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Interview with Ben John May
Ben was born in 1925 in Kent and his first job was in the gas works. A member of the Air Transport Command, he was called up in 1944 and, after initial training at RAF Locking, he joined No.4 flight engineers’ course at RAF St Athan for one year.…
Interview with Doug Packman
Doug grew up in Kent. He joined the Royal Air Force at 18, as a flight engineer for 630 Squadron at RAF East Kirkby in 5 Group Bomber Command, flying Lancasters. He carried out 34 operations, followed by time as an instructor at RAF Syerston,…
Interview with Gerald Joseph Abrahams
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…
Interview with Joseph Henry Cook
Completing school and moving on to work at 20th Century Fox Films, he worked as a fire watcher at the beginning of the war before joining the Royal Air Force. He states that he did that because he always wanted to fly and didn’t want to join the…
Interview with Jack Edward Simmonds
Jack Simmonds was the son of an RAF serviceman. As a result, his childhood was spent moving around a great deal, including spending a few years in Egypt. He joined the RAF and began training as a pilot and then he joined 51 Squadron as a Whitley…
Interview with Ernest Townsend
Ernest was born in Marylebone, London. He tells of his childhood, how he helped his father on his milk round and became a butcher's boy at Shepherd Market before serving in the Air Training Corps. He joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 17 and a…
Interview with Jack Delfosse
Jack was born in London and went to Highgate School where he learnt navigation, Morse code and marching. On leaving he became a medical student but left half- way through the course. He then joined the Royal Air Force and, initially, trained on…
Interview with Thomas Edward Noton
Thomas Edward Noton was born in Greenwich on the 4th of April 1923. Upon leaving school he began a toolmaking apprenticeship, however, before finishing the course, Noton decided to join the Royal Air Force at the age of eighteen. He explains why he…
Interview with Colin Deverell
Colin Deverell was born in Croydon. Upon leaving school, he worked for Oliver Typewriter Company, where he gained engineering skills to become an amateur rigger for Imperial Airways, before finding employment with Rollaston Aircraft Services in 1939.…
Interview with Les Rutherford
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Les Rutherford was called up for the Army just short of his twenty first birthday. He was in France at the time of Dunkirk and made it to the beach of St Valery where they were under constant bombardment. He and another soldier found a door and…
Interview with Basil Fish
Basil Fish volunteered for the RAF in 1941 from Manchester University where he was a student and a member of the University Air Squadron. He was posted to 617 Squadron at RAF Woodhall Spa. On one flight his aircraft crashed on return and although…
Interview with John Langston
John Langston flew operations as a navigator with 630, 189 and 617 Squadrons.
Interview with Tony Dyer
Tony Dyer was a three or four year old child when his grandfather took him to the cinema in Reading on the 10th of February 1943. As Tony was ironically watching the animation of a bomber and a tank on the Pathé News segment a bomb hit the nearby…
Interview with Jim Auton
Jim Auton grew up on Royal Air Force stations and joined the Royal Air Force at seventeen. He trained as a pilot navigator and bomber at RAF Ansty near Coventry, then in South Africa under the Empire Air Training Scheme. He trained on B-24s at Lidder…
Interview with Ron Hemsworth
Ron joined the Royal Air Force in January 1941. Initially a wireless operator/air gunner, he failed morse code at Blackpool. He was posted to RAF Swinderby and worked in the stores and flying control. Air gunnery school followed at RAF Bridlington…
Interview with Ermanno Marraccini
L’intervistato è Ermanno Marraccini, nato a Pistoia il 26 luglio 1903, all’epoca capofabbricato. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati presso la sua abitazione a Pistoia, il 16 ottobre 1984. Durante il primo bombardamento, Ermanno…
Interview with Marcella Romagnoli Giacomelli
L’intervistata è Marcella Romagnoli Giacomelli, nata a Pistoia nel 1927. Interviene la tata della famiglia. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati a Pistoia, presso l’abitazione dell’informatrice, il 18 ottobre 1984. Dopo il primo…
Interview with Mario Galardini
L’intervistato è Mario Galardini, nato a Castel di Casio (BO) il 15 agosto 1923, consulente del lavoro. Interviene il fratello Raffaello, sono presenti Lory Galardini e Annalia Galardini. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati presso la…
Interview with Giulio Fiorini
L’intervistato è Giulio Fiorini, nato a Pistoia il 26 novembre 1906, impiegato alle Officine San Giorgio. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati presso la sua abitazione a Pistoia, l’11 ottobre 1983. Dopo aver vissuto il bombardamento a…
Interview with Giuliana Menichini Pereira
L’intervistata è Giuliana Menichini Pereira, nata a Pistoia il 31 gennaio 1928. Interviene il padre Pietro Menichini, è presente il marito Miguel Pereira. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati a Pistoia, presso l’abitazione…
Interview with Ada Breschi
L’intervistata è Ada Breschi, nata a Pistoia il 22 settembre 1917, impiegata. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati a Pistoia, presso l’abitazione dell’informatrice, il 22 settembre 1983. Dopo l’Armistizio, Ada Breschi aiutò…
Interview with Aldo Galardini
L’intervistato è Aldo Galardini, nato a Castel di Casio (BO) il 25 giugno 1925, ferroviere in pensione. Interviene la nipote Annalia Galardini, è presente la moglie. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati a Pistoia, presso l’abitazione…
Interview with Clara Dei
L’intervistata è Clara Dei, nata a Prato il 19 maggio 1927, insegnante elementare. Interviene l’amica Annalia Galardini. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati a Pistoia, presso l’abitazione dell’informatrice, il 5 settembre 1983. La…
Interview with Giancarlo Savino
L’intervistato è Giancarlo Savino, nato a Trieste il 2 giugno 1933, docente universitario. L’intervista è condotta da Claudio Rosati presso la sua abitazione a Pistoia, il 25 agosto 1983. Il 24 ottobre 1943, a mezzogiorno, Giancarlo Savino…