Browse Items (2051 total)

  • Tags: ground personnel

EEdwardsMHDonaldsonDW430518-0001.jpg
Letter to David Donaldson from his father-in-law Chaplain-in-Chief Royal Air Force M H Edwards congratulating him on achievements. Additional information about this item was kindly provided by the donor.

SCulkinJ19241214v10003-0001.jpg
Formal document listing Jack's promotions and courses attended for the length of his service from aircraft apprentice to Warrant Officer.

EPayneMHWeeksD440428-020002.jpg
Writes about journey back to camp by train. Talks about moving to Bardney. Scheduled for cross country but had to see medical officer who grounded him for three days and now he has to do clean up tasks, Mentions easy trains to Lincoln to see her and…

AAllenG150917.mp3
Graham Allen joined the Royal Air Force aged 19. He trained as a mechanic and worked on inspection and recovery of Spitfire aircraft. He later volunteered to be a flight engineer, and flew a tour of operations with 106 Squadron. His first operation…

PHenwoodP1701.jpg
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.
In…

BCuthillMSFHCuthillMSFHv1.pdf
Margaret Cuthill's account of her time in the WAAF. At the age of 17 she volunteered for the WAAF and was enrolled as a teleprinter operator. She was sent to Wilmslow for training. After four weeks of drill and physical exercise she was posted to…

BDixonMDixonMv1.pdf
13 handwritten pages, Margaret describes in some detail her early life and service in the WAAF as a nurse.

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.

PTurnerHA1801.jpg
Bert Turner was a member of the Air Training Corps before the war. He volunteered for the Air Force and was called up 2 August 1942. After training he became a flight engineer with 196 Squadron. He flew some bombing and mine laying operations before…

PWildesJE180829.jpg
Jim was born in July 1923 in Burton on Trent and was the eldest of six children. His father served in the First World War. When Jim left school aged 14, he joined the Boys Brigade which had a Royal Air Force section and he had the chance to fly in…

MEdwardsF1805103-180314-17.jpg
A weather report issued by the Meteorological Office (undated).

AWalkerAJ180810.mp3
Alfred lived near RAF Upwood when he was a young child. Alfred’s father was in the army and worked on the Burmese railway. Alfred remembered aircraft going over his grandmother’s house and landing on the runway nearby. One morning an aircraft…

PBlandC1501.jpg
Charles Bland joined the Royal Air Force in February 1942 and went to RAF Halton as an Aircraft Apprentice.
He tells of his training at Halton, and describes the different trades and his exams to become an Leading Aircraftsman 1st Class, where he…

PBryanWA1501.jpg
William Bryan reminisces being hit by a German fighter and anti-aircraft fire while mine laying the Kiel Bay. The rest of the tour was a reasonably quiet time, consisting mainly of operations in the run-up of the Normandy campaign. Describes bombing…

PLockeBrownK1505.jpg
Kenneth Locke was born in 1923 and wanted to join the Royal Air Force, following in the footsteps of his father, who was a First World War Pilot. Between leaving school and joining the Royal Air Force, Kenneth worked as a bank clerk, before signing…

PLarardFN1502.jpg
After being called up, Larry was assessed as pilot, navigator, bomb aimer but changed to rear gunner to avoid the delay in pilot training. He was trained at RAF Dalcross on Wellingtons before moving to RAF Lindholme to convert to the Halifax and then…

PStachiewiczM17010031.jpg
Photo 1 is a mechanic working on a starboard engine with four men looking on.
Photo 2 is two groundcrew pushing the port main wheel.
Photo 3 is two groundcrew loading a bomb.
Photo 4 is two groundcrew pushing a bomb trolley.

PStachiewiczM17010035.jpg
Photo 1 is a group of five ground personnel with small bomb containers under a Wellington.
Photo 2 is of four airmen at the nose of a Wellington.

PStachiewiczM17010037.jpg
A sea mine on a trolley with a Polish marked Wellington behind. Three ground crew are at work.

PStachiewiczM17010044.jpg
Item 1 is an annotated chart for an operation to Cologne. There are areas highlighted in red around major cities.
Item 2 is a photograph of a Wellington framed by the entrance to the hangar.
Item 3 is a photograph of Batiuszka Cywiński standing…

AWilsonJM160121.mp3
Joan Wilson was born in Nettleham near Lincoln. She joined the Women’s Auxilliary Air Force and served as a wireless operator at RAF Morton Hall. The day following the Normandy landings, she had to send an urgent signal to all aircraft, to stop…

AMcDonaldEA150713.mp3
Allan McDonald was born in Hull and worked as an apprentice electrician before joining the Air Force. He passed the exams to become aircrew and trained as an air gunner. During training, his aircraft crash landed and he was soaked in petrol. He flew…

PLunnR1601.jpg
Reg Lunn was living in Fulham and working as an apprentice printer when he volunteered for the RAF. He had wanted to be aircrew but he was colour blind and so failed the medical. He joined as an engine fitter and was posted to 48 Squadron at RAF…

ARaineyDC180607.mp3
Donald Rainey was born in 1927 and he lived with his family at the Royal Oak in Scopwick. Donald remembers George Formby’s wife, Beryl staying at the pub for four days in the war whilst entertaining the troops at Digby. Got a job as an apprentice…
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