Wing Commander 97 Squadron]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> OThomsonT1366937-160303-010002]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1943-08-30]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Egypt]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Oman]]> Singapore]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> North Africa]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> France--Calais]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Saint-Omer Region (Pas-de-Calais)]]> Germany--Borken (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Braunschweig Region]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hattingen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Merseburg]]> Germany--Mönchengladbach]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Recklinghausen (Münster)]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Gibraltar]]> Northern Ireland--Ballykelly]]> Oman--Masirah Island]]> Scotland--Kinloss]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Egypt--Suez Canal]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1950]]> 1951]]> 1952]]> 1953]]> 1954]]> 1955]]> 1956]]> 1957]]> 1958]]> 1959]]> 1960]]> 1961]]> 1962]]> 1963]]> 1964]]> 1965]]> 1944-07-08]]> 1944-09-05]]> 1944-09-06]]> 1944-09-08]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-09-28]]> 1944-10-05]]> 1944-10-07]]> 1944-10-15]]> 1944-12-31]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-03]]> 1945-01-06]]> 1945-01-13]]> 1945-01-15]]> 1945-01-29]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-02-18]]> 1945-02-19]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-02-27]]> 1945-03-09]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-18]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-03-29]]> 1945-04-04]]> 1945-04-05]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-10]]> Squadron Leader 97 Squadron]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Wales--Y Felinheli]]> 1944-06-10]]> Carolyn Pritchard]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France--Paris]]> Great Britain]]> England--Liverpool]]> Wales--Y Felinheli]]> France--Étampes (Essonne)]]> France]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1944-06-09]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--High Wycombe]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Malta]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Żagań]]> North Africa]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Poland]]> Libya]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> William Bullock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Bradley Froggatt]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Egypt]]> Great Britain]]> Iraq]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Iraq--Mosul]]> 1937]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1945]]>
In accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donor, this item is available only at the University of Lincoln.


]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Caen]]> France--Étampes (Essonne)]]> France--La Pernelle]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Limoges]]> France--Paris]]> France--Rennes]]> France--Saint-Pierre-du-Mont (Landes)]]> France--Saumur]]> France--Vitry-le-François]]> Germany--Wesseling]]> France--Villers-Bocage (Calvados)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-06-08]]> 1944-06-09]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> 1944-06-16]]> 1944-06-19]]> 1944-06-20]]> 1944-06-22]]> 1944-06-24]]> 1944-06-25]]>

Accompanied by a head and shoulders portrait of Squadron Leader John Nettleton VC who led the operation.]]>
Winston Churchill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Great Britain]]> 1942-04-17]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> Czech Republic]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> Poland]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Belgium--Kortrijk]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Czech Republic--Chomutov]]> Czech Republic--Plzeň]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France--Caen]]> France--Calmont]]> France--Creil Region]]> France--Givors]]> France--Hesdin]]> France--La Pallice]]> France--Lens]]> France--L'Isle-Adam]]> France--Villers-Bocage (Calvados)]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Heilbronn]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Leipzig Region]]> Germany--Mittelland Canal]]> Germany--Mönchengladbach]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Sassnitz]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Tønsberg]]> Norway--Trondheim]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Russia (Federation)--Kaliningrad (Kaliningradskai︠a︡ oblastʹ)]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]> 1945]]> 1944-07-12]]> 1944-07-13]]> 1944-07-17]]> 1944-07-20]]> 1944-07-21]]> 1944-07-22]]> 1944-07-23]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-27]]> 1944-07-28]]> 1944-07-29]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-08-01]]> 1944-08-02]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1944-08-19]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-08-25]]> 1944-08-26]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-08-29]]> 1944-08-30]]> 1944-08-31]]> 1944-09-18]]> 1944-09-19]]> 1944-09-23]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-10-14]]> 1944-10-15]]> 1944-10-28]]> 1944-10-29]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-07]]> 1944-11-21]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-11-23]]> 1944-11-26]]> 1944-11-27]]> 1944-12-04]]> 1944-12-05]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-07]]> 1944-12-09]]> 1944-12-17]]> 1944-12-18]]> 1944-12-19]]> 1945-01-07]]> 1945-01-08]]> 1945-01-13]]> 1945-01-14]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-09]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-20]]> 1945-02-21]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-03-03]]> 1945-03-04]]> 1945-03-05]]> 1945-03-06]]> 1945-03-07]]> 1945-03-20]]> 1945-03-21]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-04-08]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-16]]> 1945-04-17]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-04-19]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-04-26]]> The second is a larger version of the same image and on the reverse is
'F/Sgt Tom Carter W/Op
F/Sgt Ted Haywood B/A
My crew members
21 OTU 97 Sqdn]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Inverness]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> ]]> Harold Kirby]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> 1942-08]]> 1946-11]]> When Donald was sixteen, he joined the local Air Training Corps and later went to St. John’s Wood, where he was entered as a wireless operator / air gunner. He did his basic training at RAF Bridlington and was then posted to a wireless school in Hereford. While there he was taken ill and sent to hospital. On his recovery he asked to be re-mustered as an air gunner and was sent to the Isle of Sheppey to be trained on a Napier. He was then posted to RAF Bridgnorth gunnery school. After finishing the course, he was sent home until he was summoned to form a crew. The crew was posted to RAF Halton where they flew on Wellingtons. Their next posting was to RAF Wittering where they transferred to Lancasters. Donald was then posted to 625 Squadron at RAF Scampton. The squadron flew to Belgium and later to Italy to bring prisoners of war home. They also took part in Operation Manna over Holland. On returning to England the crew were split and Donald was posted to RAF Uxbridge and then demobbed. He went back to work at O. C. Summers until his retirement. At the age of 38 Donald married a typist who also worked for O. C. Summers.


]]>
Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Belgium]]> Italy]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> Netherlands]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--London]]> England--Kent]]> England--Kent]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Austria]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina]]> Croatia]]> Czech Republic]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Hungary]]> Italy]]> Middle East]]> Romania]]> Serbia]]> Slovenia]]> Zimbabwe]]> Austria--Sankt Valentin]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina--Tuzla]]> Croatia--Rijeka]]> Croatia--Slavonski Brod]]> Czech Republic--Pardubice]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Marseille]]> France--Valence (Drôme)]]> Hungary--Hegyeshalom]]> Hungary--Miskolc]]> Hungary--Szombathely]]> Italy--Bologna]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Italy--Ficarolo]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Pesaro]]> Italy--Ravenna]]> Italy--Rimini]]> Italy--San Benedetto del Tronto]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> Romania--Bucharest]]> Serbia--Kraljevo (Kraljevo)]]> Serbia--Smederevo]]> Serbia--Užice]]> Slovenia--Borovnica]]> Romania--Ploiești]]> Zimbabwe--Gweru]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1952]]> 1953]]> 1944-07-14]]> 1944-07-15]]> 1944-07-16]]> 1944-07-17]]> 1944-07-19]]> 1944-07-20]]> 1944-07-21]]> 1944-07-22]]> 1944-07-23]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-27]]> 1944-07-28]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-07-31]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1944-08-04]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-09]]> 1944-08-10]]> 1944-08-13]]> 1944-08-14]]> 1944-08-15]]> 1944-08-20]]> 1944-08-21]]> 1944-08-22]]> 1944-08-23]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-08-25]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-18]]> 1944-09-20]]> 1944-09-21]]> 1944-09-22]]> 1944-09-26]]> 1944-09-30]]> 1944-10-31]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-05]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-23]]> 1944-12-03]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> Recruited as an engine fitter he trained at St. Athans and then volunteered for flying duties as it was a quick promotion. Because of his engineering background his flight engineering training was reduced to two weeks
He was then posted to RAF Swinderby to fly the Manchester and then to 97 squadron, which became a Pathfinder squadron, at RAF Woodhall Spa alongside 617 Squadron. In May 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Bourne and he was promoted to warrant officer. Henry was happy to stay as an NCO and did not welcome more responsibility.
After his first tour he was rested for six months as a senior instructor at 1661 HCU unit at RAF Winthorpe flying the Stirling. He compares flying the Lancaster and Stirling in some detail.
He returned to operational flying and recalls bombing La Spezia and landing in North Africa where his aircraft went u/s but he repaired it himself in order to return home.
Henry remembers that there were no great celebrations on VE day and he was demobbed in February 1946.
After a period in civilian life, Henry re-enlisted in the RAF in September 1948 as a corporal fitter and was posted to Malaya and Singapore. He left the RAF again in 1952 and then worked for Rolls Royce for 26 years, working on Merlin engines.
]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Terry Holmes]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> North Africa]]> Singapore]]> Malaya]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943-05-19]]> 1943-05]]> 1940-04]]> 1946-02]]> 1948-09]]> 1952]]>
Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Second generation]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Paris]]> 1944-02]]> 1944-05-07]]> 1944-08]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Cologne]]> 1941-12-07]]> 1943-11-23]]> 1943-11-24]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Mike Connock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France]]> France--Hesdin]]> 1944-06-24]]> 1944-06-25]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Zimbabwe]]> England--Essex]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Italy--Bari]]> Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco]]> Scotland--Dumfries]]> Zimbabwe--Bulawayo]]> Zimbabwe--Gweru]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1945-08-21]]> 1945-08-25]]> 1945-09-07]]> 1945-09-10]]> 1945-09-13]]> 1945-09-15]]> 1945-10-02]]> 1945-10-04]]> 1945-10-08]]> 1945-10-10]]> Jennifer Barraclough]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]>
Ken describes his schoolboy life in Durham, including leaving the Anderson Shelter one evening and watching searchlights scanning the sky over Sunderland. One bombing on Durham was shortly after Coventry had been bombed: the mist rose from the river and shrouded the city, with local folklore being St Cuthbert protecting the Cathedral. During his father’s service at RAF Woodhall Spa, Ken recalled travelling there with his mother from Durham by train and seeing extensive bomb damage to York railway station. Ken served three years in the RAF, posted to RAF Insworth a non-flying RAF station where the RAF Records Section was based, transferring to the Coronation Unit for training ahead of the ceremony in 1953. He recalled route lining in the Haymarket, due to the narrowing of the road he was very close to the Queen’s coach and in the evening went to Buckingham Palace and assisted the police with crowd control. Ken recalls watching The Dambusters film with his father in 1955 and his father commenting on the accuracy of the film.]]>
Joyce Sharland]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Durham (County)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Tyne and Wear]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Durham]]> England--London]]> England--Newcastle upon Tyne]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943-05]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1953]]> 1954]]> 1955]]>
Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> James Corpus]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Gemma Clapton]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Map]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army]]> Civilian]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Barth]]> England--Kent]]> 1944-03-27]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1941-12-18]]> 1942]]> 1943-08]]>