Browse Items (69 total)

  • Tags: 14 OTU

PLambAM1702.jpg
Alexander Lamb grew up in Scotland and worked in the civil service before he joined the Royal Air Force. He flew five operations as an air gunner with 15 Squadron.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PLambAM1509.jpg
Alexander Lamb left school in Edinburgh and became a messenger for the War Department. He then took a clerical post with the Department before reaching the age to volunteer for the RAF. He trained as an air gunner and was posted to RAF Mildenhall…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PWilliamsAE1510.jpg
Arthur Emlyn Williams talks about his life before volunteering and what lead him up to volunteering. His parents were upset about his decision to join the RAF. In September 1943, he was accepted for training as an air-gunner. He started his first…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PWilliamsAE1510.jpg
Arthur Emlyn Williams was working as a pump operator at the mines, before he volunteered for the RAF. His mother hid his first recruitment letter. He trained at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and Number 2 Air-Gunnery school at Inverness, on Ansons. He…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PEvansE1602.jpg
Eric Evans was born in 1923 in Liverpool and was just 16 years of age when war broke out. He served in the Royal Air Force, and serving with 463 RAAF Squadron, going from the rank of sergeant and leaving the service as a warrant officer, before…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ACatlingG151121.mp3
Gordon Catling grew up in Ipswich and lied about his age to join the Fire Service as a despatch rider. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1943 and flew operations as a rear gunner with 50 Squadron from RAF Skellingthorpe. He was posted to India after…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ACookJ150709.mp3
Jack Cook was born in Mexborough. He left school at 14 and went to work at a Gentlemen’s Outfitters. At 16 he worked on the footplate for LNER. At the age of 18 he volunteered for aircrew and trained as a wireless operator/air gunner; joined 100…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PSwaffieldJ1703.jpg
James Swaffield was born and grew up in West London and flew as a navigator in the RAF. He discusses with the interviewer his life before, during and after the war. Highlights include: remembering his father, who served during the First World War and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PBarrJ1506.jpg
Jim joined the Royal Air Force after an engineering apprenticeship. He learnt navigation in South Africa at Oudtshoorn, followed by gunnery training at Port Alfred. After Dumfries, he went to an Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF North Luffenham…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ASmithJ180111.mp3
Before the war Joan worked as a hairdresser. At 17 and a half she applied for the Land Army and was interviewed in her home town of Sheffield. Her first posting was to a farm in Fulbeck. She and about fourteen other girls stayed in a hostel with…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AMartinEJ181202.mp3
John Martin was born in June 1922 and lived in London. He always wanted the opportunity to fly and so at the age of 19 volunteered to join the Royal Air Force as an armourer. He was not accepted as he was in a reserved occupation. Eventually he…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PPayneR1706.jpg
Reg Payne was born in Kettering in 1923. He left school at the age of fourteen and just before he was eighteen he volunteered to join the RAF. He did his basic training at Blackpool learning Morse Code in the tram sheds. From there he did his…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AWoodhouseRM151001.mp3
Robert Woodhouse was living in Pembroke Dock when the bombing of the town began. The family relocated to Cardiff when they lost their home in the bombing. In Cardiff Robert joined the Air Training Corps. He had a cousin who had already joined the RAF…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PMarlowR1601.jpg
Ronald Marlow went to Middleton Council School, then worked at Forgrove Engineering. He joined the Air Training Corps, volunteered for the Royal Air Force training in London at St Johns Wood. He became an air gunner ad flew Wellingtons, followed by a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

LBarnesJ[Ser#-DoB]v1.pdf
Pilots flying log book for J Barnes, covering the period from 10 December 1940 to 6 march 1946 and 24 September 1948 to 2 march 1951. Detailing his flying training, Instructor duties, operations flown and post war flying duties. He was stationed at…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

LFlintJ121331v1.pdf
J Flint’s Flying Log Book covering the period 30 August 1938 to 16 February 1944.
Detailing his flying training and operations flown as pilot. He was stationed at RAF Tollerton (27 E&RFTS), RAF Hanworth (5 EFTS), RAF Yatesbury (10 EFTS), RAF Brize…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

LHowellJ552601v1.pdf
I J Howell’s wireless operator/ air gunner’s flying log book covering the period from 6 September 1939 to 10 April 1941. Detailing his operations flown as wireless operator/air gunner. He was stationed at RAF Finningley (76 Squadron and 7…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

LSwaffieldJ19250603v1.pdf
Flying log book for navigators, air bomber, air gunners & flight engineers for James Swaffield, navigator, Covering the period from 18 August 1943 to the end of his operations on 5 January 1945 (but logbook certified to 21 April 1945). Detailing…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BDaviesMJDaviesLAv1.pdf
Biographies of navigator Leslie Davies and all his crew. Includes photographs of Lancaster, 50 Squadron, his crew, Leslie Davies himself, training course photographs. Covers his tour from 7 October 1944 to 22 March 1945. List his crew and aircraft…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

LDaviesLA1581024v1.pdf
Observer’s and air gunner’s flying log book for L A Davies, navigator, covering the period from 4 August 1943 to 16 April 1945 and from 26 September 1948 to 13 June 1953 with no. 5 reserve flying school. He was stationed at RAF Port Alfred, RAF…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

APeelMG900416.mp3
Michael Peel was with the university squadron before volunteering for the RAF. He wanted to be a navigator but was encouraged to train as a pilot. He went to Canada to train in Harvards and Tiger Moths. In conversation with his son he discusses his…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

APeelMG[Date]-01.mp3
Michael Peel was posted to 44 Squadron based at RAF Dunholme Lodge. On one operation at midnight his crew wished him a happy birthday. It was his twenty first birthday. On another occasion they found they still had a bomb in the bomb bay and the…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BWalshawFWalshawFv1.pdf
Frank Walshaw's memoir. He discusses his training and several crashes he was involved in.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2