Pathfinder prints Wellingborough]]> Pathfinder Prints]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1982-04-13]]> John Player & Sons]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> Great Britain]]> England--Birmingham]]> Pakistan--Risālpur (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)]]> Germany--Cologne]]> England--Gosport]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> Jordan--Amman]]> England--Martlesham Heath]]> Pakistan--Peshawar]]> Pakistan--Kohat District]]> Pakistan--Miānwāli District]]> India--Ambāla (District)]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> Egypt--Ismailia (Province)]]> Belgium--Zeebrugge]]> Belgium--Ostend]]> France--Somme]]> Egypt--Ḥulwān]]> Iraq--Baghdad]]> England--Copmanthorpe]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city)]]> Singapore]]> England--Andover]]> England--Old Sarum (Extinct city)]]> England--Folkestone]]> Scotland--Dalgety Bay]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> England--Thetford]]> England--Winchester]]> England--Hucknall]]> Scotland--Abbotsinch (Air base)]]> France]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> India]]> Iraq]]> Pakistan]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Kent]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> Scotland--Stirling (Stirling)]]> His pilots on operations were Sergeant Walkden and Captain Lawrie. He is recorded as missing from the last of these operations. Comments on operations include: 'Aircraft holed 24 times. 2 through my turret'.]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Leitch]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Algeria]]> Canada]]> Croatia]]> Czech Republic]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Greece]]> Hungary]]> Italy]]> Poland]]> Romania]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> Greece--Crete]]> Italy--Sardinia]]> Italy--Sicily]]> Mediterranean Sea]]> Algeria--Blida]]> Croatia--Rijeka]]> Czech Republic--Pardubice]]> Danube River]]> France--Valence (Drôme)]]> Greece--Ērakleion]]> Hungary--Szombathely]]> Italy--Alghero]]> Italy--Angitola]]> Italy--Battipaglia]]> Italy--Borgo Rizzo]]> Italy--Cagliari]]> Italy--Caltanissetta]]> Italy--Castelvetrano]]> Italy--Catania]]> Italy--Civitavecchia]]> Italy--Decimomannu]]> Italy--Eboli]]> Italy--Elmas]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Italy--Formia]]> Italy--Marsala]]> Italy--Messina]]> Italy--Naples]]> Italy--Olbia]]> Italy--Palermo]]> Italy--Pantelleria Island]]> Italy--Pizzo]]> Italy--Rome]]> Italy--Salerno]]> Italy--Sesto Fiorentino]]> Italy--Taranto]]> Italy--Trieste]]> Italy--Villacidro]]> Italy--Viterbo]]> Poland--Warsaw]]> Québec--Mont-Joli]]> Romania--Bucharest]]> Scotland--Castle Kennedy]]> North Africa]]> Québec]]> Québec--Mont-Joli]]> Danube River]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1943-05-08]]> 1943-05-09]]> 1943-05-11]]> 1943-05-12]]> 1943-05-13]]> 1943-05-14]]> 1943-05-15]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1943-05-18]]> 1943-05-21]]> 1943-05-22]]> 1943-05-23]]> 1943-05-24]]> 1943-05-27]]> 1943-05-28]]> 1943-05-29]]> 1943-05-30]]> 1943-05-31]]> 1943-06-01]]> 1943-06-02]]> 1943-06-06]]> 1943-06-07]]> 1943-06-09]]> 1943-06-19]]> 1943-06-20]]> 1943-06-21]]> 1943-06-22]]> 1943-06-23]]> 1943-06-24]]> 1943-06-25]]> 1943-06-28]]> 1943-06-29]]> 1943-07-02]]> 1943-07-03]]> 1943-07-04]]> 1943-07-05]]> 1943-07-08]]> 1943-07-11]]> 1943-07-12]]> 1943-07-13]]> 1943-07-14]]> 1943-07-15]]> 1943-08-02]]> 1943-08-05]]> 1943-08-06]]> 1943-08-09]]> 1943-08-10]]> 1943-08-11]]> 1943-08-12]]> 1943-08-13]]> 1943-08-14]]> 1943-08-15]]> 1943-08-16]]> 1943-08-18]]> 1943-08-19]]> 1943-08-21]]> 1943-08-22]]> 1943-08-25]]> 1943-08-26]]> 1943-08-27]]> 1943-08-28]]> 1943-08-30]]> 1943-08-31]]> 1943-09-01]]> 1943-09-04]]> 1943-09-05]]> 1943-09-06]]> 1943-09-07]]> 1943-09-08]]> 1943-09-09]]> 1943-09-10]]> 1943-09-11]]> 1944-06-04]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-26]]> 1944-06-27]]> 1944-07-02]]> 1944-07-03]]> 1944-07-19]]> 1944-07-20]]> 1944-07-21]]> 1944-07-22]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-27]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-08-01]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-10]]> 1944-08-11]]> 1944-08-13]]> 1944-08-14]]> 1944-08-16]]> 1944-08-17]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> L[Author][Ser#-DoB]v10002]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> South African Air Force]]> Hungary]]> Poland]]> Hungary--Szombathely]]> Danube River]]> Poland--Warsaw]]> William Cross]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> BCrossWCrossWv10002,
BCrossWCrossWv10003,
BCrossWCrossWv10004]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> South African Air Force]]> Azerbaijan]]> Azerbaijan--Baku]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Italy]]> Italy--Brindisi]]> Italy--Sardinia]]> Iraq]]> Iraq--Baghdad]]> Iran]]> Malta]]> Poland]]> Poland--Warsaw]]> Poland--Vistula River]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Syria]]> Syria--Damascus]]> Ukraine]]> North Africa]]> Ukraine--Poltava]]> Iran--Tehran]]> Russia (Federation)--Volgograd]]> Russia (Federation)--Moscow]]> 1944-08-13]]> 1944-08-14]]>
When Jim was about 18, he was called up to go to RAF Halton for aircraft training, after which he was sent for further training at RAF Abingdon Operational Training Unit on Hampden and Witney aircraft. He was then sent back to RAF Halton to do a fitter course and then posted to 23 Operational Training Unit at RAF Pershore working on Wellingtons. After training Jim became a leading aircraftman. In September 1943 Jim was posted to 206 Squadron on the Wirral for about two weeks. The outfit totalled about 1,000 people from the Air Force, Army and Navy. His unit was then sent to the Liverpool docks to join the troop ship Laconia heading for Bangor and then on to Azores where 8206 Maintenance Unit built an Air Force station and runway. They stayed in tents with eight people for up to a year. Over Christmas Jim was in a Portuguese hospital for about three days with a broken finger. The unit went to Casablanca then to Cornwall just before D-Day. He was put on night shift at RAF St Mawgan with 206 Squadron working on Liberators. Following a trip to Scotland they were posted at Dundee with an air salvaging and servicing unit. Here he was made acting corporal and worked with 31 Dakota Squadron. When the war ended, he was flown to Singapore, got a boat to Southampton and was discharged to complete his apprenticeship as a joiner. Jim re-joined the Air Force and went back to RAF Swinderby for four years working on Wellingtons. There he met his future wife. In 1951 the unit went to Singapore to work on Sunderlands before being posted back home. Jim left in 1966 and worked for AV Roe until joining ICL in a management job. ]]> Martyn Horndern]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Wirral]]> Scotland]]> Scotland--Dundee]]> Azores]]> North Africa]]> Morocco]]> Morocco--Casablanca]]> Singapore]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943]]> 1943-09]]> 1943-12]]> 1966]]>
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Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> South African Air Force]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina--Sarajevo]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Italy--Bari]]> Italy--Foggia]]> North Africa]]> India]]> India--Pune]]> 1944]]>

Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.
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Bill Bailey]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> South African Air Force]]> Italy]]> Alps]]>

Back row from left to right: wireless operator Flight Sergeant Geoff Shelmedine, pilot Lieutenant Van Van De Walt, navigator Lieutenant Perry Perkins, second pilot Lieutenant Robby Roberts. Front row from left to right: bomb aimer Sergeant Alex Neale, mid-upper gunner Flight Sergeant Bill Wynne, air gunner Warrant Officer Harvey Le Roux, rear gunner Sergeant Bill Bailey.

Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> South African Air Force]]> Italy]]>

Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> South African Air Force]]> Italy]]> Italy--Sorrento]]> 1945-04]]>

Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> South African Air Force]]> Italy]]>