There is also a copy of the Operational Order for Operation Chastise by 617 Squadron. There are also crew lists, and a copy of the squadron 540 for the operation.
It also has the pages from Flight Sergeant Stalley's Log book for the period July to October 1944. He was the rear gunner on Flight Lieutenant Melrose's crew on No 9 Squadron at Bardney. During this period the squadron attacked the Tirpitz twice, once from Archangel.
There is also the Memories and Reflections of the German civil engineer that was in charge of the rebuilding of the dams damaged in the Dams Operation.
There are two newspaper cuttings from 2005 regarding the military burial of a 640 Squadron crew that had been shot down on the 24 March 1944. One was from The Daily Telegraph from 2 September 2005. There is also a letter George wrote to the Times giving some background to the story.]]>
George Keeling]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Personal research]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1944-01-07]]> 1945-04-07]]> 1944-03-24]]> 2005-09-02]]>
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]]> Algeria]]> Australia]]> Belgium]]> Canada]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Algeria--Blida]]> Belgium--Liège]]> Canada--Red Deer River (Alberta and Saskatchewan)]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> France--Cannes Region]]> France--Dieppe]]> France--Lorient]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Italy--Bologna]]> Italy--Livorno]]> New South Wales--Lake Macquarie]]> New South Wales--Newcastle]]> Victoria--Ballarat]]> Victoria--Longford]]> Germany--Bingen (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Borkum]]> Victoria]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> New South Wales]]> North Africa]]> Canada]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1942-01-02]]> 1942-01-10]]> 1942-01-11]]> 1942-01-15]]> 1942-01-16]]> 1942-01-26]]> 1942-01-28]]> 1942-02-21]]> 1942-02-22]]> 1942-02-24]]> 1942-02-25]]> 1942-02-27]]> 1942-03-07]]> 1942-03-10]]> 1942-03-13]]> 1942-03-14]]> 1942-04-15]]> 1942-04-16]]> 1942-05-30]]> 1942-06-01]]> 1942-06-02]]> 1942-06-25]]> 1942-06-26]]> 1942-07-24]]> 1942-07-26]]> 1942-07-27]]> 1942-07-29]]> 1942-07-30]]> 1942-07-31]]> 1942-08-01]]> 1942-08-12]]> 1942-08-13]]> 1942-08-14]]> 1942-08-15]]> 1942-08-17]]> 1942-08-18]]> 1942-08-24]]> 1942-08-25]]> 1942-08-27]]> 1942-08-28]]> 1942-09-01]]> 1942-09-02]]> 1942-09-03]]> 1942-09-04]]> 1942-09-05]]> 1942-09-08]]> 1942-09-09]]> 1942-09-10]]> 1942-09-11]]> 1942-09-13]]> 1942-09-14]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1943-07-15]]> 1943-07-16]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-25]]> 1943-09-15]]> 1943-09-16]]> 1943-12-20]]> 1943-12-23]]> 1943-12-24]]> 1943-12-30]]> 1944-01-04]]> 1944-01-21]]> 1944-01-25]]> 1944-02-08]]> 1944-02-12]]> 1944-02-13]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Bottom - colour painting of three Lancasters with upkeep bombs at low level in "V" formation over water.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Artwork]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Hereford]]> 1945-03-28]]> 1945-05-23]]> A magazine cutting January 1957 reports the last operational Lancaster flight.
A cutting of a letter suggesting that the Lancaster should be preserved not scrapped.
A cutting records last operational flight.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Angela Gaffney]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Great Britain]]> 1956-10-15]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frank Batten]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05]]> It is captioned 'E54.1.PROD.117'.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1954]]> 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]]> Denmark]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Norway]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Devon]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Sassnitz]]> Italy--Livorno]]> Italy--Milan]]> Italy--San Polo d'Enza]]> Norway--Trondheim]]> Italy--Po River Valley]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1941-06-11]]> 1941-06-12]]> 1941-06-15]]> 1941-06-16]]> 1941-06-18]]> 1941-06-19]]> 1941-06-21]]> 1941-06-22]]> 1941-06-24]]> 1941-06-25]]> 1941-08-02]]> 1941-08-03]]> 1941-08-05]]> 1941-08-06]]> 1941-08-07]]> 1941-08-08]]> 1941-08-12]]> 1941-08-13]]> 1941-08-16]]> 1941-08-17]]> 1941-08-18]]> 1941-08-19]]> 1941-10-23]]> 1941-10-24]]> 1941-10-26]]> 1941-10-27]]> 1941-10-31]]> 1941-11-01]]> 1941-11-07]]> 1941-11-08]]> 1941-11-15]]> 1941-11-16]]> 1942-04-08]]> 1942-04-09]]> 1942-04-27]]> 1942-04-28]]> 1942-04-29]]> 1942-05-04]]> 1942-05-05]]> 1942-05-07]]> 1942-05-08]]> 1942-05-09]]> 1942-05-16]]> 1942-05-17]]> 1942-05-19]]> 1942-05-20]]> 1942-05-22]]> 1942-05-23]]> 1942-05-26]]> 1942-05-27]]> 1942-06-08]]> 1942-06-09]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1943-07-15]]> 1943-07-16]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-25]]> 1943-07-29]]> 1943-07-30]]> 1943-09-15]]> [caption - written vertically on LHS of page presumably for landscape orientation of photo] 'Elder [sic] Dam The south-east end of the storage lake with the dam breached between the two valve houses at a point about 400 ft from its western end. Water is still pouring through the gap flowing fast downstream towards Kassel'. On the reverse 'Eder Dam, CH.9750'.
]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Geolocated]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Waldeck (Hesse)]]> Germany--Kassel]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]>
Great Britain. Air Ministry]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Babs Nichols]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> France--Lorient]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Essen]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Denmark--Helsingør]]> Germany--Trier]]> France--Quiberville]]> France--Dieppe]]> France--Comines]]> Norway--Trondheim]]> Germany--Ostheim vor der Rhön]]> France--Lille]]> Norway--Stavanger]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Morlaix]]> France--Le Touquet-Paris-Plage]]> Netherlands--Amsterdam]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> France]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany]]> Denmark]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> Great Britain. Air Ministry]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Angela Gaffney]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Germany--Kiel]]> France--Méaulte]]> Germany--Herdecke]]> Germany--Schwerte]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> France--La Pallice]]> Italy--Naples]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> France--Tours]]> Austria--Linz]]> Germany--Norderney]]> France--Cherbourg]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Germany--Rechlin]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Italy]]> France]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany]]> Denmark]]> Austria]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Denmark--Ålborg]]> 1943]]> Great Britain. Air Ministry]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Babs Nichols]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Norway--Trondheim]]> Norway--Porsgrunn]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Austria--Innsbruck]]> Italy--Somma Lombardo]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Italy--Bari]]> Nauru]]> Netherlands--Schouwen-Duiveland]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Italy]]> Germany]]> Austria]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> 1943]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Aircrew, people, decorations and bomb damage]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Lazenby, Harold Jack]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Warrington]]> England--Wolverhampton]]> England--Shifnal (Shropshire)]]> England--London]]> England--Bampton (Oxfordshire)]]> England--Witney]]> England--Oxford]]> England--Cambridge]]> France--Paris]]> England--Portsmouth]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Southrop (Oxfordshire)]]> England--Cirencester]]> England--Skegness]]> England--Worcestershire]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Kidderminster]]> England--Gosport]]> England--Fareham]]> England--Southsea]]> Wales--Margam]]> Wales--Port Talbot]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> Wales--Porthcawl]]> England--Urmston]]> England--Stockport]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> Wales--Barry]]> United States]]> New York (State)--Long Island]]> Illinois--Chicago]]> England--Gloucester]]> Scotland--Kilmarnock]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Liverpool]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Lincoln]]> Denmark--Anholt]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Europe--Mont Blanc]]> Denmark]]> England--Hull]]> Czech Republic--Plzeň]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Mablethorpe]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Italy--Turin]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> England--Land's End Peninsula]]> Italy--San Polo d'Enza]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Milan]]> Algeria]]> Algeria--Blida]]> Algeria--Atlas de Blida Mountains]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Ramsey (Cambridgeshire)]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Munich]]> France--Montluçon]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Scotland--Elgin]]> England--York]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> England--Grimsby]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Zeitz]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Heide (Schleswig-Holstein)]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Netherlands--Westerschelde]]> Germany--Rheine]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Belgium]]> England--Southend-on-Sea]]> England--Morecambe]]> England--Kineton]]> England--Worcester]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> England--London]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> France--Dunkerque]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Poland]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Recklinghausen (Münster)]]> Netherlands]]> England--Sheringham]]> England--Redbridge]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Germany]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bawtry]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1942-11]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-06-09]]> 1943-06-16]]> 1943-06-17]]> Heather Hughes]]> 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]]> 1943]]> Audrey was 23 when the war started and was conscripted on 15 December 1942 electing to join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. After her kitting out at RAF Innesworth she did some basic training at RAF Morecambe, then posted to RAF Lindholme and eventually to RAF Waddington where she worked as an administrator in the officer's mess. At that time there were four squadrons on the station: 9, 44, 463 and 467 Squadrons.
Audrey's duties in the officer's mess included checking the crews against the battle orders to ensure only crews flying that night got the special pre-flight meal and waiting on tables for VIP dinners, including Wing Commander Nettleton VC. She describes her friendships with the other staff and especially with bomber crews, mostly nice and respectful. Audrey and others would gather on the perimeter track to see them off. She and many others were billeted in a beautiful old building, known as "The Waafery”. Audrey describes her busy social life, dancing at many venues and winning jitterbug competitions. Remembers being called ‘belle gambe’ [beautiful legs] by Italian prisoners of war.
Audrey also describes the events of one night when an enemy fighter followed the aircraft home and strafed the airfield, hitting the incendiary dump, which exploded.
After the war, Audrey eventually worked for the local authority’s adoption service after the tragic death of her husband at a young age.]]>
Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Andy Fitter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1942-12-15]]> 1945-08]]>
Cyril was chosen to move to 617 Squadron as an armourer when the squadron formed at RAF Scampton. He met Barnes Wallis and knew Guy Gibson, often taking his dog for a walk. Cyril flew in one of the Lancasters as they carried out a test run over the Derwent Water dam. Cyril's memory of the day of Eder, Möhne and Sorpe operation was marred by a tragic event at the base. His friend had a 'dear John' letter from his girlfriend and took his own life in front of Cyril. After the war Cyril moved to Canada and was involved with the destruction of war equipment not longer needed. He was saddened by the fact that along with armaments, they had to destroy clothing which would have been gratefully received by families in England. During his periods of leave he and fellow RAF colleagues went to New York. They were treated in his words like 'Royalty' and put up in hotels for free and were introduced to Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Cyril also remembers going up the Empire State Building when later the same day a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into it in during thick fog. Cyril return by Ship to England in September 1946.
]]>
Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Illinois--Chicago]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Illinois]]> New York (State)]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Harry Ziegler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> deu]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Gudensberg]]> Germany]]> 1943-10-22]]> 1944-03]]> 1944-12]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Susanne Pescott]]> 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. Coastal Command]]> Bahamas]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> Sri Lanka]]> Singapore]]> United States]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Bahamas--Nassau]]> Bahamas]]> Italy]]> Italy--Mount Etna]]> India--Chennai]]> 1940]]> 1942-02-26]]> 1943-06-24]]> 1944-01-16]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Nigel Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Great Britain]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Corby]]> England--Coventry]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1940-11]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Dan Ellin]]> Heather Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Brian May]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943]]>