Browse Items (2051 total)

  • Tags: ground personnel

ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391116-0001.jpg
Letter from Harry Redgrave to Jessie his wife. He has had another inoculation and relates a story heard in a lecture.

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ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400126-0001.jpg
A letter from Harry Redgrave to his wife Jessie. Harry writes about RAF life in Prestwick. He mentions a trip into Prestwick including to the cinema, his first taste of haggis and how difficult it is to keep up with the mathematics. He turned down a…

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ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM401004-0001.jpg
Three-page handwritten letter from Harry Redgrave to his wife Jessie. Harry writes about life in the RAF at his station in Yorkshire including observers being posted to Scotland, training and his social life in Doncaster.

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ATurnerB150602.mp3
Betty Turner served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force with Bomber Command at 92 Group Headquarters, Winslow, and later at RAF Great Massingham, reaching the rank of leading aircraftswoman. She recounts living in chilly stables, being quite bored…

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PHeathRG1701.jpg
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…

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AMawdsleyT150507.mp3
Ted grew up in Essex. Before the war he worked for the Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Company. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and became an instrument mechanic. He was posted to RAF Elsham Wolds in 1942 and overseas the following year. After…

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Vera Willis.jpg
Vera Willis volunteered for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force because she wanted to be a driver. Her driving career in the RAF involved driving driving aircrew to dispersal.This content is available as embedded video:

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PLeedhamA1601.jpg
Alma Leedham grew up in London and worked for Hawker aircraft on the Hurricane at the start of the war . She later trained as a driver in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. She served at RAF Scampton driving tractors taking bombs to the aircraft.…

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Vera Willis.jpg
Vera Willis nee Tomlinson volunteered for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force because she wanted to be a driver. Her driving career in the RAF involved driving long distances as well as driving aircrew to dispersal. Some crew gave her letters for…

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PAndrewF1601.jpg
Fiona mainly lived in Southampton. On leaving school she had a job for two years but as soon as she was 17 and a half she volunteered for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and became a wireless operator. She was posted to the far north of Scotland…

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PChardV1601.jpg
Vera was born in the Myrtha Tydfil area of Wales. Vera went to the grammar school at Chepstow before getting work in the cashier’s office at the Royal Navy Propellant Factory. After joining the Women's Auxilliary Air Force, Vera was posted to…

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AParkerPTW160106.mp3
Peter Parker grew up in Gainsborough. He had hoped to be a pilot but was unsuccessful, however as he had taught himself Morse code in his shed at home he trained as a wireless operator and became an instructor. He was posted to RAF Yatesbury and…

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PPickeringE1701.jpg
Eileen Pickering, from Sheffield, was conscripted in to the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She was posted to Grantham and after working in the Orderly Room she re-mustered to work on the teleprinters. She was in post on D-Day when she describes how…

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POtteyRA2001.jpg
Ralph Ottey was born in Jamaica in 1924. Raised by his grandparents, he describes his education and the family hopes that he would become a teacher. He left school at 16 and a half but was too young to attend teaching college so worked for his uncle…

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POtteyRA2001.jpg
Ralph Ottey joined the RAF from Jamaica. After the war he returned to Jamaica. However, he had met the woman he was to later marry while based in the UK and returned to the settle here. He settled in Boston and had a long career with a local firm. On…

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POtteyRA2001.jpg
Ralph Ottey recounts an occasion when he came to the rescue of a local lady who found herself in difficulty while swimming in the local river.

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EMadgettLR-AGMadgettHR411118-0003.jpg
Written from Swift Current. Writes that snow has prevented flying and they have little to do as examinations are over but some people have failed them. Mentions that the C.G.I relented on the resit of the engines examination. Discusses future course…

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PStevensonPD1601.jpg
Peter Stevenson was born in Grantham and joined the Air League of the British Empire as well as the Air Defence Cadet Corps, The Officer’s Training Corps and the Public School’s Air Cadet Wing. He rose through the cadet ranks and embarked on…

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Patrick Rowland volunteered for the RAF in Belfast. He trained as a mechanic. He was posted with 149 Squadron. He volunteered for overseas posting because his brother was a prisoner in the Far East. He did not know at the time that his brother had…

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Joyce Clayton was born in Lincoln and served with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, where she was first assigned to barrage balloons before becoming an equipment officer at various stations. Whilst based at RAF Sutton-on-Hull she witnessed the bombing…

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AFairweatherF170130.mp3
During the war, Freda Fairweather was called up to work for Avro’s and worked on Lancasters at RAF Waddington and RAF Swinderby. She describes cleaning the perspex windows and using her own box spanners to remove aircraft wings. She recollects…

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PLindleyK1801.jpg
Kenneth Lindley was born in Hillsborough, Sheffield in 1926. Before joining the RAF Kenneth was an engineer’s apprentice, and often helped the Air Raid Warden by acting as a messenger. He reminisces joining the Air Training Corps as a teenager.…

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APriceF170522.mp3
Fay Price was nine at the outbreak of the Second World War living in Grimsby. A twin, they were the youngest of six siblings. Her memory of the start of the war was the ending of birthday parties. Her father was a fish merchant and was able to…

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BWagnerHWWagnerHWv10001.jpg
Henry, volunteered for the RAF and learned to fly Tiger Moths at Brough. He then was transferred to South Africa on a troopship. His flying training came to an end after a poor solo flight. He was retrained as a navigator. On completion of his…

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BWagnerHWWagnerHWv2.pdf
An extremely detailed account of the No 51 Squadron briefing for the operation to Essen on 28/29 November 1944 by Henry. It includes all the specialist officers as well as the Station Commander's brief. It also includes Henry's crew, Station and…

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