Browse Items (204 total)

  • Tags: searchlight

PRoyallG1501.jpg
George volunteered to be a pilot but settled for Air Observer. He talks about his selection and training in London and then in Stratford-upon-Avon, where enjoyed the theatre and how, at Brighton, illness separated him from the rest of the course. So,…

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BPayneGPayneGv1.pdf
Geoff Payne's autobiography divided into five chapters.

Chapter 1. Under Training.
Having been assessed in Birmingham Geoff sets off to London in August 1942 for training, at Lords. Initial training was at Bridlington then gunnery school at…

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PNeechPRR1601.jpg
Peter was born on the 7th of January 1925, in West Hampstead, London. He worked in a jewellers in Hammersmith and left his job to join the air cadets at RAF Hendon from 1941 to 1943. On his eighteenth birthday, he joined the RAF to begin training as…

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PMayhillRD1901.jpg
Ron Mayhill was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He joined the Air Training Corp in 1941, automatically entered the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942, trained as a bomb aimer in Canada, and travelled on the Queen Mary to the UK in 1943. While flying…

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SCruickshankG629128v10003-0001.jpg
Relates actions of Manser as captain of Manchester during the first 1,000 bomber operation on Cologne on 30 May 1942. After damage to aircraft Manser persisted in efforts to save aircraft. Once crash was inevitable he ordered his crew to bail out,…

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LDarbyC1897788v1.pdf
Observer's and air gunner's flying log book for Sergeant Charlie Darby, air gunner from 22 January 1944 to 16 January 1945. Charlie Darby was stationed at RAF Castle Kennedy and RAF Driffield where he flew Anson, Wellingtons and Halifaxes Mk 2 and 3.…

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PThomasAF20050017.jpg
Photo 1 and 2 are the marshalling yards still showing a huge amount of damage.
Photo 3 is a view of the heavily damaged Apprentice Shop of the Man works.
Photo 4 is the heavily damaged Searchlight Mirror Shop of the Fiems-Schuchorp Works.
Photo 5…

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E[Author]O-G[Recipient]L-A-AXX1225-010001.jpg
Christmas card with a picture of aircraft in action with bombing and searchlights. Annotated 'to Con, Albert and Amy from Olive and George'.

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EWakefieldHEWakefiledWE-[Mo]430924.pdf
Writes about operations to Hanover and Mannheim. Describes fires after attacks, poor German defences and German fighter attacks. Offers some sympathy to Germans on the ground and describes a fighter attacking them. Describes their first trip to…

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MAdamsHG424504-170215-01.pdf
Extracts from publications giving details of all operations by 467 and 463 Squadrons from 10 September 1944 to 25 April 1945. Details include number of aircraft, target, bombloads and losses. Interspersed are details of operations carried out by…

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BAdamsHGAdamsHGv1.pdf
Writes of training and briefly about operations on 467 Squadron. Continues to describe events after finishing his tour when he was training crews destined for Tiger Force as well as other training tasks. Writes of a training crash of a Lancaster…

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BStannusHStannusHv1.pdf
Account of operation to mine Brest harbour entrance, William Holmes was pilot and captain of aircraft. Used acoustic mines, describes briefing by naval officer, trip out, being engaged by heavy anti aircraft fire and finally dropping mines after…

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BYeomanHTYeomanHTv1-01.pdf
Starts with a poem and then a series of stories which together form the memoirs of Harold Yeoman, an officer who served in Bomber Command during the war, initially as a pilot on Wellingtons and then as an Intelligence Officer. He relates his…

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PRobertsM2001.jpg
Born in Manchester, Maurice was 20 years old when he joined up and volunteered for aircrew in 1940. He trained in South Africa, Canada (Moncton and Trenton), the Unites States (Lakeland), and was torpedoed in the Atlantic on his way back. Maurice…

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PMercierCG2101.jpg
Cyril Mercier was born in Jersey in 1925. He joined the Home Guard in 1940 and the RAF in 1943. After initial training, and training on gunnery at Bridgnorth he joined 14 Operational training Unit at Abingdon, where he crewed up. He trained on…

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BBrabinHWBrabinHWv1.pdf
Harry joined the Royal Australian Air Force on 25 June 1942 as a wireless operator/air gunner and received his initial training in Australia before going to Canada for his trade training.

He sailed on the SS Johan Van Barneve to San Francisco and…

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BDavyHDavyHv1.pdf
Herbert's service life in an autobiography.
He describes training in London, Bridlington, Morpeth and Wymeswold. Later training as a crew was at Castle Donington, Lindholme and Hemswell. He describes in detail his crew, aircraft and operations.…

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POHaraHF1605.jpg
Lancaster with a German Dornier 217 night fighter in the foreground. Another Lancaster caught in searchlights at the top right with other Lancasters and flames in the background. Captioned 'Augsburg 44', and signed by 'HOH'.

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POHaraHF1606.jpg
Lancaster and a Ju 88 night fighter in flight over a meandering river with tracer fire between them. In the background on the left of the image are a set of searchlights and a large fire in the distance. Captioned 'Return from Stuttgart' and is…

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POHaraHF1607.jpg
Lancaster in flight with a lighthouse on the end of a break water visible below it with a ship to the left. On the far left searchlights and bursts of anti-aircraft fire. Captioned 'Danzig'.

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YHendersonIG19220504v1.pdf
Gives accounts of operations including target, opposition, anti-aircraft fire, success of bombing, day or night, weather conditions. From September 1944 through to April 1945. Last page has list of losses.

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AMooreR160727.mp3
Raymond Moore flew 31 operations as a flight engineer with 408 Squadron. He describes initial training at Skegness and then further training at Cosford, Halton and St Athan. He describes the crewing-up procedure at Eastmoor and describes the…

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APriceSTG151001.mp3
Gwynne Price was living a rural lifestyle until he volunteered for the RAF. His dream was to train as an RAF pilot but since there was a surplus of pilots he chose to train instead as a flight engineer. On operations Gwyn observed the surreal feeling…

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BCotterJDPCotterJDPv1.pdf
Describes training and crewing up at operational training unit on Wellingtons. Mentions staying in London on leave with RCAF colleague, using the Canadian forces club London and dining at the Ritz. Includes diary entry describing operational baptism.…

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BBickersJBickersKGv1.pdf
Squadron Leader George Bickers was brought up in a working class family in Southampton during the 1930’s, attended Bitterne Park Boys School and joined the Royal Artillery where he was promoted to Corporal, having taken control of a searchlight…

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