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]]> Dennis Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Weeze]]> England--London]]> England--Wallington Garden]]> Netherlands--Zandvoort]]> England--Croydon]]> England--Hartland]]> England--Lynton]]> England--Salcombe]]> England--Amersham]]> England--Newquay]]> England--Manchester]]> Scotland--Greenock]]> United States]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Canada]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> Maine--Portland]]> New Brunswick--Shediac]]> New Brunswick--Fredericton]]> Manitoba]]> Manitoba--Brandon]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Ontario--Hamilton]]> Ontario--London]]> Alberta--Medicine Hat]]> England--Harrogate]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> France--Angers]]> Germany--Neuss]]> England--Carlisle]]> England--Morecambe]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> Malta]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Burma--Rangoon]]> India--Mumbai]]> China--Guangzhou]]> China--Hainan Sheng]]> China--Hong Kong]]> India--Darjeeling]]> England--Liverpool]]> England--Hastings]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> Italy--Verona]]> Morocco--Marrakech]]> Northern Ireland--Belfast]]> Senegal--Dakar]]> Brazil--Natal]]> Argentina--Buenos Aires]]> Turkey--İzmir]]> Israel]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Gander]]> Greenland]]> Iceland]]> Cyprus--Nicosia]]> Iraq--Baghdad]]> Bahrain]]> England--Blandford Forum]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> England--Skellow]]> England--Worcester]]> England--Scarborough]]> England--Pershore]]> Arizona--Tucson]]> California--Vandenberg Air Force Base]]> England--Diss]]> England--Chelmsford]]> England--Basildon]]> England--St. Albans]]> England--Slough]]> England--Letchworth]]> England--Stevenage]]> France--Calais]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Essen]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Solingen]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Bocholt]]> Germany--Salzgitter]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> England--Coventry]]> England--London]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Québec--Montréal]]> India--Kolkata]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Vietnam--Ho Chi Minh City]]> England--Southend-on-Sea]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Italy]]> France]]> Arizona]]> California]]> Maine]]> New York (State)]]> Egypt]]> Ontario]]> Québec]]> New Brunswick]]> Alberta]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> Germany]]> Brazil]]> Burma]]> China]]> Cyprus]]> India]]> Iraq]]> Kenya]]> Netherlands]]> Pakistan]]> Turkey]]> Great Britain]]> Vietnam]]> Senegal]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Cumberland]]> England--Devon]]> England--Essex]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Kent]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Worcestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--London]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Dennis Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Neuss]]> France--Calais]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Essen]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Solingen]]> Germany--Leuna]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Bocholt]]> Germany--Salzgitter]]> Germany--Kiel Region]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Belgium--Charleroi]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Belgium--Leopoldsburg]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-12-18]]> D C Fleming]]> A W Cooper]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Gloucester]]> France]]> France--Lorient]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Germany]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Kassel]]> France--Cannes]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-11-19]]> 1943-11-24]]> 1943-11-22]]> 1943-01-22]]> 1943-02-16]]> 1943-02-24]]> 1943-03-03]]> 1943-03-26]]> 1943-04-04]]> 1943-04-08]]> 1943-04-10]]> 1943-04-10]]> 1943-04-14]]> 1943-04-16]]> 1942-12-20]]> 1943-03-28]]> 1943-05-29]]> 1943-06-11]]> 1943-06-12]]> 1943-06-21]]> 1943-06-24]]> 1943-07-09]]> 1943-07-13]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-25]]> 1943-07-27]]> 1943-07-29]]> 1943-08-10]]> 1943-08-23]]> 1943-09-05]]> 1943-09-06]]> 1943-09-22]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1943-11-11]]> 1943-11-18]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Map]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-25]]> 1943-05-26]]> On the reverse 'Bill Stephen - Front row centre
6 Group Service VE day '45
Gr. Capt Rutledge Leading'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> PCothliffKB17030004]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--York]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1945-05-08]]>
Information supplied with the collection states 'Staff officers at 6 (RCAF) Group Group HQ. Allerton Park. Grp. Capt. Lane is seated fourth from right, on his right Grp. Capt. Johnny Fauquier, and centre OC 6 Group, Air Vice Marshal "Black Mike" McEwan'.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> A second image is a repeat of the mine being dropped. There are silhouettes of two stylised Halifaxes.]]> No 6 (RCAF) group]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Artwork]]> Photograph]]> PCothliffKB15100029]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Norway]]> Norway--Oslo]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-02-16]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Plymouth]]> France--Dieppe]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Ontario--Ottawa]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Belgium]]> France--Fresnes (Val-de-Marne)]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Alberta--Hinton]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--Oxford]]> England--Southampton]]> Germany--Cologne]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Manitoba--Brandon]]> Switzerland--Geneva]]> United States--Mason-Dixon Line]]> England--Skipton]]> France--Falaise]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Virginia--Norfolk]]> Italy--Sicily]]> Italy--Calabria]]> Italy--Naples]]> Italy--Florence]]> Austria--Spittal an der Drau]]> Poland--Toruń]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Europe--Elbe River]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Germany--Mühlberg (Bad Liebenwerda)]]> Italy]]> Poland]]> France]]> Virginia]]> Ontario]]> Alberta]]> Germany]]> Austria]]> Switzerland]]> United States]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Devon]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> Manitoba]]> ‘F/O Potter
F/O Rutherford
F/O Mjolnese
F/O Reid
Sgt Taylor
Sgt Tuer
Sgt Searle’]]>
Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Physical object]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> 1944-09-13]]>
‘F/O Potter
F/O Rutherford
F/O Mjolsness
F/O Reid
Sgt Taylor
Sgt Tuer
Sgt Searle’]]>
Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Physical object]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> 1944-09-06]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Durham (County)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
He got his old job at the gas works back and married Dorothy. They had four boys and he spent a lot of time dinghy sailing.]]>
Bob Sharrock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Wigan]]> England--Warrington]]> England--London]]> England--Torquay]]> England--Hoylake]]> England--Hereford]]> England--Liverpool]]> England--Burnley]]> England--Morecambe]]> England--Bolton-le-Sands]]> England--Garstang]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Devon]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Preston (Lancashire)]]>
Bob Sharrock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Torquay]]> Wales--South Glamorgan]]> England--Merseyside]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Devon]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> Gemma Clapton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1943-07]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Map]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Mönchengladbach]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Belgium--Turnhout]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-25]]> 1943-05-26]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--York]]> 1944]]> Adam Sutch]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Southeast Asia]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> United States]]> Alabama--Montgomery]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Rod Pickles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> Alabama--Tuscaloosa]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--London]]> Florida--Miami]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Florida]]> Alabama]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1943-04-17]]> 1944-08]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jackie Simpson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-10-22]]> 1944]]> 1945-01-19]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1945-04-10]]> Jean Macartney]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Canada]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Great Britain]]> Ireland]]> Ireland--Dublin]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> John was a flight engineer with 427 Squadron. He was born at Westcliff-on-Sea and volunteered for the Royal Air Force when he received a letter from Bomber Command. He had joined the Air Training Corps and had an interest in aircraft. After finishing operations, he trained men when they transferred to Lancasters. He also flew Halifaxes. John demobilised in June 1947 and became a refrigeration engineer.
John’s wife describes how the Canadian crew attended their wedding and helped organise their honeymoon nine days before the war ended.
The family observe that John rarely discussed his wartime experiences; he did what had to be done.
John’s grandson recalls John’s love of model aircraft and shares his own research on 427 Squadron. He notes how the station records became more serious as the war progressed and losses grew. He recounts some of the stories John told him and how John was shocked by a photograph in a book, which recorded an incident he had experienced. He comments on the dangers they faced outside and during operations.
The family visited Yorkshire Air Museum for John’s 90th birthday and went in a Halifax, which is described as narrow and uncomfortable.
The family expresses their views about Bomber Command and the role it played.
]]>
Julian Maslin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cathie Hewitt]]> Sally Coulter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1945-05-08]]> 1947-06]]>