Browse Items (304 total)

  • Tags: Cook’s tour

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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EBrittainJTBrittain[Mo]450601.jpg
Writes that prisoner of war repatriation task is now over and that they now going to do a sort of Cook's Tour of Germany including the Ruhr. He goes on to discuss upcoming dates for birthday, anniversary and leave. States he may not be able to use…

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EBrittainJTBrittain[Mo]450603-0001.jpg
Three page letter envelope from John Brittain to his mother. He mentions the bad weather and that he might sell his car. He tells her of the devastation that he has seen while flying over Germany.

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PChineryDR1601.jpg
Don Chinery was born in Upper Sherringham on the 14th August 1921, and after working as a Baker, he joined the Royal Airforce in 1942 serving as a Rear Gunner.
His first station was RAF Bircham Newton, where he did his training, and flew in…

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AHoughWJ160905.mp3
Bill Hough came from a farming background, went to a local grammar school in Northwich and was a member of the Air Training Corps. He joined the RAF in 1943. He describes his initial training at Bridgnorth. Bill then goes into the continuation…

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AAllenWH170331.mp3
William Allen’s father had served with the Fleet Air Arm during the First World War. William also wanted to fly and so volunteered for the RAF at the earliest opportunity. He trained as a wireless operator. The crew arrived on the squadron and the…

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PBrettDT1501.jpg
Dennis was born in 1924 and joined the Royal Air Force in November 1942. He trained as a flight mechanic airframe at RAF Locking and was responsible for the whole of the aircraft, apart from the engines and the guns. Dennis explained the emergency…

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PColeC1601.jpg
Colin Cole was brought up and schooled at Twickenham, and worked for a time at W H Smith before joining the Royal Air Force. He trained as a wireless operator/air gunner at RAF Yatesbury and RAF Barrow in Furness. He then served with 617 Squadron,…

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PBarronAJK1901.jpg
Andrew said that during leisure time the crew drank, sang silly songs but didn’t really socialise much. He recalled an occasion when the Germans sent in about 200 night fighters infiltrating the main force on its ways home. They shot down a B-17…

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EHoganPJHoganDH450610-0001.jpg
Writes about cutting his finger on barbed wire while walking back across country from a dance. Had to be stitched but still gave trouble. Says he is now crewless as the rest had volunteered together to go to Transport Command. Mentions asthma and…

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AStaffordF180705.mp3
Frank Stafford grew up in a small mining village in Creswell, Derbyshire. After leaving school at 16, he went to work for the Inland Revenue, from here at the age of 18, he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. He was sent to London to begin physical…

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BBaxterPDBaxterPDv1.pdf
The detailed and wide ranging story of Peter Baxter's service in the RAF from an Airframe Apprentice to Flight Engineer Leader.

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MBaxterPD52604-160712-120001.jpg
The first is to Duisberg on 26/27 April 1943 with Squadron Leader Villiers as the captain. The second is to Essen on 27 May 1943, Squadron Leader Slade as the captain. The third is to Dusseldorf on 11/12
June 1943, with Squadron Leader Slade as the…

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BBryanR-MBurnsideJGBv1.pdf
Part 1 - family background with information on relatives and family photographs.
Part 2 - war service of Flying Officer James Gordon Bennett Burnside flight engineer. Covers training as flight engineer. Then follows short descriptions. listing…

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SBriarsRA1299161v1.pdf
Starts with tribute to crew and has colour photograph of a 617 Squadron Lancaster over Lincoln. Writes of his joining the RAF, selection as an air gunner and his basic training. Goes on with description of gunnery training, before going to OTU at RAF…

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ADavisR[Date]-01.mp3
Ron Davis talks of his joining the RAF and early training at Cardington, Bournemouth and Halton. He trained as a fitter and was posted to RAF Scampton on Hampdens with 49 Squadron. Ron tells many stories of life as groundcrew at RAF Scampton…

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PAdamsHG1704.jpg
Herbert Adams grew up in New South Wales Australia and joined the Air Training Corps as soon as it was established. He later joined the Royal Australian Air Force and after training, he completed a tour of operations as a navigator with 467 Squadron.…

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AJenkinsAE160709.mp3
Alex was fostered by the cricketer Bill Woodfull and studied at Melbourne University. He had to go from Somers to defend his decision to join up in 1942. He trained at Benalla and converted onto Wirraways at Deniliquin where he qualified as a pilot.…

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PEdmundsAE1702.jpg
Eddie Edmunds was born in Walthamstow and was educated at a grammar school, then joined an oil company. He eventually moved to the Electric Supply Company and became an accountant. Eddie had always wanted to fly so he initially joined the reserve and…

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BPerryWRPPerryWRPv2.pdf
Memoir starts by describing early life and education in Tunbridge Wells before moving to Cornwall. Writes about beginning of the war. Volunteered for aircrew in Plymouth (which had been bombed the day before) shortly after his 18th birthday.…

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MPerryWRP1317696-170719-02.pdf
Writes of his time on 106 Squadron at RAF Syerston. Mentions operation to the Ruhr and Italy and that they were two thirds of their way through tour. Writes of his last operation at Syerston and squadron's move to RAF Metheringham. Describes his new…

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PBubbGJ1602.jpg
Oblique aerial photograph of Köln cathedral and surrounding area all showing heavy bomb damage. Photograph is looking west with railway station in the right hand corner.

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PBanksP15010004.jpg
Map showing route in black with red direction arrows from a base near Ely via Dunkirk, through Belgium to Maastricht, Aachen, Cologne, to the east of the Dortmund in the Ruhr and then return via Holland. Label 'Map of route, France, Belgium, Germany…

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PBanksP15010005.jpg
Lancaster at very low level with undercarriage down over grass airfield with row of trees on horizon. Captioned 'Baedecker Bus Feltwell, 14 June 45'.

Label below has swastikas at top left and right and text 'V-E +, Sept 3rd 1939 to May 8th 1945'.

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PBanksP15010014.jpg
Oblique aerial photograph of Aachen. The Stadtpark is in the foreground and the circular Roland Plasse in the bottom right. The Cathedral is centre right. A third of the way up a tree line boulevard runs from left to right with some large detached…

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