#1 A group of trainee airmen including two officers arranged in four rows. At the bottom and upside down is a caption' Herbert Davy Rear Gunner 626 Squadron ACRC St John's Wood London May 1943'.
#2 is Herbert leaning against a rear gun turret.
#3 is a head and shoulders portrait of Herbert and an air gunner brevet.
2 and 3 are captioned 'Herbert Davy Rear Gunner 626 Squadron'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1943-05]]>
KJ Brind]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France--Alençon]]> Great Britain]]> England--Aldeburgh]]> Germany--Berlin]]> United States]]> Florida--Pensacola]]> France--Reims]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> England--Hastings]]> France--Dieppe]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Reading]]> France--Domléger-Longvillers]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Calais]]> France--Berck-sur-Mer]]> England--London]]> England--Dungeness]]> France--Vierzon]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Orléans]]> France--Dijon]]> England--Bridport]]> England--Weymouth (Dorset)]]> France--Rennes]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Channel Islands]]> Europe--Mont Blanc]]> France--Tours]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Caen]]> Belgium--Kortrijk]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Belgium--Ostend]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Kiel]]> England--Mablethorpe]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Rüsselsheim]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Munich]]> England--Selsey (West Sussex)]]> France--Falaise]]> England--Old Sarum (Extinct city)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> Sweden]]> Sweden--Malmö]]> Sweden--Falun]]> England--Beachy Head]]> Germany--Rheine]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Emmerich]]> Netherlands--Nijmegen]]> England--Cromer]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> England--Marlborough]]> Florida]]> Poland]]> France]]> Germany]]> Denmark]]> Belgium]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Europe--Frisian Islands]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Kent]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Middle - sixteen aircrew, all wearing battledress, some with discernible observers or navigator's brevet standing and squatting in a group in front of a building.
Bottom - thirty-four aircrew all wearing battledress some with visible half brevet and at least one pilot (middle of middle row). All sitting and standing in three rows in front of a single storey hut with corrugated iron roof.
Captioned 'Pilots. Navigators and Gunners of 626'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]>
Middle left - four aircrew wearing Mae West and parachute harness standing in front of the nose of a Wellington.
Middle right - seven aircrew wearing battledress (one also with Mae West) standing in front of the rear turret of a bomber.
Bottom left - seven aircrew wearing Mae Wests standing and kneeling between the port engines of a Lancaster. Captioned 'Just crewed up with 626 Sqn. Other crews on station'.
Bottom right - (image rotated) four aircrew wearing Mae West and parachute harness in front of the nose of a Wellington.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]>

Also on page is a newspaper cutting announcing the award and a crew photograph.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943]]>
Consul General of France in Western Canada]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> fra]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Poland]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Belgium--Ghent]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> France--Caen Region]]> France--Calais]]> France--Falaise]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Paris]]> France--Pauillac (Gironde)]]> Germany--Aschaffenburg]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Emmerich]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kiel Canal]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Merseburg]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Ulm]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Uden]]> Netherlands--Veere]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> France--Fontenay]]> 1944-05-03]]> 1944-05-04]]> 1944-08-04]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-10]]> 1944-08-14]]> 1944-08-15]]> 1944-08-18]]> 1944-08-26]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-08-29]]> 1944-08-30]]> 1944-09-03]]> 1944-09-05]]> 1944-09-08]]> 1944-09-10]]> 1944-09-11]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-09-26]]> 1944-10-03]]> 1944-10-05]]> 1944-10-06]]> 1944-10-07]]> 1944-10-14]]> 1944-10-15]]> 1944-10-19]]> 1944-10-20]]> 1944-10-23]]> 1944-10-24]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-11]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-21]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-11-29]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-07]]> 1944-12-12]]> 1944-12-13]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-16]]> 1944-12-17]]> 1944-12-18]]> Douglas (Rear Gunner) Chippy DFC (Pilot) Jimmy (Mid-Upper Gunner) (aged 18)
Crew of Sugar 2 of 626 Squadron. 32 operations. Hit by flak
On 4 occasion, with only one injury, and that to Bombe Aimer.
Also 1 severe strike by lightning, blinding Pilot for 10 minutes!’ ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]>
He describes the food in his hotel and his visit to Odense. He found a resident who had kept parts of his Wellington, then he was taken to the field where his aircraft had crashed.]]> Eric Foinette]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Denmark]]> Sweden]]> Denmark--Odense]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> Denmark--Esbjerg]]> Australia]]> New Zealand]]> Great Britain]]> England--Harwich]]> Germany]]> 1942-02-26]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Leitch ]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> France]]> Germany]]> Italy]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Italy--Po River Valley]]> France--La Rochelle]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Remscheid]]> Germany--Rheydt]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1943-07-06]]> 1943-07-07]]> 1943-07-08]]> 1943-07-09]]> 1943-07-10]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-25]]> 1943-07-26]]> 1943-07-29]]> 1943-07-30]]> 1943-07-31]]> 1943-08-09]]> 1943-08-10]]> 1943-08-11]]> 1943-08-12]]> 1943-08-13]]> 1943-08-27]]> 1943-08-28]]> 1943-08-30]]> 1943-08-31]]> 1943-09-01]]> 1943-09-03]]> 1943-09-04]]> 1943-09-05]]> 1943-09-06]]> 1943-09-23]]> 1943-09-24]]> 1943-09-25]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-10-04]]> 1943-10-05]]> 1943-10-08]]> 1943-10-09]]> 1943-10-18]]> 1943-10-19]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1943-11-04]]> 1943-11-18]]> 1943-11-19]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France]]> France--Toulouse]]> France--Marseille]]> France--Les Angles (Gard)]]> 1945-08-07]]> He describes training in London, Bridlington, Morpeth and Wymeswold. Later training as a crew was at Castle Donington, Lindholme and Hemswell. He describes in detail his crew, aircraft and operations. After the war he returned to his job in Cornwall and made contact with some of his old crew. His wife concludes his story, writing in 2005.]]> Herbert Davy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Alnwick]]> England--Sheffield]]> England--Mablethorpe]]> England--Liskeard]]> England--The Lizard]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Sweden--Malmö]]> England--Wragby (Lincolnshire)]]> England--Saltash]]> France--Caen]]> England--Lincoln]]> England--Newhaven]]> England--Leigh-on-Sea]]> England--Bristol]]> Canada]]> Ontario]]> Poland]]> Trinidad and Tobago--Trinidad]]> France]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> Sweden]]> Trinidad and Tobago]]> England--Essex]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Pauillac (Gironde)]]> England--Preston (Lancashire)]]> England--Bristol]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> Cara Walmsley]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> Germany--Ulm]]> Germany--Wiesbaden]]> South Africa--East London]]> South Africa--Port Elizabeth]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1944-12-12]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-17]]> 1944-12-28]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1945-01-02]]> 1945-01-03]]> 1945-01-07]]> 1945-01-08]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-02-21]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-02-24]]> 1945-03-07]]> 1945-03-08]]> 1945-03-09]]> 1945-03-11]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-16]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Hancock]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Text]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Poland]]> Belgium--Kortrijk]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Tyne and Wear]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Caen]]> France--Calais]]> France--Dijon]]> France--Evreux]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Paris]]> France--Siracourt]]> France--Tours]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Uden]]> Netherlands--Westkapelle]]> Poland--Szczecin (Voivodeship)]]> France--Pauillac (Gironde)]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> 1944-06-16]]> 1944-07-07]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-15]]> James Sheach]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sam Harper-Coulson]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany]]> Alabama]]> Australia]]> Florida]]> Germany]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Netherlands]]> United States]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1940-01-10]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1977]]> During his time as a Leading Aircraftsman, he tells of working with George Stainforth, the last Schneider Trophy Pilot for Britain, and his experiences of meeting Douglas Bader whilst he was training to get his Royal Air Force wings back.
Douglas spent time in the Gold Coast, assembling aircraft such as Maryland Kitty Hawks before moving further inland to Nigeria and tells of his run-in with the Foreign Legion, before contracting Malaria and being sent home.
After recovering from Malaria, Douglas then trained as a Flight Engineer before being posted to the Heavy Conversion Unit on Handley Page Halifaxes, and then on to Avro Lancasters with 12 Squadron.
After his time in 12 Squadron, Douglas volunteered for the Pathfinder Force but was sent overseas to India and Singapore instead where he was involved in the sending home of wives and families from Siam Road, who were interred by the Japanese.
Douglas completed 32 operations, doing 2 extra operations to allow his bomb aimer to completed his tour of duty and he left the Royal Air Force with the rank of Squadron Leader.
]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> Singapore]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> India--Bangalore]]> India--Yelahanka]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
Dawn Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway]]> England--Blackpool]]> France--Paris]]> France--Sangatte]]> 1942-04-20]]> 1943-05]]> 1943-10]]> 1943-12-30]]> 1944-01]]> 1944-04-06]]> 1944-05-01]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-08-31]]> 1946]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> Geoff describes a couple of incidents relating to Bonn and Duisburg, part of his 24 operations. The last operation was to Heligoland. He carried out three food drops as part of Operation Manna and then had repatriated prisoners of war. He was posted to RAF Valley where they were preparing Canadian-built Lancasters for the Far East. They were scrapped after the atomic bomb. He was demobbed in March 1947. Geoff gives his views on Bomber Command.
]]>
Tina James]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Chris Cann]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands]]> 1943-04]]>
John Fisher]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> France--Lyon]]> France--Reims]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1942]]> 1944]]> David Meanwell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Hugh Donnelly]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> Alabama]]> Georgia]]> Texas]]> France]]> France--Reims]]> Germany--Troisdorf]]> 1945]]> Pam Locker]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Australia]]> Egypt]]> Great Britain]]> Greece]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Farnborough (Hampshire)]]> England--Hampshire]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944]]> 1945-06]]> Gemma Clapton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Kiel Canal]]> 1944]]> Tom was posted to 100 Squadron at RAF Grimsby. He pays tribute to the wing commander and group captain. The former taught them to corkscrew and dive through a searchlight, reassuring them about flak. Shortly after sorting out a problem with the air pressure, Tom became a flying officer. He recounts the crew’s ritual on each flight with a lucky handkerchief.
Tom explains how they were anxious about the Ruhr and how they observed a Lancaster shot down by a Me 109. He also describes the bravery he witnessed. Tom noticed a huge number of ships coming back from a raid on marshalling yards and railway tracks; it was for D-Day. He was involved in Operation Manna, dropping food parcels in Holland.
Towards the end of the war, Tom moved to 626 Squadron at RAF Wickenby. They flew to Ludwigshafen, Dortmund and Cologne.
When war ended, Tom retrained as an air traffic controller in the Air Force. He was sent up to Scottish Command and describes a couple of incidents. He became an author, writing children’s books and about his RAF experiences.
]]>
Julian Maslin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Katie Gilbert]]> Sally Coulter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Netherlands]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>