Interview with Jim Copus. One
James Copus grew up in Oxfordshire. He volunteered for aircrew and after training, became a mid-upper gunner and flew operations with 97 Squadron. He remembers a crash while taxiing to take-off, baling out of his empty Lancaster and how he kept himself occupied while a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 1.
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2015-09-28
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00:37:59 audio recording
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ACopusJ150928
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Interview with Jim Copus. Two
Jim Copus was born in Watlington and volunteered for the Royal Air Force when he was eighteen. After training, he flew operations as a mid-upper gunner with 97 Squadron from RAF Bourn. On one operation he realised that it was very quiet. He could not get a response on his intercom so left the turret to investigate. He found that he was alone in the aircraft and seeing the escape hatch was open he grabbed his parachute and made his escape from the stricken aircraft. He landed near a farmhouse and following his arrest he was sent to Stalag Luft 1. He was a prisoner of war for fifteen months before the camp was liberated by the Russians and he was repatriated. Following his demobilisation, he worked in insurance, the Metropolitan Police and as manager of kennels.
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2016-02-24
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01:16:28 audio recording
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ACopusJ160224
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Jim and Sylvia Copus as children in front of a house
A boy and a girl standing in front of a door at the end of the wall of a brick house. On the reverse 'Jim Copus and Sylvia Copus - Chappell'.
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One b/w photograph
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PCopusPJ1601, PCopusPJ1602
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Target Frankfurt
Account of Jim Copus's last operation to Frankfurt during which his 97 Squadron Lancaster was shot down by a Me 110 night fighter. Includes the task of air gunners, the engagement by the night fighter which disabled all hydraulics including those to his turret. His difficulties in escaping from the aircraft, parachuting and capture by hostile civilians before being handed to civil police. His treatment as a prisoner and his journey to prisoner of war camp at Stalag Luft 1 at Barth. Life in camp, liberation by the Russians and repatriation by United States Army Air Force B-17 to England. Includes photographs of Jim Corpus as a wartime airman, prisoner of war and at the RAF Museum in 2010 as well as one of the prisoner of war camp. In addition there are hand drawn maps of north Germany and the Baltic locating Barth and a diagram of the Stalag Luft 1 camp.
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Eleven page printed document
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BCopusPJCopusPJv
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Jim Copus
Head and shoulders portrait of a man wearing a dark coat. On the reverse 'To my dearest darling Sheila yours Jim XXXXXX, Winter 1943'.
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1943
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One b/w photograph
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BCopusPJCopusPJv10002, BCopusPJCopusPJv10003
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Jim and Sheila Copus and baby sitting on sofa
Jim Copus on the right wearing a suit. Sheila Copus with their baby daughter, Andrea baby on her lap on the left. Both are sitting on a sofa.
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One b/w photograph
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BCopusPJCopusPJv10004
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Jim Copus in cricket kit
Full length portrait of Jim Copus is cricket kit. In the background three other cricket players, a wicket and trees on the boundary.
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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.
One b/w photograph
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BCopusPJCopusPJv10005
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Jim and Sheila Copus's wedding in Camden Town
A man wearing suit with buttonhole on the left and a woman in wedding dress holding a bouquet on the right. In the background, All Saints Cathedral Camden.
Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.
Church identification kindly provided by Sandra Smith of the Unidentified photos of the British Isles Facebook group.
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1946-09-28
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One b/w photograph
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BCopusPJCopusPJv10006
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Maps of operation to Frankfurt
Maps from east England to mid Germany showing details of routes flown during operation to Frankfurt on 22 March 1944. Shows main route and diversions as well as bombers lost. On map 1, Aircraft ND 352 is marked with pen. Caption ' Lancaster ND 351 - shot down by pilot Willi Glitz (6/7/14) - over city Minden - went down in Froheim 16 km west of Minden'. On the second map ND 351 is circled in pen. Captioned '816 aircraft, 26 Lancasters lost, 184 killed, 56 POW'.
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Two coloured maps
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BCopusPJCopusPJv10011, BCopusPJCopusPJv10012
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