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Interview with John Eppel
John Eppel grew up in Australia and joined the Royal Australian Air Force. After training, he completed 30 operations as a navigator with 550 Squadron. He describes initial training in Australia and the journey by sea via the United States, then…
Interview with Dave Fellowes
Dave Fellowes flew operations as a rear gunner with 460 Squadron. He and his crew survived a mid-air collision with another Lancaster which resulted in an emergency landing at RAF Manston.
Interview with Laurence Sidney Fisher
Laurence Fisher grew up in Peterborough and served in the Home Guard before joining the Royal Air Force. He served as ground personnel before remustering as aircrew. He flew operations from Italy before his aircraft was shot down and he became a…
Interview with David Rayner Fox
David Rayner Fox grew up in New Zealand and joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942. After training, he flew operations as an air gunner with 75 Squadron from RAF Mepal. During one operation his pilot, Dave Moriarty was terribly injured when a…
Interview with Colin Fraser
Colin joined the British Army in December 1941, and eventually moved to his preferred Royal Air Force in March 1943. He went to Number 2 Initial Training School at RAAF Bradfield Park in Sydney as a navigator, graduating in February 1944. His first…
Interview with Keith Ganney
Keith was called up in February 1942 and, after basic training, learned to fly in the Tiger Moth and was then sent to Davidson in Canada for further training in Cornells and Cranes. He failed a flying test and was re-mustered as a bomb aimer and sent…
Interview with Ernest Frederick Gardiner
Fred Gardiner grew up in Oxfordshire and worked in a furniture factory before volunteering for the Royal Air Force. He flew five operations as a wireless operator/air gunner, from RAF Syerston, before his aircraft was shot down. He gives a detailed…
Interview with William Geoghegan
William Geoghegan grew up in Australia and after serving in the army, joined the Royal Australian Air Force. He flew operations as a navigator with 61 Squadron from RAF Skellingthorpe.
Interview with Allen Geoffrey Gould
Allen Gould grew up in Bournemouth and worked for the Danish Bacon company, until volunteering for the Royal Air Force. He completed 32 operations as a flight engineer with 620 Squadron from RAF Fairford. Post war, he married his wife, who was…
Interview with Jeff Gray
Jeff Gray was a farm labourer in Aberdeenshire when he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. He trained to fly in Texas and completed 30 operations as a pilot with 61 Squadron. After leaving the RAF he worked for BOAC flying Yorks and VC10s.
Interview with Bill Gray
Bill Gray was born and grew up in Australia and volunteered for the Air Force. After training, he flew 29 operations as an air gunner with 15 squadron from RAF Mildenhall. He returned to Australia after the war but contracted tuberculosis. He was…
Interview with Bill Hallett
Bill Hallett was born in Over Wallop in 1922. He joined the RAF in 1942 despite having an exemption due to the work he was doing at Tidworth Barracks. He flew operations in Stirlings and B-17s as a flight engineer with 214 Squadron. Rather than…
Interview with Bernie Harris. One
Bernie Harris joined the Royal Air Force in 1943 and trained to become an air gunner. His first operation was Operation Manna, dropping food on Holland at the end of the war.
Interview with Bernie Harris. Two
Bernie Harris joined the Air Training Corps and volunteered for the Royal Air Force, joining in April 1943 and training to become an air gunner. He mentions his father serving in the Royal Flying Corps. As a young boy, Bernie witnessed the London…
Interview with Dick Heath
Dick Heath was an apprentice boat builder and joined the Royal Air Force in 1943. He began training as an air gunner but was posted to RAF Fiskerton working in the bomb dump. He was on his way to Canada by ship when the war in Europe ended. After he…
Interview with Stuart Michael Heaton
Michael Heaton grew up in Worcester and was a member of the Air Training Corps. He worked in a bank before joining the Royal Air Force and trained as a navigator in Canada. He completed 22 operations as a navigator with 50 Squadron from RAF…
Interview with Priscilla Henwood
Priscilla was encouraged by a friend’s father to join the 600 Squadron in anticipation of the war. She was called up and was based at Finsbury Barracks, involved in recruitment. Priscilla also worked on the telephone exchange at Clerkenwell.
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Interview with Lindsay Hibbard
Lindsay was born in Murwillumbah, Australia, before moving to Brisbane in 1927. He tells of growing up on the family, and how his eldest brother was killed in Malaya on the Thai Railway, and his older brother returning home to run the farm after his…
Interview with Pat Hickton
Pat Hickton was born in New Zealand. His mother passed away when he was young and he spent his childhood in a number of foster and children’s homes until he started working on the railway. He volunteered for the RAF and began training as a rear…
Interview with Angas Hughes
Angas Hughes was born in Australia and served as a bomb aimer with 467 Squadron based at RAF Waddington. He describes initial training in Australia as a reserve and after call-up in 1942. He was transported by ship to Scotland via the USA and Canada.…
Interview with Douglas "Jim" James
Douglas (Jim) James was born in India and returned to England when he was nine. After leaving school, he joined the RAF as an air gunner, forging his father’s signature on the application. Jim carried out 29 operations with 460 Squadron, flying in…
Interview with Harry James
Harry James grew up in Berkshire and, after school, began training as a plumber. He joined the RAF and completed 33 operations as a rear gunner with 166 squadron. He discusses his crew, of their different nationalities, of how the majority of their…
Interview with Philip James MBE
Philip James was a valet to Captain Fletcher at Margham Castle before joining the Royal Air Force. At the age of 19, he trained as a flight engineer at RAF St Athan, working on the Halifax. At RAF Dishforth in Yorkshire, crews were formed and Philip…
Interview with Alexander Elliott Jenkins
Alex was fostered by the cricketer Bill Woodfull and studied at Melbourne University. He had to go from Somers to defend his decision to join up in 1942. He trained at Benalla and converted onto Wirraways at Deniliquin where he qualified as a pilot.…
Interview with Johnny Johnson. One
George ‘Johnny’ Johnson was the bomb aimer in Lancaster AJ-T flown by Joe McCarthy during operation Chastise 16th of May 194. He discusses the attack on the dams and the events before and after the attack. He describes training over the Derwent…