On his return, Geoff was posted to RAF Stormy Down on Whitleys and RAF Brize Norton where he trained army pilots to fly Horsa gliders. He was also posted to fly Wellingtons at the RAF Sutton Bridge experimental unit.
Geoff was eventually posted to Bomber Command and trained on Wellingtons at RAF Finningley. They did dummy raids, and dropped leaflets and Window. Geoff went to 550 Squadron at RAF North Killingholme in May 1944. He completed seven operations within 11 days and was shot down on the seventh. The first four operations were over the Normandy coast, starting on 5 June 1944 around D-Day.
Geoff describes how his plane was shot on its way to Sterkrade in the Ruhr. They baled out just over the Dutch border. Geoff landed in a wheat field whilst the aircraft hit a farm, killing seven people. Geoff found the church and was given clothing and a false identity card. He went down the escape line with his mid-upper gunner to Antwerp. They were betrayed by the Flemish collaborator, René van Muylem, who had set up a false escape line.
Geoff was interrogated and taken to Frankfurt. He was then sent to Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp in Barth for nine months. There was little food but it was otherwise acceptable. His parents learnt he was a prisoner when his letter to them was read out by Lord Haw-Haw. The Germans left before the Russians arrived. Geoff was returned on a B-17.
Geoff was posted to Ely as Assistant Air Traffic Controller and stayed in the RAF volunteer reserve until his commercial pilot licence was granted.]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Alberta--Medicine Hat]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Alberta]]> Alberta]]> Canada]]> Nova Scotia]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1944-05]]> 1944-06]]> 1945]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1940-12]]> Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Janet and Peter McGreevy]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--London]]> England--Worcestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Kiel Canal]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> Paul Espin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Wakefield]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Caistor (Rural district)]]> 1944]]> City of Lincoln]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sandra Jones]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincoln]]>
Item 1 is a newspaper cutting titled 'Venture Adventure is ATC Motto'.

Item 2 is an Air Training Corps membership card for AS Coller. It has a caption 'Originally named Air Defence Cadet Corps ADCC'.

Item 3 is a certificate issued to AS Collier [sic] for attendance at a training course for Air Raid Precautions. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Luton]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> 1941]]> 1942]]>

Item 1 : Photograph of air raid shelter with pets
caption 1 'Air Raid Shelter constructed by a firm called "Troy" in 1938. Left [undecipherable] It was 16' deep with a poisen [sic] gas free escape hatch chamber.'

caption 2
'Just before 2nd World War
10, West Heath Avenue Golders Green London NW11
Some animals understand to keep together
Just before 2nd World War 1938
Pekenese [sic] (Chinky) Rabbit (Wilfred) Cat (Timy)
Taken near our air raid shelter'.

Item 2 is photograph of a group of air cadets on parade in a street. They are being inspected by a civilian in a suit and three officers. It is captioned 'I joined the Air Training Corps in Jan 1941'.

Item 3 is the cover of a Civil Defence leaflet. entitled 'Some things you should know if war should come'. Public Information Leaflet No.1, July 1939.
It is captioned 'The 2nd World War started at 1100 hrs on the 3rd of Sept 1939.']]>
A S Coller]]> Great Britain. HM Government. Lord Privy Seal's Office]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1938]]> 1939]]>
J Hudson & Co, Birmingham]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Physical object]]> PHarrisonJS1505,
PHarrisonJS1506]]>
Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Warwickshire]]>
W D & H O Wills]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Physical object]]> Civilian]]>