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Interview with John Henry Thomas
John Thomas was born in Australia and joined the RAF in 1943. After completing his initial training in Australia he travelled to the UK via America. Further training, including an accident and night vision tests, led to 102 Squadron and a full tour…
Interview with John Eric Hatherly Dean
John Dean’s childhood memory of watching a Spitfire and a German aircraft having a dogfight in the sky above him spurred him to want to become a Spitfire pilot. He didn’t achieve his aim of becoming a Spitfire pilot and instead became a…
Interview with John Alan Ottewell
John Ottewell was a member of the Air Defence Cadet Corps and volunteered for the RAF when he was 18. While undertaking initial training he was present when a Fw 190 attacked the town of Babbacombe. He took part in the clean-up at the church where 24…
Interview with Jeff Hildreth - One
Jeff Hildreth grew up in a colliery village where his father was a miner. he left school and started working at a tailor’s shop, which he didn’t enjoy. He volunteered for the RAF and was accepted to train as a pilot, navigator or bomb aimer. He…
Interview with James Stanley Wilson
James Stanley Wilson remembers serving as a flight engineer on 626 Squadron during the war. He describes his first operation to Berlin as a baptism of fire when his aircraft was targeted by enemy fighters. He mentions marking targets on D-Day, and…
Interview with James Mulhall. Two
James Mulhall trained as a flight engineer and was posted to 75 Squadron at RAF Mepal. On one operation the crew were surprised to be presented by the ground crew with a .303 bullet which proved that they had been the recipient of friendly fire. On…
Interview with James Flowers
Horace James Flowers was born and grew up in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire. He became an apprentice butcher before being released to volunteer for the Royal Air Force in 1944. He trained as an air gunner at RAF Bridgnorth, RAF Wigsley and RAF Syerston…
Interview with James Ferguson Latimer
James Ferguson Latimer was born in Edinburgh. His family emigrated to Canada when he was young but moved back to Scotland in 1939. He recalls witnessing a German U-boat torpedo a ship as they sailed back home. Latimer joined the air force and…
Interview with Harry Hughes
Harry Hughes volunteered for the Royal Air Force in 1940 and trained in America, where he was washed out as a pilot and then retrained as a navigator in Canada, flying Ansons and Wellingtons. In 1942, he converted to Halifaxes and flew operations…
Interview with Gilbert Gray
Gilbert Gray grew up in Dunfermline, joined the Air Training Corps before enlisting in the Royal Air Force as a flight engineer in 1940, aged 18 years. He trained at RAF St Athan in Wales, graduated as a sergeant and was posted onto Lancasters. He…
Interview with Gerald Joseph Abrahams
Gerald Abrahams was 16 when war was declared. He volunteered for the RAF the day after the Armstrong Vickers factory where he worked was targeted by the Luftwaffe who bombed the local school resulting in the deaths of many children. He trained as a…
Interview with Frank Dennis. Part two
Frank Dennis is presented with information gathered by researchers, following his initial interview. His aircraft was attacked on an operation and the researchers were seeking further information about it. Frank talks about the Luftwaffe's Tame Boar…
Interview with Edward Allan McDonald. Two
Allan McDonald was born in Hull and watched Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus as a child. He worked as an apprentice electrician before joining the Air Force. He served as ground personnel in Northern Ireland until he passed the exams to become aircrew…
Interview with Edward Allan McDonald
Allan McDonald was born in Hull and worked as an apprentice electrician before joining the Air Force. He passed the exams to become aircrew and trained as an air gunner. During training, his aircraft crash landed and he was soaked in petrol. He flew…
Interview with Doug Packman
Doug grew up in Kent, and joined the Royal Air Force aged 18, as a flight engineer for 630 Squadron at RAF East Kirkby in 5 Group Bomber Command, flying Lancasters. He carried out 34 operations, followed by time as an instructor at RAF Syerston,…
Interview with Brian Robert Southwell
Brian Robert Southwell was born in Sydney and lived during the Depression, which meant he had to set aside his interest in aircraft in order to secure an office job with a steady wage. He spent 18 months making a model aircraft with the support and…
Interview with Bert Turner
Bert Turner was a member of the Air Training Corps before the war. He volunteered for the Air Force and was called up 2 August 1942. After training he became a flight engineer with 196 Squadron. He flew some bombing and mine laying operations before…
Interview with Bert Mason
Bert Mason was born in Germany and worked in light engineering and driving ambulances before joining the RAF in 1942. He started training as a navigator then joined a crew and became an air gunner on 195 Squadron at RAF Wratting Common. He tells of…
Interview with Andrew Deytrikh
Andrew Deytrikh’s family emigrated from Russia in 1919 and he was born in the Isle of Wight. He grew up in London before being employed in a laboratory testing metals. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and, after training as a pilot, he…
Instructions for starting FW 190
English language instructions for starting Focke-Wolf FW 190.
If you can't take a joke...
A detailed account of Ken Thomas's life from his early years at school, through his ground crew technical training followed by his aircrew training, operational tour, short post war service and his civilian career, he revised the account in 2005.
Harry Brabin memoir
Harry joined the Royal Australian Air Force on 25 June 1942 as a wireless operator/air gunner, receiving his initial training in Australia before going to Canada for trade training. He sailed on the SS Johan Van Barneve to San Francisco and recalls a…