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Interview with Johnny Johnson.Three
George ‘Johnny’ Johnson comments on Paul Brickhill's book and on the 1955 film of the same name, expressing disappointment that there was no mention of the Sorpe Dam. He voices contempt for the unscrupulous people who have made money by selling…
Interview with Ken Hayton
Ken Hayton’s father, George Stanley Hayton (Stan), worked worked for Lloyds Bank. In 1940 Stan left his post to join the Royal Air Force; Ken recalled going to Durham station to see his father off, travelling to start basic training at RAF Padgate.…
Interview with Les Munro
John Leslie Munro was born in the area of Gisborne, New Zealand. He only completed two years of secondary education because of the economic slump and, in 1936, began work on a sheep ranch and then a mixed farm. On the outbreak of the Second World…
Interview with Mary Stopes-Roe
Discusses her father’s designs work and remembers both skipping stones on a river during holidays with her father and catapulting marbles over a washtub in their garden. She goes on to discuss the Eder Möhne and Sorpe operation, the bouncing bomb…
Interview with Maureen and Sidney Stevens
Sidney was inspired to join The Air Force when he was working as an Air Raid Precaution Warden and one night his own home was bombed. The house next door was also destroyed and the lady who had offered him a cup of tea only hours earlier died. He…
Interview with Thomas Peter Payne. Two
Tom joined the Air Training Corps as a deferred service airman, even though he was under-age. In April 1942 he received his call up papers to report to the Air Crew Reception Centre at St John’s Wood, before being posted to Ludlow. He then went to…
It won't work - Bomber Harris
Copy of a note from Arthur Harris to R Saundby with title added 'It won't work Bomber Harris'. States that the idea was tripe of the wildest description with not the smallest chance of working. Goes on with other reasons why it would not work and…
Lancaster airborne
Head on view of a Lancaster with undercarriage down just above the ground. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'.
Lancaster airborne
Air-to-air view of rear quarter view of a four engine bomber with squadron letters 'AJ-G' airborne with clouds above. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'.
On the reverse 'Originally a 617 aircraft…
On the reverse 'Originally a 617 aircraft…
Lancaster at low level
Air-to-air view of rear quarter view of a four engine bomber with squadron letters 'AJ-G' airborne at low level with fields below. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'.
Lancaster at low level
Air-to-air view of rear quarter view of a four engine bomber with squadron letters 'AJ-P' and registration NX673' airborne at low level with fields below. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'.
On the…
On the…
Lancaster at low level
Air-to-air view of rear quarter view of a four engine bomber with squadron letters 'AJ-G' and registration 'NX679' airborne at low level with fields below. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'. The nose…
Lancaster at low level
Air-to-air view of rear quarter view of a four engine bomber with squadron letters 'AJ-G' and registration 'NX679' airborne at low level in a bank to the right with fields below. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The…
Lancaster Banking hard to Starboard
A Lancaster coded AJ-G, of 617 Squadron, banking hard to Starboard viewed from the air. From the filming of The Dam Busters film, the fuselage has been modified for a mock up Upkeep bomb which it is carrying.
Lancaster with mid gun turret removed
A port side view of Lancaster AJ-P from the film of the Dam Busters. Its tail is up and is either landing or taking off.
Lancaster with mocked up Upkeep Bomb
An air to air photograph of a Lancaster carrying a mocked up Upkeep bomb during the filming of The Dam Busters film.
Letter to David Donaldson from Aunt Theresa
Sassoon
Thanks him for photographs and congratulates on award of Distinguished Service Order. Comments on Dams operation and other war news. Continues with family news and hopes the war will soon be over.
Theresa Sassoon was Siegfried Sassoon's mother. …
Theresa Sassoon was Siegfried Sassoon's mother. …
Letter to Roy Chadwick from Barnes Wallis
Addressed to Roy Chadwick at A.V.Roe on Vickers-Armstrong headed paper. Thanks Chadwick for existence of Lancaster and his support at a meeting in C.R.D's office on 26 January without which the dams operation would not have happened. States is was…
Memoir Flight Lieutenant Gordon Cruickshank D.F.M. RAFRO
Memoir written in 1956 by Flight Lieutenant Cruickshank. It starts with his early childhood and family life. It includes his early time in RAF after enlisting in December 1938 with first job as balloon operator and then training as an air gunner;…
Mohne Dam
Reconnaissance photograph with lake on the left and a dam middle with breach with water flowing through. Captioned between pages 46-47 of 1956 Memoir [written vertically on LHS of page presumably for landscape orientation of photo] 'Mohne Dam. The…
Mohne Dam
Three photographs from an album.
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'
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'
Mohne dam breached
Two photographs. Top showing Mohne dam breached in the centre with lake on the rights. Bottom photograph shows the dam before the attack.
Newspaper cuttings and caricatures
The first page comprises a page of caricatures annotated with quotations from the individuals pictured, including Wing Commander J Cunningham, Wing Commander Townsend, Warrant Officer Carter, Flight Lieutenant Erlwig, Staff officer Priestley, Flight…
No 617 Squadron and the operation to breach the dams
Album page with three clippings, one from from The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post dated Tuesday May 18 1943 showing a number of Lancasters over a city, captioned '617 Lancs'. One summarising the news from around November 1944, including the sinking…
No. 5 Group Operation Order No. B. 976
A Top Secret document referring to the operation to the Ruhr dams. There is a general section describing the purpose of the operation, a section on defences and the priorities of the attack. There is a list of 19 aircraft and their crew from 617…