never saw those photographs.
HB: Oh right.
CM: But I was chosen as the photographer. Photographer, you see. But that was, so that was the end of the Confrontation. The Indonese gave us a medal and we got another General Service Medal. So that added two medals to my which nobody, not many people —
HB: No.
CM: Certainly not many people in the war, my medal rate, did you see that? The medals. You still can read it.
HB: I saw, I saw the medals on the photographs.
CM: That’s right.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But there’s two short.
HB: Ah right. Yeah. Which is —
CM: The Indonesian one and the what’s the name.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s right, because they show the medals, that’s extra medals because the medals then were the general service medal and the Malaysian medal is on there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And there’s two complete rows. Well I’ve never seen anybody except me that’s got these two complete rows because I carried on after war.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I was on operational squadrons after the war. I was in a front line squadron.
HB: I was going to say it’s all operational isn’t it? Yeah.
CM: I was the last in.
HB: Yeah.
CM: That’s why I wanted to kind of make a special mention of me about the guerrilla boat because I think your word after getting this scoop. These two scoops.
HB: Yes, it does. Yes. That’s great because that takes us through to where are we? 1965.
CM: But I didn’t do any flying though at that.
HB: June ’65 you [pause] I think that was —
CM: I went, I wasn’t —
HB: Sorry. July.
CM: I was a missile, I was a missile controller at Neatishead.
HB: Yeah. Because, because we — yeah. We —
CM: That wouldn’t be in the logbook.
HB: Yeah. So we’ve done —
CM: They don’t put missiles in logbooks.
HB: I think [pause] I’ll just, I’ll just make absolutely sure about this.
CM: So, it’s a full career flying in front line squadrons all the time.
HB: Yes.
CM: So I’m quite proud of that.
HB: Yes. I mean you’re flying [pause] Let me have a look. You’ve got a Hawk Moth operation on the 16th of August 1965. And you’ve certainly flown some hours on that.
CM: Oh yes.
HB: And that —
CM: I flew a lot after the Indonesian conflict to start with.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But we did have a new flight commanding officer at that time and he took a shine to me.
HB: Oh right.
CM: Unlike some of the buggers [laughs]
HB: Yeah. So that’s where, that’s when your actual flying logbook finishes.
CM: That’s right.
HB: But then in ’65 you go — or ’66 sorry.
CM: I left in ’67.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I was on missiles. I was the controller at Neatishead. But unfortunately —
HB: At where?
CM: Neatishead. It’s the biggest, one of the biggest air defence stations.
HB: Neatishead.
CM: Neatishead. N E A T. Neat. I S. Neatis Head. H E A D.
HB: Neatishead.
CM: Neatishead.
HB: And that’s where?
CM: That’s Norfolk, I think.
HB: Norfolk. Right, right.
CM: But unfortunately, on my wife’s instructions I’d put in for a commission when I left whatsaname, I knew I was pretty well thought of, you know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And I knew that Commanding Officer Harvey was, he loved, he literally, he kept treating my wife at every possible occasion. This came back to me. So I knew I was well in with him but whether he was going to translate that into a good recommendation, so I just applied. Nothing. And Fiona said err my wife Shirley said, ‘Have you still applied?’ So I banged an application in. Then I was posted to Neatishead. The first thing that happened, I was posted there. I had a good long spells of leave before I went there. The commanding officer said to me, a very nice man, he said, ‘I’ve had a recommendation,’ from your whatsaname, commission he said, I can’t possibly send this on unless I know something about you.’ Right. Oh sod off. I didn’t, I was deaf as a bloody post I think. I couldn’t care less about a commission. I was nearing the end of my time.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And I thought it was just incidental. I knew I would be, I knew it would waltz through it so what happened? I fell in very very much with a girl who was a flight lieutenant. God knows what her name is now but she was the WAAF commander. She sat at the desk opposite me.
HB: Right.
CM: And she and I became quite comfortable.
HB: Yeah.
CM: For want of a better word, she did. It wasn’t long before she asked me about, ‘Can you take me home in your car tonight, my car’s u/s.’ [unclear] I realised, my God at my age of forty four, forty three this bloody woman’s is in love with me.
HB: Oh dear.
CM: This ugly bastard like me, you know. This was so amusing. So I didn’t dare to mention that I was here but being the adjutant because I’d put or commission, but she seemed to know. She said to me now and then, she said to me, ‘Everything’s ok, you know. Everything’s ok.’ So from that I assumed that she was giving the reports to the whatsaname. The commanding officer hardly saw me. She was putting in the reports about me. Right. So I thought I can’t go on here. I’m a bit of a, I’ll have to find an excuse to get out of it because I’m as deaf as a bloody post. I had to go through all the treatments, ‘Sorry Mr McVickers. You’re deaf.’ You know, that real deep deafness was starting so I knew I wouldn’t get through anyway.’ Anyway, to cut a long story short they had this sent to have a big overhaul at Neatishead, all the whole thing. It been going for years and years. The whole thing’s has to be changed. They’re going to be away for, I think it was six weeks two months, it’s going to be overhauled, all the new equipment. Everything kind of renewed. So they sent me, because there’s nobody at the station virtually at Neatishead, there’s the ground bit and there’s the top of the hole. There’s a big hole. They put me with the other spec ops doing this job and sent me to Patrington which was another Air Defence of Great Britain station. But when I got there I found that the situation was different. The man who was in charge of everything there was a [pause] what’s the word, he was less senior than me. So they said, ‘Well, you’ll have to take over.’ So I said, ‘I can’t possibly take over the job. He’s been trained to be an air traffic controller. A missile controller. How the hell can I possibly do it?’ He said, ‘Well you’ll have to go on a course,’ but I said, ‘I can’t have this. The best thing would be for me to pack the whole thing in.’
HB: Yeah.
CM: They said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Well if I haven’t been properly trained I’m going to be taking a job about which I know nothing.’ I was looking after all the missiles on the ground you know. I said, ‘I’m supposed to be a controller from Neatishead.’ Signalling the targets on the whatsaname and phoning them through to Woodhall Spa or [pause] I’ve forgotten the name of the other place actually, near Grimsby. There what I’m looking for. Just to pass the target on to them. Nothing else. I was the controller. Missiles controller.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And the people there thought the best thing was I thought my god what’s going to happen suddenly coming home from Neatishead to say, ‘Report to for training for the commission.’ That’s the last thing in the world I wanted at the time.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So I didn’t tell Shirley about that obviously but I’d certainly heard nothing about the commissions and I left the station. You know. Left the, my friend the WAAF. The flight lieutenant. The good looking WAAF, and suddenly I was unemployed. So I thought the best thing I could here is kept mum. I’m out. I’ve got a good job. A good job lined up and I thought far better to get a job at forty five then be an officer at fifty three or fifty four and find out nobody wants you.
HB: Yes.
CM: So I used my loaf and told Shirley what happened. She said, ‘Oh let’s get out. I’ll get a job as well.’ So she became, to cut a long story short, she’d been a photographer at some hotel just up the road apiece and this job came up in the Trading Standards Department saying they were starting a new section. A completely new department called Consumer Affairs. So they set out all the qualifications, sort of. ‘What a pity Shirley. You could have applied for that.’ She said, ‘I fully intend to apply. To apply for it.’ I said, ‘Well but you’ve had no training darling. You’ve got no qualifications except matriculation.’ So she said, ‘I’m going to apply.’ I said, ‘What are you going to put down for qualifications?’ She said, ‘Just that I’ve been a service wife for nineteen years. I’ve been nineteen years.’
HB: Yeah.
CM: So off she went and within a fortnight she got a letter back. She’d passed the first stage. We found out later there was seven hundred and odd applications. And that was the big weeding out.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And Shirley survived that. And I said, ‘If you survived that’s good. You must have looked good on paper.’ ‘Well,’ she said, ‘I did. I did a good job with that’. So the next was personal interviews. They took a long time actually. But after a while I said to Shirley. ‘What’s happened at this interview? What’s going on here?’ She said [pause] So I thought that she knows something that I don’t know.
HB: The tap on the nose. Yeah.
CM: So I’d better press her, I said, ‘For Christ’s sake, I’m your husband,’ you know. Got to get a job to save the family because I was getting two thousand two hundred at that time. ’67. When the national average was seven hundred and fifty.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I was getting two thousand.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So we would be digging into our capital. And the next thing that happened was another interview with only about twenty or something like that. Shirley came home. I said, ‘What happened?’ She said, ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll get the job.’ I said, ‘Shirley, darling how could you possibly get the job with all these qualifications and you haven’t got any of them? You’ve just matriculated.’ So I was really worried about it so I didn’t make a mess on the carpet. In other words Matriculation did. She said, ‘I’ll be their first choice and I’ll get the job.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s lovely you assume that but I think you’re being a little bit premature. Anyway, to cut a long story short again four, four, four left, four interviews and she was, Shirley was told and the other, presumably the other three were told that by 6 o’clock tonight one of you would have got the job. He said, ‘We’ll be visiting the one that’s got the job before 6 o’clock tonight.’ Although whatever it was I forget the timing, so I said to Shirley, ‘Aren’t you a bit nervous with it being in the last four?’ She said, ‘No. I’ll get the job.’ So, I said, ‘Why?’ She said, ‘Oh, I’ve been their first choice all every interview I’ve had.’ I said, ‘But how can this happen?’ This job of course with all these qualifications, suddenly it was.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But anyway, at ten to six that night I’m sitting tactfully in our living room err the dining room. No. Spare room.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I could see the front and I saw these two people get out the car. Mr Butler and Mr Charlesworth. One was an ex major and the other was a Swordfish pilot.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I realised then straight away sort of found out what they were that they’d taken a shine to Shirley because I was the sort of a warrant officer aircrew. You know.
HB: Yeah.
CM: This is the sort of men, somebody that they wanted in the background of. I’m not saying that’s true. But I just think that’s what happened.
HB: Yeah. That’s what you thought. Yeah.
CM: One of the things in her favour.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I said to Shirley, ‘Shirley, they’re here.’ And she came in and she said, ‘Yes.’ She said go in there and I’ll call you in. I took them into our special room that we had. And I said, Shirley came with me ‘Mr Charlesworth of course, my wife, Shirley.’ ‘We know. We know your wife, Mr McVickers. We’d like to be, if you don’t mind, alone for the, with her for a —’ So I knew straight away that she got the job. She was the first choice just exactly as she’d said.
HB: Yeah. She’d known that all the way through.
CM: It was, yeah she was, first appointment. The only one thing that they said to me, Mr Charlesworth, he said, he said she was an outstanding candidate. That’s was it. She was an outstanding candidate.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Now, what that means I don’t know but an outstanding candidate gets rid of all the qualifications. Qualification this and qualifications the other. They just took her on her own merits.
HB: Absolutely. Yes.
CM: And Mr Charlesworth err Mr Butler said afterwards, many many years afterwards, she was working there about twenty years she was the obvious choice to do the job. That’s because —
HB: So so while Shirley’s getting her job and you’re —
CM: I was then worked for Anglian Water.
HB: So, so you’d, you’d then finished and you joined —
CM: Anglian Water.
HB: Anglian Water.
CM: I left the civil service. It didn’t make that much difference.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The man that told me that I was a natural, natural at the job which I wasn’t and also one of the employees there told me if you want to get on here don’t kind of send things back for verification. Just pay them anyway. You see, you’re allowed a five percent, a five percent error. He said you’ll never make any [unclear] It was so simple that there’s no errors. No possible errors. Overtake the hard ones by scores. So you never get five percent error.
HB: So what was your actual —
CM: So I held a job, Mr — he did the X, Ys and Zs and I did the As and Bs. It’s a good to contrast. He got very few applications because everything was to be handed to me. And see he did the bits that were difficult for me. He cancelled them all out.
HB: Right. So what exactly was your job.
CM: It was an easy job.
HB: Yeah.
CM: At the top of the tree.
HB: Yeah. What exactly was your job Kit?
CM: Vetting Officer. I decided how much if a person was eligible. For instance if you’d only had half the payments in you only got half the payment. Right. So if the person came in and they’d only got say, fifteen instead of the twenty six minimum application you’d cancel it altogether. Right. But he’d gone straight to the name then, assistant or something. He’d say what had happened. They’d pay him as if he was full, full stamps.
HB: Oh right I see.
CM: He gets full stamps. So I mean no matter how little you had, their people who only had fourteen they’d get for fourteen and they’d get less then the person that had got none, none at all and he get paid the full. So us vetting officers we soon cottoned on to that. This was completely and utterly unfair.
HB: So this is for the water rates.
CM: No. Not water. This was, this was, that was the next job that I came to.
HB: Oh sorry. Sorry. I’ve missed a bit out. So that, so that was in to the civil service.
CM: Yeah. That’s right. The Civil service. And he kept on saying to me, ‘Don’t worry about that.’
HB: Yeah.
CM: After one year you become a, the, become a something officer.
HB: Yeah.
CM: [unclear] officer. It was the next step up. Free. Just get it free. You’ve got that anyways, if you’d done a year.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So I thought [unclear]. Here I am stuck in a job I dislike intensely, you know, being an aircrew man all my life and suddenly I’m kind of stuck there. So Shirley said, ‘I’ll find you another job.’ This is my wife. By this time she’s working at you know, she’s the department commander.
HB: Yeah. [unclear] Consumer Affairs.
CM: I’ve got all the certificates that she’d got.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Given to her. Not kind of worked for but given by virtue of her job.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And she said, ‘I’ve got a job here for you, working for Anglian Water as a district inspector.’
HB: Oh right.
CM: But what I got with the job wasn’t district inspector. It was area inspector. A rank higher up.
HB: Yeah.
CM: There were people who were experienced. Of course I had no experience but I did as Shirley said when I went to the interview. The first one I thought what the hell? Shirley can do it I can do it. So I was completely not bothered about it.
HB: Yeah
CM: I’ve got a good job anyway I’ve got pensions from the Air Force, I’ve got pensions from water board, I’ve got pensions from this and pensions from that.
HB: Right.
CM: So I did.
HB: It’s alright I’m just double checking the battery.
CM: Anyway, I’m terribly sorry I’ve taken over.
HB: No. No. No.
CM: But then you’re getting something about my background.
HB: No. No. No.
CM: I ‘m lucky. I’m lucky I have been, how lucky I could be.
HB: I’m interested in the length of service you’ve given.
CM: Yeah. I did thirty one operations in the hot war and there were five six, six, seven in the Cold War.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I did in the, in the, in the whatsaname for.
HB: Malaysia.
CM: Over the water to fly in the helicopters to look for where an aircraft had been. [unclear]
HB: Yeah.
CM: I had to map it out and tell them where it was and they’d come out and sort it out.
HB: The Air Sea Rescue. Yeah.
CM: So I had a particular job there and the promise to being an area officer and then another rank higher but I had to have the qualifications. They got to invent the qualifications for me. They said just get the A level in the, we’ll do the, all the chemical experiments for you. I said I’m in the base of a bloody load of corruption here. There was experienced both the civil service, they both told me first thing. They’d be a bit what’s the name. Something officer, there.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Field officer.
HB: Right. Yeah.
CM: But I wasn’t long enough, part time.
HB: So you’ve, you’ve gone all the way through the war. You’ve had your RAF career over twenty years.
CM: Twenty six years.
HB: Twenty six years. And you, you’ve gone back into civilian life. What do you think, what do you think the war, that your wartime service with Bomber Command what do you think that gave you for your later life in the RAF and —
CM: Confidence.
HB: Right.
CM: I was a, as far as I was concerned I was not only a wireless op air gunner who did his job but also I knew that I wasn’t, I wasn’t really scared. I told you I was the biggest coward and everything. I wasn’t.
HB: Right.
CM: I was apprehensive. I used to look at the, the aircraft coming in, the place where the aircraft was parked and find that there were so many bombs, if you looked at the front of the aircraft and you could see nothing else but steel all the way around from middle right at the end. Right through this. A huge bomb bay about easily from that to here in a Lancaster.
HB: Yeah. A good eighteen feet. Twenty feet.
CM: Nothing at all. And you’d look at the front and you’d find that, yes you could see it, everyone said it but you wouldn’t believe it. The wings were fitted upwards.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I thought my God it’s so bloody heavy there that the damned wings are lifting up.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And of course everyone, we were all aware of that, you know. And how the hell could this possibly get airborne? But as soon as the aircraft had gone on off the runway and got the a airflow over it the wings then start to lift, because if they [unclear] to lift and of course they reassert themselves.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And of course the Lancaster designed from the bomb bay. It was designed as a —
HB: Yeah. So so you attribute your confidence to it.
CM: And also I was a good wireless op. Morse, because I always, I never got any IMIs. IMI means de de da da dit dit — please, ‘please send that again.’ De de da da dit dit.
HB: Right. Yeah. Right. So, of, of your crews.
CM: Yeah.
HB: Because you obviously had you know a number of, you know slight changes during Bomber Command duties.
CM: Well, they didn’t know anything about ops. They didn’t tell them anything in Morse.
HB: No. No.
CM: But as something else to think about doing lectures. When I was doing my t cal, it was teaching I used to think to myself what I should really do is something that’s really interesting. And one of the interesting things about being a wireless operator was emergencies.
HB: Right.
CM: Now, you know that everyone sends SOSs when they were da da da da, so. But it used to be SOS de de dit da da da dit dit dit da da da dit dit dit. So this brilliant bastard, who it was said, ‘This is not distinguishable.’ It’s dash O S sent, sent separately. Why don’t we put it all together and make it one symbol? So what they did SOS and with SOS, SOOS and they put a bar across the whole lot which meant it ran, the whole thing bit of it, instead of it being it dit dit dit da da dit dit dit it became de de de da da dit dit dit dit dit dit da da dit dit dit Which everyone knows as SOS.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CM: So therefore it was adopted.
HB: Oh right.
CM: So we knew we had a system whereby if you had an emergency we used this system to do this. There’s a word called PATASACANDI. PATASACANDI. And if you think about that PAT is Position and Time. PAT CAS Course and Speed. A PATCAS Altitude. And then name. Name of aircraft. Intention of pilot. Right. All of this went out of your mind even and put all the things in and send it as PATACASANDI. In other words —
HB: Right.
CM: Height would be QAH fifteen, fifteen thousand. PAT, PAT in time of course you’d get your watch, plus course and speed. You ran the different course off from the, the whatsaname [unclear] and yaw thing, and speed. I didn’t get the speed but the navigator put down the speed. QTJ my speed is, my air speed is, such and such and such, my ground speed is depending which you were going to use. Then —
HB: Right.
CM: The course. And then there was the altitude. And the other one was the nature. The nature of, nature of, nature of the emergency.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Engine just, engine on fire. Bomb in, bomb in, bomb in bomb bay. Whatever the emergency was. They put that. Then intention of pilot. A PATCASANDI, Intention of Pilot. I at the end — intention of pilot. PATCASANDI. Everyone in the aircraft and the engineer knew that. How to send an emergency message was always in your head.
HB: Yeah.
CM: It was easy. You also knew the Q signals which we’d stick to them. The QAS for height. QTI for skip a course, your QEH was [unclear] of the whole thing so you could do it in your head. All the navigator had to say was, Kit.
HB: Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Yeah.
CM: I was confident that if there was an emergency I could send that.
HB: Did you, did you, when you look back we obviously lost an awful lot of —
CM: Engine Yeah.
HB: Aircrew and, you know people, you know, people didn’t come back. What was your, what was your general feeling? You know. You fly out on an op. You come back and a couple of your planes are missing. What was, what was your feeling about that, Kit?
CM: What we’d do then if you knew an aircraft had been shot down. We’d got sometimes to the 500cc channel, the name of channel 500 KCs which was 500 used by everybody. Maritimes, aircraft all go to the 500cc and you could hear anyone in distress sending his distress position.
HB: Right.
CM: That was the wonderful thing about being a wireless op you could be individual, an aircraft you’d see shot down and we’d know you didn’t have any chance of sending anything.
HB: No.
CM: But others which were badly damaged the wireless operator there frantically trying to get a message through.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because his message and don’t forget you obviously finished off the message, the SOS by pressing his key for twenty seconds which was a long time [buzz] All the time in the world for the ground staff and other people anywhere taking bearings on you so therefore they get a good picture of just exactly where you were in the North Sea.
HB: Yeah.
CM: I feel I’m taking over too much now of this. Way over things that don’t even matter.
HB: Oh no. No. No. These —
CM: Well, it gives a good background to a wireless operator’s job.
HB: Well, that’s, that’s why you’re being interviewed Kit.
CM: Is that right?
HB: Because your wireless operator experience, I mean we’re talking lots of years here has developed. But —
CM: That’s right.
HB: In Bomber, in Bomber Command.
CM: They were going to be shot down.
HB: Yeah. You, you must have experienced that, you know. With friends.
CM: Yeah.
HB: And other crews that you knew.
CM: Oh yeah.
HB: Who didn’t come back.
CM: Yeah. I won’t talk about that.
HB: No.
CM: Distressing experience I just cut it out of my mind.
HB: No. That’s, yeah that’s understandable. I mean it’s, it’s a difficult area because none of us now can even imagine how you would feel and what you would experience.
CM: That’s right but I do wish before you go and I know you’ll be thinking to yourself how can I get away with this [noise] I’ve broken your communicator.
HB: Worry not. I’ve stood it back up.
CM: I wrote, I wrote a letter once, on an old notepad, so I’ll just [pages turning] Look at this. Do you hear what Sherlock would say? You’ve got all these to read when you’ve got time. Not now.
HB: Well, we will. We will on another occasion, I think.
CM: That’s the chap that was flying that Typhoon.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Now, I won’t, I won’t keep this, but I’ll tell you what it is. It’s a description of a flight I made. Just a flight rather than the flight. The definite article rather than the indefinite article. Ah is indefinite article. The is action.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So this particular flight was in my mind and I wrote it down exactly how it was. But also I’ve mentioned something which I’ve never seen mentioned anywhere before. Are you listening carefully for it Harry? It was well known in Bomber Command that an awful lot of atrocities took place. Have you heard about this?
HB: About the —?
CM: Atrocities towards aircrew.
HB: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
CM: Some of these people who are — they went through a very very harrowing experience. Some of them went mental. Deranged in fact. And they gathered themselves during a raid and tried to collect any bombers. A lot of people, had they baled out over the target and they’d come down in the streets and they, generally speaking there were some people who would [unclear] had very bad time indeed. They were hanged from lampposts. They were kicked to death by the civilians. They were shot by platoon commanders who wouldn’t take them in. They just cut them down with that, you never hear anything about that.
HB: No.
CM: It’s up to Bomber Command did [unclear] that’s why to a lot of people like me know about this. If people knew about the really bad times that they faced if they were ever taken prisoner. If the Luftwaffe were around the area and the Luftwaffe were patrolling they were pretty safe, but if there were no, no Luftwaffe around the SS they couldn’t have cared less. They’d shoot you out of hand.
HB: Yeah.
CM: An awful lot. There’s never been any book published. Any publication about it. People know, know this went on. But if you try to find anything about it.
HB: Yeah.
CM: The only way you find out about is by looking up at this report that I put in.
HB: Right.
CM: Which I can show you.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But I can’t now because I can’t remember where it is.
HB: Well, yeah.
CM: So I thought this might be the sort of thing that you’d be looking for.
HB: Yeah.
CM: On top of. In addition to. As well as —
HB: Yes. Yes.
CM: Rather than —
HB: I mean, it’s been fascinating listening to you Kit talking about that, you know. Not just, not just the wartime but the whole of, the whole of your RAFs experience. And you know how, I mean you said that you described this period of time when NCOs were being reduced in rank and whatnot.
CM: Well —
HB: But, but how —
CM: They don’t, they, let’s put it this way they didn’t say it was a reduction of rank
HB: No. No. No. No.
CM: They were exactly the same.
HB: Yeah.
CM: But we as aircrew had been warrant officers. We’d been so used to all this you know.
HB: Yeah. Exactly.
CM: But It was just taken over, three stripes, three stars and a crown, the same as a flight sergeant.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And they wouldn’t have it —
HB: Yeah.
CM: The aircrew who served they wouldn’t have it. That’s what buggered that up.
HB: What do you, do you think? Do you, when you look back now for that time during the World War? Do you think the public really understood what you were trying to do?
CM: I didn’t think. No. I don’t think they even thought about the things I’ve been telling you about now. The murders. That’s what they were. They were murders. And the best way that they used to kill and this comes up time and time again. Butchers. Butchers actually decapitate theirs. They set them in a line and one after the butcher would take their heads off. So called ISIS.
HB: But the public. The public back home here.
CM: They never found anything about that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Never let anything be published.
HB: But in general terms though your, your service in Bomber Command.
CM: I tried to be a bomber.
HB: There were lots and lots of you.
CM: Yeah.
HB: As you came to the end of the war the public in this country had a view about the Spitfire boys and, you know the Navy and, and what not. Did you, did you — what did you think the public thought Bomber Command had achieved in the war?
CM: Well, I think that they pretty thought, and don’t forget and I came from a steel town and I used to and meet with a brevet and my stripes, you know. I was some sort of particular to the girls, I was a hero of Bomber Command. Because a lot of that on the radio all you got was, nothing happening in the war. The war years. The war world. But Bomber Command — last night’s operations. This. There. Bombers bombed shipping.
HB: Yeah.
CM: [unclear] what at the end was always the same. Of all, out of all these operations thirty five, forty four, sixty five, ninety seven in one case —
HB: Yeah.
CM: Of our aircraft are missing.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Now, you don’t have to be an intelligent member of the community to say ninety seven. Ninety seven, down the road. That’s from here to —
HB: Yeah.
CM: But there was a town up there. [unclear]
HB: But, so, so in general times you felt that the public were with you.
CM: Oh yes, really. There were also the liberals and the communists and the whatsanames. They wouldn’t be of course.
HB: No.
CM: But we were, as far as we were concerned we were being instructed. We willingly went into Bomber Command because in Bomber Command you bombed civilians. You couldn’t go to war like that.
HB: Yeah. And what, what was your view? Did, or did you even have a view of the government’s position at the end of the war towards Bomber Command?
CM: As regards the treatment of Bomber Command. It was absolutely atrocious. I’ve just explained to you about that.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Within, within on year of the war ending we were no longer flight sergeant or warrant officers. We were signaller 2s and signaller 1s and engineer 1s and engineer 2s, and pilots even. Pilot 1 and pilot 2s and pilot 3s and pilot 4s.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Because if you had one star you’re a pilot 4. For two stars you’re a pilot 3.
HB: Yeah.
CM: If you had one star you’re a pilot. No. You’re a pilot, a signaller 2 or pilot 2 with one star. No. Three stars was sergeant. Two stars — three stars and a crown was a flight sergeant. Three stars by itself was sergeant. Two stars was corporal. And one star was lance corporal.
HB: Right.
CM: That’s how, that’s how they looked at it.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: But the lance corporal couldn’t go.
HB: But the thing.
CM: Lance corporal couldn’t go in the sergeants mess.
HB: No.
CM: So they had to have separate messes and everything else.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So it was a complete and utter — it didn’t happen to the officers like that.
HB: No.
CM: They weren’t even mentioned. But we were treated badly.
HB: Politically, what, what was, what do you think was coming across politically from —
CM: Oh I think that at that time.
HB: Churchill and people like that.
CM: Don’t forget Bomber Command was the only way we could hit the, hit the Germans at all.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: Where could we hit? Where could we hit the Germans except in their homelands.
HB: Yeah. Yeah.
CM: We destroyed their cities one by one.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Until only one was left.
HB: Yeah.
CM: Dresden. And in the last few days of the war we destroyed that as well.
HB: Yeah.
CM: So we did an incalculable addition to the winning of the war because they, whatsanames the people would be dehoused. Had no where to live. The slave labourers were living in terrible conditions in mountains. The whole system was run by slave labour.
HB: Yeah.
CM: And that was because of Bomber Command. They literally — the population were bombed out of their homes.
HB: Yeah. Well, Kit I think, I think we’ve come to a natural conclusion.
CM: That’s right. I feel as if I’ve, I feel as if I’ve monopolised the conversation.
HB: It’s not a conversation. It’s your story, Kit and it’s very very important.
CM: So you learned about the way that the way that Bomber Command were treated at the end of the war.
HB: Absolutely.
CM: You’ve seen my logbook. You know I’m a genuine person. You know that I’ve done well for myself.
HB: Yes. You certainly have. Its, it’s ten to three.
CM: Dear God have I been speaking for two or three hours?
HB: We, we started —
CM: You must have —
HB: We started before 1 o’clock.
CM: You must have put it to at least a half an hour of that Harry.
HB: I’m going to terminate the interview now. Thank you very much Kit. I really do appreciate that.
CM: But you will come back.
HB: Yes.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Christopher George McVickers
Creator
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Harry Bartlett
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-10-06
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Type
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Sound
Identifier
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AMcVickersCG171006, PMcVickersCG1701
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Pending review
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Format
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02:08:19 audio recording
Language
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eng
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force. Coastal Command
Description
An account of the resource
Christopher ‘Kit’ McVickers was working at the steelworks before he volunteered for aircrew. He trained as a wireless operator and was posted to 218 Squadron based at Woolfox Lodge. His pilot refused to fly and was replaced with a new pilot. The crew found the incident upsetting because they loved their pilot and worried for him. Kit went on to complete his tour and then after a short time out of the RAF he re-joined. He went on to serve overseas including the Indonesian Confrontation. He flew in various aeroplanes including Lincolns, Shackletons and Lockheed Neptunes. He ended his career as a missile controller at RAF Neatishead and Patrigton.
Contributor
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Julie Williams
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Germany
Great Britain
Gibraltar
Singapore
England--Lincolnshire
England--Rutland
Germany--Dresden
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1952
1956
1963
101 Squadron
12 Squadron
218 Squadron
90 Squadron
aircrew
B-29
bombing
bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945)
crash
forced landing
Heavy Conversion Unit
lack of moral fibre
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Lincoln
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Operational Training Unit
RAF Binbrook
RAF Compton Bassett
RAF Hemswell
RAF Woolfox Lodge
RAF Yatesbury
Shackleton
Stirling
training
Wellington
wireless operator
wireless operator / air gunner
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/743/20144/MCleggPV[DoB]-150701-02.pdf
cc959d27492067f7304ce163479ecd13
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Clegg, Peter Vernon
P V Clegg
Description
An account of the resource
Eight items and five sub-collections. Main collection contains a log of Pathfinder operations from RAF Wyton 1943 -1944, histories of the Avro repair facility at Bracebridge Heath, and Langar, a biography of Squadron Leader David James Baikie Wilson, biography of Squadron Leader Lighton Verdon-Roe, a book - Test Pilots of A.V. Roe & Co Ltd - S.A. 'Bill' Thorn, and two volumes of book - Roy Chadwick - no finer aircraft designer, Sub-collections contain a total of 29 items concerning the Aldborough Dairy and Cafe as well as biographical material, including log books for Alan Gibson, Peter Isaacson, Alistair Lang and Charles Martin. <br /><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/1772">Aldborough Dairy and Cafe</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/1768">Gibson, Alan</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/1769">Isaacson, Peter</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/1770">Lang, Alastair</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/1771">Martin, Charles</a><br /><br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Peter Clegg and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-07-02
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
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Clegg, PV
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[Underlined] THE AVRO
REPAIR
ORGANISATION [/underlined]
II) LANGAR
[Page break]
[Underlined] Peter. V. Clegg [/underlined]
PART II
THE LANGAR-CUM-BAR [/deleted] I [/deleted] NSTONE WORKS
The first sheds of A V Roe and Co Ltd’s new Repair Works at Langar airfield were constructed through the summer of 1942, as the bomber airfield itself was finished off and made ready for occupation.
The Avro works (see diagram attached drawn by Ken Allen) was constructed on the west side of the narrow Langar to Harby country road, effectively outside the security fence around the airfield (which lay on the East side of this lane).
The No. 1 Hangar (or ‘Shed’ – as it was called by the factory workers) was the first to be completed and No. 2 and No. 4 (with the office accommodation) were being finished off in August 1942 when the first employees started work under Mr Ingrid, the Works Superintendent.
(Ingrid was later succeeded by ‘Phil’ Lightfoot, C Oatway, and last of all before Langar closed in 1968, Johnny Smallwood.)
Nos. 3, 5 and 6 Hangars were finished off during the next few months, and No. 7 Hangar – extra large in size, to take the new Avro Lincoln bomber – was finished in 1944.
The large Dispersal Area (No. 17 on the diagram) was also complete and as all the Avro site at this time was across the road from the airfield (with its heavily guarded perimeter fencing) special gates had to be opened and closed when aircraft taxied between the dispersal and the airfield – or, vice versa. Sentries would be in attendance and the Langar road traffic would be held up while this was in progress.
Stripping down and rebuilding
William Arthur Hubbard, who joined Avros at Langar as one of the first apprentices when it opened in August 1942, remembers the various Category ‘B’ sections of Lancasters all used to arrive on RAF ‘Queen Mary’ trailers from the crash site.
(All the Lancasters rebuilt at Langar had been declared Category ‘B’ wrecks in the first instance. Category ‘B’ was defined as: “Repair on site not possible. Aircraft must be dismantled and sent to a repair facility”.)
His first job was to record all the serial numbers from the rear fuselage assemblies, collect the aircraft log books, and hold them in the office, while the various aircraft sections were repaired and put together again. If some sections were too badly damaged to use again, replacement sections from the Manchester factories, other repair depots, or from subsequent crashed Lancasters – would be used on the earliest arrivals, to put them back in the air again. Sometimes Squadrons would insist that their particular Lancaster must be rebuilt from all its own broken down assembles, for sentiment’s sake (usually when
1.
[Page break]
[Underlined] Location of Langar. [/underlined]
[Hand drawn map indicating the position of Langar in relation to Nottingham, Newark and Grantham]
[Page break]
[Aerial photograph of Langar repair facility] AVRO’S REPAIR DEPOT AT LANGAR AIRFIELD IN WWII, SHOWING THE CAMOUFLAGED HANGARS, WITH A YORK AND LANCASTER BEING REPAIRED.
[Page break]
[Map of Langar airfield showing the AVRO hangars]
[Page break]
that particular Lancaster had a high total of bombing raids to its credit, bore a charmed life, or had been crewed by a famous pilot, etc.
Arthur Hubbard remembers that as the number of Lancasters being repaired increased dramatically, repaired sections started to arrive from Bracebridge Heath, Brush Electrical at Loughborough (wings) and the LMS Railway works in Derby (fuselages), in addition to all the various assemblies of Lancasters being re-worked at Langar itself. At an early stage, he remembers working on the two Rolls-Royce Vulture engines on the one and only Manchester bomber that Langar dealt with (R5777 in May 1943).
Test-flying the repaired Lancasters
For the period October 1st 1942 to November 23rd 1943, whilst 207 Squadron was based at Langar and equipped with Lancasters, any newly repaired Lancasters out of the Avro works were test-flown by pilots from the bomber squadron.
The repaired aircraft needed at least one test-flight apiece to clear them, so that pilots from the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) could then deliver them to the necessary Maintenance Unit (MU) – or occasionally direct to a Squadron – where the armament could be re-fitted again. More often than not, two or three test-flights were needed and in exceptional cases six or seven might be flown. One Lancaster B Mk I W4899, which had had an action-packed operational career with 61 Squadron up to its final trip, needed eight flights to clear it after being repaired, and after having all the latest modifications to bring it up to the latest state of readiness. Another Lancaster B Mk I R5734, had to have 12 test-flights in all. This came from a Conversion Unit and was then issued to 61 Squadron when cleared by Avros.
Altogether, during this period of a year while 207 Squadron was at Langar, 32 of their pilots helped at various times to clear a total of 51 newly repaired Lancasters from the Avro works, making a total of 129 test-flights altogether. Amongst these pilots were ‘regulars’ like Flt. Lt. Huntly-Wood (who became a Squadron Leader whilst still testing), Sgt. Baker, Warrant Officer King (who was promoted to Pilot Officer whilst still test-flying), Flying Officer Sambridge (to Flt. Lt.), Sgt Cosens (to Pilot Officer), Sq [inserted] d [/inserted]. Ldr. Balme and Sqd. Ldr. Bamber. The promotions in rank illustrate how quickly the pilots were being lost on operations, and their replacements had to be moved up into their shoes all the time. In fact, during this year of Avro’s output from Langar, of the 32 pilots who test-flew their Lancasters, no less than six of these perished while still based at Langar, including Sqd Ldr Huntly-Wood, who died on one of 207’s last operations from Langar, a raid on Berlin on September 3rd 1943, with the Station Commander, Gp. Capt. Austin McKenna on board as Second Pilot that night.
Permanent Avro test-pilot appointed
When 207 Squadron moved out of Langar in November 1943, and across to Spilsby for the rest of the war, A V Roe & Co Ltd needed somebody to carry on test-flying the repaired Lancasters.
2.
[Page break]
It was to satisfy this requirement that Sqd. Ldr. Peter Field-Richards was now posted to Avros, from the RAF’s 41 Group Production Test-Pilots Emergency Pool. Peter had spent a lot of the war flying all the bombers taken onto RAF strength (USA types included) and helping to write up the Pilot’s Flying Notes for all of them in turn. Thus, his experience now more than qualified him for test-flying the repaired Lancasters at Langar.
Avro’s output of Lancasters now slowly increased from six a month when Peter first arrived in November 1943, to a peak of 14 monthly in June 1944, and after a bit of a dip, up again to 16 a month by March 1945. When the war in Europe ended in May 1945, Peter had cleared some 162 Lancasters in all (which, with 207 Squadron’s 51 plus one Manchester, totalled 214 for the war months at Avro’s Langar works).
Arthur Hubbard remembers three incidents to the Lancasters during his time at Langar. Two were identical – the ‘Jury Strut’ that was placed in the undercarriage when the Lancaster was parked in order to prevent it being inadvertently retracted, was left in on two occasions on take-off. The ground drill should have included the ‘Jury Strut’ being taken out and held up to show the pilot in the cockpit, before ‘chocks away’. The first time it happened, a Rolls-Royce representative was on board together with Peter Field-Richards and the Flight Engineer. Once airborne, when Peter realised what was happening and feared that the undercarriage had jammed irrevocably, the control tower suggested they fly over the sea and bale out! Peter said that was no good, as they hadn’t any parachutes on board So they flew over Scampton to have the undercarriage checked by their tower and as it looked as though it was properly down, Peter went ahead and Landed at Langar without incident, luckily. He did the same the second time it happened.
The third incident involved Peter becoming airborne in a Lancaster one day, and on turning slowly to port, when he came to level up and turn the opposite way, he found the ailerons had jammed! It turned out that some screws had been put into the wrong linkages – but Peter again managed to land safely. In fact during the whole time that Avro’s Langar works was in existence, there were no flying accidents or crash-landings to any of the 1,185 aircraft repaired there in total -a superlative achievement! And Peter Field-Richards skill saved a number of these from occurring.
First Flight Engineer
George Arthur Norman joined Avros at Langar in 1943 and from January 1944 he became Peter Field-Richards permanent Flight Test Engineer, flying with Peter on most of his test flights over the next three and a quarter years. Arthur (as he liked to be called) had his first flight with Peter in Lancaster Mk. I R5625 on January 21st 1944 a veteran of many raids over Germany with 83 Squadron, which would have become a very ‘high-time’ aircraft had it not gone missing in July 1944, after delivery from Langar to 622 Squadron.
Arthur remembered how Peter often brought his little bull-terrier to work with him, and on these occasions if there was any test-flying to do, would take the dog up in the
3.
[Page break]
[Photograph of two men underneath an aircraft] Sqd. Ldr Peter Field-Richards (right), talking to his Flt. Engineer, ‘Paddy’ Armstrong.
[Photograph of a row of aircraft] Lincolns for Argentina.
[Page break]
Lancaster with him! The dog would sit obediently behind the Flight Engineer’s position in eager anticipation of the roar of the four Merlins and the ‘G’ forces Peter used to impose on them all, when he beat up the airfield on his return to Langar!
Arthur also recalled how Peter was a ‘larger than life’ figure, always full of fun and a real gentleman, who later in life acquired a taxi and drove this around, more as a hobby than a business.
Occasionally Arthur would go by car with Peter to an RAF airfield, when an Avro Outworking Party from Bracebridge Heath had repaired a Lancaster which needed a factory pilot to clear it for service again. On May 23rd 1944 for instance, they went to Waddington to clear the Lancaster Mk. I W4884 of 61 Squadron and on June 3rd to Fiskerton to clear Lancaster Mk.III ME781 of 460 (Australian) Squadron.
Peacetime and site layout
At the end of WWII the activities conducted in each of the Avro Hangars (or ‘Sheds’) are noted below, against the legend to the site diagram drawn by Ken Allen:
Item on Diagram Description of activity
1. Shed 1. Cleaning, inspection of components, metal repairs and mods to wings, control surfaces and systems. Wheels and tyres, engine subframes, etc.
2. Shed 2. Instrument section, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Blind Flying panels, Auto Pilot, Hydraulic and Pneumatic systems, etc.
1. & 2. Sheds 1 and 2. Inspectors reports (from which replacement and u/s items are ordered and marshalled for assembly ‘down the line’).
3. Shed 3. Inspection and rectification of Fuselages (completed here for transfer to Shed 5).
4.A Main Stores
4.B Office Block. Upper floor – Superintendents office, General Office, Accounts and Drawing Office.
Lower floor – Chief Inspector’s Office., Tool Stores, Time Office and Drawing Stores.
5. Shed 5. Assembly of complete aircraft (fitting of wings, control surfaces, all systems, function of hydraulics). Internal fittings section (fitting of seating, soundproofing, installation and function of electrical equipment and wiring).
6.A Shed 6A. As for Shed 5.
6B. Shed 6B. Spray Bay. Complete preparation and respray of aircraft. Finishing of items (internal and external). Part-sprayed down line. All exterior markings, roundels, safety warnings, taping of joints, cleaning of windows.
7. Shed 7. Erected for large aircraft (Tudor, etc). Used mainly for work on complete aircraft, this shed could hold three Yorks or Lincoln’s or a Vulcan plus one York. Long term contracts and or major inspections.
4.
[Page break]
8. Canteen.
9. Boiler House.
10. Site Maintenance.
11. Tank Shop. (Aircraft tank repairs and testing. Fuel Oil, Methanol, Hydraulic tanks.)
12. Underground fuel installation and pump house.
13. Security Gate House (Main Entrance)
14. Ambulance room
15. Aeronautical Inspection Dept ([deleted] MO [/deleted] AID)
16. Auxiliary Sections. Battery stores, charging starter trolley maintenance.
17. Original dispersal hardstanding (later transferred to Flight Shed).
18. Memorial to No. 207 Squadron (recently dedicated).
19. Flight Shed. Dismantling and labelling of sections, piping and components for transfer to main factory.
Preparation of aircraft for initial ground test of engines ie fuel filling, flow testing, calibration of fuel gauges, leak testing and correct function of fuel system.
Installation of engines and airframe electrics, instruments and radio.
Swinging and adjustment of compasses for test flight.
Rectification of test flight ‘Snags’.
On completion passed to Hangar 6B, for:
i) Final Inspection for ‘Delivery’.
II. Submitting to AID for inspection and clearance for dispatch.
20. Control Tower (under Avro control after WWII when the airfield was leased to them).
21. Harby Hangar. Rolls-Royce Outworking Party, engine inspections and modifications. Power plants stored and ready for line installation. Also used for strip down of aircraft on major work contracts.
22. Compass swinging area.
23. Aircraft crossing.
24. Aircraft crossing.
25. Originally Avro VLR site. Aircraft from service arrived by ‘Queen Mary’ road transport for long term repair and rebuild.
(This section became a Staging Post Store for the RCAF, receiving stores from Canada by Argonaut, and shipping on to BAOR by Bristol Freighters.)
During the War, the labour force at Langar at its peak reached around 584 on day-shift and 250 on nightshift – or a total of some 834, not including those manning the stores there.
Unlike the workforce at Bracebridge Heath, however, where it declined steeply after the War was over, at Langar the amount of work remained fairly constant up to 1956. Although the numbers of aircraft then declined to some 20 Shackletons annually through the late 1950’s and 60’s, these large aircraft needed a great deal of work on them, and the
5
[Page break]
[Hand drawn diagram of the Langar works] AVRO WORKS SITE (Not to Scale) Ken Allen
AVRO Factory Units at RAF Langar (above road until end of WWII; and below as well after WWII).
[Avro Logo]
AVRO & CO LTD
REPAIR DEPOT
LANGAR-CUM-BARNSTONE
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
[Page break]
[Photograph of Langar from the air] Flight Shed (after WWII) Aerial photograph taken after Avro closed down.
[Page break]
labour force was held fairly constant at some third of the WWII level, right up to the closure in 1968.
The names of the principal heads of the various Departments at Langar just after WWII and later in the 60’s are shown [deleted] in Appendix 1 [/deleted] overleaf. Langar was completely controlled by Bracebridge Heath and the latter in turn reported to A V Roe’s Chadderton works in Manchester. Ken Allen and Neil Cunningham have provided these names from memory. Ken joined Langar in 1947 after being demobbed from the RAF. He had spent the War firstly as an airframe and engine fitter in a Whitley bomber squadron, then trained to become an aircrew member and finished up as a Flight Lieutenant flying as a Flight Engineer on Halifax bombers from bases in North Yorkshire (Wing Cmdr, later Gp Capt Leonard Cheshire VC. OM. DSO and two Bars, DFC & Bar, was CO of one of the units he served in).
Ken served as a Senior Inspector at Langar between 1947 and 1961, and remembers the very stringent regulations in force in those days at Avros and the tight budgets each Dept worked under. If they needed even the most mundane of items – such as pencils and stationery – they had to be requested from Bracebridge (and in turn from Chadderton), and if they used up their allocation before the end of the month there was nothing else until the next month (even if they ran out of toilet paper!). By such tight budgeting did Roy Dobson, the Managing Director of Avros, ensure the company was always one of the most profitable in the business!
Peacetime Contracts: total aircraft repaired
The kind of contracts undertaken after the war at the Avro works at Langar are summarised by Ken Allen thus:
1. Ministry of Aircraft Production/Ministry of Defence Contracts:
Awarded annually (post Budget) covering all RAF aircraft on active service and periodic servicing and modification of aircraft held on ‘Alert storage’ at RAF and Civilian Maintenance Units. Aircraft flown in for servicing. Crashed and damaged aircraft sent in by road.
These RAF aircraft included all production Marks of Lancaster, York, Lancastrian, Lincoln, Meteor, Vulcan and Shackleton.
2. Civilian Contracts:
State airlines, Skyways, etc. for major inspection and Certificate of Airworthiness. Ex-Ministry aircraft were purchased by the company, re-registered by the Air Registration Board, flown in to Langar and re-built to the contract requirements of the customer authority. Sold to:-
Argentina – Lancastrians, Yorks, Lincolns (bombers), Lancasters (Bombers), Lincolnian.
Egypt – Lancasters (bombers)
France – Lancasters (Maritime/Air Sea Rescue, with life-boat dropping facility, etc)
(All aircraft exported as ‘Civilian Aircraft’.)
6.
[Page break]
[Tree representing A V Roe personnel hierarchy]
[Underlined] A. V. ROE REPAIR ORGANIZATION [/underlined]
Manager
Mr Charles Hatton
Under Manager
Mr T C Langton
LANGAR
Works Superindendent
Mr Robert Ingrid
HANGAR 1 AND 2
Mr Christopher Oatway
Senior Foreman
HANGAR 3
Mr Robert Brown
Senior Foreman
ENGINES
Mr Douglas Fletcher
Foreman
HYDRAULICS
Mr Harry Houghton
Senior Foreman
AIRFRAME
Mr Victor Ramsdale
Foreman
Mr Harold Walker
Foreman
ELECTRICAL
Mr William Brumby
Foreman
MODIFICATIONS
Mr Ernest Brumby
Foreman
FLIGHT
Mr George Norman
Foreman
PAINTSHOP
Mr Ernest Cook
Foreman
INTERNAL FITTINGS
Mr William Brewer
Foreman
WORKS INSPECTION
Mr Yarwood
Chief Inspector
STORES
Mr Fed Spur
Foreman
[Page break]
[Photograph of buildings and hangars] Modern day picture of old Avro hangars.
[Page break]
Note:
‘Servicing’ is a very loose term and covers whatever requirements are laid down by MAP/MoD at the time of contracting. In wartime, contractors worked on a ‘Costs Plus’ basis. In the post-war years and when the RAF was on ‘Standby’, payments were based on Man Hours and hardware used, to fulfil the terms of the contract. As world tensions eased, contracts started to ease down and ‘Planned Inspections’ were introduced to both the RAF and civilian contractors.
‘Planned Inspections’ covered a long period in Langar’s operation. Monies for this type of work were strictly controlled. After all trades had completed their inspection to a fixed check list and time table, the Aeronautical Inspection Dept, who were permanently staffed on site, reviewed the inspection results and gave the Ministry’s approval for repairs and rectifications to be carried out. This could and did mean in the case of costly, over-budget repairs or replacements, the aircraft could be scrapped.
The individual totals of each type of aircraft repaired at Langar are shown in Appendix 2, and these show that after the 320 Lancasters in all, next in descending numerical order came 284 Gloster Meteors [deleted] I [/deleted] of all Marks, 236 Avro Lincolns, and 230 Avro Shackletons. Of course, some aircraft re-appeared at Langar several times, for different modifications (or ‘Phase’ refits). The annual output of aircraft types at Langar between 1942 and 1968 is shown in Appendix 3 in detail.
Getting to work
Ernest Dolby joined Avros at the end of the War, when he was demobilised in 1945. He was an engine fitter and had spent 3 1/2 years in the Middle East with an RAF Transport Squadron before the war, then the war years in the UK with bomber squadrons.
He lived in Melton Mowbray and had to use a motor cycle to get to work at Langar – a distance of some 16 miles from home. The winter of 1947/8 was a terribly cold one and the roads were so badly frozen over between January and April, he remembers he had to use the local buses that ran past Langar from all the major surrounding towns (to bring the workers not just to Avros, but the aerodrome in general). In fact many of Avro’s workers began to use motor cycles, bicycles and small cars, to get to Langar after the War finished, and the narrow country roads past the airfield began to get quite crowded at clocking-on and clocking-off times. As the years went by, there were a number of nasty traffic accidents outside the works, and a few fatalities too.
The road outside the works had to be blocked off whenever an aircraft from the Avro Hangars was being towed – or taxied to their dispersal ‘pan’, to let the aircraft across from the factory side, to the aerodrome (or vice versa).
7.
[Page break]
Avro York Transports
These aircraft were from RAF Transport Command or Civil Airlines, and included VIP Specials, Troop carriers and freighters off the Berlin Airlift. Work done included major engine and airframe inspections, rebuilds and conversions to VIP aircraft. (Some Yorks were used by the RAF VIP and the King’s Flights, and by Commonwealth Governor-Generals etc.) Most conversions were done at Langar.
The first Yorks did not arrive until after the war was over, and MWIII was repaired as a ‘Cat A(c)’ case, and delivered from Langar again on July 25th 1945. It was followed by MW110 and 120, and then the Prime Minister (Sir Winston Churchill’s) LV633 ’Ascalon’, and MW101 (all ‘Cat B’ cases) before the end of the year.
After this, there was a steady trickle of Yorks through Langar up to the beginning of 1951, when it finally ran out, with the exception of two ‘special’ Yorks. (MW132 and 179) that were modified by Langar in March-April 1953 and fitted with ‘Parachute Pylons’ for testing at Abingdon and Boscombe Down.
The annual number of Yorks repaired at Langar was as follows:-
1945 – 6
1946 – 15
1847 [sic] – 13
1948 – 22
1949 – 24
1950 – 17
1951 – 3
1953 – 2
Total [underlined] 102 [/underlined]
The higher annual totals in 1948 and 1949 were for Yorks off the Berlin Airlift operations, at the conclusion of the world’s greatest-ever air supply operation.
Avro Lincoln bombers
The Lincoln bomber was a development of the famous Lancaster and built to a specification with more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin 68a engines, semi automatic fuel system, greater payload and range. The Lincoln came into service too late for the European War, but went into RAF service in the UK and overseas. It also became the main standby aircraft of the RAF and remained in storage readiness for several years until the ‘V’ bomber was established. The Handley Page Halifax Mk. III was also manufactured to the same specification. During this period Avro Langar had contracts for the repair and periodic servicing of many Lincolns.
The Lincolns started to arrive at Langar for repair at the end of 1945 and the first, a B.Mk 2, RE404, of a final total of 236 was cleared by Avros for delivery back to RAF Marham in February 1946. After this they arrived in a steady trickle for modifications to be made
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and later on, for those that had been in storage since the War to be refurbished and prepared for storage again at Maintenance Units. Special storage oils and lubricants were applied and most of the instruments taken out and stored separately.
Lincoln RE364 was ‘cleared’ out of Langar on February 20 1947,, names ‘Aries II’ to be used by the Empire Air Navigation School at Shawbury in place of their older Aries I (a Lancaster Mk I). Like Aries I the Lincoln had been fitted with a streamlined Lancastrian nose and tail and much special radio/radar equipment.
Another Lincoln B.Mk. 2, RE414 was also given special equipment for use by the Empire Radio School, and called Mercury II (to replace Mercury I, a Halifax Mk VI).
Argentine Lincolns
Then came the renovation of ex-RAF Lincolns at Langar for the Argentine Air Force. A total of 12 B.Mk 2s were prepared at Langar, numbered B-001 to B-012. B-001 was ready to hand over on September 17th 1947 and the last of the dozen (B-003) was handed over on February 24th 1949.
This was because the AAF decided to have B-003 (which had been cleared for acceptance at Langar on May 19th 1948 by Peter Field-Richards) converted to a ‘very long range’ version for trans-South Polar flying. Thus it went back into the works for fitting extra fuel tanks (to take a total of 5,010 gallons) and Peter cleared it again on July 16th 1948. Then it was also decided to fit a good deal of extra radio equipment and it was finally handed over in February 1949 to the AAF.
Later, B-003 was returned to Langar in 1953 to be fitted with streamlined nose and tail cones. It was delivered back to the AAF again on May 2nd 1953 as LV-ZEI.
Thus, this Lincoln, B-003, became the first true ‘Lincolnian’ to be sold.
More special Lincolns
A great deal of crew training was involved during the intervening months at Langar, some of the Argentine Lincolns being kept back for this purpose. Lincolns continued to arrive from the RAF and storage at MUs, up to the end of 1957. Following the Argentine Air Force contract, another order arrived from Paraguay for the conversion of 3 Lincolns into meat-carrying freighters to ply between Paraguay and Peru and Chile, over the Andes mountain chain.
Neil Cunningham remembers some of these contracts.
“I started my apprenticeship with A V Roe in late 1954 and worked on Lincolns, Meteors, Shackletons and Vulcans. I also worked at Bracebridge Heath, RAF Waddington, Scampton and Finningley on Vulcans. I then went back to Langar and finished my apprenticeship as a Millwright in the maintenance department. After that I worked on maintenance, becoming the Works Engineer, until closure in 1968.
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[Photograph of two Lincoln aircraft] Lincolns for Argentina.
[Photograph of large group of men beneath a Lincoln aircraft with a number of signatures at the bottom of the page]
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When I started at Langar the Lincolns were being disarmed and a few prepared to be used on air-to-ground missile ranges in Australia. They were parked on the dispersal points round the airfield ready for collection, but the contract was cancelled and they remained parked for some considerable time before being scrapped. I can remember twenty or more of these Lincolns parked around the airfield and having to be turned according to the wind direction. Three of these were bought in 1956/57 by a South American air charter firm that was awarded a contract by the Peruvian government to fly 84 tons of fresh meat a week from Asuncion, Paraguay, to Lima in Peru, a distance of 1350 miles over mountainous central America, because of a shortage of meat in Peru (whose people were unwilling to accept frozen meat). Field Aircraft at Tollerton was awarded the contract to convert these three Lincolns to meat freighters, therefore it was necessary to fly them from Langar to Tollerton, approximately five miles. As these aircraft had been static and open to the elements for so long, their condition was questionable. Fortunately the engines were found to be in good condition due to being inhibited. Eventually an air-worthy certificate was granted only for that distance and they were flown to Tollerton by Cliff Rogers and Cliff Holehouse, Rolls-Royce Hucknall test pilots, and Freddie Cook, Field’s test pilot, and they were paid £5 each! These three aircraft were locally called ‘Faith, Hope and Charity’. The number of the first aircraft to be converted was RE376. It had been flown by 61, 617, 57 and 100 Squadrons and the cost of conversion was £12,000. A V Roe would not grant a stress certificate for this aircraft and the other two were never converted. Eventually, on the 14th September 1959 these aircraft were sold for scrap to International Alloys of Aylesbury, the scrap value being £1,950 for the unconverted aircraft, and £1,025 for the converted.”
Another small batch of Lincolns was to be sent to Langar for a very secret conversion – to unmanned flight, controlled by radio (for use at Woomera). A test Lincoln had already been converted by Flight Refuelling Ltd, but had run into difficulties. Avros at Langar had to fit special pods to the wing-tips, encasing cameras and recording devices, but it was found that the flexing of the wingtips in flight upset the telemetry and Langar was told to cancel the project after some work had been carried out on RF395 and RE366.
Ken Allen remembers:
“This was a very ‘hush hush’ contract. I was allocated to the project and can recall being summoned to the Chief Inspector’s office, where the three inspectors (engine, airframe and electrical) were read the ‘Riot Act’ on strict secrecy, and no person not involved with the project was to be allowed to look at the drawings.”
The annual number of Lincolns repaired at Langar after the war totalled:
1946 – 56
1947 – 24
1948 – 34
1949 – 13
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1950 – 9
1951 – 42 (Korean War preparation)
1952 – 28
1953 – 18 (including 1 Lincolnian)
1954 – 6
1955 – 3
1956 – 2
1957 – 1
Total [underlined] 236 [/underlined]
Argentine Lancasters
Argentina had already taken delivery of 5 Yorks and 3 Lancastrians (three of these Yorks and one Lancastrian were reconditioned at Waddington/Bracebridge Heath Langar refurbished the other two Lancastrians and the two remaining Yorks were overhauled at Woodford). Argentina also now bought the 12 ex-RAF Lincolns from Langar (plus a further 18 newly-built- ones by Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft). But this was not the end of its orders – a total of 15 ex-RAF Lancasters were now ordered and Langar was to refurbish them. They were numbered B-031 to B-045 following on from the Lincolns (numbered B-001 to B-030).
Now all these Lancasters were Mk Is and had been standing outside in open storage at RAF MUs since the end of WWII, so picking out the best preserved ones was tricky. One particular Argentine Air Force officer was designated to make a check, one day, on the external and internal condition of the Lancasters before overhaul began at Langar, and Ken Allen (a Senior Inspector) and Phil Lightfoot (the overall Works Superintendent) took him over to the latest Lancaster to arrive there. They removed the engine cowlings and were horrified at the dirt and oil over the Rolls-Royce Merlins.
The Argentine officer refused to accept the Lancaster and became a little over-excited exclaiming “Zese aircraft must be NEW ones – not dirt old ones…!”
Ken looked at Phil who put on his best Yorkshire man act, rubbed his chin slowly and eventually said: “Leave it to me, Lad – we’ll sort it out!”
Out of earshot of the Argentine officer, Phil whispered urgently to Ken: “What do you suggest…?” and Ken said he’d have a go at cleaning one Merlin up – if he could get a tin of black gloss paint, a tin of silver dope, masking tape and lots of brown paper. He got what he wanted, worked all day and by evening had cleaned and resprayed the R-R engine completely.
Phil was so impressed that he told Ken to borrow some more Inspectors and do the other three. A few days later the Argentine Air Force man was invited back to see: “Ze four NEW engines” and was duly impressed, authorising the complete Lancaster to be refurbished there. (He never did know the real truth!)
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The first of these 15 Lancasters (B-031) was delivered from Langar on May 11th 1948 and the last one (B-041) was delivered on January 4th 1949,
French and other Lancasters
Following this, Langar refitted another Lancaster Mk I for the Swedish Air Force (80001) which was delivered to AST at Hamble on June 22nd 1950, to be fitted out for testing a single Swedish jet engine under its bomb bay. Then came nine Lancasters for the Egyptian Air Force (1801-1809) and a contract for 54 Lancasters for the French Aéronavale Squadrons, 16 of which were refitted at Langar and the balance at Woodford. The last Egyptian Lancaster was delivered on November 20th 1950, and the first and last of the French Aéronavale Lancasters on March 12th, and October 28th 1952 respectively.
A further five Lancaster MkVIIs were then supplied to the French Air Force (FCL-01 to -05), the last leaving Langar on April 30th 1954, and the next Lancaster, RF322 for the RAF’s School of Maritime Reconnaissance was the last of all the 320 Lancasters to be overhauled at Langar in the 12 year period 1942-1954.
The Lancaster totals refitted at Langar per annum were:
1942 – 4
1943 – 48
1944 – 89
1945 – 99
1946 – 12
1947 - -
1948 – 14
1949 – 14
1950 – 11
1951 – 2
1952 – 16
1953 – 4
1954 – 7
Total [underlined] 320 [/underlined]
One additional Lancaster to the above was supplied to the French Aéronavale for ground training for the crews who were to maintain the 54 Lancasters for their Western Union contract.
Ken Allen remembers being asked at short notice to go to Cosford, where Avros had purchased a Lancaster being stored there but about to be scrapped (believed to be NX743). Ken was told to inspect the aircraft and make a ‘Shortage List’ of all the items necessary to enable the Lancaster to make one last flight direct to France. This was quite a task, as all kinds of items had [inserted] already [/inserted] been carefully [inserted] and clandestinely [/inserted] removed from the Lancaster to enable certain people to complete their DIY tasks at home (eg cables – to repair motor cycle brakes, etc!).
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[Photograph of Lancaster RE222] RAF Coastal Command Lancaster about to be converted for French Aeronavale.
[Photograph of a Lancaster] Lancaster converted for French Aeronavale use.
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When the items had been restored to the Lancaster (temporarily registered F-YBCA), Ken crewed it as Flight Engineer with Peter Field-Richards and saw everyone at Cosford turn out to line the runway on June 6th 1951 – quite convinced the Lancaster would never leave the ground! However, it did, but they only flew it to Langar, where it was renovated but afterwards sent by ground transport to France!
Ken remembers one other unique flight in a Lancaster. This was on July 17th 1951, when he went with Peter Field-Richards to the MU at Llandow in South Wales, to fly TW655 into Hendon for the special Daily Express ’50 Years of Flight’ exhibition and display that year. Hendon only had a short runway and after being invited to send in a Lancaster for the 7-day event Avros was suddenly told at the last minute that permission for the Lancaster had been withdrawn for safety reasons. There was a last minute flurry of telephone calls between Sir Roy Dobson of Avros, the Air Ministry, even Government departments – then it was ‘on’ again, and Peter and Ken flew it in. Ken remembers handing some charts to Peter during the flight – but Peter just flung them over his shoulder, saying “I don’t need them – I know every aerodrome in this country by heart…!” Ken looked down as they flew over London, descending over the buildings of Harrow School, then as they crossed over the roof of the last hut on the edge of Hendon, Peter told him to ‘cut’ the throttles – and they actually stopped before the intersection of the runways!
At the end of the week, Peter flew TW655 out again on July 24th, straight to Langar where it became WU-17 eventually for the French Aéonavale contract.
Flight Engineer from the ‘Dambusters’
When Arthur Norman retired from being Peter Field-Richard’s Flight Test Engineer in 1946, a certain Edward Wilson Armstrong – recently demobbed from the RAF as a Warrant Officer Flight Engineer in 617 (The Dambusters) Squadron – promptly applied for and was given the job as his successor.
‘Paddy’ – so called because his family came from Donaghadee in Northern Ireland – had joined the RAF in 1940 on his 18th birthday, after serving as an apprentice at Shorts in Belfast. He eventually qualified as a Flight Engineer and completed a tour of 30 operations with 90 Squadron on Short Stirlings. Then, after the customary rest from operations as an instructor in 1661 Conversion Unit, he managed (after a great deal of trying) to get posted back on ‘ops’, this time as a Warrant Officer in the famous 617 Squadron at Woodhall Spa.
Paddy flew another 14 operations with 617 up to the end of the War in Europe, and stayed with the squadron until December 20th 1945. His job with Avros at Langar began on August 14th 1946 and he remained there until June 1st 1968, three months before the works finally closed down.
He flew as Peter Field-Richards ‘crew’ (there were normally only the two of them
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concerned with test-flying the aircraft at Langar) from September 5th 1946 up to Peter’s retirement from flying on August 11th 1954, and continued to act as Flight Test Engineer for the Avro pilots from Woodford after that – notably Sqd Ldr Jack Wales. After Wales was killed in the first production Shackleton MR3 in December 1956, Paddy handed over most of the flying to his assistant in Flight Testing, Roy Browne. But Paddy went on flying when necessary – if Roy was ill, or on holiday, etc and Paddy’s last test flight at Langar was actually on November 26th 1965, with Peter Varley in the Shackleton MR”, WR960.
Between leaving the RAF and joining Avros, Paddy had first gone along to Trent Bridge Power Station for an engineer’s job. But he could not stand heights and was turned down for the job. Then he tried a local coal mine, seeking to become one of the new ‘Bevan Boys’. He went for this interview in his best suit collar and tie, and this was probably not very conducive to getting a job down the pits!
He was turned away from this, too and so he had ended up as a Junior Foreman in the Langar Flight Test Department, with a flying job again.
Paddy had a lot of happy hours flying in his beloved Lancasters at Langar – and he was particularly commended by Sir Roy Dobson – Avro’s Managing Director – for his work in training the Argentine flight crews (including their pilots). Sir Roy awarded Paddy an ex gratia payment of £25!
A number of incidents
The flights Paddy made were not without incident but Peter Field-Richards was such a superlative pilot that they all ended favourably. Thus, on November 19th 1946 Paddy was in the York ME 300 on a local test flight when Peter discovered suddenly that their aileron control had jammed solid. With great expertise, Peter managed to fly slowly across to Waddington, and by dint of some very precise flying with rudder and engine controls alone they landed safely on the long runway there. The York stayed there for six days while the controls were checked and the fault rectified, then they flew it back to Langar and one engine failed on take-off!
On July 5th 1948, while heavily engaged in training the Argentine crews on their Lancasters, Paddy was flying with Peter in the Lancaster B-040 when a hydraulic pipe burst in the cockpit. Both of them and the cockpit were covered in oil, and again they had to make an emergency landing at Waddington – “well-oiled…” as Paddy said! In fact it took no less than 10 test-flights to clear it for the Argentine crew.
On May 13th 1949, Paddy was up with Peter in the Lincoln test-bed for the new Bristol Theseus engines, RE418. (This was the second such Lincoln and was to be used by RAF Transport shortly on regular runs between Lyneham and the Middle East.) But on this test flight they couldn’t lower the undercarriage on returning to Langar. Paddy used the emergency compressed air and the control tower told them the wheels seemed to be locked down, when they flew very low, over it. The flaps didn’t work, however, and
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[Photograph of an aircraft] The Lancastrian conversion “Aries II” for the RAF.
[Photograph of an aircraft]
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so Peter made a low, flapless approach and landing on the long North/South runway, fortunately without incident.
By 1951, a lot of Lincoln B.2s had been delivered to Langar for various inspections/modification/updates/overhauls to be carried out, and a not inconsiderable number were parked around the airfield on various dispersal areas. On April 10th, Paddy helped Peter conduct what must have been rather risky 10-minute test flights on a pair of these that had already become ’time-expired’. These were RF532 and RE294 and immediately after, they were flown away to MUs at Hullavington and Kemble respectively.
Paddy also helped fly the Lancaster F-YBCA from Cosford to Langar on June 6th 1951 – the one-time trip (again on a time-expired aircraft) to have the Lancaster made into a ground instruction machine at Langar for the French Aéronavale.
On July 19th 1954, Paddy flew as a ‘passenger’ with Peter Field-Richards on the latter’s one and only test flight in a Meteor T.7, and after Peter retired that August, Paddy accompanied Sqd Ldr Jack Wales as an ‘observer’ on several further flights in Meteor T.7s.
The Shackletons had started to appear now and Paddy found himself flying at Langar with Jack Wales until the latter was tragically killed when the first Shackleton MR3 crashed in Derbyshire in December 1956. Johnny Baker then took over Shackleton, Meteor and Lincoln tests at Langar and he was succeeded by the New Zealand wartime fighter pilot ‘Ossie’ Hawkins in 1958, when Johnny left Woodford for Australia.
Paddy had handed over most of his test-flying duties at Langar to Roy Browne from January 1957 but he did fly quite regularly after that – on all the different models of Shackleton. The other Woodford pilots he flew with included Tony Blackman, Dickie Martin and finally Peter Varley.
After Avro Langar closed down in 1968, Paddy found a job at Schipol Airport at Amsterdam for a time, then managed to find a position with Rolls-Royce back at Hucknall, Derby. By now he had a large family – seven sons (the last two being twins) and one daughter – and the R-R job gave him a chance to keep them all together in Nottingham. Later he took a contract with BAC (later BAe) to live in Saudi Arabia for 7-8 years working on the English Electric Lightning project with the Saudi Air Force, and his wife and family (such as were still at home) moved out there for the last 4 1/2 years.
When Paddy finally retired, he did so back to Rivergreen near Nottingham, and to keep busy at something, he even opened a ‘take-away’ sandwich bar at Hockley! When he finally passed away in 1995, Paddy’s wish was to be cremated and his ashes scattered over Langar airfield. Not only was his wish carried out by the BN Islander aircraft of the Sky-Diving Club there, but when his ashes had been scattered, the Battle of Britain Flight
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DATE 1956
FLIGHTSHED
LINCOLNS
BILL WILLIAMS
METEOR FUEL TANKS
HERBERT CHADDERTON
SHED 3 TANK SHOP
SHED 1
DON HERROD
LEN NEEDHAM FOREMAN
MMY LEVERLAN
TANK SHOP NOSEWHEEL SECTION.
T.I. MK SHACKLETON CONVERSION TO MK 4 FLYING CLASSROOM
METEOR NOSEWHEELS
SHED 5 P.I. SECTION
[Underlined] Persons in pictures overleaf: [/underlined]
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[Photographs of various parts of hangars] Langar scenes.
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flew across the airfield, the Lancaster flanked by the Spitfire and Hurricane – a fitting tribute to one of Avro’s greatest.
The Meteor Contracts
With the end of major servicing on Avro Yorks not long after the Berlin Airlift ceased in 1949, and the rundown in refurbishing Lincolns once the Korean War began to subside at the start of the 1950s, it was obvious to the Hawker Siddeley Aviation Management that some urgent contracts were needed to sustain Langar in business. Thus it was decided to send Meteor night-fighters direct to Langar from Armstrong Whitworth at Coventry for final fitment of various items in the radio and radar field.
The first Meteor NF.14 to be produced at Baginton (WS722) had its first flight there on October 23rd 1953. ‘Bill’ Else initialled it, flying it across to Bitteswell aerodrome, where all Armstrong Whitworth’s test-flying operations had been located since October 5th. Then another pilot flew it across to Langar for fitment of the necessary equipment, and on November 19th it was rolled out again and given its clearance flight back to Bitteswell.
Meanwhile one of the last batches of Meteor NF.12s (WS718) was also sent to Langar for equipment to be installed, and this was cleared back to Bitteswell eight days later on November 27th 1953. Armstrong Whitworth approved the Langar installations, and after this, the first batch (39) of Meteor NF.14s and the initial aircraft of the second batch all went through Langar in quick succession – a total of 40 NF.14s altogether. Interspersed with these came a total on 99 of the 100 Meteor NF.12s produced (the exception being WS635).
As these Meteors were test-flown and cleared at Langar, the NF.14s were mostly delivered to 15 MU at Wroughton and the NF.12s to 8MU at Little Rissington or 38 MU at Llandow.
Further contracts now followed for refurbishing Meteor F.8s (the RAF’s latest fighter version) straight from RAF Auxiliary Squadrons. Eventually 58 F.8s were treated at Langar and re-delivered to RAF bases.
The Meteor T.7 trainer version was also refurbished at Langar, where 85 were treated the same way as the F.8s, and the whole of the Meteor programme finished with two FR.9s also being overhauled.
Ken Allen remembers:
“All Meteors came to Langar from RAF Squadrons when their engine and airframe hours expired, for major inspection, repairs and modifications and updating any outstanding tech instructions. Meteors were stripped of their matt paint and given a High Gloss finish and new markings. This was a new technique for Avro’s spray shop, as all bomber aircraft were matt finished. However, several squadron commanders later
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wrote saying they were impressed by the increase in top speed achieved with this new finish!”
Altogether between November 1953 and January 1957 Langar received a total of 284 Meteors to refit, which helped keep their employment intact before the next – and last- major contract to arrive, overhauling the Avro Shackleton fleet.
Peter Field-Richards retired from test-flying at Langar in July 1955, at the height of the Meteor programme and a few months after the first Shackleton – a Mk IA, WB826 – was given some modification after suffering a wheels-up landing at a Conversion Unit and cleared at Langar on February 16th.
From here on, Avro test-pilots based at Woodford would drive or fly down to Langar to clear each Shackleton or Vulcan as it became ready for test-flying again after its repair/modification/servicing work was complete.
The Meteors were all test-flown by Avro or Armstrong Whitworth pilots (Sqd Ldr Jack Wales alone flying some 129).
Avro Shackleton T4 Trainers
The first few Shackletons appeared at Langar for regular servicing or modifying up to current manufacturer’s standards – usually after a major incident at the Squadron rendered repairs imperative. Thus, after WB826 (see above) came a string of MR2s from Squadrons – WL785, WL796, WL798, etc – with the first production Shackleton MR1, VP254, to have IFF Mk10 and SARAH fitted at Langar early in 1956, prior to flight trials at Boscombe Down in May 1956. Another early Shackleton, VP258, also appeared at Langar at the end of 1956 for the trial installation of the new ASV Mk21 Blue Silk search radar.
Then they came in ‘thick and fast’ to Langar. WB819, an MR1A was cleared at Langar on June 13th 1957 after being converted there to a T4 standard. The T4 was a trainer version, replacing the Lancasters equipping the School of Maritime Reconnaissance. After VP258 was converted at Woodford to be the prototype of this new version, a total of 10 MR1 or 1A aircraft were sent to Langar for the refit. This involved removing the dorsal turret and rest bunks and installing ASV Mk13 training equipment, and extra Sonobouy Mk1 equipment, for instructors and pupils to sit side by side, as well as the necessary additional power pack.
These 10 Shackleton MRIs or IAs were converted at Langar and delivered back to units between May 27th 1957 and March 17th 1958 (see Appendix No…). Later, a further six Shackleton IAs were sent to Langar and converted and delivered back between September 7th and December 28th 1961.
The last Flight Engineer
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Now that Langar’s resident Flight Test Engineer Paddy Armstrong had retired from flying, he left the test-flying at Langar to his successor Roy Browne. Roy had joined Avros at Langar in 1946 and when Paddy signed the front of Roy’s new log book: “Happy Landings. E.W. Armstrong. 14th January 1957”, he turned over the test-flying engineer’s job to him until Langar finally closed in 1968.
Roy henceforth made almost all the test-flights on Avro’s aircraft at Langar, with whichever pilot flew down from Woodford for the purpose. But in addition, he also made many test-flights on Shackletons and Vulcans from Bitteswell (which gradually took over the tasks of the Langar works). [Deleted] Hawarden (the old De Havilland which gradually took over the tasks of the Langar works), [/deleted] Hawarden (the old De Havilland works at Chester), and even Woodford (Avro’s home base), as well as accompanying Woodford crews on tests at Boscombe Down, etc. In all Roy notched up 1,209 hours 35 minutes test-flying with Avros – a very respectable total and one that put him in the forefront of Shackleton testing for A V Roe & Co Ltd.
When Roy finished at Langar, he was great friends with Bill Else, Dickie Martin and Peter Varley (the ex-Armstrong Whitworth and Gloster aircraft test-pilots taken on by Woodford after their own companies closed down) and he left Avros to join Court Line Aviation when they did too, starting another career in civil aviation.
Roy lived at Harby when he worked at Langar and knew Peter Field-Richards very well – though not flying with him officially before he retired. Peter was then ‘Mine Host’ of the Nags Head and Star in Harby. But Roy knew enough of Peter to call him “One hell of a pilot”.
In his early days of test-flying at Langar, Roy went up to Woodford one day to the Flight Test Dept there, while the Chief Test-Pilot (Jimmy Harrison) was away somewhere. Jimmy – Roy notes – had a ‘beautiful secretary’ and Roy was holding the post for her temporarily in her office when the ‘phone rang. Roy decided to be a little flippant with his answer and as he lifted the receiver he said “Hallo. It’s the Kremlin here…!”
The resultant response at the other end indicated the caller was certainly not amused … it was Jimmy Harrison himself!
Roy remembers two occasions involving slow rolls during test-flying at Langar. On one occasion Langar had just installed new, more powerful Bristol Olympus engines in a Vulcan. Tony Blackman came down to test-fly it when it was ready, and just after take off was so impressed by the increase in thrust that he promptly barrel-rolled it while still climbing out in sight of all the workers and spectators!
The other occasion could have been more dangerou8s – it had claimed the life of Jack Wales and his crew in the prototype Shackleton MR3 in December 1956. On this flight from Langar, Roy was flying with Ossie Hawkins in a Shackleton and they were making still turns at 4-5,000 ft or so. Roy was not strapped in the Flt. Engineer’s seat and the
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stall turns were getting tighter. Suddenly the Shackleton dropped a wing and went into a vicious roll onto its back. Roy flew between the two pilots seats, and Ossie somehow got the aircraft out of the roll by completing it down at 1,000 ft! That was a close shave.
Phase I and II modifications to Avro Shackletons
After the T4 refits, came the ‘Phase I’ conversions to Shackleton MR2s, and then Phase II conversions to MR2s, MR3s and T4s.
The Shackletons concerned in these refits at Langar can be seen in Appendix … (showing the dates of delivery back to their units after clearance at Langar). A Summary Table in Appendix … is also shown.
Basically, the Phase I refit at Langar (1958-60) on MR2s consisted of fitting:
- ASV Mk21 radar
- Blue Silk doppler
- A Tactical Table
Soon after the programme had started at Langar (Woodford, and Avro Outworking Parties at 49 MU were also involved), the MR2s had been grounded on June 19, 1959 due to fatigue in the centre section wing spars being discovered. Thus, additional modifications were then added to the Phase I refits, as parts of a crash programme on MR2s.
Phase II refits at Langar (1961-3) to both MR2s and MR3s involved new radio and radar equipment:
- Sonobuoy MkIC (replacing Mk I)
- Violet Picture UHF (replacing Green Salad VHF)
- New Intercom system
- UHF/RT
- Tacan
- Sonobuoy Homer
- Orange Harvest ECM
- Improved Radio Compass (with recessed aerial behind cockpit roof and ‘sensing’ aerial on starboard bomb – door.
- HF Radio aerial support posts moved back in front of ECM Plinth
- Long MR3 Type engine tail-pipe exhausts
- Bomb carriage modification to allow carriage of 2xMk30, and 3 x Mk36 or Mk44 Homing Torpedoes.
Phase III, Viper and T2 modifications to Shackletons
The Phase III modifications made later in 1964-5 (to MR3s), and in 1965-7 (to MR2s), involved fitting:
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- Strengthened spars and re-skinned wings
- Increased fuel capacity
- Redesigned Heater system
- New navigation and compass systems
- Revised Tactical Station
- Four tube flare discharger
- New toilet/washing facilities
- Thicker soundproofing
- Rewiring to carry Mk 10 Lulu Nuclear depth bombs) [sic]
- R-R Griffon 58 engines (with strengthened gear boxes for higher electrical generation outputs), larger generators and inverters.
- Stronger undercarriage
- Positions to carry 11 passengers (or troops) in addition to crew of 10.
Once the Shackleton MR2s had been converted to Phase III standard, they were known as the MR2A version.
The MR3s had not seen the last of Langar with the Phase III additions, as it was decided to fit most MR3s with Bristol Siddeley Viper Mk11 gas turbines in the rear of the outer engine nacelles, to boost the max weight take off performance at 105,000 lbs. This was called the ‘Viper Fit’ and carried out at Langar and Woodford.
The last version seen at Langar was the T2 Trainer. This was the MR2A given two ASV trainee positions (in place of the rest bunks), extra consoles and an instructor (Navigator) position.
Altogether, Langar handled a total of:
15 T4 conversions from Shackleton MR1As
2 T4 conversions to Phase II standard
38 Phase I conversions of Shackleton MR2s
36 Phase II conversions of Shackleton MR2s
30 Phase III conversions of Shackleton MR2s
10 T2 conversions of Shackleton MR2As
11 Phase III conversions of Shackleton MR3s
19 Viper fits to Shackleton MR3s
[Underlined] 181 [/underlined] Total
All this amounted to a vast number of man-hours worked at Langar on the Shackleton aircraft, the only major version not dealt with there being the last one – the AEW2 version that was carried out at Bitteswell in the 1972-3 period after Langar had closed.
In fact. Langar closed down because it was decided within the Hawker-Siddeley Aviation Group that Bitteswell (originally an Armstrong Whitworth company airfield near
20.
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Coventry was more suited to taking the Vulcan aircraft for refits, as it had better runways, engine test facilities and general Hangar accommodation. It was all part of the inevitable rationalisation process still affecting British Aviation even today.
The Foreman’s mistake
Neil Cunnin [inserted] g [/inserted] ton worked on the aircraft at Langar in the 1950s, then with Outworking Parties at Scampton, Waddington and Finningley on Vulcans, before returning to Langar to work on the factory maintenance side up to its closure in 1968. He remembers several amusing incidents, [deleted] the first [/deleted] one being the arrival at Langar of the first Avro Vulcan to be sent there for an upgraded engine fitment.
The Vulcan (VX770, the first prototype) flew around the works and airfield several times, to the delight of the watching workers, and then made its approach and landing, streaming its braking parachute in the process, and then leaving it on the runway. As it taxied in to the Hangar, one of the senior foremen watching it remarked to all and sundry: “I’ll go out on my bike and bring in the parachute!”
He duly cycled out, and a long time later returned very red-faced. He hadn’t appreciated the fact that the Vulcan’s tail-chute weighs some two tons, with its massive nylon cords, etc! It was quite impossible for him to lift it, let alone tow it on his bike!
The ‘Jonah’
Neil also remembers a particular Shackleton MR3 – or ‘Jonah’ as they referred to it at Langar (for all its constant problems). This MR3, WR971, first appeared at Langar to have a very large aerial fitted to its fuselage top, as a Trial Installation of some special radio equipment. While it was on test later, it returned to Langar after one flight, minus its aerial – which was later found in a field in the Vale of Belvoir!
On another occasion it was in the large Hangar No 7 at Langar, for some work to be done on it. Now in the centre of the floor, there was a large 10ft deep access pit for the Shackleton MR2s to be able to extend their telescopic ventral radomes for checking the mechanism, etc. The pit was covered with heavy baulks of timber to withstand the weight of the nose-wheels, but on this occasion, someone managed to manoeuvre ‘Jonah’ so that one of its main gear passed over the pit. The timber collapsed, the main gear disappeared into the well and the wing and engines dropped right onto the top of the workmen’s benches. Luckily it was the lunch break, and so no one was killed or injured!
Finally ‘Jonah’ was the Shackleton in which Harry Fisher and Roy Browne were to have the undercarriage collapse on take-off, on February 7th 1967. Neil Cunnington remembers just going home past the Harby end of the runway, and watching it preparing to take-off, when the starboard undercarriage gracefully folded up and the next minute, chunks of concrete were flying past Neil’s head as the propellers struck the runway and bent backwards like split banana skins.
The Hangar 7 fire
21
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On the night of December 22nd 1955 – a Saturday – there were three Shackleton MR2s in Hangar 7 undergoing fuel tank filling tests. Suddenly there was a spark caused by static electricity, and the aircraft were engulfed in flames! The Senior Foreman there, Harry Houghton and the men on duty tried desperately to limit the fire by pulling drums of fuel away from the Shackletons, and using fire extinguishers, but to no avail!
The Royal Canadian Air Force scrambled its Fire Tenders from their site on the North side of the airfield, and they were soon on the scene – albeit by now the Hangar itself was on fire, and a pillar of flame and smoke rose high into the sky from the Hangar roof. As Neil Cunnington remembers: “It was the only time in my life when I have ever seen concrete actually melt!”
One Shackleton (WL799) was totally destroyed, as was the hangar, and two others damaged, but with all the work on hand, Hangar 7 was hurriedly rebuilt in more modern post-war style, and was in use again by mid-1956!
Vulcan contracts
Langar only hosted four different Vulcan aircraft – all arriving and departing in 1957-8.
Ken Allen remembers:
“The first prototype (VX770) which had completed its evaluation and test flying was placed on embodiment loan to Rolls-Royce Experimental Establishment, Hucknall, Nottingham, as a flying test bed for the first of the family of ‘By-pass’ engines – ie the Conway. The airframe had extensive modification at Langar to comply with current regulations. This work took some twelve months to complete. I had the privilege of being Senior Inspector throughout the whole of this project and co-signed the daily inspection for the first flight. The whole of Langar came out to view the take off on August 9th 1957. It was a very memorable sight, deafening, but quite unforgettable! I was also relived Vulcan VX770 never returned to Langar and was delivered direct to Hucknall. I did later meet up with the Vulcan at Rolls-Royce Hucknall, to advise on repairs to the airframe.
Next came XA903, an early B.Mk1 version, to be fitted at Langar with a special bomb release, and tracking telemetry for the airborne release of the Blue Steel ‘stand-off’ bomb. This was completed and flew on January 27th 1958.
Then came XA901 and lastly XA891, to be fitted with the more powerful uprated Bristol Olympus engines of 16,000 lb st each. These Mk200 Olympus engines were fitted in time for the SBAC show in 1958, and the Vulcans were completed on May 22nd and June 10th 1958, respectively”.
More hangars acquired
Neil Cunnington remembers the RCAF’s occupation of Langar:
22
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[Underlined] Peter Norman [/underlined]
[Photograph of an aircraft flying past a control tower] The last Shackleton modified at Langar flies around the Control Tower (now the HQ building of the Brit. Para chute School)
[Underlined] SEPT 1968 [/underlined]
Sep 4th WL798 Shack II last at Langer (next ones at Bitteswell) Harry Fisher is the Pilot.
[Page break]
[Photograph of three men outside a NAAFI hut] Retirement: Sqd Ldr Peter Field-Richards (Centre), and Ken Cook (right) meet again at Langar. Both great Test-Pilots.
[Page break]
“The Royal Canadian Air Force occupied the airfield and the North side from 1951 to 1963. When they eventually vacated the site, A V Roe/Hawker Siddeley Aviation took over part of it, which included two T2 Type Hangars and other buildings. One of the hangars became a Flight Shed, and the other became the Trials Installation (TI) Section. As this site was some distance from the factory, there was a bus service between the two, which consisted of an ex-City of Coventry double decker bus and a mini-bus.”
The Flight Shed provided much needed extra space for the Shackletons and the TI hangar enabled the relevant Shackletons sent over from Woodford to be fitted out with the new equipment to be tested from Langar or Boscombe Down, and proved, before adopting it as standard in the future Phase refits given to all the Shackletons.
The closure of Langar
With the refitting of all the necessary RAF Shackletons now accomplished, and the emphasis on Vulcan refits now appearing, Hawker Siddeley Aviation decided to close Langar at the end of 1968, and transfer all refitting facilities to Bitteswell – a little further south, close to Coventry.
It was a sad day when the closure approached for the team of workers who had, over a period of 26 years, carried out such excellent refitting and modification to over 1,185 aircraft in all (see Appendix 2).
The last aircraft to be refurbished at Langar was the Shackleton WL798, and this was rolled out for engine runs, at the end of August 1968. The date for its final handover to the RAF again was set for September 4th, and on that day the workers at Langar turned out to see the test-pilot from Woodford, Harry Fisher, with Roy Browne from Langar as his Flight Engineer and Dave Pearson from Woodford as his other crew.
As well as the Avro employees, Peter Field-Richards, the previous (and only) locally employed Avro test-pilot, and Arthur Norman, the company’s first Flight Engineer, were also on hand to witness the last flyby. Ken Cook also flew over from Woodford for the occasion – he had helped Peter Field-Richards out on occasions with flight-testing at Langar and Waddington, and after retiring at Woodford as one of Avro’s greatest test-pilots, had become Air Traffic Control Officer there, with responsibility for the operation of Langar’s Control tower too.
They all waved to the crew, and the ‘Mighty Hunter’ (the Shackleton) as it majestically gathered speed down the runway and then flew round the works and control tower several times before ‘beating-up’ the airfield for the last time, and landing. An RAF crew took it over on September 16th, and then flew it back to its base (205 Squadron, at Changi, Singapore).
And so, as the workers were now gradually paid off (some had already gone in the last few months) the works gradually emptied of jigs and tools, spare parts and anything that
23
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[Photograph of a group of people underneath the nose of a Shackleton] FIRST ON RIGHT
GEORGE ARTHUR NORMAN (ex Flt. Engineer)
PICTURE TAKEN SEPT 1968
The last Shackleton about to be flown away from Langar Sep 4th 1968.
Harry Fisher Pearson From Woodford Peter F-R Norman
[Page break]
could be used elsewhere in HSA, and the Hangar doors closed in turn, never to re-open for some time.
Some of the workers were re-deployed to HSA airfields like Bitteswell, Woodford, etc, or to Outworking Parties at Bracebridge Heath. But many looked for jobs at Rolls-Royce at Derby and Hucknall, or in engineering concerns in Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Loughborough.
When British Aerospace was formed in 1977, some gravitated to their other plants at Warton, Bristol, etc, and a few managed to be employed later on the Saudi Arabian contracts for operating the Lightning fighters, etc.
They disappeared from Langar and were diffused across the aviation spectrum as years went by. But they never lost their pride in what they had done for Avros at Langar and to this day, the dwindling band of experts meet in little groups in Lincoln every month and less regularly around Nottingham. They remember the ‘good old days’, the times when the ‘boss’ – Charlie Hatton, who used to rule them all with a rod of iron – would suddenly appear in the works on his constant inspections – and they would all ‘dive for cover’ as his entourage approached! They remember the accolades that Sir Roy Dobson occasionally paid them, with feeling, for their immense efforts. And above all, they can still dwell on their superb achievements over the 26 years of Langar’s existence.
24.
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[Photograph of a public house] Sqd Ldr Peter Field-Richards became “Mine Host” here for some years.
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[Underlined] Appendix 1 [/underlined]
[Underlined] Summary
Aircraft repaired/rebuilt/converted at Langar [/underlined]
Avro Manchester 1
Avro Lancaster 320
Avro Anson 5
Avro York 102
Avro Lincoln 235
Avro Lincolnian 1
Avro Shackleton 230
Avro Lancastrian 3
Avro Vulcan 4
Gloster Meteor 284
[Underlined] 1,185 [/underlined]
[Page break]
[Underlined] Date: Serial: Aircraft: Delivered to/at: [/underlined]
1 5.10.42 R5667 LANCASTER MK.I 1665 CON. UNIT HOLME.
2. 9.11.42 R5447 LANCASTER MK.I 1654 CON. UNIT WIGSLEY
3. 9.12.42 R5686 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
4. 30.12.42. R5672 LANCASTER MK.I 39 M.U. COLERNE
5. 20.1.43 W4140 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
6 11.2.45 R5688 LANCASTER MK.I 46 MU LOSSIEMOUTH
7 25.2.43 W4766 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
8 6.3.43 W4778 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
9 12.3.43 R5901 LANCASTER MK.I 39 M.U. COLERNE.
10 24.3.43 R5634 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U LLANDOW
11 6.4.43 W4762 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
12 12.4.43 R5745 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
13 23.4.43 ED412 LANCASTER MK.I 39 M.U. COLERNE.
14 30.4.43. W4301 LANCASTER MK.I 39 M.U. COLERNE
15 15.5.43 ED392 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
16 16.5.43 R5700 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
17 19.5.43 [deleted] “MANCHESTER” [/deleted] R5777 MANCHESTER MK.I. 39 M.U. COLERNE.
18 20.5.43. W4193 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
19 29.5.43 W4119 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
20 2.6.48. W4248 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH.
21 16.8.43 ED442 LANCASTER MK.III 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
22 20.6.43 R5756 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
23 22.6.43 W4132 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
24 27.6.43 W4197 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
25 1.7.43 R5504 (FLOWN TRAINER) LANCASTER MK.I (Became3881M) 4 S.T.T. ST. ATHAN.
26 2.7.43 L7577 (STATIC TRAINER) LANCASTER MK.I 9Became 3610M) 11 S.T.T. ST. ATHAN.
27 3.7.43. W4128 STATIC TRAINER LANCASTER MK.I (Became 3699M) 10 S.T.T.ST. ATHAN.
28. 9.7.43. W4376 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
29 9.7.43 L7574 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
30 14.7.43 L7576 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH.
31 17.7.43 W4158 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
32 3.8.43 ED348 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
33 9.8.43 R5895 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
34 10.8.43 ED763 LANCASTER MK.I 4 S.T.T. ST. ATHAN
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35 26.8.43 W4276 LANCASTER MK-I. 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
36 24.8.43 ED658 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
37 29.8.43 R5865 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
38 31 8.43 ED 310 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
39 5.9.43 ED 366 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
40 11.9.43 W4852 LANCASTER MK-I 28 M.U. LLANDOW
41 17.9.43 ED445 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
42 21.9.43 LM310 LANCASTER MK-I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
43 18.10.43 R5552 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
44 18.10.43 W4899 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
45 21.10.43 ED623 LANCASTER MK-III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
46 30.10.43 W4941 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
47 15.11.43 L7579 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
48 22.11.43 W5006 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
49 23.11.43 ED411 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
50 26.11.43 R5734 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
51 30.11.43 R5862 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
52 30.11.43 W4380 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
53 20.12.43 W4127 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
54 14.1.44 ED430 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
55 21.1.44 L7541 LANCASTER MK0I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH.
56 27.1.44 EE148 LANCASTER MK III 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
57 30.1.44 L7527 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN.
58 7.2.44 EE174 LANCASTER MK.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
59 5.2.44 ED395 LANCASTER MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
60 15.9.44 JA695 LANCASTER MK.III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
61 20.2.44 W4158 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
62 2.3.44 R5625 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
63 15.3.44 R5845 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
64 17.3.44 ED802 LANCASTER MK.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
65 25.3.44 JB125 LANCASTER MK.III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
66 26.3.44 DV175 MK.III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
67 3.4.44. W4891 LANCASTER MK-I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
68 5.4.44 W 4249 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW.
[Page break]
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69 9.4.44 R 5733 LANCASTER MK-I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
70 15.4.44 R 5609 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
71 22.4.44 LM368 LANCASTER MK-III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
72 26.4.44 EE 124 LANCASTER MK-III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
73 27.4.44 ED 382 LANCASTER MK I 5 MU.U. KEMBLE
74 30.4.44 DV286 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
75 9.5.44 DV 310 LANCASTER MK I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
76 9.5.44 W4900 LANCASTER MK I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
77 16.5.44 R5693 LANCASTER MK I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
78 17.5.44 JB 351 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
79 19.5.44 ED 324 LANCASTER MK I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
80 20.5.44 DV200 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
81 27.5.44 W4883 LANCASTER MK I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
82 27.5.44 ED 602 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
83 27.5.44 DV161 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
84 31.5.44 JB116 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
85 7.6.44 R5505 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
86 8.6.44 LM375 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
87 12.6.44 JB561 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
88 13.6.44 JB475 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
89 16.6.44 DV335 LANCASTER MK I 46 M.U LOSSIEMOUTH
90 18.6.44 W4993 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U LLANDOW
91 27.6.44 JA684 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
92 29.6.44 DV171 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U LOSSIEMOUTH
93 29.6.44 ME584 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
94 5.7.44 DS 792 LANCASTER MK.II 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
95 7.7.44 LM391 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
96 9.7.44 LL 786 LANCASTER MK I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
97 12.7.44 DS605 LANCASTER MK.II 38 M.U. LLANDOW
98 14.7.44 DV176 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
99 23.7.44 JB374 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
100 23.4.44 DS 714 LANCASTER MK.II 5 M.U. KEMBLE
101 26.7.44 ED 940 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
102 27.7.44 JA 876 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
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103 31.7.44 LM [deleted 348 [/deleted] 438 LANCASTER MK-III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
104 31.7.44 JA908 LANCASTER MK-III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
105 3.8.44 JB718 LANCASTER MK-III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
106 5.8.44 LL742 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
107 6.8.44 R5658 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
108 8.8.44 LL 626 LANCASTER MK.II. 5 M.U. KEMBLE
109 14.8.44 W 4197 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U LOSSIEMOUTH
110 17.8.44 R 5508 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
111 18.8.44 ED631 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
112 24.8.44 R 5503 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
113 27.8.44 JB410 LANCASTER MK-III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
114 31.8.44 DS783 LANCASTER MK-II 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
115 31.8.44 ND623 LANCASTER MK-III FLIGHT REFUELLING STAVERTON.
116 8.9.44 ND572 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
117 9.9.44 JB 185 LANCASTER MK-III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
118 16.9.44 ND 793 LANCASTER MK-III FLIGHT REFUELLING STAVERTON
119 21.9.44 JB 699 LANCASTER MK-III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
120 24.9.44 LL 865 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
121 12.9.44 JB613 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
122 14.9.44 ND385 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
123 27.9.44 ME 644 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
124 7.10.44 PB 118 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
125 7.10.44 LM 639 LANCASTER MK III FLIGHT REFUELLING - STAVERTON
126 14.10.44 ND 442 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
127 14.10.44 ND 656 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
128 17.10.44 LL 646 LANCASTER MK-II 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
129 27.10.44 ME 719 LANCASTER MK I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
130 27.10.44 LL907 LANCASTER MK I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
131 2.11.44 LM460 LANCASTER MK.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
132 2.11.44 R5733 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
133 6.11.44 LM 192 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
134 6.11.44 ND 909 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
135 10.11.44 ND965 LANCASTER MK III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
136 15.11.44 W 4821 LANCASTER MK I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
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137 20.11.44 ME759 LANCASTER MK-I. 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
138 17.12.44 DS 711 LANCASTER MK-II. 38 M.U. LLANDOW
139 3.12.44 R5868 (S FOR “SUGAR”) LANCASTER MK I. 467 SQDN WADDINGTON.
140 8.12.44 LM590 LANCASTER MK-III 1669 CON. UNIT. LANGAR
141 17.12.44 LM 680 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
142 20.12.44 DV 246 LANCASTER MK-III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
143 3.1.45 PD 218 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
144 7.1.45 ME 847 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
145 7.1.45 PD 209 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
146 14.1.45 LM 591 LANCASTER MK-III E.C.D. UNIT. WESTCOTT.
147 14.1.45 R5507 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
148 27.1.45 HK 607 LANCASTER MK-I 1654 CON. UNIT. WIGSLEY.
149 27.1.45 JB 319 LANCASTER MK-III 1654 CON. UNIT. WIGSLEY
150 28.1.45 PD 219 LANCASTER MK-I 1654 CON. UNIT. WIGSLEY
151 28.1.45 PD 291 LANCASTER MK-I 1660 CON. UNIT. SWINDERBY.
152 1.2.45 LL 795 LANCASTER MK-I 1660 CON. UNIT. SWINDERBY
153 1.2.45 NN 713 LANCASTER MK-I 1660 CON. UNIT. SWINDERBY
154 1.2.45 ND 991 LANCASTER MK-III FLIGHT REFUELLING STAVERTON
155 10.2.45 PB 481 LANCASTER MK-III 5 L.F.S. SYERSTON
156 12.2.45 PB 420 LANCASTER MK-III 1660 CON. UNIT. SWINDERBY
157 19.2.45 PB 248 LANCASTER MK-III 5 L.F.S. SYERSTON.
158 19.2.45 LM 748 LANCASTER MK-III 1654 CON. UNIT. WIGSLEY
159 20.2.45 LM 681 LANCASTER MK-III FLIGHT REFUELLING. STAVERTON
160 20.2.45 L 7580 LANCASTER MK I 1668 CON. UNIT. BOTTESFORD.
161 22.2.45 PB 307 LANCASTER MK III 1667 CON. UNIT. SANDTOFT
162 28.2.45 ME 848 LANCASTER MK.I 103 SQDN ELSHAM WOLDS.
163 28.2.45 PB 424 LANCASTER MK III 15 SQDN. MILDENHALL.
164 2.3.45 LM 160 LANCASTER MK.I 300 SQDN. FALDINGWORTH
165 8.3.45 W4231 LANCASTER MK.I 1651 CON. UNIT. WOOLFOX LODGE
166 9.3.45 L 7582 LANCASTER MK.I 1651 CON. UNIT. WOOLFOX LODGE
167 10.3.45 LM288 LANCASTER MK.I B.C.I.S. FINNINGLEY
168 16.3.45 ND 992 LANCASTER MK III 227 SQDN BALDERTON
169 19.3.45 ND 509 LANCASTER MK III 61 SQDN SKELLINGTHORPE
170 18.3.45 PD 285 LANCASTER MK.I. 50 SQDN SKELLINGTHORPE.
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171 22.3.45 PD343 LANCASTER MK I. 166 SQDN KIRMINGTON
172 26.3.45 LM 689 LANCASTER MK.III 166 SQDN KIRMINGTON
173 27.3.45 ND 521 LANCASTER MK.III 460 SQDN BINBROOK
174 27.3.45 LM 678 LANCASTER MK.III 227 SQDN BALDERTON.
175 27.3.45 LM 721 LANCASTER MK.III 150 SQDN HEMSWELL
176 28.3.45 PB 360 LANCASTER MK.III 57 SQDN EAST KIRKBY
177 30.3.45 PB 532 LANCASTER MK.III 550 SQDN NORTH KILLINGHOLME
178 7.4.45 NN 748 LANCASTER MK.I 625 SQDN KELSTERN
179 7.4.45 PD 198 LANCASTER MK.I 103 SQDN ELSHAM WOLDS
180 9.4.45 LM 651 LANCASTER MK.III 427 SQDN LEEMING BAR.
181 11.4.45 W4154 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
182 11.4.45 LM727 LANCASTER MK.III 550 SQDN NORTH KILLINGHOLME.
183 15.4.45 PD 324 LANCASTER MK.I 427 SQDN LEEMING BAR
184 19.4.45 PB 615 LANCASTER MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
185 20.4.45 HK 657 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
186 21.4.45 PB 454 LANCASTER MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
187 25.4.45 ED 767 LANCASTER MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
188 30.4.45 HK 614 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
189 1.5.45 JB646 LANCASTER MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
190 3.5.45 NG 366 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH.
191 4.5.45 PD 281 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
192 10.5.45 PD 348 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
193 10.5.45 W4263 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
194 11.5.45 ND 855 MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
195 12.5.45 JA 868 LANCASTER MK.III 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
196 16.5.45 NG 124 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
197 24.5.45 NG 195 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
198 29.5.45 NG 288 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
199 29.5.45 NG 490 LANCASTER MK.I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
200 29.5.45 PB 847 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
201 31.5.45 PD 362 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
202 1.6.45 HK 709 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
203 4.6.45 PD 384 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
204 7.6.45 PB 464 LANCASTER MK III 5 M.U. KEMBLE
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205 13.6.45 JB 718 LANCASTER MK.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
206 15.6.45 ME 378 LANCASTER MK.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
207 15.6.45 PB 679 LANCASTER MK.III 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
208 19.6.45 R 5730 LANCASTER MK-I 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON.
209 23.6.45 NG 359 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN.
210 26.6.45 NF 910 LANCASTER MK.I 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
211 26.6.45 PD 323 LANCASTER MK-I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
212 2.7.45 LM224 LANCASTER MK-I EANS. SHAWBURY
213 3.7.45 PB 760 LANCASTER MK-I 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
214 9.7.45 W 4980 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
215 12.7.45 PB 758 LANCASTER MK-III C.R.D. WEST FREUGH.
216 13.7.45 NG 278 LANCASTER MK-I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
217 13.7.45 ED 611 LANCASTER MK-III CRD WEST FREUGH.
218 20.7.45 JA 962 LANCASTER MK-III 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON.
219 23.7.45 HK 755 LANCASTER MK I. 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON.
220 25.7.45 MW111 YORK C.MK.I. 511 SQDN LYNEHAM
221 27.7.45 PB420 LANCASTER MK.III C.R.D. WEST FREUGH.
222 8.8.45 RA 507 LANCASTER MK.I 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
223 14.8.45 PD 349 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
224 14.8.45 SW 243 LANCASTER MK.I 38 M.U. LLANDOW
225 27.8.45 PP 692 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
226 27.8.45 NX 548 LANCASTER MK.I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
227 21.8.45 PD401 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN.
228 31.8.45 NN769 LANCASTER MK.I 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
229 6.9.45 NG 245 LANCASTER MK.I 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
230 9.9.45 MW 110 YORK C.MK.I 511 SQDN. LYNEHAM.
231 13.9.45 NG 293 LANCASTER MK I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
232 17.9.45 W 4995 LANCASTER MK I 5 M.U. KEMBLE
233 25.9.45 HK702 LANCASTER MK I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
234 3.10.45 LM266 LANCASTER MK I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
235 13.10.45 NG 196 LANCASTER MK I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
236 18.10.45 MW 120 YORK C.MK.I. 511 SQDN. LYNEHAM.
237 19.10.45 W4115 LANCASTER MK-I 46 M.U. LOSSIEMOUTH
238 19.10.45 RF210 LANCASTER MK III 38 M.U. LLANDOW.
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239 22.10.45 LV 633 YORK. 3rd [circled] P [/circled] “Ascalon” 511 SQDN LYNEHAM
240 13.11.45 JA 922 LANCASTER MK.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
241 13.11.45 NG 397 LANCASTER MK I 39 M.U. COLERNE.
242 16.11.45 PA 288 LANCASTER MK I 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
243 13.12.45 ED 623 LANCASTER MK III 39 M.U. COLERNE
244 13.12.45 W 4950 LANCASTER MK I. 5 M.U. KEMBLE
245 13.12.45 PB752 LANCASTER MK I C.R.D. BRACEBRIDGE HEATH
246 17.12.45 MW101 YORK C.MK.I. 511 SQDN LYNEHAM.
247 27.12.45 MW128 YORK C.MK.I. 511 SQDN LYNEHAM
248 4.1.46 ME537 LANCASTER MK-III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
249 8.1.46 PA232 LANCASTER MK-I R.W.E. WATTON
250 10.1.46 ME760 LANCASTER MK-I 39 M.U. COLERNE
251 17.1.46 ND 929 LANCASTER MK-III 39 M.U. COLERNE.
252 28.1.46 MW100 YORK C.MK.I. (1st Prod) 511 SQDN LYNEHAM
253 29.1.46 PD381 LANCASTER MK I R.W.E. WATTON
254 7.2.46 ED 607 LANCASTER MK III R.W.E. WATTON
255 7.2.45 ND979 LANCASTER MK III 22 M.U. SILLOTH
256 9.2.46 MW 125 YORK C.MK.I 218 M.U. COLERNE
257 9.2.46 RE 137 LANCASTER MK.III C.R.D.-A.S.T. HAMBLE
258 21.2.46 PB 596 LANCASTER MK.III C.R.D. WEST FREUGH.
259 28.2.46 ME429 LANCASTER MK.III 22 M.U. SILLOTH
260 25.2.46 RE404 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF MARHAM
261 7.3.46 ME 374 LANCASTER MK I R.I.V.E. WATTON
262 20.3.46 RE378 LINCOLN B.MK.2. R.A.F. DEFFORD
263 20.3.46 RE 380 LINCOLN B.MK.2 ENGLISH ELECTRIC PRESTON
264 26.3.46 RE 379 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
265 26.3.46 MW 127 YORK C.MK.I. 218 MU COLERNE.
266 26.3.46 LM681 LANCASTER MK III CRD STAVERTON
267 11.4.46 RE 377 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
268 18.4.46 MW139 YORK C.MK.I 218 M.U. COLERNE
269 23.4.46 RE375 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U KEMBLE
270 23.4.46 RE376 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
271 1.5.46 MW123 WORK C.MK.I 218 M.U. COLERNE
272 2.5.46 RE374 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
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273 10.5.46 RE 373 LINCOLN B.MK.2 ENGLISH ELECTRIC.
274 16.5.46 RE 289 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
275 22.5.46 RE 307 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
276 23.5.46 RE 372 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
277 23.5.46 MW 104 YORK C.MK.I 218 M.U. COLERNE
278 28.5.46 RE 370 LINCOLN B.MK2. E.E.
279 31.5.46 RE 371 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
280 5.6.46 RE 369 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
281 5.6.46 RE 302 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
282 6.6.46 RE 312 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
283 12.6.46 MW 138 YORK C.MK I 218 M.U. COLERNE
284 14.6.46 RE 305 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
285 21.6.46 MW 122 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
286 24.6.46 RE 317 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
287 26.6.46 RE 313 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
288 1.7.46 RE 315 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
289 12.7.46 RE 417 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
290 15.7.46 RE 394 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
291 16.7.46 RE 338 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
292 16.7.46 RE 393 LINCIOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
293 19.7.46 RE 395 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
294 19.7.46 RE 396 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
295 23.7.46 RE 339 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
296 25.7.46 RE 415 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
297 25.7.46 RE 416 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
298 25.7.46 RE 418 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
299 25.7.46 MW 167 YORK.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
300 26.7.46 RE 340 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
301 26.7.46 RE 341 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
302 8.8.46 RE 419 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
303 20.8.46 RE 420 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
304 20.8.46 RE 421 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
305 23.8.46 RE 367 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
306 26.8.46 RE 368 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
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307 28.8.46 RE 365 LINCOLN B.MK.2 ENGLISH ELECTRIC
308 30.8.46 RE 294 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
309 9.9.46 RE 366 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
310 12.9.46 RE 364 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
311 16.9.46 RE 414 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
312 17.9.46 MW 142 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
313 19.9.46 RE 422 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
314 19.9.46 RE 295 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
315 23.9.46 RE423 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
316 2.10.46 RE 296 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
317 4.10.46 RE 360 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
318 11.10.46 MW102 YORK C.MK I R.A.F. BASSINGBOURNE.
319 16.10.46 RE 424 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
320 18.10.46 RE 297 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
321 22.10.46 MW137 YORK C.MK-1 C.R.D. WOODFORD
322 23.10.46 MW106 YORK C.MK-1 22 M.U. SILLOTH
323 23.10.46 RE 299 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
324 25.10.46 RE 301 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
325 8.11.46 RE 361 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
326 8.11.46 RE 399 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
327 8.11.46 RE 397 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
328 8.11.46 MW181 YORK C.MK-I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
329 4.12.46 RE 300 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
330 18.12.46 MW 325 YORK C.MK.I RAF BASSINGBOURNE.
331 16.1.47 RE 359 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
332 16.1.47 RE 413 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
333 23.1.47 MW 130 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U. SILLOTH
334 23.1.47 RE 400 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
335 20.2.47 RE 364 LINCOLN B.MK.2 (Aries II) E.A.N.S. SHAWBURY
336 20.3.47 RE 362 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON.
337 20.3.47 RE 363 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
338 10.4.47 RE 398 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
339 11.4.47 RE 411 LINCOLN B.MK.2 37 M.U. BURTONWOOD
340 11.4.47 MW135 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
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341 15.4.47 RE345 LINCOLN B.MK.2 ENGLISH ELECTRIC.
342 18.4.47 LV-ACV. LANCASTRIAN C.MK.4 F.A.M.A. ARGENTINE.
343 23.4.47 LV-ACU LANCASTRIAN C.MK.4 F.A.M.A. ARGENTINE.
344 26.4.47 MW 169 YORK C.MK.I. ORLY (DE-GAULLE)
345 29.4.47 RE 358 LINCON B.MK.2 EE.
346 29.4.47 RE 412 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
347 6.5.47 RE414 LINCOLN B.MK.2 (Mercury II) E.R.S. DEBDEN.
348 19.5.47 MW173 YORK C.MK.I AST HAMBLE
349 28.5.47 RE 342 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
350 28.5.47 RE 344 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
351 28.5.47 RE 357 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
352 3.6.47 MW 105 YORK C.MK.I A.S.T. HAMBLE
353 3.6.47 MW 200 YORK C.MK.I A.S.T. HAMBLE
354 19.6.47 G-AHEI YORK C.MK.I SKYWAYS DUNSFOLD.
355 20.6.47 MW 144 YORK C.MK.I. A.S.T. HAMBLE
356 21.7.47 MW 146 YORK C.MK.I. A.S.T. HAMBLE
357 15.8.47 G-AHLV YORK C.MK.I. SKYWAYS DUNSFOLD.
358 8.9.47 MW 171 YORK C.MK.I A.S.T. HAMBLE
359 17.9.47 B-001 (RE 343) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
360 9.10.47 RE 348 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
361 15.10.47 MW109 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
362 23.10.47 RE 347 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
363 31.10.47 MW174 YORK C.MK.I 511 SQDN LYNEHAM.
364 24.11.47 B-004 (RE351) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
365 24.11.47 B-009 (RE 356) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
366 25.11.47 B-010 (RE408) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
367 25.11.47 B-012 (RE410) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE
368 9.12.47 B-002 (RE349) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
369 14.12.47 B-011 (RE409) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
370 5.1.48 MW 145 YORK C.MK.I. RAF HONINGTON.
371 5.1.48 MW 165 YORK C.MK.I. RAF HONINGTON
372 6.1.48 MW 140 YORK C.MK.I. 24 SQDN. BASSINGBOURN
373 8.1.48 RE407 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
374 20.1.48 RE406 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
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375 4.2.48 RE 322 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
376 4.2.48 RE 325 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
377 5.2.48 RE 346 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
378 12.2.48 MW 141 YORK C.MK.I AST HAMBLE
379 12.2.48 MW 186 YORK C.MK.I R.A.F. HONINGTON
380 13.2.48 B-007 (RE354) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
381 13.2.48 B-005 (RE352) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE
382 13.2.48 B-008 (RE355) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE
383 25.2.48 RE 324 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
384 27.2.48 B-006 (RE353) LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE
385 8.3.48 RE405 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
386 8.3.48 RE298 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
387 9.3.48 MW185 YORK C.MK.1 R.A.F. HONINGTON
388 10.3.48 RE 323 LINCOLN B.MK2 E.E.
389 22.3.48 RE402 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
390 30.3.48 RE401 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
391 1.4.48 RE 403 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
392 1.4.48 RE 321 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
393 5.4.48 RE 319 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
394 9.4.48 MW183 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
395 14.4.48 MW 112 YORK C.MK.1 ROLLS ROYCE HUCKNALL.
396 23.4.48 RE 320 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
397 4.5.48 RE 316 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
398 5.5.48 MW 246 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
399 6.5.48 RE 318 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
400 11.5.48 RE 311 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
401 11.5.48 B-031 (PA 375) LANCASTER MK.I. ARGENTINE
402 28.5.48 RE314 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
403 3.6.48 RE 309 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
404 4.6.48 RE 306 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
405 7.6.48 MW 177 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U. SILLOTH
406 11.6.48 MW100 YORK C.MK.I (1st Prod) R.A.F. BASSINGBOURNE.
407 1.7.48 RE308 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
408 2.7.48 MW163 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U. SILLOTH
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409 15.7.48 RE303 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
410 12.8.48 MW101 YORK C.MK.I 24 SQDN. BASSINGBOURNE
411 7.9.48 MW195 YORK C.MK.I RAF ABINGDON
412 22.9.48 RE292 LINCOLN B.MK.2. E.E.
413 24.9.48 MW 132 YORK C.MK.I. R.A.F. ABINGDON
414 29.9.48 RE 310 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
415 29.9.48 RE 293 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
416 1.10.48 MW 187 YORK C.MK.I R.A.F LYNEHAM.
417 1.10.48 RE 367 LINCOLN B.MK.2 32 M.U. ST. ATHAN
418 12.10.48 RE 304 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
419 13.10.48 MW 128 YORK C.MK.I R.A.F. LYNEHAM.
420 13.10.48 MW 110 YORK C.MK.I R.A.F. ABINGDON.
421 5.11.48 B-033 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
422 5.11.48 B-044 LANCASTER MK.I. ARGENTINE.
423 12.11.48 B-043 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
424 12.11.48 B-032 LANCASTER MK.I. ARGENTINE
425 18..11.48 RE 291 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
426 18.11.48 SS 715 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
427 19.11.48 B-038 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE
428 20.11.48 B-035 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE
429 2.11.48 B-045 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE
430 4.12.48 B-042 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
431 11.12.48 B-039 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE
432 3.12.48 MW 178 YORK C.MK.I. R.A.F. LYNEHAM
433 3.12.48 MW 188 YORK C.MK.I RAF LYNEHAM
434 12.12.48 B-040 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE
435 13.12.48 MW140 YORK MK.I R.A.F. BASSINGBOURNE
436 16.12.48 B-036 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
437 17.12.48 B-034 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
438 20.12.48 MW 143 YORK C.MK.I. R.A.F. ABINGDON
439 23.12.48 B-037 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
440 4.1.49 B-041 LANCASTER MK.I ARGENTINE.
441 6.1.49 SS717 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
442 2.2.49 MW 193 YORK C.MK.I. R.A.F. ABINGDON
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443 24.2.49 B-003 LINCOLN B.MK.2 ARGENTINE.
444 25.2.49 MW 194 YORK C.MK.I. R.A.F. DISHFORTH
445 28.2.49 SS716 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
446 8.3.49 NX781 LANCASTER MK.I RAF SHAWBURY
447 9.3.49 LV 633 YORK MK I (3rd Proto) ”Ascalon” 22 M.U. SILLOTH
448 10.3.49 MW 239 YORK C.MK.I RA.F. DISHFORTH
449 24.3.49 MW 149 YORK C.MK.I R.A.F. LYNEHAM
450 24.3.49 MW 287 YORK C.MK.I RAF LYNEHAM
451 1.4.49 RT 684 LANCASTER MK.VII. RAF SHAWBURY
452 4.4.49 NX737 LANCASTER MK.I RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
453 5.4.49 MW 255 YORK C.MK.1 RAF ABINGDON
454 14.4.49 MW 139 YORK C.MK.I R.A.F. BOSCOMBE DOWN
455 20.4.49 SS718 LINCOLN B.MK.2 E.E.
456 20.4.49 MW 206 YORK C.MK.I RAF ABINGDON
457 22.4.49 RF 318 LANCASTER MK.III 45 M.U. KINLOSS.
458 3.5.49 RT 689 LANCASTER MK VII R.A.F. (E.A.N.S) SHAWBURY
459 9.5.49 MW 164 YORK C.MK.I RAF DISHFORTH.
460 19.5.49 RE418 LINCOLN B.MK.2 (Theseus test-bed) RAF. LYNEHAM
461 31.5.49 MW226 YORK C.MK.I RAF ABINGDON
462 1.6.49 MW 196 YORK C.MK.I RAF ABINGDON
463 14.6.49 MW 227 YORK C.MK.I RAF LYNEHAM
464 8.7.49 MW 243 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
465 22.7.49 NX 715 LANCASTER MK.VII RAF (E.A.N.S) SHAWBURY.
466 5.8.49 MW 291 YORK C.MK.I 22 MU SILLOTH
467 19.8.49 NX 749 LANCASTER MK.VII RAF SHAWBURY
468 19.8.49 RF503 LINCOLN B.MK.2 R.A.F. (PATHFINDERS) WYTON
469 30.8.49 MW294 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
470 2.9.49 RF370 LINCOLN B.MK.2 R.A.F. (PATHFINDERS) WYTON.
471 5.9.49 MW 237 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
472 6.9.49 RF 504 LINCOLN B.MK.2 R.A.F. HEMSWELL.
473 1.9.49 RT693 LANCASTER MK VII RAF SHAWBURY
474 7.9.49 RF 398 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RA.F. WADDINGTON.
475 9.9.49 RF 396 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF WADDINGTON
476 13.9.49 RF506 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF SCAMPTON.
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477 13.9.49 RT681 LANCASTER MK VII RAF SHAWBURY
478 20.9.49 G-AHFE YORK C.MK.I. BSAA LANGLEY
479 3.10.49 NX716 LANCASTER MK.VII RAF SHAWBURY
480 10.10.49 MW236 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
481 12.10.49 MW 167 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
482 12.10.49 SW 373 LANCASTER MK.I RAF (CC) ST. EVAL.
483 26.10.49 RF 307 LANCASTER MK.III RAF (CC) ST. EVAL.
484 28.10.49 MW321 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U- SILLOTH
485 1.11.49 RF 416 LINCOLN B.MK.2. WOODFORD
486 10.11.49 MW102 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
487 28.11.49 RE 211 LANCASTER MK.III 45 MU. KINLOSS
488 8.12.49 MW 265 YORK C.MKI 22 M.U. SILLOTH
489 15.12.49 RF401 LINCOLN B.MK.2. 38 M.U. LLANDOW
490 15.12.49 MW 199 YORK C.MK.I R.AF. WATERBEACH.
491 22.12..49 VM701 LANCASTRIAN C.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
492 12.1.50 RF399 LINCOLN B.MK.2 WOODFORD
493 24.1.50 NX754 LANCASTER MK VII RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
494 24.1.50 MW135 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
495 10.2.50 RE 339 LINCOLN B.MK.2 B.A.C. FILTON
496 14.2.50 MW181 YORK C.MK.I 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
497 14.2.50 MW254 YORK C.MK.I 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
498 17.2.50 RE375 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF WADDINGTON
499 21.2.50 MW253 YORK C.MK.I 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
500 31.3.50 RE281 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF GOSPORT.
501 3.4.50 MW233 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
502 5.4.50 MW 162 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
503 31.5.50 MW 147 YORK C.MK.I 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
504 31.5.50 MW 232 YORK C.MK.I 15 M.U. WROUGHTON.
505 1.6.50 RF405 LINCOLN B.MK.2 R.A.F. MANBY.
506 1.6.50 RF 358 LINCOLN B.MK.2 R.A.F. MANBY.
507 6.6.50 MW203 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
508 15.6.50 1801 LANCASTER MK I EGYPT. VIA DUNSFOLD
509 22.6.50 80001 (G-11-29) LANCASTER MK.I SWEDEN VIA A.S.T. HAMBLE
510 30.6.50 MW144 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
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511 6.7.50 1802 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT Via DUNSFOLD
512 24.7.50 1803 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT Via DUNSFOLD
513 24.7.50 MW286 YORK C.MK.I RAF BASSINGBOURNE
514 28.7.50 RE 380 LINCOLN B.MK 2 RAF MANBY.
515 16.8.50 1804 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT.
516 29.8.50 1805 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT.
517 7.9.50 MW 133 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
518 19.9.50 1806 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT
519 26.9.50 MW234 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
520 3.10.50 MW136 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
521 5.10.50 1807 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT
522 13.10.50 RF384 LINCOLN B.MK.2 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE.
523 30.10.50 1808 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT
524 8.11.50 MW327 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
525 20.11.50 1809 LANCASTER MK.I EGYPT
526 28.12.50 MW210 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
527 28.12.50 RF411 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
528 29.12.50 MW179 YORK C.MK.I 22 M.U. SILLOTH
529 12.1.51 NX689 LANCASTER MK VII 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
530 18.1.51 MW295 YORK C.MK.I. 22 M.U. SILLOTH
531 20.2.51 MW258 YORK C.MK.I. 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
532 15.3.51 MW231 YORK C.MK.I. 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
533 13.4.51 RE294 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
534 13.4.51 RE417 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
535 13.4.51 RF532 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 MU HULLAVINGTON
536 24.4.51 RF503 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
537 7.5.51 RF 392 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
538 8.5.51 RF481 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
539 8.5.51 RE 365 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
540 29.5.51 RE419 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
541 31.5.51 RF 422 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
542 31.5.51 RF322 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF ST. EVAL
543 4.6.51 RF410 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
544 25.6.51 RF 395 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN.
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545 27.6.51 RF 516 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
546 27.6.51 RF423 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
547 4.7.51 RF 458 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
548 10.7.51 RE 341 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
549 23.7.51 RE 222 LANCASTER A.S.R. III R.A.F. ST. MAWGAN
550 23.7.51 RF 418 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
551 25.7.51 RF 400 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
552 27.7.51 RF 514 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
553 27.7.51 RF 427 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
554 27.7.51 RF 529 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
555 15.8.51 RE 366 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
556 20.8.51 RE 369 LINCOLN B.MK.2 39 M.U. COLERNE.
557 23.8.51 RE 396 LINCOLN B.MK.2 45 M.U. KINLOSS
558 3.9.51 RF520 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
559 19.9.51 RF 515 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
560 19.9.51 RF 394 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
561 27.9.51 RF 570 LINCOLN B.MK.2 45 M.U. KINLOSS.
562 3.10.51 RF456 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
563 3.10.51 RF406 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
564 10.10.51 RF464 LINCILN B.MK.2 39 M.U. COLERNE.
565 12.10.51 RF 506 LINCOLN B.MK.2 39 M.U. COLERNE.
566 18.10.51 RF 413 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
567 19.11.51 RE 379 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON.
568 26.11.51 RF478 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. COLERNE.
569 26.11.51 RF361 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
570 26.11.51 RE 368 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
571 27.11 51 RE 376 LINCOLN B.MK.2 58 M.U. HONINGTON
572 6.12.51 RF499 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
573 20.12.51 RF404 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
574 20.12.51 RF507 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
575 28.12.51 RF473 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
576 2.1.52 RF498 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
577 8.1.52 RF370 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
578 14.1.52 RE 305 LINCOLN B.MK.2 39 M.U. COLERNE
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579 31.1.52 RF524 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
580 11.1.52 RE289 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
581 18.1.52 RF513 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
582 18.2.52 RF502 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
583 22.2.52 RF 367 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
584 22.2.52 RF357 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
585 3.3.52 RF480 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
586 4.3.52 RE 393 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
587 12.3.52 W.U.17 (TW655) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
588 19.3.52 RF477 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
589 5.4.52 W.U.24 (PA389) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
590 9.4.52 RF5405 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
591 9.4.52 RF390 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
592 18.4.52 RF358 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
593 29.4.52 RA721 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
594 29.4.52 RE 380 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
595 2.5.52 W.U.25 (P.A.387) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
596 15.5.52 RF482 LINCOLN B.MK.2 39 M.U. COLERNE
597 19.5.52 RF 362 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
598 28.5.52 W.U.32 (PA395) LANCASTER MK.I LAN BIHOUE
599 6.6.52 W.U.40 (PA432) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
600 18.6.52 W.U.33 (PA477) LANCASTER MK.I LAN BIHOUE
601 2.7.52 RE315 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
602 2.7.52 W.U.34 (PA426) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
603 8.7.52 WU52 (RA800) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
604 10.7.52 RF397 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
605 18.7.52 W.U.42 (TW815) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
606 24.7.52 RE 307 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE
607 25.7.52 W.U.41 (TW928) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
608 27.8.52 RE421 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
609 4.9.52 W.U.49 (RA627) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY.
610 4.9.52 W.U.53 (TW927) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
611 17.9.52 W.U.43 (PA431) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
612 3.10.52 W.U.51 (RA796) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
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613 8.10.52 W.U. (RA [missing number] ) LANCASTER MK.I VILLA COUBLAY
614 9.10.52 SX935 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF MANBY
615 23.10.52 SX946 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF MANBY
616 28.10.52 WU.54 (NX668) LANCASTER MK,I VILLA COUBLAY.
617 25.11.52 RF463 LINCOLN B.MK.2 45 M.U. KINLOSS
618 18.12.52 WD 132 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
619 31.12.52 SX955 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF MANBY
620 16.1.53 RE221 LANCASTER G.R.III 22 M.U. SILLOTH.
621 22.1.53 RF426 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
622 22.1.53 RE 395 LINCOLN B.MK.2. 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
623 27.1.53 RF364 LINCOLN B.MK.2 10 M.U. HULLAVINGTON
624 24.2.53 RF523 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
625 25.2.53 RF 525 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
626 7.3.53 SX938 LINCON B.MK.2 R.A.F. MANBY.
627 9.4.53 RE 115 LANCASTER G.R.III 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
628 10.4.53 RF 483 LINCOLN B.MK.2 5 M.U. KEMBLE.
629 13.4.53 MW179* YORK C.MK.I. RAF BOSCOMBE DOWN
630 16.4.53 RF 517 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 MU ASTON DOWN
631 28.4.53 MW132* YORK C.MK.I RAF ABINGDON
632 2.5.53 (LV-ZEI) (RE350) B-003 2. LINCOLNIAN Cruz del Sud ARGENTINE
633 8.5.53 RF505 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
634 18.5.53 RF521 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 .M.U. ASTON DOWN
635 6.7.53 RF476 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U WROUGHTON
636 9.7.53 SW 365 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
637 23.7.53 SW 283 LANCASTER G.R.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
638 23.7.53 RF 396 LINCOLN B.MK.2 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
639 25.8.53 RE 371 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
640 23.9.53 RF465 LINCOLN B.MK.2 45 M.U. KINLOSS
641 8.10.53 RF501 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
642 6.11.53 RF 558 LINCOLN B.MK.2 45 M.U. KINLOSS
643 19.11.53 WS 722 METEOR N.F.14. RAF. BITTESWELL.
644 27.11.53 WS718 METEOR N.F.12. RAF BITTESWELL.
645 12.11.53 FCL-01 (RT693) LANCASTER MK VII ORLY PARIS
646 29.12.53 WS717 METEOR N.F.12. 8 M.U. LITTLE RISSINGTON
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647 29.12.53 WS718 METEOR N.F.12 RAF. LITTLE RISSINGTON
648 29.12.53 WS721 METEOR N.F.12 RAF. LITTLE RISSINGTON
649 29.12.53 WS 720 METEOR N.F.12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
650 8.1.54 FCL-02 (NX738) LANCASTER MK.VII ORLY PARIS
651 11.1.54 RF290 LANCASTER G.R.III 38 M.U. LLANDOW
652 11.1.54 WS723 METEOR N.F.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
653 11.1.54 WS730 METEOR N.F.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
654 11.1.54 WS 694 METEOR N.F.12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
655 11.1.54 WS 698 METEOR N.F.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
656 11.1.54 WS 613 METEOR N.F.12 15 MU WROUGHTON
657 11.1.54 WS 716 METEOR N.F.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
658 11.1.54 WS 695 METEOR N.F.12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
659 11.1.54 WS 697 METEOR N.F.12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
660 14.1.54 WS 612 METEOR M.F.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
661 14.1.54 WS 736 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
662 19.1.54 WS 622 METEOR NF 12 R.A.F. LITTLE RISSINGTON.
663 19.1.54 WS 728 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON.
664 19.1.54 WS 728 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
665 19.1.54 WS 733 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON.
666 19.1.54 WS 734 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON.
667 19.1.54 WD 123 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF BOSCOME DOWN
668 27.1.54 WS 724 METEOR NF.14. RAF MANBY
669 27.1.54 RE 186 LANCASTER G.R.III RAF ST. MAWGAN
670 26.1.54 FCL-03 (RT 689) LANCASTER MK.VII ORLY PARIS
671 5.2.54 WS 727 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U, WROUGHTON
672 5.2.54 WS 725 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
673 5.2.54 WS 602 METEOR NF.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
674 22.2.54 WS 696 METEOR NF.12. RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
675 22.2.54 WS 729 METEOR NF 14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
676 22.2.54 WS 732 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
677 22.2.54 WS 737 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
678 22.2.54 WS 741 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
679 22.2.54 WS 746 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
680 22.2.54 WS 738 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
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681 22.2.54 WS 740 METEOR N.F.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
682 22.2.54 WS 743 METEOR N.F.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
683 22.2.54 WS 739 METEOR N.F.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
684 22.2.54 WS 744 METEOR N.F.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
685 22.2.54 WS 752 METEOR N.F.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
686 22.2.54 WS 699 METEOR N.F.12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
687 22.2.54 WS 608 METEOR N.F.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
688 22.2.54 WS 678 METEOR N.F.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
689 22.2.54 WS 600 METEOR N.F.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
690 22.2.54 WS 748 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
691 22.2.54 WS 750 METEOR N.F.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
692 24.2.54 WS 680 METEOR NF-12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
693 5.3.54 WS 591 METEOR NF-12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
694 5.3.54 WS 598 METEOR NF-12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
695 5.3.54 WS 700 METEOR NF-12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
696 5.3.54 WS 604 METEOR NF-12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
697 5.3.54 WS 753 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
698 5.3.54 WS 751 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
699 5.3.54 WS 795 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
700 5.3.54 WS 749 METEOR NF 14 15 MU WROUGHTON
701 8.3.54 WS 603 METEOR NF.12 15 MU WROUGHTON
702 8.3.54 WS 758 METEOR NF.14 15 MU WROUGHTON
703 8.3.54 WS 754 METEOR NF.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
704 8.3.54 WS 755 METEOR NF.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
705 17.3.54 RF 568 LINCOLN B.MK.2. 38 MU LLANDOW
706 17.3.54 FCL-04 (RT673) LANCASTER MK.VII ORLY PARIS
707 17.3.54 WS 735 METEOR NF.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
708 17.3.54 WS 774 METEOR NF.14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
709 23.3.54 WS 756 METEOR NF.14 15 MU WROUGHTON
710 23.3.54 WS 760 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
711 25.3.54 WS 747 METEOR NF.14 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
712 25.3.54 WS 742 METEOR NF.14 R.A.F LITTLE RISSINGTON
713 26.3.54 WS 610 METEOR NF 12 15 MU WROUGHTON
714 26.3.54 WS 759 METEOR NF 14 15 MU WROUGHTON
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715 26.3.54 WS 593 METEOR NF.12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
716 30.3.54 WS 757 METEOR NF 14 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
717 31.3.54 WS 605 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
718 31.3.54 WS 592 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
719 31.3.54 WS 636 METEOR NF 12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
720 31.3.54 WS 667 METEOR NF 12 15 MU WROUGHTON
721 31.3.54 WS 688 METEOR NF 12 12 M.U. WROUGHTON
722 6.4.54 WS 627 METEOR NF 12 15 R.A.F. LITTLE RISSINGTON
723 6.4.54 WS 639 METEOR NF 12 M.U. WROUGHTON
724 6.4.54 WS 688 METEOR NF 12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
725 9.4.54 WS 675 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
726 8.4.54 WS 674 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
727 9.4.54 WS 662 METEOR NF 12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
728 21.4.54 WS 629 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
729 21.4.54 WS 665 METEOR NF 12 15 MU WROUGHTON
730 21.4.54 WS 681 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
731 29.4.54 WS 686 METEOR NF.12 15 MU WROUGHTON
732 29.4.54 WS 673 METEOR NF 12 15 M.U. WROUGHTON
733 29.4.54 WS 672 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
734 30.4.54 WS 599 METEOR NF 12 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
735 30.4.54 FCL-05 LANCASTER MK,VII ORLY PARIS
736 6.5.54 WS 690 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
737 10.5.54 RA 675 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
738 6.5.54 WS 691 METEOR NF.12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
739 11.5.54 WD 143 LINCOLN B.MK.2 38 M.U. LLANDOW
740 6.5.54 WS 601 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
741 11.5.54 WS 609 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
742 11.5.54 WS 607 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
743 11.5.54 WS 670 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
744 11.5.54 WS 679 METEOR NF 12 38 MU. LLANDOW
745 18.5.54 WS 684 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
746 18.5.54 WS 623 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
747 18.5.54 WS 625 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
748 18.5.54 WS 611 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
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749 18.5.54 WS 676 METEOR NF.12. 38 MU. LLANDOW
750 21.5.54 WS 692 METEOR NF.12. 38 MU LLANDOW
751 27.5.54 WS 685 METEOR NF.12. 38 MU LLANDOW
752 27.5.54 WS 606 METEOR NF.12. 38 M.U. LLANDOW
753 27.5.54 WS 666 METEOR NF.12. 38 MU LLANDOW
754 27.5.54 WS 633 METEOR NF.12. 38 MU LLANDOW
755 27.5.54 WS 615 METEOR NF.12. 38 MU. LLANDOW
756 28.5.54 WS 632 METEOR NF.12. 38 M.U. LLANDOW
757 1.6.54 WS 637 METEOR NF.12. 38 M.U. LLANDOW
758 4.6.54 WD 148 LINCOLN B.MK.2 45 M.U. KINLOSS
759 4.6.54 WS 596 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
760 4.6.54 WS 682 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
761 4.6.54 WS 597 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
762 4.6.54 WS 619 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
763 17.6.54 WS 683 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
764 17.6.54 WS 614 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
765 23.6.54 WS 616 METEOR NF 12 38 MU. LLANDOW
766 25.6.54 WS 621 METEOR NF 12 38 MU. LLANDOW
767 25.6.54 WS 628 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
768 25.6.54 WS 687 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
769 29.6.54 WS 638 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
770 29.6.54 WS 590 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
771 29.6.54 WS 617 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
772 29.6.54 WS 624 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
773 2.7.54 WS 630 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
774 2.7.54 WS 620 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
775 2.7.54 WS 626 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
776 2.7.54 WS 663 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
777 2.7.54 WS 693 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
778 2.7.54 WS 631 METOER NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
779 5.7.54 WS 661 METOER NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
780 5.7.54 WE 857 METEOR F:8 RAF CHURCH FENTON
781 12.7.54 WF 689 METEOR F:8 RAF WATERBEACH
782 12.7.54 WS 671 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW.
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783 12.7.54 WS 689 METEOR NF.12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
784 12.7.54 WS 715 METEOR NF.12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
785 12.7.54 WS 595 METEOR NF.12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
786 21.7.54 WS 669 METEOR NF.12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
787 21.7.54 WS 618 METEOR NF.12 38 MU LLANDOW
788 21.7.54 WS 660 METEOR NF.12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
789 22.7.54 RF 322 LANCASTER G.R.III S. OF M.R. ST. MAWGAN
790 22.7.54 METEOR N.F.12 38 MU LLANDOW
791 22.7.54 WS 634 METEOR N.F. 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
792 22.7.54 WS 664 METEOR N.F. 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
793 22.7.54 WS 659 METEOR N.F 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
[Circled] 793A [circled] 23.7.54 RE417 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
←Re-number from here on.
794 23.7.54 WF 703 METEOR F.8. RAF NORTH WEALD.
795 13.8.54 WA 763 METEOR F.8. RAF NORTH WEALD
796 1.9.54 VZ 544 METEOR F.8. R.A.F. HORSHAM.
797 6.9.54 WS 677 METEOR NF 12 38 MU LLANDOW
798 6.9.54 WS 658 METEOR NF 12 38 M.U. LLANDOW
799 9.9.54 WA 727 METEOR T.7.RAF. LITTLE RISSINGTON
800 17.9.54 WH 192 METEOR T.7. RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
801 21.9.54 WF 651 METEOR F.8. R.A.F. HORSHAM
802 7.10.54 VZ 444 METEOR F.8. RAF BIGGIN HILL
803 11.10.54 WS 731 METEOR NF.14. 15 MU WROUGHTON
804 12.10.54 WH 118 METEOR T.7. R.A.F. DRIFFIELD
805 14.10.54 VZ 635 METEOR T.7. R.A.F. WESTON ZOYLAND
806 21.10.54 WF 649 METEOR F.8. RAF HOOTON PARK.
807 30.10.54 VW428 METEOR T.7. RAF BIGGIN HILL
808 3.11.54 WA906 METEOR F.8. RAF CHURCH FENTON
809 3.11.54 WG938 METEOR T.7 RAF NORTH WEALD
810 22.11.54 WA733 METEOR T.7 RAF WEST MALLING
811 24.11.54 VZ559 METEOR F.8. RAF HORSHAM
812 25.11.54 WA855 METEOR F.8. RAF BIGGIN HILL
813 3.12.54 WE 975 METEOR F.8. RAF BIGGIN HILL
814 3.12.54 WL460 METEOR T.7 RAF DRIFFIELD
815 6.12.54 WH453 METEOR F,8, RAF CHURCH FENTON
816 6.12.54 WH122 METEOR T.7. RAF WESTON ZOYLAND
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817 17.12 54 WB105 METEOR F.8 RAF CHURCH FENTON
818 23.12.54 WA698 METEOR F.8 RAF DRIFFIELD
819 31.12.54 WA844 METEOR F.8 RAF HOOTON PARK
820 3.1.55 WH121 METEOR T.7. RAF DRIFFIELD
821 3.1.55 WA766 METEOR F.8. RAF BIGGIN HILL
822 11.1.55 VW459 METEOR T.7. RAF DRIFFIELD
823 1.2.55 VZ524 METEOR F.8. RAF. HORSHAM
824 1.2.55 WH170 T.7. RAF. DRIFFIELD
825 9.2.55 WA986 METEOR F.8. RAF LECONFIELD
826 11.2.55 WA 670 METEOR T.7. RAF NORTH WEALD
827 16.2.55 WB 826 SHACKLETON M.R.1A. 38 M.U. LLANDOW
828 16.2.55 WF794 METEOR T.7 RAF WORKSOP
829 28.2.55 VZ545 METEOR F.8. RAF WEST MALLING
830 1.3.55 WL 339 METEOR T.7. RAF WORKSOP
831 9.3.55 WL453 METOER T.7 RAF WORKSOP
832 10.3.55 RF395 LINCOLN B.MK.2. FLIGHT REFUELLING-TARRANT RUSHTON
833 25.3.55 WE 863 METEOR F.8. RAF. TANGMERE
834 18.3.55 WE878 METEOR F.8. RAF. WATERBEACH
835 4.3.55 WE853 METEOR F.8. RAF BIGGIN HILL
836 28.3.55 WH112 METEOR T.7 RAF WESTON ZOYLAND
837 28.3.55 WH164 METEOR T.7 RAF WESTON ZOYLAND
838 31.3.55 VZ452 METEOR F.8. RAF TANGMERE
839 31.3.55 VZ514 METEOR F.8. RAF TANGMERE
840 6.4.55 WG 999 METEOR T.7. RAF DRIFFIELD
841 6.4.55 WF881 METEOR T.7. RAF DRIFFIELD
842 7.4.55 WK911 METEOR F.8. RAF TANGMERE
843 13.4.55 WA794 METEOR F.8. RAF CHURCH FENTON
844 21.4.55 WA 625 METEOR T.7. RAF WORKSOP
845 25.4.55 WL 344 METOER T.7. RAF WORKSOP
846 4.5.55 WE921 METEOR F.8. RAF BOVINGDON
847 9.5.55 WA737 METEOR T.7. RAF MANBY
848 18.5.55 VZ458 METEOR F.8. RAF TANGMERE
849 27.5.55 WK736 METEOR F.8. RAF CHURCH FENTON
850 27.5.55 RE366 LINCOLN B.MK.2. F.R. TARRANT RUSHTON
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851 Renumbers from here:
[Deleted] 850 [/deleted] 3.6.55 WG946 METEOR T.7 RAF. NORTH LUFFENHAM
85 [deleted] 1 [/deleted] 2 10.6.55 WK 985 METEOR F.8. RAF. ACKLINGTON
852 13.6.55 WH 315 METEOR F.8. RAF. ACKLINGTON
853 21.6.55 WA 991 METEOR F.8. RAF NEWTON
854 23.6.55 WF 768 METEOR T-7 RAF. NORTH LUFFENHAM
855 30.6.55 WK 799 METEOR F.8. RAF NORTH LUFFENHAM
856 5.7.55 WA 664 METEOR T.7 RAF. WORKSOP
857 6.7.55 WA 969 METEOR F.8 RAF. CHURCH FENTON
858 7.7.55 WA 903 METEOR F.8 RAF. WATERBEACH
859 7.7.55 WE 743 METEOR F.8 RAF. CHURCH FENTON
860 11.7.55 VZ 521 METEOR F.8 RAF WEST MALLING
861 19.7.55 WL 785 SJACKLETON M.R.2 LUQA MALTA
862 21.7.55 WH 542 METEOR F.R.9 WAHN GERMANY
863 11.8.55 WH 129 METWOR T-7 RAF WORKSOP
864 16.8.55 WL 481 METEOR T-7 RAF MANBY.
865 19.8.55 WK 921 METEOR F.8 RAF NORTH LUFFENHAM
866 22.8.55 WA929 METEOR F.8 RAF HONILY.
867 24.8.55 WA837 METEOR F.8 RAF HONILY.
868 26.8.55 WK 663 METEOR F.8 RAF LECONFIELD.
869 1.9.55 WK 664 MEETEOR F.8 RAF LECONFIELD
870 9.9.55 W [deleted E [/deleted] A 852 METEOR F.8 RAF LECONFIELD
871 20.9.55 WH 119 METEOR T.7. RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
872 22.9.55 WA 931 METEOR F.8 RAF STRADISHALL
873 22.9.55 WH 273 METEOR F.8 RAF STRADISHALL
874 23.9.55 WH 402 METEOR F.8. RAF STRADISHALL.
875 27.9.55 WK666 METEOR F.8. RAF STRADISHALL.
876 4.10.55 WH305 METEOR F.8 RAF STRADISHALL.
877 8.10.55 WH500 METEOR F.8. RAF WYMESWOLD.
878 11.10.55 VZ 606 METEOR F.R.9 RAF HIGH ERCAL.
[sic] 880 17.10.55 RF564 LINCOLN B.MK.2. C.S.A. BOSCOMBE DOWN
881 17.10.55 WL 796 SHACKLETON M.R.2. LUQA MALTA.
882 21.10.55 WH421 METEOR F.8 RAF HOOTON PARK.
883 28.10.55 WK892 METEOR F.8 RAF STRADISHALL
884 2.11.55 VZ 496 METEOR F.8. RAF DRIFFIELD
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885 14.11.55 VZ467 METEOR F.8 RAF CHIVENER
886 14.11.55 WE925 METEOR F.8 RAF CHIVENER
887 18.11.55 WK753 METEOR F.8 RAF ACKLINGTON
888 12.12.55 WA741 METEOR T.7. RAF MANBY
889 13.12.55 WG968 METEOR T.7. RAF MANBY.
890 15.12.55 VW 482 METEOR T.7. NICOSIA CYPRUS.
891 16.12.55 VZ 505 METEOR F.8. RAF BIGGIN HILL
892 16.12.55 WA815 METEOR F.8. RAF CHURCH FENTON
893 3.1.56 WF 851 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
894 12.1.56 WF 769 METEOR T.7 RAF LINTON-ON-OUSE
895 12.1.56 WF 778 METEOR T.7 RAF RINGWAY
896 17.1.56 WG 979 METEOR T.7 RAF DUXFORD
897 19.1.56 WL 371 METEOR T.7 RAF MANBY
898 19.1.56 WG 981 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
899 6.2.56 VP254 SHACKLETON M.R.1. (1st Prod) CSA. BOSCOMBE DOWN
900 6.2.56 WA 663 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
901 6.2.56 WH172 METEOR T.7. RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
902 6.2.56 WA658 METEOR T.7. RAF LECONFIELD
903 13.2.56 WN 316 METEOR T.7. RAF MANBY
904 13.2.56 WH 201 METOER T.7. RAF MANBY
905 13.2.56 WL 361 METEOR T.7 RAF MANBY
906 24.2.56 VZ 640 METEOR T.7. RAF LECONFIELD
907 28.2.56 WA 671 METEOR T.7. RAF LINTON-ON-OUSE.
908 1.3.56 VW477 METEOR T.7. RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
909 2.3.56 WH 178 METEOR T.7. RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
910 8.3.56 WA 688 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
911 8.3.56 WA 742 METEOR T.7. RAF WATTISHAM
912 15.3.56 WH 187 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
913 21.3.56 WG 993 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
914 26.3.56 WH 219 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
915 28.3.56 WL 798 SHACKLETON M.R.2 LUQA MALTA
916 4.4.56 WA 740 METEOR T.7. RAF WEST RAYNHAM.
917 5.4.56 WH 184 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
918 16.4.56 VW 421 METEOR T.7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON.
[Page break]
(28)
919 24.4.56 RF505 LINCOLN B.MK.2 RAF DEFFORD
920 26.4.56 VW426 METEOR T-7 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
921 26.4.56 WL413 METEOR T-7 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
922 1.5.56 VP254 SHACKLETON M.R.1 (1st Prod) CRD WOODFORD
923 2.5.56 SX930 LINCOLN B.MK.2. CRD WEST FREUGH
924 3.5.56 WL 345 METEOR T-7 RAF WEST RAYNHAM
925 10.5.56 WF 791 METEOR T-7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
926 10.5.56 WA 601 METEOR T-7 RAF CHURCH FENTON
927 14.5.56 VW 457 METEOR T-7 RAF FILTON
928 16.5.56 WL 460 METEOR T-7 RAF LITTLE RISSINGTON
929 8.6.56 VW 415 METEOR T-7 38 M.U LLANDOW
930 12.6.56 WA602 METEOR T-7 RAF PEMBREY.
931 12.6.56 WF795 METEOR T-7 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE.
932 4.7.56 WA669 METEOR T-7 12 MU KIRKBRIDE
933 4.7.56 WA 597 METEOR T-7 12 MU KIRKBRIDE
934 4.7.56 WF 847 METEOR T-7 38 M.U. LLANDOW
935 19.7.56 WA 672 METEOR T-7 RAF CHURCH FENTON
936 6.7.56 VW 451 METEOR T-7 38 M.U. LLANDOW
937 25.7.56 WG 949 METEOR T-7 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
938 26.7.56 WA 591 METEOR T-7 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
939 30.8.56 WL 403 METEOR T-7 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
940 4.9.56 WH 182 METEOR T-7 12 MU KIRKBRIDE
941 13.9.56 VW 480 METEOR T-7 20 MU ASTON DOWN
942 13.9.56 WH 175 METEOR T-7 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
943 26.9.56 WL 358 METEOR T-7 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
944 3.10.56 WH 191 METEOR T-7 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
945 8.10.56 WH 166 METEOR T-7 12 MU. KIRKBRIDE
946 6.11.56 WL 800 SHACKLETON M.R.2 LUQA MALTA
947 14.11.56 WG985 METEOR T.7. 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN
948 14.11.56 WA 657 METEOR T.7. 12 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
949 13.12.56 WA 598 METEOR T.7. 15 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
950 3.1.57 WA 661 METEOR T.7. 15 M.U. KIRKBRIDE
951 3.1.57 WF 853 METEOR T.7. 15 MU KIRKBRIDE.
952 10.1.57 VP258 SHACKLETON M.R.1. CSA BOSCOMBE DOWN
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(29)
953 18.2.57 WR954 SHACKLETON M.R.2 RAF LUQA MALTA
954 13.6.57 WB819 SHACKLETON [deleted] MR.1A [/deleted] T.4 Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE.
955 20.6.57 VP 259 SHACKLETON M.R.1. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE.
956 5.7.57 WR973 SHACKLETON M.R.3. C.S.A. BOSCOMBE DOWN
957 1.8.57 WB837 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE.
958 9.8.57 VX770 AVRO VULCAN (1st Proto) ROLLS ROYCE HUCKNALL.
959 9.8.57 WL 787 SHACKLETON M.R.2. RAF LUQA MALTA
960 7.8.57 WG511 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
961 28.10.57 WB831 SHACKLETON T.4. Conversion 23 MU ALDERGROVE
962 4.11.57 RF564 LINCOLN B.MK.2. 10 MU HULLAVINGTON
963 19.11.57 WL787 SHACKLETON M.R.2 RAF LUQA MALTA
964 26.11.57 WG527 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
965 3.12.57 WB 844 SHACKLETON T.4 Conversion 23 MU ALDERGROVE
966 27.1.58 XA903 VULCAN B.MK 1. CRD WOODFORD
967 13.2.58 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
968 21.2.58 WB 833 SHACKLETON MR2 (Prototype) CSA BOSCOMBE DOWN
969 6.3.58 VP254 SHACKLETON M.R.1. (1st Prod) 23 MU ALDERGROVE
970 11.3.58 WB 832 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
971 3.4.58 VP293 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
972 8.5.58 WB827 SHACKLETON M.R.1A. 23 MU ALDERGROVE
973 22.5.58 XA901 VILCAN B.MK.1. RAF WADDINGTON
974 9.6.58 WB854 SHACKLETON M.R.1A 23 MU ALDERGROVE.
975 20.6.58 XA 891 VULCAN B.MK.1. CRD WOODFORD
976 18.7.58 WB836 SHACKELTON MR.1A. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
977 30.7.58 WG525 SHACKLETON T.4 Conversion 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
978 1.9.58 WR972 SHCACKLETON M.R.3. CSA BOSCOMBE DOWN
979 8.9.58 VP291 SHACKLETON MR.1. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
980 12.9.58 VP258 SHACKLETON M.R.1. CSA BOSCOMBE DOWN
[Deleted] 981 23.7.54 SEE 793A RE417 LINCOLN B.MK.2 20 M.U. ASTON DOWN [/deleted] Re-number from here
982 3.10.58 WB825 SHACKLETON M.R.1A. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
983 7.11.58 WB818 SHACKLETON M.R.1A. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
984 20.10.58 WB829 SHACKLETON M.R.1A. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
985 21.11.58 VP288 SHACKLETON MR.1. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
986 22.12.58 VP 292 SHACKLETON MR.1. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE
[Page break]
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987 28.1.59 WB834 SHACKLETON M.R.1A. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE.
988 10.2.59 WL755 SHACKLETON MR.2. MALTA * 1ST 1 RECON
989 11.2.59 WB821 SHACKLETON MR.1A. 23 M.U. ALDERGROVE.
990 11.3.59 WG554 SHACKLETON M.R.2 GIBRALTAR.
991 17.3.59 WG 526 SHACKLETON M.R.1A ALDERGROVE.
992 6.4.59 WG555 SHACKLETON M.R.2 RAF BALLYKELLY.
993 24.4.59 WL 786 SHACKLETON M.R.2 MALTA.
994 5.5.59 WR 952 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST. MAWGAN.
995 28.5.59 WL 801 SHACKLETON M.R.2 MALTA.
996 5.6.59 WL785 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST. MAWGAN.
987 21.7.59 WL 793 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY.
998 22.7.59 VP293 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion BOSCOMBE DOWN
999 23.7.59 WL745 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY.
1000 28.8.59 WG558 SHACKLETON M R.2. ST. MAWGAN.
1001 8.9.59 WL800 SHACKLETON M R.2. ST. MAWGAN.
1002 22.9.59 WB833 SHACKLETON MR2 BOSCOMBE DOWN. C.S.A.
1003 2.10.59 WL 747 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY.
1004 9.10.59 WL 788 SHACKLETON M.R.2 MALTA (VIA ST MAWGAN)
1005 10.11.59 WL 758 SHACKLETON M.R.2 MALTA VIA ST. MAWGAN
1006 29.10.59 WL 757 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY
1007 4.12.59 WL 741 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST MAWGAN
1008 15.12.59 WR 951 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY
1009 15.1.60 WL751 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY.
1010 20.1.60 WR957 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY.
1011 22.2.60 WR 963 SHACKLETON M.R.2 BALLYKELLY.
1012 29.2.60 WG 533 SHACKLETON M.R.2 MALTA (VIA ST MAWGAN)
1013 22.3.60 WL 738 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ADEN (VIA ST. MAWGAN)
1014 23.3.60 WR 972 SHACKLETON M.R.3. BOSCOMBE C.S.R.
1015 31.3.60 WR 965 SHACKLETON MR. 2 GIBRALTAR
1016 14.4.60 WL 750 SHACKLETON MR.2 GIBRALTAR.
1017 29.4.60 WL 742 SHACKLETON MR.2 GIBRALTAR
1018 23.5.60 WL 752 SHACKLETON MR.2 ADEN H.Q.B.F.A.P.
1019 31.5.60 WL 753 SHACKLETON MR.2 ADEN
1020 23.6.60 WR 954 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY.
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1021 12.7.60 WG 556 SHACKLETON M.R.2 GIBRALTAR
1022 29.7.60 WR 959 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ADEN. VIA ST. MAWGAN.
1023 4.8.60 WR 960 SHACKLETON M.R.2 COLERNE.
1024 15.9.60 WR 754 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1025 27.9.60 WB 854 SHACKLETON MR. 1A. SINGAPORE VIA ST. MAWGAN
1026 7.10.60 WL 737 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST. MAWGAN. (42 SQN)
1027 27.10.60 WR 958 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST. MAWGAN. (42 SQN)
1028 15.11.60 WR955 SHACKLETON M.R.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1029 10.12.60 VP 291 SHACKLETON MR 1. SINGAPORE.
1030 12.12.60 WL 795 SHACKLETON MR. 2. MALTA.
1031 19.12.60 WG525 SHACKLETON MR 1A. SINGAPORE.
1032 10.1.61 WL748 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY.
1033 31.1.61 WR972 SHACKLETON MR.3. BOSCOMBE DOWN.
1034 3.2.61 WL787 SHACKLETON MR 1 BALLYKELLY (210 SQN)
1035 22.2.61 WL 791 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1036 2.3.61 NG 554 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1037 10.2.61 WL 740 SHACKLETON MR 2 MALTA.
1038 6.4.61 WR 956 SHACKLETON MR 2 MALTA.
1039 18.4.61 WL 739 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1040 3.5.61 WL 798 SHACKLETON MR 2 MALTA.
1041 24.5.61 WR 961 SHACKLETON MR 2 MALTA.
1042 2.6.61 WR969 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1043 27.6.61 WR967 SHACKLETON MR 2 MALTA.
1044 1.8.61 WG532 SHACKLETON MR 2 GIBRALTAR.
1045 30.8.61 WL 755 SHACKLETON MR 2 GIBRALTAR.
1046 4.8.61 WG558 SHACKLETON MR 2 BOSCOMBE DOWN.
1047 14.9.61 VP 255 SHACKLETON MR 1. BOSCOMBE DOWN.
1048 20.9.61 WB826. SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion KINLOSS.
1049 29.9.61 WB 849 SHACKLETON T.4. Conversion KINLOSS
*1049A 18.10.61 WR953 SHACKLETON MR.2 BOSCOMBE. MOD 988. ← Renum from h
1050 27.10.61 WL 747 SHACKLETON MR.2. ADEN.
1051 3.11.61 WB 820 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion KINLOSS.
1052 27.11.61 WB822 SHACKLETON T.4 Conversion KINLOSS
1053 28.12.61 WL758 SHACKLETON MR.2. MALTA.
1054 30.1.62 WB 845 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion KINLOSS
[Page break]
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1055 1-2-62 WL789 SHACKLETON MR.2. GIBRALTAR.
1056 1-2-62 WL 744 SHACKLETON MR.2. ADEN.
1057 27.2.62 WL 793 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY.
1058 7.3.62. WR 962 SHACKLETON MR.2. ADEN
1059 8.3.62 [deleted] [underlined] ANSON [/underlined] [/deleted] VM 394 ANSON C.MK 19. Sr2. BOVINGDON.
1060 21.3.62. WL 786 SHACKLETON M.R.2. CHANGI (FEAF.)
1061 28.3.62. WL 751 SHACKLETON M.R.2. BALLYKELLY.
1062 17.4.62 [deleted] [underlined] ANSON [/underlined] [/deleted] TX 229 ANSON C.MK 19. Sr1. BOVINGDON
1063 4.5.62 WL756 SHACKLETON MR.2. CHANGI F.E.A.F.
1064 8.5.62 WG 553 SHACKLETON MR.2. CHANGI F.E.A.F.
1065 11.5.62 [deleted] [underlined] ANSON [/underlined] [/deleted] VP519 ANSON C.MK 19. Sr2. BOVINGDON.
1066 18.5.62 XF701 SHACKLETON MR.3. BOSCOMBE DOWN SHACK 3. C.S.A.
1067 23.5.62 [deleted] [underlined] ANSON [/underlined] [/deleted] VM 394 ANSON C.MK 19. Sr2. BOVINGDON.
1068 29.5.62 WL 790 SHACKLETON MR 2 H.Q. F.E.A.F.
1069 29.5.62. WL 762 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1070 14.6.62 [deleted] [underlined] ANSON [/underlined] [/deleted] VM 324 ANSON C.MK 19. Sr2. WYTON.
1071 22.6.62 WL 750 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY.
1072 27.6.62 WR954 SHACKLETON MR.2. CHANGI F.E.A.F.
1073 24.7.62 WB858 [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Conversion BOSCOMBE A.R.A.E.E.
1074 1.8.62 WG 530 SHACKLETON MR.2. CHANGI F.E.A.F.
1075 17.8.62 WG 558 SHACKELTON MR.2. BALLYKELLY.
1076 29.8.62 XF 701 SHACKLETON MK.3 BOSCOMBE DOWN
1077 3.10.62 WB 819 [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. Phase II Conversion KINLOSS.
1078 19.9.62 [deleted] C.S.A. [/deleted] WG556 SHACKLETON MR.2 LANGAR C.S.A. PHASE 3
1079 17.10.62 [deleted] C.S.A. [/deleted] WR 960 SHACKLETON MR.2. LANGAR C.S.A. PHASE 3
1080 18.10.61 WR953 SHACKELTON MR.2. BOSCOMBE C.S.A.
1081 28.1.63 [deleted] MK3 [/deleted] WR 979 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN.
1082 30.1.63 WL 759 SHACKLETON M.R.2. LANGAR C.S.A.
1083 8.2.63 [deleted] C.S.A. [/deleted] WL 737 SHACKLETON M.R.2. WOODFORD C.S.A.
1084 18.2.63 VP 293 SHACKLETON [deleted] M.R.1A [/deleted] T.4. ALDERGROVE.
1085 12.3.63 WR 980 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN.
1086 8.4.63 WR 953 SHACKLETON MR.2 GIBRALTAR 224 SQDN.
1087 9.4.63 WR 977 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN
1088 3.5.63 VP258 SHCAKLETON MR 1. ALDERGROVE 23 M.U.
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1089 13.5.63. WR983 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN
[Deleted] √ +2 [/deleted]
1090 22.5.63 WL 759 SHACKLETON MR.2 BOSCOMBE DOWN
1091 17.6.63 WR 978 SHACKLETON MR.3 ST. MAWGAN.
1092 2.7.63 XF 707 SHACKLETON MR.3 ST. MAWGAN
1093 9.7.63 WR 976 SHACKLETON MR.3 BOSCOMBE PROP T.I. CSA
1094 8.8.63 XF 708 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS
1095 18.9.63 WR 986 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS
1096 11.10.63 WR 959 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY
1097 16.10.63 XF 709 SHACKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS
1098 6.11.63 XF 710 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS.
1099 13.12.63 XF 730 SHACKLETON MR.2. KINLOSS
1100 19.2.64 WR953 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1101 20.2.64 WL797 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST MAWGAN.
Renumber from → here
110 [deleted] 3 [/deleted] 2 14.4.64 WR982 SHACKLETON MR.3 BOSCOMBE C.S.A.
110 [deleted] 4 [/deleted]3 6.7.64 XF 702 SHACKLETON MR.3 FARNBOROUGH. C.S.A.
1105 7.9.64 WR 974 SHACKLETON MR.3. BOSCOMBE DOWN C.S.A.
1106 23.11.64 [deleted] PHASE 3 [/deleted] XF 702 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST.MAWGAN (Phase 3)
1107 3.12.64 [deleted] PHASE 3 [/deleted] XF 703 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST.MAWGAN (Phase 3)
1108 26.1.65 [deleted] PHASE 3 [/deleted] XF 702 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST.MAWGAN (Phase 3)
1109 29.1.65. WR 973 [deleted] PHASE 3 & VIP [/deleted] XF 702 SHACKLETON MR.3. WOODFORD (Phase 3 & V.I.P.)
1110 2.2.65 WR 985 [deleted] PHASE 3 [/deleted] XF 702 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST.MAWGAN (Phase 3)
1111 2.2.65 XF 703 SHACKLETON MR.3. RE-DELIVERED – ST MAWGAN
1112 16.3.65 XF 700 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN.
1113 1-4-65 WR 976 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST MAWGAN.
1114 23.4.65 WR971 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN.
1115 7.5.65 XF 704 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST MAWGAN.
1116 28.5.65 WR990 SHACKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS
1117 21.6.65 WR974 SHACKLETON MR.3. BOSCOMBE (TROPICAL TRIALS)
1118 24.6.65 WR989 SHCAKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS
1119 13.7.65 WR981 SHACKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS.
1120 23.7.65 WB 831 SHACKLETON MR.1A. T.4. ST. MAWGAN.
1121 6.9.65 WR984 SHACKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS.
1122 14.9.65 WG556 SHACKLETON MR 2 BOSCOMBE DOWN.
1122 [deleted] 5 [/deleted] 2 24.9.65 WB847 SHACKLETON MR 1A ST MAWGAN
[Page break]
(34)
1124 5.10.65 WR979 SHACKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS.
1125 29.10.65 WR983 SHACKELTON MR.3. KINLOSS.
1126 12.11.65 WR982 SHACKLETON MR.3. KINLOSS
1127 26.11.65 WR978 SHACKLETON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN.
1128 23.12.65 XF 706 SHACKELTON MR.3. ST. MAWGAN.
1129 15.12.65 WR 960 SHACKLETON MR.2. BOSCOMBE. D.
1130 3.1.66 XF 707 SHACKLETON MR.3 ST. MAWGAN.
1131 9.3.66 XF 705 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS.
1132 30.3.66 WR980 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS
1133 26.4.66 XF 701 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS
1134 3.5.66 WR977 SHACKLETON MR.3 ST. MAWGAN.
1135 12.5.66 WG556 SHACKLETON MR.2. FARNBOROUGH.
1136 25.5.66 WR793 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS
1137 27.5.66 XF730 SHACKLETON MR.3 ST. MAWGAN.
1138 27.6.66 WR988 SHACKLETON MR.3 BALLYKELLY
1139 29.7.66 WL801 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY. MK2.P
1140 1.8.66. XF 709 SHACKLETON MR.3 BALLYKELLY.
1141 1.8.66. WR982 SHACKLETON MR.3 KINLOSS.
1142 8.9.66 WL747 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY MK.2.P.
1143 30.9.66 WR990 SHACKLETON MR 3 KINLOSS
1144 30.9.66 WR 986 SHACKLETON MR 3 BALLYKELLY
1145 24.10.66 WR976 SHACKLETON MR 3 KINLOSS.
1146 -/10/66 WB833 SHACKLETON MR 1A. LANGAR T.I.
1147 -/10/66 XF708 SHACKLETON MR.3. LANGAR T.I.
1148 30.11.66 WL738 SHACKLETON MR.2. BALLYKELLY.
1149 16.12.66 WB833 SHACKLETON MR.1A. BALLYKELLY.
1150 20.12.66 WR987 SHACKLETON MR.3. BALLYKELLY.
1151 11.1.67 WL 793 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1152 26.1.67 WL 785 SHACKLETON MR 2 BALLYKELLY.
1153 [deleted] XF 708 [/deleted] 6.2.67 XF 708 SHACKLETON MR 3. BALLYKELLY.
1154 28.2.67 WG555 SHACKLETON MR 2. BALLYKELLY.
1155 10.2.67 WL745 SHACKLETON MR 2. BALLYKELLY.
1156 26.3.67 WR955 SHACKLETON MR 2. BALLYKELLY
1157 5.4.67 WL800 SHACKLETON MR 2. BALLYKELLY
[Page break]
(35)
115 [deleted] 8 [/deleted] 7 6.4.67 WL755 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY.
1159 25.5.67 WL751 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY.
1160 26.5.67 WR965 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY.
1161 2.6.67 WL787 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1162 15.6.67 WR954 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1163 3.7.67 WL748 SHACKLETON MR.2 R.R.E. PERSHORE
1164 17.7.67 WL795 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1165 30.7.67 WR963 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1166 24.8.67 WL786 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1167 4.9.67 WL790 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1168 26.9.67 WL741 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1169 4.10.67 WR961 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST MAWGAN
1170 30.10.67 WL756 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY
1171 17.11.67 WL758 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY.
1172 [deleted] WL739 [/deleted] 4.1.68 WL739 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN (1ST. TRAINER.)
1173 12.1.68 WR956 SHACKLETON MR.2 BALLYKELLY
1174 7.2.68 WR960 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1175 16.2.68 WR952 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1176 26.2.68 WG558 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1177 7.3.68 WL787 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN
1178 5.4.68 WL750 SHACKLETON MR.2 ST. MAWGAN.
1179 24.4.68 WG554 SHACKLETON MR.2 BITTESWELL
1180 26.4.68 WR966 SHACKLETON MR.2
1181 15.5.68 WR964 SHACKLETON MR.2
1182 26.6.68 WR969 SHACKLETON MR.2
1183 15.7.68 WG533 SHACKLETON MR.2
1184 30.8.68 WR967 SHACKLETON MR.2
118 [deleted] 5 [/deleted] 4 4.9.68 WL798 SHACKLETON MR.2
(Last flight from Avro Langar)
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Avro Repair Organisation. Langar
Description
An account of the resource
A history of the Avro repair organisation at RAF Langar and a record of the aircraft that passed through it between 1942 and 1968.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter V Clegg
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Anne-Marie Watson
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
78 typewritten sheets with annotations
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Personal research
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MCleggPV[DoB]-150701-02
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Nottinghamshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
Anson
control tower
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 1
Lancaster Mk 2
Lancaster Mk 3
Lancastrian
Lincoln
Manchester
Meteor
RAF Langar
Shackleton
York
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1343/22237/MTyrieJSB87636-190601-06.2.jpg
ed439163237c2f4de85b0f3353693ca6
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tyrie, Jim
Tyrie, JSB
Description
An account of the resource
34 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Jim Tyrie (1919 - 1993, 87636 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs, correspondence and prisoner of war log as well as a photograph album. He flew operations as a pilot with 77 Squadron before being shot down in April 1941.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Brian Taylor and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-06-01
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Tyrie, JSB
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jim Tyrie Identity Paper
Description
An account of the resource
A certificate issued to Jim Tyrie by the RAF identifying him as a member of the RAF.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
RAF Shawbury
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1963-05-07
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One printed sheet with typed annotations
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Service material
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MTyrieJSB87636-190601-06
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Cyprus
Great Britain
England--Shropshire
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1963
RAF Shawbury
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1697/39260/MPowellNI1896919-191029-310001.2.jpg
d55409437784fb19dbd78d1c0a03126f
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1697/39260/MPowellNI1896919-191029-310002.2.jpg
61fee46fdbad3b08d97da6fb62cdb8cb
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1697/39260/MPowellNI1896919-191029-310003.2.jpg
45d9ac0e39a0fc0e733af686fbc0b9f2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Powell, Norman Ivor
Powell, N I
Description
An account of the resource
262 items. The collection concerns Powell, Norman Ivor (b. 1925, 1896919 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, diary, target photographs, maps, photographs, correspondence, and two photograph albums. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 614 and 104 squadrons in North Africa and Italy. <br /><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2207">Powell, N I. Photograph album one</a><br /><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2209">Powell, N I. Photograph album two</a><br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Brian Powell and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-10-29
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Powell, NI
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Strike hard - the story of 104 (bomber) squadron
Description
An account of the resource
Front cover with photograph of two Wellington airborne in formation. Inside front cover with signatures. The book which covers from formation of squadron in 1917, Second World War and post war history up to 1963.
This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Robert Ginn MBE
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1917
1941
1942-10-23
1942
1943
1944
1947
1963
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Egypt
Egypt--Alamayn
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Printed book
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending text-based transcription
Pending review
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MPowellNI1896919-191029-31
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
104 Squadron
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/976/16154/LManningR52870v1.1.pdf
247348241574f6d9c13acee159d9d84f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Log Book
Description
An account of the resource
The Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Log Book covering the period 15 June 1941 to the 16 August 1963. Manning qualified first as an Air Gunner on the 4 July 1941 and second as a flight engineer on the 1 September 1941. He was commissioned on the 4 July 1943 as a Pilot Officer and promoted to acting Flight Lieutenant in April 1944, and again to acting Squadron Leader in March 1946. He reverted to Flight Lieutenant in April 1947 but was made substantive Squadron Leader in April 1956 in the Engineering Branch. He retired 16 August 1963. There are very few entries relating to his time as a Gunner. Most entries are as Engineer.
He was stationed at RAF Stormy Down; RAF Middleton St George; RAF Linton-on-Ouse; RAF Leeming, RAF Aqir, RAF Fayid, RAF Marston Moor, RAF Snaith, RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Finingley, RAF Scampton, RAF Binbrook, RAF Henlow, RAF Seletar, RAF LLandow, RAF Swaton Morley, and RAF Medmenham. He flew in the following types manly as Engineer ; Arvo Tutor, Armstrong Whitworth Ensign, Handley Page Hannibal, Hawker Hart, Handley Page Heyford, Douglas DC 4 and 5, Handley Page Harrow, Handley Page Halifax, Miles Magister, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Avro Lancaster, Fairey Battle, Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland Mosquito, Avro Lincoln, Handley Page Hastings, Gloster Meteor, Avro Anson, Vickers Valletta, Vickers Wellington, Percival Prentice, Bristol Britannia and Handley Page Victor. He flew with 10 Sqaudron, 462 Squadron, 51 Squadron, and 614 Squadron. He was awarded the DFC. Pilots he flew with were Richards, Sobinski, Lewin, Turnbull, Hacking, Godfrey, Trip, Peterson, Lloyd, Bell, O’Driscoll, Allen, Declerk, Gribben, Gibsons, Wyatt, Clarke, Snow, Hardy, Haydon, McDonald, Murray, Jones, Dennis, Fisher, Connolly, Cheshire, Woolnough, Cat, McIntosh, Pope, Alcock, Smythe, Williams, Freeman, McKnight, Gillchrist, Moore, Faulkner, Carr, Espie, Brown, Price, Wiltshire, Spence, Symmons, Kirk, King, Burgess, Wilson, Pugh, Johnson, Reynolds, Roberts, Ringer, Minnis, Lowe, Everett, Renshaw-Dibb, Mathers, Sullings, Flower, Jarvis, Chopping, Widmer, Yates, Day, Spires, Huggins, Watts, Haycock, Owens, Liversidge, George , Banfield, Hunt, Porter, Goodman, Ayres, Shannon, Laytham, Lord, Rhys and Blundy,
War time operations were to Sharnhorst and Gneisenau, Cologne, St Nazaire, Kiel, Paris, Aysen Fjord, Terpitz, Trondheim, Hamburg, Mannheim, Essen, Osnabruck, Tobruk, Heraklion, Maleme, Lens, Colline Beaumont, Bourg-Leopold, Trappes, Mont-Fleury, Abbeville, Nucourt, Le Harve, Boulogne. Post war destinations were to RAF Netheravon, RAF Hemswell, RAF Scampton, RAF Lindholm, RAF Marnham, RAF St Eval, RAF Aldergrove, RAF Wyton, RAF Stradishall, RAF Binbrook, RAF Bagington, RAF Waddington, RAF Topcliffe, RAF Upwood, Kai Tak, Changi, RAF Pembrey, RAF Llandow, RAF Filton, and RAF Bruggen.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Manning, Reg
Reginald Manning
R Manning
Description
An account of the resource
Six items, concerning Pilot Officer Reg Manning DFC (567647 Royal air Force) including his flying log book and photographs. He served as an air gunner and flight engineer with 10 Squadron, 462 Squadron, 51 Squadron, and 614 Squadron.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Reg Manning.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-06-28
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Manning, R
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Reg Manning's observer's and air gunner's flying log book
Description
An account of the resource
The Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Log Book covering the period 15 June 1941 to the 16 August 1963. Manning qualified first as an Air Gunner on the 4 July 1941 and second as a flight engineer on the 1 September 1941. He was commissioned on the 4 July 1943 as a Pilot Officer and promoted to acting Flight Lieutenant in April 1944, and again to acting Squadron Leader in March 1946. He reverted to Flight Lieutenant in April 1947 but was made substantive Squadron Leader in April 1956 in the Engineering Branch. He retired 16 August 1963. There are very few entries relating to his time as a Gunner. Most entries are as Engineer. He was stationed at RAF Stormy Down; RAF Middleton St George; RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF Leeming, RAF Aqir, RAF Fayid, RAF Marston Moor, RAF Snaith, RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Finningley, RAF Scampton, RAF Binbrook, RAF Henlow, RAF Seletar, RAF LLandow, RAF Swanton Morley, and RAF Medmenham. He flew in the following types manly as Engineer; Avro Tutor, Armstrong Whitworth Ensign, Handley Page Hannibal, Hawker Hart, Handley Page Heyford, Douglas DC 4 and 5, Handley Page Harrow, Handley Page Halifax, Miles Magister, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Avro Lancaster, Fairey Battle, Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland Mosquito, Avro Lincoln, Handley Page Hastings, Gloster Meteor, Avro Anson, Vickers Valletta, Vickers Wellington, Percival Prentice, Bristol Britannia and Handley Page Victor. He flew with 10 Squadron, 462 Squadron, 51 Squadron, and 614 Squadron. He was awarded the DFC. His pilots on operations were Warrant Officer Peterson, Flight sergeant Whyte, Warrant Officer O'Driscoll, Sergeant Declerk, Flight Sergeant Clarke, Sergeant Gibbons, Sergeant Wyatt, Flight Lieutenant Freeman, Flight Sergeant McKnight, Pilot Officer Gillchrist, Flight Sergeant Moore, Warrant Officer Skinner, Warrant Officer Faulkner, Flying Officer Carr and Flight Sergeant Espie. War time operations were to Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Cologne, St Nazaire, Kiel, Paris, Aasen Fjord, Tirpitz, Trondheim, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Essen, Osnabruck, Tobruk, Heraklion, Maleme, Lens, Colline Beaumont, Bourg-Leopold, Trappes, Mont Fleury, Abbeville, Nucourt, Le Havre, Boulogne, Gibraltar, Kasfereet. Post war destinations were to RAF Netheravon, RAF Hemswell, RAF Scampton, RAF Lindholme, RAF Marnham, RAF St Eval, RAF Aldergrove, RAF Wyton, RAF Stradishall, RAF Binbrook, RAF Baginton, RAF Waddington, RAF Topcliffe, RAF Upwood, Kai Tak, Changi, RAF Pembrey, RAF Llandow, RAF Filton, and RAF Bruggen.
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1942-02-12
1942-02-14
1942-02-15
1942-02-16
1942-02-22
1942-02-23
1942-02-26
1942-02-27
1942-03-03
1942-03-04
1942-03-30
1942-03-31
1942-04-27
1942-04-28
1942-04-29
1942-05-03
1942-05-04
1942-05-06
1942-05-07
1942-05-19
1942-05-20
1942-05-30
1942-05-31
1942-06-01
1942-06-02
1942-06-03
1942-06-04
1942-06-05
1942-06-19
1942-06-20
1942-06-22
1942-07-11
1942-07-12
1942-07-18
1942-07-19
1942-07-20
1942-07-21
1942-07-24
1942-07-25
1942-09-03
1942-09-15
1942-09-16
1942-09-17
1942-09-18
1942-09-29
1942-09-30
1942-10-05
1942-10-06
1942-10-12
1942-10-13
1942-10-18
1942-10-19
1942-10-23
1942-10-24
1942-10-27
1942-10-29
1942-11-05
1942-11-07
1942-11-23
1943-07-24
1943-07-26
1943-07-27
1943-07-29
1943-08-01
1944-05-10
1944-05-11
1944-05-12
1944-05-27
1944-05-31
1944-06-01
1944-06-06
1944-06-11
1944-06-12
1944-06-23
1944-06-24
1944-07-15
1944-07-17
1944-09-11
1944-09-17
1945-06-19
1944-06-05
1944-07-18
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Germany
Great Britain
Egypt
Middle East--Palestine
Singapore
China--Hong Kong
England--Yorkshire
England--Lincolnshire
England--Rutland
England--Norfolk
England--Bedfordshire
England--Buckinghamshire
England--Wiltshire
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Gloucestershire
England--Cornwall (County)
England--Suffolk
England--Warwickshire
Wales--Carmarthenshire
Belgium
Belgium--Leopoldsburg
Greece--Crete
Greece--Ērakleion
Libya
Libya--Tobruk
Norway
Norway--Trondheim
France
France--Saint-Nazaire
France--Paris
France--Lens
France--Colline-Beaumont
France--Soligny-la-Trappe
France--Abbeville
France--Nucourt
France--Le Havre
France--Boulogne-sur-Mer
Germany--Kiel
Germany--Cologne
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Mannheim
Germany--Essen
Germany--Osnabrück
Germany--Stuttgart
Gibraltar
Norway--Aasen Fjord
Atlantic Ocean--North Sea
Northern Ireland
North Africa
France--Ver-Sur-Mer
Scotland--Shetland
China
Greece
Great Britain
Great Britain
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
England--Durham (County)
Greece
Greece--Maleme
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LManningR52870v1
10 Squadron
1652 HCU
1668 HCU
462 Squadron
51 Squadron
614 Squadron
air gunner
Air Gunnery School
air sea rescue
aircrew
Anson
Battle
bombing of Cologne (30/31 May 1942)
bombing of the Normandy coastal batteries (5/6 June 1944)
Cook’s tour
Distinguished Flying Cross
flight engineer
Gneisenau
Halifax
Harrow
Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster
Lincoln
Magister
Me 110
Meteor
Mosquito
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Oxford
promotion
RAF Aqir
RAF Binbrook
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Filton
RAF Finningley
RAF Hemswell
RAF Henlow
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor
RAF Honington
RAF Kasfereet
RAF Leeming
RAF Lindholme
RAF Linton on Ouse
RAF Marham
RAF Marston Moor
RAF Medmenham
RAF Middleton St George
RAF Pembrey
RAF Scampton
RAF Snaith
RAF St Eval
RAF Stormy Down
RAF Stradishall
RAF Swanton Morley
RAF Topcliffe
RAF Upwood
RAF Waddington
RAF Wyton
Scharnhorst
tactical support for Normandy troops
Tirpitz
training
V-1
V-weapon
Wellington
Whitley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1117/20446/LSearleROJ615463v1.1.pdf
9b2aaed488dc44ce495e8353b020cdd8
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Searle, Rex
Rex Ormond John Searle
R O J Searle
Description
An account of the resource
62 items. Two oral history interviewws with Rex Searle (b. 1919, 615463 Royal air Force) He served as ground crew before becoming a flight engineer and flying operations with 432 Squadron. after the war he served with Coastal and Transport Commands. The collection contains his log book, decorations, photographs and two albums.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Rex Searle and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-25
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Searle, ROJ
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Rex Searle's flying log book.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Description
An account of the resource
Flying log book for R O J Searle, Flight Engineer, covering the period from 25 June 1944 to13 July 1945 and from 17 August 1951 to 14 September 1964. Detailing his training as a flight engineer and a full tour of operations flown with Bomber Command from 1944 to 1945 followed post-war by further air gunner training in 1951 and continuing service as an air engineer with Coastal Command and then Transport Command. Served with 16, 24(c), 28, 30, 34, 42, 47, 120, 203, 206, 210, 240 and 432 Squadrons. He served at RAF St Athan, RAF Wombleton, RAF East Moor, RAF St Eval, RAF Leconfield, RAF Kinloss, RAF St Mawgan, RAF Dishforth, RAF Abingdon, RAF Colerne, RAF Changi and RAF Seletar. Aircraft flown in were Halifax, Lancaster, Lincoln, Shackleton, Hastings, Anson, Constellation, Beverley and Hercules. He completed a tour of 33 operations (16 day, 17 night) on the following targets in France, Germany and the Netherlands: Bochum, Böhlen, Bonn, Castrop Rauxel, Chemnitz, Cologne, Dortmund, Duisberg, Dusseldorf, Emden, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Grevenbroich, Homberg, Le Havre, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Meinz, Oberhausen, Osnabrück, Saarbrucken, Stuttgart, Trois Dorf, Volkel, Wanne-Eickel, and Wilhelmshaven. His pilot on operations was Flying Officer Potter. Three other operations ended early and were not counted in his tour. The tour completion certificate states a total of 121 points and 200.02 hours. Several of his air engineer proficiency assessments note him as being “above average”. Also includes numerous items which have been pasted in, including certificates, notes and photographs of family, crewmates and aircraft.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
David Leitch
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LSearleROJ615463v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force. Transport Command
Royal Air Force. Coastal Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Great Britain
Netherlands
Singapore
Atlantic Ocean--English Channel
Atlantic Ocean--North Sea
England--Cornwall (County)
England--Oxfordshire
England--Wiltshire
England--Yorkshire
France--Le Havre
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Bonn
Germany--Castrop-Rauxel
Germany--Chemnitz
Germany--Cologne
Germany--Dortmund
Germany--Duisburg
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Essen
Germany--Gelsenkirchen
Germany--Grevenbroich
Germany--Homberg (Kassel)
Germany--Leipzig Region
Germany--Magdeburg
Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)
Germany--Osnabrück
Germany--Saarbrücken
Germany--Stuttgart
Germany--Troisdorf
Germany--Wanne-Eickel
Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany--Wilhelmshaven
Netherlands--North Brabant
Scotland--Kinloss
Wales--Glamorgan
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944
1945
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1944-09-03
1944-09-06
1944-09-09
1944-09-10
1944-09-11
1944-09-12
1944-09-13
1944-10-06
1944-10-09
1944-10-12
1944-10-14
1944-10-18
1944-10-21
1944-10-23
1944-10-26
1944-10-28
1944-11-01
1944-11-02
1944-11-04
1944-11-06
1944-11-21
1945-01-13
1945-01-14
1945-01-16
1945-01-17
1945-01-28
1945-01-29
1945-02-01
1945-02-02
1945-02-03
1945-02-04
1945-02-05
1945-02-13
1945-02-14
1945-02-15
1945-02-17
1945-02-27
120 Squadron
1666 HCU
206 Squadron
210 Squadron
42 Squadron
432 Squadron
47 Squadron
air gunner
aircrew
Anson
bombing
flight engineer
Halifax
Halifax Mk 2
Halifax Mk 3
Halifax Mk 7
Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 3
Lincoln
RAF Abingdon
RAF Colerne
RAF Dishforth
RAF East Moor
RAF Kinloss
RAF Leconfield
RAF St Athan
RAF St Eval
RAF St Mawgan
RAF Wombleton
Shackleton
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1631/26351/PHarringtonBR17030009.1.jpg
e8d6ff8f3b002ea1a40dc0bb0d18f903
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1631/26351/PHarringtonBR17030010.1.jpg
62df9d299cbe66e0ac1f866f8b03be11
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Harrington, Harry
Basil R Harrington
B R Harrington
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-03
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Harrington, BR
Description
An account of the resource
30 items. The collection concerns Basil 'Harry' Harrington (621165) and contains his log book, photographs, a memoir, documents and letters. He flew B-25 on 226 Squadron and completed 43 operations as wireless operator/air gunner between September 1943 and May 1944.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Carol Marsh and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Basil Harrington
Description
An account of the resource
Full length portrait of an officer wearing tunic with half brevet and medals and peaked cap. In the background a brick building with window. On the reverse '1960s, probably RAF Kenley 1962-64'.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1962
1963
1964
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PHarringtonBR17030009, PHarringtonBR17030010
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Surrey
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1962
1963
1964
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
aircrew
RAF Kenley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1416/27118/LLeavissED1818433v2.2.pdf
52344a3f0efe0dc53b5c58d818c6b079
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Leaviss, Ted
Edward Derek Leaviss
E D Leaviss
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-11-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Leaviss, ED
Description
An account of the resource
42 items. The collection concerns Warrant Officer Edward 'Ted' Derek Leaviss (1818433 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents memorabilia and photographs.
He flew three Operation Manna operations as an air gunner with 460 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Irene Leaviss and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
E D Leaviss’s British gliding association pilots flying log book
Description
An account of the resource
British gliding association pilots flying log book for E D Leaviss, covering the period from 10 June 1961 to 18 October 1963. Detailing his flying training and solo flying from Northampton Gliding Club. Aircraft flown were Slingsby T21, Cadet Mk 1 and Tutor.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LLeavissED1818433v2
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Northamptonshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1961
1962
1963
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1515/28683/LDryhurstHG1332214v4.2.pdf
d819c643aa7cd766eb1050a1ffc43285
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Dryhurst, Harold Gainsford
H G Dryhurst
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-06-08
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Dryhurst, HG
Description
An account of the resource
42 items. The collection concerns Harold Dryhurst (1923 - 1967, 1332214 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, letters, memoirs, documents, newspaper cuttings and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 103 Squadron before being shot down and becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Glen Dryhurst and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LDryhurstHG1332214v4
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Description
An account of the resource
Covers the period 1959 to December 1963.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Title
A name given to the resource
Harold Dryhurst personal civilian pilot's flying log book
aircrew
C-47
pilot
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2044/33157/PProbynEA17010032.2.jpg
f0b24de92ac7b8a6ee019ffaaafa243e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Probyn, Ernest. Scrapbook
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-04-23
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Probyn, EA
Description
An account of the resource
42 items. Scrapbook containing photographs and clippings.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Ernest Probyn's Promotion to Flying Officer
Description
An account of the resource
Two documents, the first captioned 'Photostat copy of original. Reduced size', appoints Ernest as a Pilot Officer in the Volunteer Reserve and originates from Elizabeth II. The second is an extract from the London Gazette and Queen's List and is a promotion to Flying Officer.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two printed sheets with typed annotations on an album page
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Service material
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PProbynEA17010032
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1961
1963
aircrew
promotion
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1908/36249/SPerryWRP1317696v60005-0001.1.jpg
8a5e6a1102e6ebd62921eea244c87007
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1908/36249/SPerryWRP1317696v60005-0002.1.jpg
40c214c3a6e8a86b9ddd6c41517b1111
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Perry, Pete
W R P Perry
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Perry, WRP
Description
An account of the resource
Sixty-nine items and an album sub collection with twenty-four pages of photographs.
The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant WR Pete Perry DFC (1923 - 2006, 1317696, 146323 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, photographs, correspondence, memoirs and documents. He flew operations as a pilot with 106 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Helen Verity and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
HISTORY OF RAF SYERSTON
[picture]
[underlined] HISTORY OF RAF SYERSTON [/underlined]
The Royal Air Force station at Syerston was opened in December 1940, and the first occupants were two Polish heavy bomber squadrons, Nos. 304 and 305, equipped with Vickers Wellington medium bombers.
Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (now Queen Mother) visited the station in January 1941, and during that year the two Polish squadrons were joined by a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron, No 408, equipped with Handley Page Hampden medium bombers. The three squadrons carried out many bombing attacks on German targets including shipping during this time.
In 1942, No 408 RCAF Squadron moved to the satellite airfield at Balderton (Newark) and from there made repeated attacks on German Battle cruisers. 1942 saw the arrival of Nos. 106 and 61 Squadrons RAF equipped with Avro Lancaster heavy bombers, targets included Genoa, Milan and Turin attacked during daylight.
Early 1943 brought attacks from the station on the Krupps munitions works at Essen and on Berlin. In June the first shuttle bombing raid by Bomber Command took place when Lancasters bombed Friedrichshaven and landed in North Africa, and Syerston was concerned in most of the major raids including Hamburg and the Peenemunde Air Research and Development Station where the notorious German VI flying bomb and V2 rockets were being developed. 1943, however, saw a temporary cessation of operations from the station, and the establishment of No 5 Lancaster Finishing School, while in 1944 the Headquarters of No 56 Base of Bomber Command was established.
[page break]
In 1945 the station again became a Lancaster bombing station with the arrival of No 49 Squadron, and the last bombing operations from the station took place in April when Berchtesgarten was attacked.
The station was then transferred to Transport Command until 1948 when No 22 Flying Training School took over to train pilots for the Royal Navy, and remained until 1957 when No 2 Flying Training School took over to train RAF student pilots in Piston Provost aircraft.
In 1958 the change to Jet Provosts began, and by early 1960 Syerston had the distinction of being the first station in the world to train pupils on jet training aircraft.
The gradual addition of the more powerful MK IV Jet Provost permitted a wider range of exercises to be carried out, and in January 1963 “Wings” were presented to the first course ever to complete training to this stage solely on jet aircraft.
At a special meeting of the Borough of Newark on Trent in 1964 a resolution was passed to bestow the Freedom of Entry into the Borough to the Royal Air Force station of Syerston, with the right privilege and distinction of marching on ceremonial occasions with bayonets fixed, drums beating, bands playing and colours flying. A parade was duly held to mark the occasion.
The station continued to train pilots until 1970 when it was closed and left on a care and maintenance basis.
In 1975 part of the station was re-opened when the Air Cadets Central Gliding School moved from RAF Spitalgate to Syerston. The school operates conventional gliders and motor gliders and on occasions gliders are aero towed by Chipmunk aircraft. The purpose of ACCGS is to train and standardise the weekend volunteer instructors who man the 28 air cadet gliding schools. Courses are also provided for air cadet students and for Combined Cadet Force Officers who are trained to operate Open Primary Grasshopper gliders at their own squadron sites.
– 2 –
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
History of RAF Syerston
Description
An account of the resource
History of the station from December 1940 including resident squadrons and aircraft , royal visit and other points of interest after the war up to the current day.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1940-12
1941-01
1942
1943
1945
1958
1963
1975
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Nottinghamshire
Italy
Italy--Genoa
Italy--Milan
Germany
Germany--Essen
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Friedrichshafen
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Peenemünde
Germany--Berchtesgaden
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force. Transport Command
Royal Air Force. Training Command
Royal Canadian Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page typewritten document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPerryWRP1317696v60005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Baldwin
106 Squadron
304 Squadron
305 Squadron
408 Squadron
49 Squadron
61 Squadron
Hampden
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
RAF Syerston
training
V-1
V-2
V-weapon
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1903/36341/PSparkesW17010032.1.jpg
a2bd0d083e556183d43ddb879885eea9
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sparkes, Ned
William Sparkes
W Sparkes
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Sparkes, W
Description
An account of the resource
56 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant William "Ned" Sparkes (1601722 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and an album with photographs, newspaper cuttings and documents including descriptions of his operations. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 431 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Clive Sparkes and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
No 257 Squadron Warboys 1963
Description
An account of the resource
Squadron photograph of a large group of airmen wearing tunics and peaked caps and two women in civilian dress sitting and standing in three rows with a Bloodhound surface to air missile in the background.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1963
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1963
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cambridgeshire
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph mounted on an album page
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PSparkesW17010032
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Sparkes, Ned. Album
RAF Warboys
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1903/36342/PSparkesW17010033.1.jpg
93bcb6af3305f508ca17b873bbbeba96
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sparkes, Ned
William Sparkes
W Sparkes
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Sparkes, W
Description
An account of the resource
56 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant William "Ned" Sparkes (1601722 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and an album with photographs, newspaper cuttings and documents including descriptions of his operations. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 431 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Clive Sparkes and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
A.O.C.'s inspection Warboys 1963
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1963
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1963
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cambridgeshire
Description
An account of the resource
Top left - three quarter length image of an Air Marshall shaking hands with an airmen wearing tunic with half brevet and medal ribbons. Another warrant officer stands to the right.
Top right - document concerning W.O Sparkes i/c servicing control section. Comments on 257 Squadron's servicing control. Mentions that W.O Sparkes was a wartime aircrew flight engineer, rose to rank of flight lieutenant before discharge and re-enlistment.
Bottom right - photograph with an Air Marshall in centre with a flight lieutenant behind left and two warrant officers to the right. All wearing tunics.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two b/w photographs and one printed document mounted on an album page
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PSparkesW17010033
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Sparkes, Ned. Album
aircrew
flight engineer
ground personnel
RAF Warboys
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1903/36343/PSparkesW17010034.1.jpg
18b261327bfad49f4ce404307658bff8
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sparkes, Ned
William Sparkes
W Sparkes
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Sparkes, W
Description
An account of the resource
56 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant William "Ned" Sparkes (1601722 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and an album with photographs, newspaper cuttings and documents including descriptions of his operations. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 431 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Clive Sparkes and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
RAF Upwood and RAF Warboys
Description
An account of the resource
Top left - five men on wearing civilian suit and hat writing in notebook and others in a variety of dress. Captioned '257 Squadron sports day Upwood 1963'.
Top right - certificate of handover of RAF Warboys to Ned Sparkes who was commander of care and maintenance party.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1963
1964-02-28
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1963
1964-02-28
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Huntingdonshire
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph and one typewritten document mounted on an album page
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PSparkesW17010034
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Sparkes, Ned. Album
RAF Upwood
RAF Warboys