IBCC Digital Archive]]> Physical object]]> Civilian]]> W D & H O Wills]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> J Hudson & Co, Birmingham]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Physical object]]> PHarrisonJS1505,
PHarrisonJS1506]]>
Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Warwickshire]]>

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]]>

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]]>
City of Lincoln]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sandra Jones]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincoln]]> 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]]> 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]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1940-12]]> 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]]>

]]>
Cathie Hewitt]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Janet McGreevy]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Salford (Greater Manchester)]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1940-12-22]]> 1940-12-23]]>
Helen Durham]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Benjamin Turner]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Sheffield]]> England--Somerset]]> Malaysia]]> Singapore]]> 1940-12]]>
She experienced the Blitz shortly after it started as one Saturday she was in Romford market when the air raid sirens sounded. She recalls how frightening it was, and how she cycled home as fast as possible, as the aircraft batteries began firing. Her friend Joyce was bombed out of her house three times. Her family did not qualify for an Andersen shelter, but the neighbours invited them to sleep in theirs. Later, her father built a brick shelter in their own garden. She travelled by train to visit family in Warwick during the Blitz. That night Coventry was heavily bombed, and Margaret witnessed the damage the next day, including walking through the ruins of Coventry cathedral. Margaret recalls landmines, a V-2 rocket in the neighbour’s garden and unexploded bombs, as well as details such as a bomb crater outside the Parkside Hotel which a bus fell into. Just before she was seventeen, travelled to London every day on the train and could see the bomb damage. Margaret worked as a secretary in the cargo industry and due to the nature of the work had to sign the Official Secrets Act.

Her father had served in the Army at Ypres during the first World War. He became an Air Raid Warden during the Second World War. Her future husband Jim served on a balloon battery at Primrose Hill, and survived been impaled on iron railings by the blast of a bomb.Margaret’s brother Ken was in the Royal Navy and his ship HMS Lawford was sunk in the English Channel, by a new aerial weapon. After helping other crew members, he was rescued and spent the next six months recovering at Milford Haven. ]]>
Denise Boneham]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Andy Shaw]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> British Army]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> England--Warwickshire]]> Wales--Pembrokeshire]]> England--Essex]]> England--Warwick]]> England--Coventry]]> England--London]]> Wales--Milford Haven]]> 1939-09-03]]> 1940-11-14]]> 1940-11-15]]> 1945]]>
Anna Hoyles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Louth]]> 1941-02-19]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> 1940]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> ]]> Judy Hodgson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Essex]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Merseburg]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Pam Locker]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Hargrave ]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hull]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Great Britain. Chief Constable of Lancashire]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Trafford]]> 1944-03-11]]> Great Britain. The chief constable of Lancashire]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Georgie Donaldson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Preston (Lancashire)]]> 1945-05-02]]> David Boldy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nicki Brain]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> Finland]]> England--London]]> 1940-02]]> David Boldy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1940-02]]> David Boldy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1940-02]]> David Boldy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1940-03]]> David Boldy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1940-03]]>