Browse Items (4469 total)

  • Tags: bombing

ABassettFG180517.mp3
Frank was brought up in Woolwich. He joined the RAF at the age of 18 and became an armourer. Frank describes the difficult physical work, loading and unloading bombs. He served 617 Squadron and loaded bouncing bombs, which were different. He…

ABarryM180328.mp3
Max was born in Beaufort, Victoria and grew up on his parents’ dairy farm. Gaining a scholarship led to him becoming a student teacher and attending training college. He was called up when he was 18 and applied to become a reserve in the Air Force,…

ABaptisteDMM170504.mp3
Daphne joined the Air Ministry at 17. She initially joined the Civil Service, as she believed it would be a safe job with high wages. Throughout the war, she was stationed at Ladies’ College in Harrogate and was in charge of supplying water to many…

PToombsSE15100003.jpg
Vertical aerial photograph over Trossy St Maximin. The top and bottom sections are largely obscured by cloud and bomb explosions. Two Lancasters are visible, one directly below and one diving away in the bottom left corner of the…

PToombsSE15100002.jpg
A vertical aerial photograph identified as Bois Desjardins. Much of the image is obscured by bright lights. Captioned '5691 BIN. 25/26-7-44 //NT(C) 8" 10.000' [arrow] 070° 0253 Bois Desjardins Y. 18x500. 19 secs. P/O. Lester. V 460'.

PToombsSE15100001.jpg
Vertical aerial photograph of bombing of Ardouval. The bottom half of the image is partially obscured by bomb explosions. Captioned '5656 BIN 25-7-44 //8 14000' [arrow] 125° 0843 Ardouval S 11x1000 4x500 c 30 secs P/O Lester T. 460'.

ABaileyCE180424.mp3
Cyril Bailey was working in a garage before he volunteered for the RAF. He considered that he would like to be a mechanic but was told there were no vacancies and he was encouraged to become a flight engineer. He joined 625 Squadron at RAF Kelstern…

ABaileyB-J180605.mp3
Brian and Jenny Bailey were children during the war and witnessed the bombing of Cleethorpes and Grimsby. Standing on a local bridge, they could also see Hull in flames. Jenny recalled walking with her mother on the day war was declared and seeing a…

AAtkinsonG180802.mp3
Gordon Atkinson lived in Flixborough, Lincolnshire. As a young boy he recalls seeing aircraft gathering over the River Humber in the evenings, ready to fly out on bombing operations. In the morning he watched them come back, some with bits dropping…

AAn00509-160424.mp3
The interviewee was born in Berlin in 1924, his father being a British Army surgeon who was posted there to treat badly wounded soldiers. He went to school in France then attended boarding school in Hertfordshire. He volunteered for the Royal Air…

AAn00086-150722.mp3
This interviewee was working at Chatham dockyard before he was accepted by the RAF as a mechanic. He then remustered as a flight engineer which fulfilled his hopes to be accepted as aircrew. While waiting for a place on the training course at St…

AAkrillM-A171204.mp3
Michael and Ann Akrill talk about their uncle, William Akrill. He grew up in Lincolnshire, and studied art in London and under the tutelage of Robert Kiddey. He considered becoming a contentious objector, but volunteered for the RAF and after…

AAdamsCB170802.mp3
Cyril was born in London in 1921 and lived in Battersea with his relatives; he met his wife in 1940 while working at Harrods. His family were killed by bombing after he joined up. Cyril enlisted at RAF Cardington in 1941 and was trained to be a…

PAbrahams.jpg
Gerald Abrahams was sixteen when war was declared. He volunteered for the RAF the day after the Armstrong Vickers factory where he worked was targeted by the Luftwaffe who bombed the local school resulting in the deaths of many children. He trained…

LKirrageLG1869665v1.pdf
Flying log book for navigators, air bombers, air gunners and flight engineers for LG Kirrage, flight engineer, covering the period from 9 May 1944 to 5 July 1945. Detailing his flying training and operations flown. He was stationed at RAF Ricall and…

LDeytrikhA1381508v1.pdf
Pilots flying log book for Andrew Deytrikh, covering the period from 20 May 1941 to 1 February 1944. Detailing his flying training and operational flying. He was stationed at RAF Brough, RAF Montrose, RAF Grangemouth, RAF Portreath, RAF Zeals, RAF…

LBrittainJT2227748v1.pdf
Flying log book for J T Brittain, air gunner, covering the period from 20 may 1944 to 14 July 1945. Detailing his flying training and operations flown. He was stationed at RAF Morpeth, RAF Silverstone, RAF Turweston, RAF Chedburgh, RAF North…

MBrittainJT2227748-170725-04.pdf
Extracts cover thirteen wartime bombing operations and four Operation Manna supply drops as well as three post war prisoner of war repatriation flights. Details include number of aircraft involved, weather, bomb load, marking seen, operational…

MMcClementsR1796607-151021-030005.jpg
Target photograph of Essen partly obscured by clouds and explosions. Streets and buildings are partly visible. There are two Halifaxes flying at a lower level. It is annotated 'Essen 25 Oct'. Captioned '1578 MEL. 25-10-44//8” 18500 004T. 1535ESSEN…

MMcClementsR1796607-151021-030001.jpg
Lists crews and aircraft for operations on 13 January 1945. The date was later corrected to read 14 January 1945.

EBrittainJTBrittain[Mo]450423-0001.jpg
Starts with domestic matters. Writes about recent operation to Heligoland which was unopposed. The attack involved 1000 Lancasters dropping 5000 tons of bombs on submarine pens and enemy troops. Mentions that he was on operation to Bremen the…

CBrittainJT-170725-010002.jpg
Map (Newcastle to Prague) with five photographs overlaid with lines leading to their locations on map. Top left - a town with destroyed buildings below a wide river with a bridge. Aircraft port outer engine and wingtip visible. Captioned 'Emmerich'.…
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