By June 1943 Reg is at RAF Cottesmore, 14 Operational Training Unit.
He details his daily tasks before operations.
Next he is moved to RAF Wigsley Heavy Conversion Unit for conversion to Halifaxes then Lancasters then ended up at RAF Skellingthorpe.
The social life at Skellingthorpe is popular and he met his first wife.
November 1943 his brother is missing over Dusseldorf.
Each operation he was involved in is described in detail.
Later in his memoir he details where and when he trained.
There is a list of prisoners of war from his squadron and a colour photograph of Reg and two colleagues at the tail of Lancaster 'Just Jane'.
There is a list of Reg's paintings.
He details his post war service via Libya, Cairo, Iran, India and Karachi, ending up at 56 Forward Repair Unit in Rangoon.
In June 1946 he returned to the UK by ship.]]>
Reg Payne]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> British Army]]> Belgium]]> Burma]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Burma--Rangoon]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> France--Paris]]> France--Toulouse]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> France--Marseille]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Germany--Wolfenbüttel]]> Poland]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1944-03-30]]> 1944-03-31]]> 1944-04-05]]> 1944-04-06]]> 1944-04-18]]> 1944-04-19]]> 1945]]> 1946]]>
He met his future wife in the Unity bar in Lincoln.
Reg survived a crash on a fighter training session when four of his aircrew died.
He also survived ten operations to Berlin. On one operation they were shot up and lost a lot of fuel and had to make an emergency landing at RAF Wittering where no one could be found because they were at a party, on base.
Arriving back on another operation they found everywhere fogged in but landed at RAF Melbourne where they had to stay for a few days until the fog cleared. They had no clothes to change into, no money and no toothbrushes.
After one operation they landed safely and on powering down the aircraft a bomb, which should have been dropped over Germany, came free and rattled down the bomb bay without exploding.
Once they came back with a large hole in the wing, made by a bomb.
On another op they shot down a JU-88 night fighter.
Bombing operations were directed by a Master Bomber who set flares.
Reg and Fred were given Lincoln Imps as mascots but the night Fred died he had left his mascot on another tunic.
He describes the landing procedures when 40 Lancasters arrive back at the same time, most low on fuel.
His navigator, Fl Lt Frank Swingerd calculated winds aloft and Reg transmitted these to 5 Group aircraft.
He describes the various operating areas of the crew on board the Lancaster.]]>
Reg Payne]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Rutland]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Germany]]> 1943]]>
K Watson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Devon]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> K Watson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> Training continued on Whitleys before a transfer to Acaster Malbis for yet more training, followed by the heavy conversion unit at Marston Moor, on Halifaxes.
His first operational posting was 51 Squadron at Snaith. He covers each operation in detail. Interspersed with the details are explanations of electronic systems and tactics used.
During one operation he was shot down and parachuted behind the German lines. Eventually he was taken prisoner, interrogated then transferred to Stalag Luft 7. As the Russians got nearer they were forced to walk west. Later they were transferred by train to Stalag IIIA.
The account then jumps to reunions in the 1980s, then returns to the last few days at the camp as the war ends.
He reached home on 15th May.

This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. ]]>
Henry Wagner]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> England--Henley-on-Thames]]> England--Reading]]> England--London]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Hull]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Liverpool]]> South Africa--Durban]]> South Africa--East London]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> Egypt--Suez Canal]]> Egypt--Port Said]]> Libya--Tobruk]]> Italy--Sicily]]> Algeria--Algiers]]> England--Harrogate]]> England--Whitley Bay]]> England--Newquay]]> England--Falmouth]]> England--York]]> Northern Ireland--Belfast]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Germany--Essen]]> England--Beachy Head]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> England--Derby]]> Germany--Soest]]> England--Nottingham]]> Germany--Hildesheim]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Alps]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Italy]]> Algeria]]> Libya]]> Egypt]]> North Africa]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> South Africa]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Schönebeck (Schönebeck)]]>
J E F Mitchel]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Winchester]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Norway]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Germany]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Germany--Essen]]> France]]> France--La Capelle-en-Thiérache]]> France--Amiens]]> France--Abbeville]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Guernsey]]> Italy]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Northern Ireland--Enniskillen]]> England--Nottingham]]> Germany--Friedrichshafen]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Rutland]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> England--Shropshire]]> Gibraltar]]> Italy--Turin]]> Germany--Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Channel Islands]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Northern Ireland--Antrim (County)]]> 1934-10-10]]> 1935-07-12]]> 1936-05-13]]> 1939-09-03]]> 1940-05-17]]> 1940-05-21]]> 1940-06-26]]> 1940-06-11]]> 1941-07-01]]> 1943-05-20]]> 1943-06-20]]> 1944-01-18]]> Reg Miles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Georgie Donaldson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Navy]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Free French Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Margate]]> England--Wendover]]> England--Aylesbury]]> England--High Wycombe]]> England--Dover]]> England--Shrewsbury]]> England--Liverpool]]> England--Penzance]]> England--Devon]]> South Africa--Bloemfontein]]> England--Taunton]]> England--Blackpool]]> Sierra Leone--Freetown]]> South Africa--Durban]]> South Africa--Muizenberg]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> South Africa--Krugersdorp]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Belgium--Ghent]]> England--Folkestone]]> France--Paris]]> France--Lens]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Essen]]> Belgium--Liège]]> France--Somain]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Neufchâtel-en-Bray]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> France--Creil Region]]> France--Saint-Vaast-La Hougue]]> France--Montrichard]]> France--Mimoyecques]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Kiel]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Calais]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Norway--Bergen]]> England--Harrogate]]> Malta]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Australia]]> Queensland--Mackay]]> Libya--Tripoli]]> Israel--Tel Aviv]]> Middle East--Jerusalem]]> West Bank--Bethlehem]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> India--Kolkata]]> Sri Lanka--Ratmalana]]> Sri Lanka--Negombo]]> Israel--Lod]]> India--New Delhi]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> France]]> Queensland]]> Libya]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> India]]> Iraq]]> Israel]]> Norway]]> South Africa]]> Pakistan]]> Sri Lanka]]> Sierra Leone]]> West Bank]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Kent]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Lancashire]]> Egypt--Jīzah]]> France--Chantilly Forest]]> In accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donor, this item is available only at the University of Lincoln.]]> Peter Russell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Scotland--Fife]]> Scotland--St. Andrews]]> Northern Ireland]]> Northern Ireland--Antrim (County)]]> France]]> France--Brest]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Eastbourne (East Sussex)]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Bridgnorth]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France--Angers]]> Germany]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Harburg (Landkreis)]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Saint-Vith]]> Germany--Rheydt]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Goch]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Poland]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Witten]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Great Britain]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Swindon (Wiltshire)]]> 1939]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-10-23]]> 1944-10-28]]> 1944-11-02]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-09]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-11]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1944-11-18]]> 1944-11-19]]> 1944-11-21]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-12-25]]> 1944-12-26]]> 1944-12-27]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-04]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-03-01]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-18]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-05-25]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1939-09]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-05]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-10]]> 1946-02]]> Peter Lovatt]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> United States]]> Rhode Island--Quonset Point Naval Air Station]]> Bahamas--Nassau]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Bahamas--New Providence Island]]> Great Britain]]> England--Harrogate]]> Scotland--Perth]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> England--Warrington]]> England--Blackpool]]> Luxembourg]]> France]]> Belgium]]> Netherlands]]> France--Dunkerque]]> England--Dover]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Torquay]]> Wales--Aberystwyth]]> Iceland]]> Greenland]]> Sierra Leone]]> Russia (Federation)--Murmansk]]> Singapore]]> France--Saint-Malo]]> Denmark]]> Sweden]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Netherlands--Ameland Island]]> England--Grimsby]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Lundy Island]]> Germany--Cologne]]> North Carolina]]> North Carolina--Cape Hatteras]]> Aruba]]> Curaçao]]> Iceland--Reykjavík]]> Greenland--Narsarssuak]]> Canada]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Rhode Island]]> New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Gulf of Mexico]]> Caribbean Sea]]> Virginia]]> Florida--Miami]]> Cuba--Guantánamo Bay Naval Base]]> Puerto Rico--San Juan]]> Cuba]]> Florida--West Palm Beach]]> Cuba--Caimanera]]> India]]> Sierra Leone--Freetown]]> Jamaica]]> Jamaica--Kingston]]> Jamaica--Montego Bay]]> Virginia--Norfolk]]> Washington (D.C.)]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> Northern Ireland--Limavady]]> England--Chatham (Kent)]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Gander]]> Gibraltar]]> England--Leicester]]> Massachusetts--Boston]]> Egypt--Alamayn]]> Algeria--Algiers]]> Algeria--Oran]]> Algeria--Bejaïa]]> Algeria--Annaba]]> Italy--Sicily]]> England--Milton Keynes]]> Germany--Essen]]> England--Dunwich]]> Europe--Scheldt River]]> England--Sizewell]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> England--Kent]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> England--Crowborough]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> England--Peterborough]]> England--Bristol]]> Germany--Homburg (Saarland)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Belgium--Liège]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Aschaffenburg]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Mittelland Canal]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Leuna]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Ulm]]> Germany--Munich]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> France--Ardennes]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Grevenbroich]]> Germany--Dülmen]]> France--Metz]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Zeitz]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> England--Dungeness]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Wiesbaden]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Worms]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Europe--Lake Constance]]> Germany--Bergkamen]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> France--Aube]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> England--Feltwell]]> England--Croydon]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Sweden--Stockholm]]> Czech Republic--Prague]]> Italy--Florence]]> Portugal--Lisbon]]> Monaco--Monte-Carlo]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Netherlands--Venlo]]> Netherlands--Amsterdam]]> France--Paris]]> France--Lyon]]> France--Digne]]> France--Nevers]]> France--Lille]]> Norway--Ålesund]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Bailleul (Nord)]]> Belgium--Ieper]]> Belgium--Mesen]]> France--Cambrai]]> France--Somme]]> France--Arras]]> France--Lens]]> France--Calais]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> France--Brest]]> France--Lorient]]> France--La Pallice]]> Egypt--Suez]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> Cyprus]]> Turkey--Gallipoli]]> Black Sea--Dardanelles Strait]]> Turkey--İmroz Island]]> Turkey--İzmir]]> Greece--Lesbos (Municipality)]]> Greece--Thasos Island]]> Greece--Chios (Municipality)]]> Greece--Thasos]]> Bulgaria]]> Turkey--Istanbul]]> Europe--Macedonia]]> Greece--Kavala]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> Africa--Rhodesia and Nyasaland]]> Tanzania]]> Sudan]]> Eritrea]]> Ethiopia]]> Sudan--Kassalā]]> Eritrea--Asmara]]> Yemen (Republic)--Perim Island]]> Ethiopia--Addis Ababa]]> Sudan--Khartoum]]> Ghana--Takoradi]]> Libya--Cyrenaica]]> Libya--Tobruk]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Iraq]]> Greece--Crete]]> Libya--Tripolitania]]> Tunisia--Mareth Line]]> Libya--Tripoli]]> Tunisia--Qaṣrayn]]> Tunisia--Medenine]]> Italy--Pantelleria Island]]> Malta]]> Italy--Licata]]> Italy--Brindisi]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Italy--Cassino]]> Italy--Sangro River]]> Italy--Termoli]]> Yugoslavia]]> Croatia--Split]]> Croatia--Vis Island]]> Italy--Loreto]]> Italy--Pescara]]> Trinidad and Tobago--Trinidad]]> North America--Saint Lawrence River]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Happy Valley-Goose Bay]]> Bahamas]]> Florida]]> Italy]]> Poland]]> Massachusetts]]> New York (State)]]> Algeria]]> Tunisia]]> Libya]]> Egypt]]> North Africa]]> Ontario]]> Québec]]> Germany]]> Croatia]]> Czech Republic]]> Ghana]]> Greece]]> Kenya]]> Norway]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Turkey]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Portugal]]> Trinidad and Tobago]]> North America--Niagara Falls]]> France--Reims]]> Europe--Frisian Islands]]> Germany--Monheim (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Greece--Thessalonikē]]> Germany--Herne (Arnsberg)]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Russia (Federation)--Arkhangelʹskai︠a︡ oblastʹ]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Jersey]]> Virginia--Hampton Roads (Region)]]> GB Blacklock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Skipton]]> Scotland--Bedrule]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> England--Appleby-in-Westmorland]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> Egypt--Aboukir Bay]]> England--Chester]]> England--Newmarket (Suffolk)]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Guernsey]]> France--Marseille]]> Northern Ireland]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Wangerooge Island]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Borkum]]> England--Wisbeach]]> England--Weybridge]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Stavanger]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> France--Givet]]> Belgium]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Hazebrouck]]> France--Dunkerque]]> France--Socx]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> France--Salon-de-Provence]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Lünen]]> Wales--Hawarden]]> Germany--Baden-Baden]]> England--Eastleigh]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> England--Doncaster]]> France--Brest]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Lingen (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> France--La Pallice]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]>