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Flight Lieutenant Roger Alfred Calvert – 152814
Biography of Roger Calvert detailing his training as navigator in Canada and the United Kingdom and his operational career flying Mosquito aircraft on night intruder operations. The account includes brief details of two significant events, losing…
Roger Calvert's Royal Canadian Air Force flying log book for aircrew other than pilot
Royal Canadian Air Force flying log book for aircrew other than pilot of Flight Lieutenant Roger Calvert from 25 March 1943 to 6 July 1945. Detailing training and operations flown. Served at RAF Cranfield, RAF Great Massingham, RAF Ouston, RAF…
Tribute to a Pathfinder captain
Tribute to Squadron Leader William G Neal Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Cross, Croix de Guerre, 1912-2001. Describes how Don Briggs met and was crewed with Bill Neal’s crew who having completed one tour had been selected for a…
More war memories. The RAF bombing raids on Revigny
Describes how his aircraft was shot down on an operation to Revigny by an Me 110 night fighter. He baled out. and was captured. After being interrogated he became a prisoner of war. In February 1944, as the Russians advanced, he and his fellow…
Interview with Roger Calvert
Roger Calvert grew up in Ripon. He joined the Royal Air Force in April 1942 and completed navigation training in Canada. On return to Great Britain, he met up with his pilot, John Thatcher, and they completed 31 operations in Mosquitos with 141…
Interview with Herbert Adams
Herbert Adams grew up in New South Wales, Australia and joined the Air Training Corps as soon as it was established. He later joined the Royal Australian Air Force and, after training, he completed a tour of operations as a navigator with 467…
Interview with Philip Bates
Philip volunteered for the Royal Air Force in May 1940. After a short time in Blackpool, he was posted to RAF Cosford where he volunteered for training as a flight mechanic and then fitter. At 86 Squadron, Coastal Command, flying Beauford torpedo…
Interview with William Taylor
William Taylor joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 as ground crew. He remustered as an air gunner and flew operations with 103 Squadron from RAF Elsham Wolds, flying Lancasters. His Aircraft was attacked and shot down by a night fighter in July 1944.…
Luftwaffe and RAF Aircraft
Photographs 1 and 2 are of a Junkers 352 with RAF roundels. Photograph 3 is of a Me 110 radar equipped night fighter with RAF roundels. Photograph 4 is of a Me 262 with radar aerials on its nose. Photograph 5 is a Ju88 night fighter Photographs 6 and…
Interview with Jo Lancaster. One
After leaving school, Jo Lancaster was an aircraft apprentice with Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company in Coventry. Having volunteered for the Air Force, he trained as a pilot and completed a tour on Wellingtons with 40 Squadron from RAF Alconbury.…
Interview with Jo Lancaster. Two
Jo Lancaster grew up in Cumbria and joined the Air Force as soon as he was able. After training as a pilot he flew a tour of operations with 40 Squadron from RAF Alconbury. He became an instructor before his second tour flying Lancasters with 12…
Interview with Gordon Mellor. Three
Gordon Mellor grew up in London and was hoping to become a quantity surveyor, when he was called up. He volunteered for the Air Force and trained as a navigator in Canada. On his return to the UK he and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at Elsham…
Interview with Eric Evans
Eric Evans was born in 1923 in Liverpool and was 16 years old when war broke out. He served in the Royal Air Force, serving with 463 RAAF Squadron, starting from the rank of sergeant and rising to a warrant officer on leaving the service, before…
Interview with Eric Hookings
Eric Hookings joined the RAF and served as ground crew at RAF Newton before training as a pilot in America. He was posted to RAF Bruntingthorpe, flying Wellingtons, Stirlings and Lancasters with 619 Squadron. During an operation an Me 110 shot down…
Interview with Thomas Marchant
Tom Marchant had always wanted to fly and joined the RAF, aged 18, as a Wireless Operator Air Gunner but was re-mustered as Flight Engineer after his initial postings to RAF Burtonwood, Warrington and RAF Squires Gate Airfield, Blackpool. He…
Account of Luftwaffe bombing of Parnell aircraft factory and subsequent forced landing of Me 110
Account of daylight attack, 27 September 1940, on Parnell aircraft factory in Yate, Gloucestershire by bomb-carrying Me 110s of ZG 76. On their return they were engaged by Hurricanes of 504 and 56 Squadron, and one Me 110 force-landed at Iwerne…
Andrew Deytrikh’s pilots flying log book. One
Pilots flying log book for Andrew Deytrikh, covering the period from 20 May 1941 to 1 February 1944. Detailing his flying training and operational flying. He was stationed at RAF Brough, RAF Montrose, RAF Grangemouth, RAF Portreath, RAF Zeals, RAF…
Interview with Maurice Vivian Askew
Maurice Askew volunteered for the RAF and began training as a flight engineer. He was posted to 207 Squadron at RAF Spilsby and his first operation was to Berlin. On his last operation his aircraft came under attack. He was knocked unconscious as he…
Target Frankfurt
Account of Jim Copus's last operation to Frankfurt during which his 97 Squadron Lancaster was shot down by a Me 110 night fighter. Includes the task of air gunners, the engagement by the night fighter which disabled all hydraulics including those to…
Interview with Cecil Harry Chandler
Cecil ‘Chick’ Chandler trained as a flight engineer and was posted to 622 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall. On his first flight the undercarriage failed. He was horrified to find that it was different to the model he had been trained on and he had to…
Interview with Steven Ellams
Steve Ellams is the son of a wireless operator, who flew in a number of different aircraft. During the war he flew overseas, initially, in Sunderlands before being posted back to the UK. He started operational flying in Bomber Command with 199…
Interview with Janet Hughes. Two
After flying as a spare, Reginald Wilson (Hughes’ father) formed a new crew and completed their first operation to Berlin on the 29th December 1943. During their second operation to Berlin on the 20 January 1944, the aircraft was shot down. Upon…
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 Peter Thompson
Peter Thompson is the nephew of Fred Denzel James Thompson. Fred’s father was Churchill’s bodyguard. In 1936 Fred joined the Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department and, following a meeting with Winston Churchill, volunteered as a…