Browse Items (45 total)
- Collection: Baker, William Benjamin
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Lancaster and civilians
Top - several men in civilian dress standing (one sitting on the ground) looking at a Lancaster. One person is climbing in the fuselage door.
Bottom - a large group of men in civilian dress squatting and standing in a group in front of a Lancaster.
Bottom - a large group of men in civilian dress squatting and standing in a group in front of a Lancaster.
Launching of the "The Lancaster at War"
Top - four men in civilian suit and tie standing in a group looking at a book in front of a Lancaster. Captioned 'Waddington, September 1971. This event was later televised launching the book "The Lancaster at War" by Brian Goulding & Mike…
Course photograph and Lancaster painting
Top - course photograph of thirty officers wearing tunics or battledress sitting and standing in four rows. Captioned 'No 25 Elementary Course. Syndicate "V", 28/3/45 to 23/5/45', lists name of those on photograph, F/O Baker front row second from…
Course photograph and newspaper cutting
Top - a large group of trainee airmen wearing greatcoats and side caps sitting and standing in three rows in front of a brick building with large windows criss-crossed with blast tape. On the reverse signatures. Captioned 1 - 'Heaven help poor old…
Aircrew and newspaper articles
Top left - newspaper cutting (London Gazette) with citation for Pilot Officer Baker and Warrant Officer Meek.
Top right - newspaper cutting - Lancaster lands on bomb door. Account of badly damage Lancaster with wounded crew returning from operation…
Top right - newspaper cutting - Lancaster lands on bomb door. Account of badly damage Lancaster with wounded crew returning from operation…
Aircrew
Top - head and shoulders image of three aircrew wearing tunics with brevet (one pilot, one wireless operator and one air gunner) standing in a group with another figure in civilian dress behind them. They are standing on a railway station platform…
Aircrew
Top - eleven aircrew, except one, all wearing battledress with pilot's brevet sitting and standing in a group in front of a building.
Middle - sixteen aircrew, all wearing battledress, some with discernible observers or navigator's brevet standing…
Middle - sixteen aircrew, all wearing battledress, some with discernible observers or navigator's brevet standing…
Note about gremlin drawings
Note states 'a few rough sketches made by me prior to original. Presented to me by the crew on completion of tour. Note original on aircraft, also written up in book, Avro Lancaster, Aircam Aviation series No: 12 Pages A & H illustrations'.
Gremlin
Drawing of a standing gremlin wearing shorts and holding a bomb in his arms. Umbrella on right side. Signed 'Biff'.
Gremlin
Drawing of a standing grinning gremlin wearing shorts, with umbrella hooked on arm, leaning on a bomb and pointing down towards falling bombs with other hand. Signed 'Biff'. Notes on reverse crossed out.
Gremlin riding on bomb
Drawing - head on view of a grinning gremlin with umbrella hooked on arm riding on a bomb. '115' is drawn on the bomb. Signed 'Biff'.
Gremlin "Bang On"
Painting of a yellow gremlin holding umbrella riding on a bomb with caption 'Bang On'. On the reverse 'see pages "A" & "H" of aircam aviation series - No 12, show original on Lanc. I now have original drawn by me & presented to me on completion of…
Seven airmen
Seven aircrew all wearing tunics with brevet and side or peaked caps standing in line with trees in the background. Captioned from second man from left 'Ted W.Op, Art bomb aimer, Pat (DFM) skipper, Don engineer, Cliff navigator'.
William Baker RAF Form 543 personnel
Gives some personal details. Dates of enlistment. Commission, promotions, award of DFC, medical boards and movements.
Service history
Joined in 1942 and then details training and tour on 115 Squadron, gunnery course, tours as gunnery instructor. Further tour with 625 Squadron, crashed twice before another instructors tour. Mentions 14 ops on first tour and 20 on second. Comments on…
The fourth flight to Berlin
Records that Jack Meek a Canadian navigator was going back on operations after having been wounded on an operation to Berlin the previous January. Describes his crew and relates the story of the January operation where they were attacked by fighters…
History of 115 (B) Squadron
A four-page personal history of 115 Squadron written by J L Dixon, covering formation in 1917, to the end of hostilities in 1945. It is typed on Registration Research headed notepaper.
List of operations 1943-45
Printed list of 31 operations in which W Breckenbridge was pilot. W B Baker was mid-upper gunner on all but 10 of these operations. Hand-written note on the final sheet reads, 'Doc 115 - Recommendation for honours and awards, station diary 30/01/44'.
Seven air crew and a Lancaster
Seven air crew in uniform in front of the starboard wing of their Lancaster, on grass. Caption reads, 'Lancaster - 138 Squadron, Alf Warren 3rd from the left, Mid-upper gunner'. Airfield buildings can be seen in the background.
Celebratory letter from King George
Letter from King George to all school-children, celebrating and sharing the victory of the allied nations. It is headed with the Royal Standard, in colour. On the reverse a list of 60 important war dates.