4 Group Headquarters]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription. Allocated]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1944-02-15]]> 44 Squadron]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany]]> A E Edwards]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> France]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> France--Lille]]> France--Laon]]> France--Paris]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> France--Nantes]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Louvain]]> France]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Aachen]]> France--Dunkerque]]> France--Calais]]> France--Rennes]]> France--Tours]]> France--Lens]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Nucourt]]> France--Abbeville]]> France--Vaires-sur-Marne]]> France--L'Isle-Adam]]> France--Neufchâtel-en-Bray]]> France--Creil]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Brest]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Poland]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-01-14]]> 1944-01-21]]> 1944-01-27]]> 1944-02-25]]> 1944-03-01]]> 1944-04-11]]> 1944-04-18]]> 1944-04-22]]> 1944-04-24]]> 1944-05-11]]> 1944-05-19]]> 1944-05-21]]> 1944-05-25]]> 1944-05-28]]> 1944-05-31]]> 1944-06-04]]> 1944-06-07]]> 1944-06-10]]> 1944-06-11]]> 1944-06-15]]> 1944-07-02]]> 1944-07-05]]> 1944-07-09]]> 1944-07-10]]> 1944-07-11]]> 1944-07-15]]> 1944-07-16]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1944-07-19]]> 1944-07-23]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-27]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1944-08-04]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-25]]> 1944-08-26]]> 1944-08-29]]> 1944-09-09]]> 1944-09-11]]> 1944-09-19]]> 1945-01-31]]> 1944-04-19]]> 1944-08-08]]>
This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. ]]>
A V Roe & Co Limited]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943-06]]>

This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. ]]>
Air Council]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>

This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. ]]>
AV Roe & Co]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Training material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
Covers his training.]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Sidmouth]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> England--Salisbury]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> Scotland--Ailsa Craig]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Scotland--Paisley]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> France]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> Australia]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Queensland--Bundaberg]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> United States]]> California--San Francisco]]> Canada]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Scotland--Gourock]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> Ontario--London]]> France--Châlons-sur-Marne (Arrondissement)]]> France--Caen]]> Germany]]> Germany--Kiel]]> France--Gironde Estuary]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Neuss]]> France--Calais]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Netherlands--Veere]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Fulda]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Heinsberg (Heinsberg)]]> Nova Scotia]]> Manitoba]]> Poland]]> Covers his operational tour and bombing operations.]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Heinsberg (Heinsberg)]]> France]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> United States]]> Michigan--Detroit]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> France--Châlons-en-Champagne]]> France--Caen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Flensburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Sylt]]> France--Somme]]> France--Aire-sur-la-Lys]]> France--Amiens]]> France--Gironde Estuary]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> France--Brest]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> France--Falaise Region]]> France--Royan]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> Russia (Federation)--Kaliningrad (Kaliningradskai︠a︡ oblastʹ)]]> Sweden]]> Denmark]]> Sweden--Malmö]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> France--Calais]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Europe--Kattegat Region]]> Norway]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Denmark--Frederikshavn]]> France--Strasbourg]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Emmerich]]> Netherlands--Nijmegen]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Germany--Essen]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Belgium--Charleroi]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Netherlands--Veere]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Aachen Region]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Germany--Fulda]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Osterfeld]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Australia]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> Scotland--Inverness]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Colchester]]> Germany--Merseburg Region]]> 1944]]> Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> D Donaldson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> Scotland--Ross and Cromarty]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Hertfordshire]]> England--Lincoln]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1945-03-31]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> D Gill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> United States]]> Florida]]> France]]> France--Clermont-Ferrand]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> Germany]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Rheydt]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Norway]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Germany--Euskirchen (Kreis)]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--IJmuiden]]> Poland]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Great Britain]]> New Brunswick]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-04-20]]> 1941-06-08]]> 1942-01-06]]> 1941-01-20]]> 1942-09-11]]> 1943-02-25]]> 1943-03]]> 1943-04-20]]> 1943-11-19]]> 1943-06-27]]> 1943-12-27]]> 1944-09-27]]> 1944-10]]> 1944-11-11]]> 1944-12]]> 1945-01]]> 1945-02]]> 1945-03]]> 1945-03-21]]> Posted to 26 Operational Training Unit at RAF Wing, he was formed into a crew to fly Wellingtons as a rear gunner. On one training flight, an engine failed on take-off and the pilot managed to complete a circuit before carrying out a belly landing. As Bert had learned morse code as an air cadet, he was tasked to take over as the wireless operator if necessary, therefore, moved to the mid-upper turret to be closer.
In 1944 he was posted to RAF Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, initially with 1678 Heavy Conversion Unit to convert to Lancasters, and then to 514 Squadron as operational crew. His first operation was on the 30th of May to Boulogne. He describes a number of operations over France and Germany. On the 12th of June during an operation to Gelsenkirchen, they were hit by anti-aircraft fire putting their instruments out of action. They were diverted to RAF Woodbridge for an emergency landing.
Bert describes the differences in performance between the Mark II and Mark III Lancasters, and what happened during the day of operations. He completed his thirty operations in September 1944 and, after a period of leave, was posted to RAF Manby as an instructor with No. 1 Empire Air Armament School. He explains how he felt about the bombing of Germany, the loss of friends, and how the war was a great leveller of persons. He was demobilised in 1947. ]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Tyne and Wear]]> France--Abbeville]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944-03-15]]> 1944-03-19]]> 1944-05-30]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-06-21]]> 1944-07-20]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-08-29]]> 1944-09-06]]>
Doug Petty]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Shildon]]> England--Torquay]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> India--New Delhi]]> Germany]]> India]]> England--Devon]]> England--Durham (County)]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> E O Collcutt]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944-10-04]]> 1944-10-05]]> E O Collcutt]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-27]]> Edward King]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Babs Nichols]]> Geolocated]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Map]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> France--Soligny-la-Trappe]]> 1944-05-31]]> 1944-06-01]]> Edward King]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Text]]> Map]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> Belgium--Louvain]]> 1944-05-11]]> 1944-05-12]]> Edward King]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Text]]> Map]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> France--Nantes]]> 1944-05-07]]> Edward King]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Text]]> Map]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> France--Paris Region]]> 1944-05-01]]> Edward King]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Bradbury]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Text]]> Map]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-03-26]]> 1944-03-27]]> Geoff Blamires]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco]]> Italy]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> 1946-01-03]]> Geoff Blamires]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Norfolk]]> 1945-10-12]]> 1945-10-13]]> Geoff Blamires]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Norfolk]]> 1945-10-12]]> 1945-10-13]]> Geoff Blamires]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1945-10-11]]> Geoff Blamires]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map. Navigation chart and navigation log]]> SBlamiresRG139996v20033-0002]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1945-10-11]]>