This content is available as embedded video:

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Dan Ellin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Moving image]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]>

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]]>
Nicky Barr]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Brian May]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> New Zealand]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--London]]> California--San Francisco]]> United States]]> California]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 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]]> Harrogate and refresher training in Perth followed. Tom was posted to No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School at RAF Feltwell where two B-17 crashed. He went to RAF Kidlington and, after finishing at the Advanced Flying Unit, Tom was posted to 26 Operational Training Unit at RAF Wing to fly Wellingtons where he crewed up. In March 1945 he was posted to RAF North Luffenham flying Lancasters. Tom then had to report to 90 Squadron at RAF RAF Tuddenham and joined a different crew. He undertook a few Cooks’ tours for ground crew to the Ruhr, and went to 15 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall where he became flying officer. He brought back some British troops from Italy and did Operation Post Mortem, including a German radar at Kiel. With a few hundred aircraft, there was a significant danger of collision.
Tom finished at an instructors’ flying course at RAF Lulsgate Bottom and was demobilised at the end of 1946.
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Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Devon]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Suffolk]]> Germany]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Italy]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1942-04]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]>
Arthur Harris]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1943-02]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]>
On the reverse 'Originally a 617 aircraft sold for scrap July 1956. George Shuter'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> On the reverse 'Dick and self on way to Windemere'.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Lake Windermere]]> England--Westmorland]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> ]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1954]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1954]]> Sassoon]]>
Theresa Sassoon was Siegfried Sassoon's mother. She mentions a photo she has received from her nephew Thornycroft – a b/w version of PGrundyAF1503. In EDonaldsonT-FIDonaldsonDW430515-0003 she is referred to as The Aunt.

Additional information about this item was kindly provided by the donor.]]>
T Sassoon]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Kent]]> England--Tunbridge Wells]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-26]]>
B Wallis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943-05-25]]> 1943-05-27]]>
The bombing operations he took part in are described, as is his investiture and his time in India as an administrative officer.

Cruickshank then moves to Instructing before returning to Operations including Nuremberg. He then describes the transition to civilian life after his demobilisation from the RAF, poor health and his attempt to build a business in post war Britain.

Some of the photographs mentioned were donated separately and some are recorded as separate items.]]>
G Cruickshank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Portland]]> England--Bristol]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Essex]]> England--Aldershot]]> England--Felixstowe]]> England--Harwich]]> England--Middlesex]]> England--Herefordshire]]> Scotland--Ross and Cromarty]]> France]]> France--Clermont-Ferrand]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> France--Toulouse]]> Germany]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Italy]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> India--Kolkata]]> India--Bhopal]]> England--Liverpool]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> India--New Delhi]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1942-04-17]]> 1942-05-30]]> 1942-05-31]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1944-03-30]]> 1944-03-31]]> 1944-04-05]]> 1944-04-06]]>
]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Geolocated]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Photo 1 is a postcard of the dam, captioned 'Mohnetalsphere'.
Photo 2 is the dam breached.
Photo 3 is the lake behind the dam, captioned 'Am Mohnsee' and 'RAF Leave Centre 1946']]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> 1943]]> 1946]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> ]]> The second page has Wing Commander Townsend, wearing dark glasses with a colleague and his mascot dog, Kim; a sketch of Wing Commander Townsend drawn by Capitan Cuthbert Orde and Wing Commander Guy Gibson and 18 fellow Dam Buster colleagues having collected their honours from the Queen Consort.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Artwork]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> 1941-09]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1943-05-18]]> 1944-11]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180002,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180003,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180004,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180005,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180006,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180007,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180008,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180009,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180010,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180011]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]>