2
25
73
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9127/EGortonHGortonLCM430903.2.pdf
5393e7276aacb2ce0dc4a309310774f8
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
3/9/43
Dearest,
I’ve had no letter from you since Tuesday. I hope it doesn’t mean that you have caught this dysentery. Take care of yourself darling, won’t you, as when you are so far away, I can’t do anything to look after you. Anyway I shall be with you in just under a fortnight, so I shall see that you are looked after properly then, even if you aren’t now.
I was very bucked to get this chit from the bank yesterday. £152 is pretty good isn’t it? I thought it might have gone up £10 or so, but not £50.
I apologise if this letter isn’t what it should be, but I’m
[page break]
2
not feeling my best today, as I’m tired, I was flying on Wednesday night & didn’t get to bed until after 7.0 a.m. When I got up, late yesterday afternoon, I found I’d been put on as O i/c., although it wasn’t my turn. I agreed to do it for one night, until Moodie came back today, & as we were trying a new system of dispersal for aircraft, my duties began at 6.0 p.m., & continued until 7.0 a.m. Of course, after I’d agreed to do the O i/c., I realised that I was Orderly Officer today, so as it didn’t seem worth while going to bed, I just carried on.
This morning we had a big parade so that a bloke could be presented with a “Mention in Despatches”, and then a parson gave us a long dull service in connection with the day of
[page break]
3
prayer. The rest of the morning I was busy with my orderly officer duties, but I’ve been dozing in the Mess all afternoon.
You will be interested to know that “Hoppy” from Ossington has got his F/Lt. – I learned this from one of the pupils.
I’ve finished one of those law question papers, so that’s half of a load off my mind.
All my love, darling. Write to me soon, won’t you?
Harold.
Sunday 9.0 p.m.
Got back from Tern Hill in time for lunch.
Both the Crown & the Netherwood at Grange are booked up this week, but I’ll go in to Grange personally to –
[page break]
4
morrow & get a place. If that fails, there’s a good hotel in Kendal that usually has a room or two to spare. I’ll also enlist Miss Westwood’s knowledge of lodging houses etc.
I’ll ring you up tomorrow night unless you send me a letter tomorrow morning to say that you aren’t coming.
As for leave, I don’t know what to do. I was talking to Mrs. Moodie this evening & she says she knows a good olde worlde pub 9 miles out of Shrewsbury – plenty of fishing & walking, home made food aplenty of ham & eggs etc. Would that suit you, or would it be too quiet?
You shouldn’t talk rot about Dad not wanting you to come to Farnworth. I admit that it was a remark not in the best of taste, but he’d be very hurt if he thought
[page break]
5
you'd understood him like that.
I’m glad you’ve got the car back. It should make your shopping a good deal easier. I haven’t liked to hear of your doing all that walking.
Sorry about the unstamped envelope. 5d is a lot, isn’t it?
I don’t mind [deleted] y [/deleted] whether you send Seversky back to Smiths’ or to me. It’s far more important that you have a book to read than that I have.
All my love,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his duties at RAF Cark and domestic and social arrangements.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Five handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430903
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
England--Farnworth (Bolton (Greater Manchester))
England--Lancashire
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
aircrew
military service conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9128/EGortonHGortonLCM430905.1.pdf
bfdac8de6096c060bc8c150c9b13cc0a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
ROYAL AIR FORCE.
TERN HILL.
MARKET DRAYTON.
SHROPSHIRE
[Royal Air Force Flying Training School crest]
5/9/43
Dearest,
I have another letter written, which I was going to send you yesterday, but fate decreed otherwise.
On Friday I was Orderly officer, but was feeling cheesed through having been on Night Flying the two previous nights, so I got another chap to do the defaulter’s parade at 10.0 p.m., & went to see Thunder Rock, a wizard film which you must see if you get the chance.
Of course, I was terribly sorry I’d gone out, when I discovered that you’d been ringing up, although it was by the merest chance that I went back to the Mess instead of going straight to bed.
[page break]
2
As for Kendal, my mind is in a whirl. If you could get the job for a term, I should be delighted, but by all the signs, it seems unlikely that I shall be at Cark very long. Ops postings are coming through very quickly now, & I was talking to a Squadron Leader from Command yesterday who confirmed my idea that we should all be going soon.
The decision, however, rests with you. I’ll find a room in Grange when I go back tonight, & will ring you up on Monday evening & learn if you are coming up here.
All the same, I was jolly glad to hear your voice on Friday, because I’d had no letter since Tuesday, & I couldn’t help thinking
[page break]
3
that you might be ill.
Yesterday morning the C.F.I. asked who wanted to take a S/Ldr down to Tern Hill. Roderick & I jumped at the chance, but when we arrived we found that it had clamped at Cark, & so we couldn’t get back.
The Officers’ Mess here is a very good place, - peace time buildings, & it has been a pleasant break to spend a night here. We shall be away first thing after breakfast, so I shall post this before we leave.
All my love,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his visit to RAF Ternhill, his duties and social activity at RAF Cark.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-05
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Three handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430905
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
England--Shropshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
aircrew
entertainment
RAF Cark
RAF Ternhill
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9129/EGortonHGortonLCM430907.2.pdf
8a4a9d574bd0db83b28f0bad0dfd24ff
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] 120984 [/underlined]
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
7/9/43
Dearest,
I heartily approve of your Kendal decision. You know how much I should like to have you near me, but it really doesn’t seem likely that I shall be here long, & it would be unwise to fix yourself for the rest of the war in such an out of the way place.
I didn’t know whether to ring you up on Monday evening, but thought than since you’d already decided about Kendal, it wasn’t worth while, & the line is usually so bad that we can’t do more than get yes or no to previously determined questions.
As for the leave, I’m in a complete fog. In some ways, Newhouse would be a good thing, but all the people you’ve got there
[page break]
2
now pretty well makes it hopeless. If you don’t want to go to London, do you fancy Oxford, which is quite a good place, or that pub in the Brecon Beacons. I’m easy wherever I go, as long as I’m with you, but I definitely want you to have a break from Newhouse, as it must be pretty dreadful for you there.
I’m putting in my leave application tomorrow, & shall put Newhouse as my address (for want of somewhere else), & anyway, I think I’d better meet you there or in Abergavenny, wherever we go.
Incidentally, I got a letter from Mother today, saying she’d like us to go to Farnworth for our leave if we’d like to go, so that confirms what I said about Dad’s remark. Dad’s back has been bad again, so I’m beginning
[page break]
3
to think he’s really had it this time. I don’t remember his trouble ever recurring so frequently as now.
By all means send the furniture form off. I’ve put my number at the top of the letter. Pitch the reasons as hot & strong as you can.
The S. Warwickshire house seems a bit above our mark, don’t you think – but nice work if you can get it. The cottage & orchard makes me feel all farmerish, though as usual, all the work would probably fall on you.
At least you have good weather to console you; I haven’t even that amelioration of your absence. We’ve had 70 inches already this year, & the average
[page break]
4
for this part of the country is 75 per annum, & the rest of the country’s average is 60! I’m certainly feeling more than a bit lonely for you & am counting the days until I see you again. In the paper today, it says that teachers will be the first to be demobbed after the war, so that doesn’t sound too bad. The thought of being able to live with you all the time is like a dream of heaven, too impossible ever to come true!
I’m surprised my letter didn’t arrive yesterday morning, as the one I sent to Farnworth arrived all right.
I haven’t decided anything about leave, I’m afraid, except that I’m having it, & spending it with you. I should prefer more ideas from you on the subject.
All my love,
Harold
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of arrangements for his leave, the weather and domestic details.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-07
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430907
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
aircrew
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9130/EGortonHGortonLCM430909.1.pdf
59d61425f825524c3a5402464779f72f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
9/9/43
Dearest,
I’m in a state today when I don’t know whether to have a good row with the C.O. or not. This morning he asked for an aircraft, & I told him he could have mine. When he came back from his trip, he said the plane was a wreck, & not safe to fly, & he later told the C.F.O. & his assistant that I ought to be under arrest for sending a pupil solo in it. At least, that’s what the assistant told me, but when I tackled the C.F.O. about it, he smoothed it down and said the C.O. merely stated that anyone who sent someone up in a u/s aircraft ought to
[page break]
2
be under arrest.
The fact of the matter is that the aircraft was not u/s, and the C.F.O. & I think that the C.O. did a bad landing at Millom and is blaming it on the plane. There was nothing wrong with the plane apart from being dirty, but it had some technical imperfections (connected with the synchronisation & the slow running) which did not affect its airworthiness.
I take a dim view of the C.O. saying that I sent a pupil up in a u/s aircraft, & if he thinks I’m no good as an instructor, the [deleted] last [/deleted] sooner he posts me the better I shall be pleased.
I was going to ask for an interview with him this afternoon, but have decided
[page break]
3
to see if I can have a friendly (?) talk with him in the Mess.
The C.F.I. will be back from leave on Friday, & I shall certainly ask him for a posting.
I trust you were as pleased with the Italian surrender as I was. They’ve waited a good time, but they’ve certainly done the thing properly now.
Thanks for getting the torch darling. Tuesday, in Lancaster, was the first chance I’d had to do any shopping, but it wasn’t necessary by then.
We’ve got a new instructor now, from Fraserburgh. He tells me that Cawker, Worthy & Webster are all F/Lts now! Makes
[page break]
4
you think doesn’t it?
I spent six shillings yesterday on having myself drawn by a cartoonist. It’s a good, but not a flattering likeness. I’ll bring it along next week to see what you think about it.
I’m taking the 48 with my leave, as things are so unsettled here that I may miss it otherwise. I shall therefore be free after duties on the 15th, & return on the 27th. If I’m going to Newhouse, I think I’ll call at Farnworth to collect some flannels, and then catch the 9.25 from M/c on Thursday morning.
All my love, darling,
Harold
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of issues with his commanding officer, the Italian surrender and his leave arrangements.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-09
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text. Correspondence
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430909
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
aircrew
military discipline
RAF Cark
RAF Millom
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9131/EGortonHGortonLCM430911.2.pdf
b994b03d2d114db01647eb5730b3edeb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
11.9.43
Dearest,
I’ve been coming to your conclusion, that Newhouse will be the best place for our leave. It will be far more comfortable than anywhere else, - I’m very fond of our own bed, aren’t you? – and I shall be able to inspect the chairs etc., that you have been buying.
The two chief snags are the extra work I shall cause, to the lack of change for you. As to the first, I shall be only too glad to agree to any suggestions you make, for the second snag I suggest if possible a day in Cardiff together, & perhaps a few days in Grange or Cartmel for you later on. Still, we can talk about that when we meet.
[page break]
2.
I hope you didn’t mind my unloading my troubles on to you in my last letter. I was pretty much cut up about it at first, but I’ve calmed down about it since then. I didn’t bother to discuss it with the C.O., because he’s such a slippery customer that it would have been a waste of time. I went to see Basher yesterday, told him I wanted a posting & explained why. He admitted that there’d been a “slight slur on my professional ability”, but didn’t hold out much hope as far as a posting is concerned. Still, I’ll keep pounding him from now on; I’m fed up with this place, & want either an ops posting or a training job where I’ve got some responsibility & some work to do.
[page break]
3
We’ve got a billiard table in the Mess now, & I seem to spend a lot of time on it. Today the weather has been duff, so this morning I played billiards & then had a game of squash. It’s a shame to take the government’s money, isn’t it?
I should say your dental appointment would be O.K. I should prefer to travel down on Wednesday, but I think I should feel silly if I’d no old trousers to put on so that I could perhaps lend a hand, so I’ll spend Wednesday night in Farnworth, & catch the 9.25 next day. I shall catch the slow train from Hereford, - or at least, whichever will get me there earlier.
Bill Dale is still with 14 A.F.U., I believe, & I think he
[page break]
4
is still an F/O.
Leave the Utility form until I arrive, & then we can do it together.
Less than 5 days before I see you again, darling.
All my love,
Harold
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of life at RAF Cark, his social activities, arrangements for his leave and his colleagues.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-11
Format
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Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430911
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
aircrew
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9132/EGortonHGortonLCM430928.2.pdf
948478b5f2111f654ed19f2bb78444df
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
28/9/43
9.20 p.m.
Dearest,
This will be my first night away from you – last night doesn’t count - & I’m not looking forward to it a bit, even though I am fairly tired.
The journey wasn’t too bad, although the trains generally were late – 8.20, not 8.0 p.m from the Junction, arriving at Hereford at 9.0, in time for a cup of Oxo before catching the 9.20, which arrived at 9.40.
It was midnight when I reached Crewe & the train left at 2.10, so I patronised the three canteens in turn, having a cup of tea in each, & finished off your sandwiches, which were very good, & almost more than I could manage.
[page break]
2.
I had an hour’s sleep between Shrewsbury & Crewe, & rather more than that on the way to Carnforth, where we were nearly an hour late. As a result, I missed the workmen’s train that would have got me in to camp by 6.30 a.m. & had to wait for the 7.0 a.m., arriving at Cark at 8.0, just about twelve hours after I’d set off.
I didn’t feel very tired after it, but I sat in the flight office all morning, determined not to fly unless it was necessary. Fortunately we had to hand all our chutes in today for checking, so we couldn’t fly this afternoon.
Percy was full of apologies when he saw me; he hadn’t sent the stuff because he’d lost my letter with the address in – a clottish thing to do, wasn’t it?
[page break]
3
It seemed such a silly business that I couldn’t help laughing at him.
The C.F.I. is being replaced on Oct. 11th, by a new man, but he’s staying here until they can decide what to do with him.
The A.O.C. is being given a “bowler hat”, i.e. retired from the service. Everyone at Cark is pleased because of the fuss he created here this summer. We are hoping to get on better with the new man.
A Staff pilot (F/o) & a Waaf officer, have been posted to other units because of the way they kept carrying on here! They were both married, too.
That’s all the news I can think of for the moment.
Thank you very much,
[page break]
4
darling, for the wonderful time I had with you. You kept making silly remarks about my being bored, but as long as I can have you, I am so utterly content that it doesn’t matter what I do. Please thank you Mother & Grace too for having me.
I want to go to bed early, so that’s all for now.
All my love, darling,
Harold.
P.S. I got my last set of law papers returned by the Post Office marked “Gone Away”, I’m going to send them to the secretary in London for him to forward.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his journey back to RAF Cark after his leave and mentions posting and retirement of two of his superiors.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-28
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430928
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
aircrew
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9133/EGortonHGortonLCM430930.1.pdf
bab2f6c4b46fff2e540e246a92845ff7
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
30/9/43
Dearest,
It was simply grand getting your letter this lunch time, & it cheered me up no end.
I thought I should be very keen & ready for work when I came back, as I’d had such a good leave & was feeling so fit, but everything seems to turn to dust & ashes now that I’ve left you. I wish I could go back & chop some wood for you & then have a game of bridge this evening, but actually, I’m on night flying, & have spent the afternoon in bed.
The weather hasn’t been good since I’ve been here; we’ve had very little flying weather, & I doubt if we shall fly tonight. It was a good job I didn’t get back on Monday night because everyone said the weather was
[page break]
2
terrible, & I should have got wet through walking to the camp.
Basher [deleted] , [/deleted] has been posted to a staff job at Plymouth! It looks like promotion for him, but he doesn’t want to leave.
Wyver’s little boy has had a slight hernia, & has had to go to Morecombe for an operation. Bad luck, isn’t it.
Wyver was wild yesterday when he discovered that the C.O. had taken this cartoon (the cartoonist has been here again) to hang up in the Mess. Pretty cool, wasn’t it to walk of with it & others without so much as a by your leave.
Anyway, I found it in the bar today, & have hidden it until Wyver comes back from his day off.
I expect I shall be O.C. night flying tomorrow for a week. I shan’t mind, as I shall be able to get home on Friday for the concert that evening, but it is rather a bore, as the nights are
[page break]
3
so long now.
I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well on Monday. You shouldn’t worry about me, as I’m really looking after myself pretty well, & am very fit, thanks to you & the leave.
It strikes me that it’s a good thing you didn’t stay on at W. Twerton, or you might be occupying a coffin instead of your successor.
All my love darling,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his flying duties, the weather and his colleagues.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-09-30
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Three handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM430930
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Emma Bonson
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9134/EGortonHGortonLCM431001.1.pdf
82a025e1f1b4ff74e8d5984c8ca64acb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
1/10/43
Dearest,
It’s 11.15 p.m., & I’ve just left a party at the Mess – farewell for Basher, - but I want to write to you tonight so that you’ll have a letter on Monday.
The party was really surprisingly good. I’d put myself on Night flying so as to avoid it, because I thought it would be the usual drinking bout, but N/F was cancelled & so I stayed on. There was very little drinking, but lots of silly games like tug of war, horse fighting etc. Everybody joined in & we had lots of fun, but it got pretty rough after the Waafs left, & by the time I came away they’d started singing rude songs, so I’d had enough. Still, it was a good farewell to Basher, whom everyone likes.
[page break]
2.
I must try & write my letters in bits, as there are lots of things I want to tell you, but can’t remember them when I sit down to write.
My battle dress was waiting for me when I came back from leave, & it’s been cleaned very well. The chief snag at the moment is that one of the pockets has been torn, but I think I’ll try & get the C.O.’s sewing meeting to do it, if I don’t take it home next week-end.
I think I’ll try & get a small electric fire, as it will really be very useful. If any questions are asked, I can always say I’ve got it for our home.
The more I think of it, the more I wish I could see you settled in a house of your own. I think I realised your difficulties at Newhouse more this leave than ever before, but even if everything
[page break]
3
were perfect there, it would still be much better for us to have our own place. I’ve been wondering what I can do about it, & the only think I can think of is to look at the adverts in the Manchester Guardian. I shall also have a look at the Bolton Evening News when I go home. It wouldn’t be very easy for you to move up to Lancashire, but if we can’t get a house in Abergavenny, we may as well have one there.
The Ops postings this month haven’t come through, so it looks as though the September postings will occur in October, & everyone be pushed a month back. I’m fifth, excluding those who are waiting for postings, so
[page break]
4
there will be two in November, two in December, & then myself in January. A lot can happen between now & then, however.
I hope the thrashing is going on O.K. Don’t work any harder than you can help, & take care of yourself, darling. I don’t mind so much your being ill when I’m there, because I can then be sure that you’re looked after properly, but I strongly object to your being ill when I’m away.
All my love, darling.
Keep cheerful, three months isn’t such a terribly long time.
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of the social activities at RAF Cark, domestic arrangements and expected timelines for postings.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-01
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431001
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
entertainment
ground personnel
military living conditions
RAF Cark
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9135/EGortonHGortonLCM431003.2.pdf
0fcfd3e93f93331972683a27e711b7da
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
3/10/43
Dearest,
It’s only a week ago, - though it seems like an age – since we were saying we’d only another day together. I sometimes get the feeling that it’s completely impossible for us ever to have our own house, & have to be apart only when we want to. The thought of us being able to sit in front of our own fire every evening seems too good to be true.
I had a look at yesterday’s Manchester Guardian, & was not impressed. There was one furnished flat to let, - single room & kitchen, for 37/6d. No houses to let, but plenty on sale, of the 4 – 6 bedroom type. Not very hopeful is it?
I did a lot of flying yesterday – over four hours, so
[page break]
2
I think I shall have to sit back for a week to make up for it. I shouldn’t have done so much, but Bod. asked me to take a formation of three a/c over Kendal, as the C.O. was presenting a plaque to the town. We went over at 4 – 500 feet, first in vic, & then line astern.
In the evening I went to Grange in time to put £20 in the Post Office – that makes about £55 in my account, - how’s yours? We shall have to deduct this £20 from the Bank statement I hope to get tomorrow morning. I’ll not send this letter tomorrow, but will finish it tomorrow evening, so that you’ll get it on Wednesday.
I have been playing a lot of billiards & snooker lately – I & another fellow won [deleted] the [/deleted] our first round in the Mess snooker tournament today – but I’m
[page break]
3
going to cut it down as I’m not able to do any law. I’m going to send off the subscription for this term, & have a crack at an exam in December. Perhaps I could arrange to have leave then & we could spend a few days in London if you feel like it, - that’s if I can’t arrange to take the exam here.
Monday 11.30 a.m.
It’s been a shocking morning, strong wind & driving rain & low cloud. After breakfast I went to an electrical shop in Hookburgh & bought an electric fire for 22/-. It’s rather expensive, but just the thing, as it is very compact & light & I shall be
[page break]
4
able to carry it about easily. It’s just the thing for us to have in our bedroom after the war. The heating element is circular & can be turned horizontally so [deleted] as to [/deleted] that we could boil a kettle on it & have some tea! It will be useful for me now, because it will mean that I can have hot water for shaving no matter what time I get up.
After I’d fixed up the fire, I started on some law, & have been doing that since [deleted] lunch time [/deleted] then. It’s lunch time now, so I’ll go to the Mess & see if there’s a letter from you. I hope so!
[page break]
3.40 p.m.
The letter was there O.K., thank goodness, & so was the bank statement – balance now £162..16..17, although I took £20 out on Saturday that isn’t included.
It’s quite a satisfactory position, I think. I’m sending my pass book off by the same post as this letter to see what’s been happening. I suspect there must have been some payments of arrears of some kind last month since the balance increased so much. If you’d like to see it, let me know & I’ll send it on when I’ve seen it.
You say that Grace is running the restaurant for your 8 men. Does that mean that she’s acting as waitress while you do
[page break]
6
the cooking, or is she doing everything? I suppose the latter is too much to expect.
I think Basher has been posted because they feel he’s too old for a flying job. He’s certainly done very little flying while I’ve been here.
If you’re feeling cheesed with Victory Through Air Power, I should send it back & get another. If you’ve read half the book, you won’t learn any more from the second half.
I don’t know what I mean by “kept carrying on”. I didn’t see what they did when they went out, but they were always sitting side by side in the Mess, sometimes deliberately choosing a room with no one in. Whatever else they did I don’t know. Anyway, don’t try & pull that “innocent” stuff with me; I’ve been married too long for that!
I’ll ask the Assistant
[page break]
7
Adj for a railway voucher, & send it when she remembers to get it for me.
All my love, darling.
Harold.
P.S. I’d like to play bridge with you tonight.
P.S.2. You’ve not said anything about your neck. Is it O.K. now?
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of looking for accommodation in Manchester, his flying duties and social activity and the weather. He discusses an electric heater he has purchased and his bank balance.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-03
Format
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Seven handwritten sheets
Language
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eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431003
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
entertainment
military living conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9136/EGortonHGortonLCM431006.2.pdf
434bbb14792d879a4090b15dc6fca738
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
6/10/43
Dearest,
I am writing this before starting to pack up my things. Riches has arranged for me to have a single room on 2 site, so I am moving in the morning. It’s only about 1/4 mile from the Mess, instead of nearly a mile, so that it’s a big advantage for me – nearer to the Flights & to the exit to camp, as well as enabling me to be on my own. The distance is a very big consideration in the weather we’ve been having lately, when I’ve several times got very wet in going to the Mess from here.
I was hard put to it last night in trying to stop myself shooting a horrible line with Percy about you. We had a long & very interesting talk about his life in S. America, & he confided
[page break]
2
some of the difficulties he’s up against. Apparently his wife hates the idea of leaving England, & he won’t give up his job under any circumstances, although he’s pretty certain that she’ll be like a fish out of water in the Argentine.
He’s also very hard up. He says his wife has absolutely no money sense, & spends every penny he gives her, leaving him with nothing for himself. Apparently she assumes that she can afford to buy the best of everything as though she’s married a millionaire instead of a F/Lt. I just managed to stop myself saying what a wonderful wife I’d got, but believe me, darling, if I didn’t say it, I thought it all the more. I’d sooner be married to you & penniless than have the best job in the world & Percy’s position. You can’t imagine what a
[page break]
3
wonderful feeling it gives me to compare Percy’s moans with my own confidence & complete trust in you. I [sic] perfectly certain that I couldn’t possibly have a better wife than you, darling, I want you to remember that that’s my genuine conviction, not a bit of flannelling to cheer you up while I’m away.
There’s something about the way we feel about one another that must be quite different from the way the Percys are. I’m afraid I can’t put into words the thoughts that are in my mind, but I certainly feel the most fortunate man in the world compared with Percy, & that’s entirely due to you.
[page break]
4. [inserted] 120984. [/inserted]
In the last day or two I’ve heard two rumours, one of a furnished house in or near Cark, & of an empty house near the Royal Oak in Allithwaite. Are you interested, or shall we let them slide. I believe they’re both on long tenancies, which is rather a drawback, isn’t it?
I rather fancy that I may still go in December. The only thing against that as far as I can see is that we are finding it difficult to get replacements for the people we lose, & so they may not be willing to let any more go. Still, lots of things can happen in two months, can’t they?
I’ve done very little flying lately – 20 minutes this afternoon for the first time since Saturday.
[page break]
5
The weather has been simply atrocious – howling gales & pouring rain most of the time. It cleared up Monday evening & tonight – when I was not on night flying, but I’ve been on the programme five times in the past 8 days & haven’t flown once.
I haven’t been O.C. night flying this week because we’ve at last got the Staff Pilots doing alternate weeks with us. I shall start on Saturday evening, so I shall return to Cark on Saturday afternoon, & go home as early as possible on Friday.
Mother has written to say that she has got your frock,
[page break]
6
so I’ll send it off while I’m at home.
All my love, darling,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of moving into a new billet, his colleagues, the weather and the lack of flying due to the bad weather.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Six handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431006
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
military living conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9138/EGortonHGortonLCM431010.2.pdf
813c2f9fe0a5bdb8edfae02613ff636d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
10/10/43
Dearest,
I am now installed in my new quarters, and find them a big improvement on what I had before. The room is nearly half as big again & I have it all to myself. It’s got two windows which means better light and also plenty of fresh air at night.
I had my first night’s O i/c last night, & began well, scrubbing at 7.0 p.m. I finish on Friday night & get Saturday & Sunday off. If I can have about two or three scrubs during the week I shall feel satisfied.
I hope you get your frock tomorrow. Mother [deleted] h [/deleted] & Dad had some difficulty in finding the
[page break]
2
shop, because there was no address on the ticket. They then tried to take it away without paying for it, thinking that we’d already paid, but the girl in the shop wouldn’t wear it.
I parcelled the frock up yesterday morning, I hope satisfactorily. I didn’t trust myself to fold it, so I got Mother to do it, & contented myself with wrapping it in paper.
I got details of the Law exam & some old question papers yesterday. The Contract & Tort exam is on Dec. 7th at 9.15 a.m. so I propose that we go to London on the 6th for about three days, & then go back to Newhouse for the rest of the leave. That’s only a tentative suggestion. The old questions I’ve looked at prove
[page break]
3
that I shall need to get everything more buttoned up before its worth while taking the exam, but I don’t need to enter for it before Nov. 22nd, so there’s time to see how things are going. The entrance fee is only 10/6d, so it will be worth while having a crack at it even if I’m doubtful.
You must be having a bad time at present with your boiler u/s, but I suppose it will be worth it if you get the Aga going properly.
I suppose you are going to fit it under the stairs in the middle room? It seems a pity not to have it in the kitchen, & I should have thought it would have been better in the kitchen
[page break]
4
between the sink & the door, or better still, where your present fireplace is. Still, I shall be interested to see it next time I come.
I’m glad you’re able to keep getting the odds & ends. I think you’ll have to start storing things in the attic or in Cecil’s room if you get much more stuff.
I was studying the pass book last night , & I can’t make head or tail of the amounts on the credit side. Here is a summary.
June 1. 25.18.2
“ 4 8.8.0
“ 30 25.0.0
July 5 14.7.9
Aug 3 25.18.2
“ 5 8.0.0
“ 31 25..18.2
Sept 4 6..4.0
“ 30 25.0.0
Oct 4 8.8.0
[circled 1] The large amounts are
[page break]
5
my pay less Income Tax 31 days at 18/2 amounts to £28..3..2
Net income = [underlined] 25.18.2 [/underlined]
Income Tax = £ 2.5.0
As I work it out, however, income tax ought to be £4..4..7, so either we’re being treated very well, or we’re going to have to fork out an unpleasantly large sum later. I suspect that the Income Tax people have got into such a muddle over our incomes that they don’t know how much to charge, but I don’t mind as long as they don’t find out afterwards.
[circled 2] I thought your allowance was 28/- per week, i.e. £6..4..0 for a month of 31 days. That’s what
[page break]
6
it says on the pamphlet I received on being commissioned. That’s the amount I received for August, but the others have been £8 or £8..8..0 (The £14.7.9 is for when you were in Grange). There again it’s pleasant to be paid so much if there are no unpleasant surprises to follow.
Don’t worry about writing to me. I know how awkward it is at Newhouse, & also know that you write when you can, so don’t feel obliged to answer every one of my letters.
All my love, darling,
Harold.
[inserted] 120984 [/inserted]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of their finances, moving to a new billet, flying duties and domestic details.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-10
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Six handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431010
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
military living conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9139/EGortonHGortonLCM431012.2.pdf
c96ef4fc0151275145b2d0ef848e4ded
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
12/10/43
Dearest,
I am having an easy night, but it looks like being long drawn out. I’ve postponed the Nav. until midnight & am getting on with the circuits & bumps, which will finish just before midnight. The Met has been pretty poor lately – they haven’t seemed to know what was going to happen or when, but I hope I’m not kept waiting too long tonight for the various fronts to pass over.
I suppose I shouldn’t grumble, however. I worked last night until 7.15 a.m., but I had Saturday & Sunday off.
[page break]
2.
I am carrying on a private war with the Resident Engineer here.
Yesterday morning, as there is no plug in my new room, I got another plug that would fit my electric light. I fixed it up, tried it on the light, & then went to the Mess. At lunch time I heard that the Engineer had been going round all the rooms, confiscating electric fires. Sure enough, when I went back in the afternoon, my fire had gone.
Here is the funny part of the story. My batman saw the Engineer coming round collecting fires, & rushed into my room, disconnected the plug, & put the fire in its box under my bed.
[page break]
3
This of course, make my position beautifully secure.
I’m furious with the bloke for stealing my fire. I rang him up yesterday, but he was out, & left a message that if he didn’t return it I’d report him to the C.O. for theft.
The fire wasn’t back today so I went to see the Adj, as the C.O. unfortunately won’t be in tomorrow. The Adj. hedged a bit, because he thinks the C.O. may have authorised the Engineer to take the fires, but it makes no difference to me, as not even an Air Chief Marshall can steal my property. If I don’t get any satisfaction tomorrow I’m going
[page break]
4
to put the Service police on the job.
Wednesday 10.0 a.m.
I was going to finish this during the second half of the night, but the midnight Met report was unfavourable, so I scrubbed. I’m hoping to finish it now before the morning post which goes, I think at 10.30.
I got three pairs of socks when I was in Bolton, so am now O.K. for socks. One of my shirts is fraying at the cuff, so I’ll send it to you in a few days time.
Moodie has gone sick, - something to do with his lungs I believe – and is to have an
[page break]
5
X-ray exam in Morecambe on Friday. If the results are serious, as they seem likely to be, he may be repatriated, & I may take his place on the Ops ladder, which would mean that I should go in November.
I’m glad you keep finding things to buy. It does me good, to know that you are getting ready for the home we shall have after the war.
I’ve not done anything further about the houses at Cark & Allithwaite as I was waiting for your reply. I don’t really think it’s much use
[page break]
6
your setting up house so far away from home when it’s in a part of the world that doesn’t suit you, & the fact that I’m due to go in a couple of months time makes it even less suitable. Anyway, I’ll try & find out if I can get the furnished house on a short tenancy.
The new C.F.I. has come, & seems to be a decent sort & something of a live wire, which will be a change. There’s a rather amusing story connected with his arrival.
Jacob was S.D.O. that night, & it was his job to arrange for the C.F.I. to be collected from the station.
[page break]
7
Jake was standing in the Mess & after waiting a long time, said “Where’s that f- C.F.I.? A voice behind him said “Here I am.”
Jake recovering himself quickly, “Oh, have a drink”,
C.F.I. “I don’t drink”,
Jake. “Have a cigarette”
C.F.I. “I don’t smoke.”
Collapse of Jake.
I must try & catch the post now, darling.
All my love.
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of flying duties, his colleagues, domestic details, the weather and issues with his electric fire.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-12
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Seven handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431012
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
military discipline
military living conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9140/EGortonHGortonLCM431015.2.pdf
1f56ba88c9fd0b6c990ca5186438b94f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390
15/10/43
Dearest,
My week of O.C. N/F is nearly over – only one more night now. I’ve not done too badly, three scrubs out of six, & the nights when I’ve been on duty have been easy ones with no prangs and no flaps.
I’m glad to say that I’ve at last settled the question of my electric fire. The C.O. has been sick, & didn’t come back until yesterday, so I went to see him in the evening, after I’d got up.
I took up a very injured attitude, said that the Resident Engineer had taken my property away, property that I’d bought for my own home. It rather shook
[page break]
2
the C.O., I think, because he summoned the R.E. & the Clerk of Works to his office, & told the R.E. to have my fire sent back to my room today. The R.E. was most apologetic, so I left it at that, as I couldn’t think of anything else that I could insist on. I’m afraid, however, that I shan’t be able to use the fire any more at this station, but it won’t matter now, as I can have a fire every night if I wish.
The new C.F.I. seems to be setting a horribly unpleasant example of working hard. He hasn’t affected me yet, as I’ve been on night flying, but I expect I shall have to get up a bit earlier when I’m on days.
I hope the house is becoming a little more ship-shape
[page break]
3
now. There’s nothing more unpleasant than having workmen in the house, especially when it’s combined with lack of hot water.
I saw Moodie yesterday. He goes to Morecambe today, & certainly doesn’t look well. I doubt if he will be passed fit for aircrew duties on his present showing.
Personally I shall be the more pleased the sooner I leave this joint, as the more I see of it, the worse opinion I have of it & of my position here. The only thing that I’m really looking forward to is our setting up house together in peace time. May it be soon.
All my love, Harold
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes about his flying duties and his electric fire.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-15
Format
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Three handwritten sheets
Language
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eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431015
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Cark
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9141/EGortonHGortonLCM431017.2.pdf
28aba768ed2a3f9dc6d5049c5af5427b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS.
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390
17/10/43
Dearest,
I did well out of my week of O i/c – two full nights & once till midnight, 4 complete scrubs.
For a change yesterday, I went to Lancaster to the pictures. The only amusing thing that happened was [deleted] that when [/deleted], in the Empire Café (the one we visited). I told the waitress I didn’t think much of the menu, which consisted of fish cakes or cottage pie, or sausages, & she came back a moment later to ask if I’d prefer some mutton. My wings must still have their charm, after all.
I didn’t go home this week-end as I was there last week, & shall be there a week
[page break]
2
on Wednesday. I’m not so fond of home as all that, & only go because of the concerts.
I’m sorry to say that I’ve forgotten to get your travel voucher. I’ll go along to S.H.Q. after I’ve written this to see if I can get it.
I’m spending the evening with the Wyvers; I only hope I don’t get wet through, because the weather has been terrible today. This morning we sat in the office talking, & this afternoon we stayed in the Mess & played billiards.
I’ve not seen Moodie yet since he went to Morecambe, but Boddy tells me that there’s something wrong with a lung, & he can’t possibly go on Ops. That means that I shall
[page break]
3
move up into his place & go in November. It’s not absolutely definite yet but very probable. I shan’t know for certain until I fill in my forms stating my preference.
I’m afraid that will fix our leave for us. I’m wondering whether, instead, you’d like to come up here for a couple of weeks until I go. I warn you that it’ll be no picnic, because the weather really is terrible here, raining day after day. I was thinking that if you’d care to come, I might be able to get Moodie’s old digs in Cark village. They’d be handy for you, too, as being
[page break]
4
less than a minute from bus & train. I don’t know if I’m talking through my hat in suggesting this, but let me know what you think, & where you’d prefer to live.
Anyway, darling, you know that I love you & wish I could be with you. I was so cheesed off last night, sitting in front of a warm fire after I’d finished the last of that correspondence course, that I started playing patience, as the nearest approach to two-handed bridge.
But don’t let that worry you, & make you come when you don’t want to. I only feel like that very occasionally, and actually I’m doing very well & having a good deal of
[page break]
5
comfort.
By the way, I nearly made a gaffe by blowing your trumpet too loudly at home. In honour of my arrival, Mother made a dried egg custard, which tasted O.K. but looked awful, as there was a bright yellow skin & white custard underneath.
I managed to limit myself to saying that I’d eaten dozens of your custards that had looked all right, & did not say anything like offering to send her your recipe, or anything else which might have reflected injuriously on her cooking.
I’m glad your frock
[page break]
6
has arrived. Mother was a bit conscience-stricken because she didn’t register it. She’ll be relieved to know it’s safe.
By the way, is it possible to send her eating apples in a parcel? She can get them, but they’re small & very expensive – about 4d each for apples scarcely half the size of a cricket ball. (2/- a pound.) Don’t bother if it’s awkward, but if it’s possible, it would be the best Christmas present we could give.
I haven’t sorted out those figures properly yet (pay, I mean), but the extra on your allowance is ration money for my leaves, I think.
I’m glad you’re feeling fit, & trust you’ll be able to bear up during Janko’s absence. I told Mother, who asked about him, that I’d acted as a slight
[page break]
counter-attraction while I was at Newhouse!
Thanks for your letter, darling.
All my love,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes about flying duties and social activities.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-17
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Seven handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431017
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
entertainment
military living conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9142/EGortonHGortonLCM431018.2.jpg
c918b282ce6a485edfc97ad0c26ccafc
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
18/10/43
Dearest,
I didn’t intend to write to you tonight, but it suddenly struck me that if I sent you the shirt & socks that need mending, I could enclose my sweet ration.
It’s not that I think you’re short, but it’s such a pleasure to give you something, especially as I’m away from you, that I thought [deleted] you [/deleted] I’d send it with my love.
I had quite a nice time at the Wyvers’ last night, & luckily didn’t get wet.
Hope you are well.
All my love, darling,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes about his social life.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-18
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One handwritten pages
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431018
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9143/EGortonHGortonLCM431020.1.pdf
dea404a137fd3c3001652a88a5140d02
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark. 20/10/43.
Dearest,
It’s 10.30 a.m., & I’ve just dressed, so I thought I would write to you before doing anything else.
I trust you won’t mind the writing paper. I’ve used up all the Cark notepaper, & I don’t want to buy another box, as it took me 6 months to finish the last lot. I’m going to use this sort of paper as I’ve several old exercise books that I don’t want now.
Although I got up late, I wasn’t flying last night. I was on at midnight, & it was cancelled so I decided to have my sleep out, as there is nothing to do this morning.
We had a long talk from the new C.F.I. yesterday afternoon. He’s full of ideas about getting a lot of work done, but I think this aerodrome, and the weather, will prove too much for him. For instance, it’s a week since we did any night flying. He probably thinks it’s exceptional, but he’ll learn.
He said that we were short staffed
[page break]
2.
as regards instructors, but that he wouldn’t stop Ops. postings if we could cope as we were. That means I’m pretty certain to go in November. I haven’t filled my form in yet, but I expect to do it any day. One of the October postings went to Grantham yesterday, so I expect to go in a month’s time.
You ask if I still want to go on Ops. I can honestly say that I am keener than I have ever been, & the sooner I go, the better I shall be pleased.
I hope you get the parcel O.K. I wondered afterwards if I was foolish in including the cream bars, but perhaps they won’t be so crushed as to be uneatable. Don’t wash the shirt & socks. I can easily send the to the laundry when they’re mended.
You remember us discussing the case of Artemus Jones, who won an action for libel? His obituary was in the papers the other day. He had been a well-known Welsh barrister, and became a judge in N. Wales. That’s how you heard of him, I expect.
[page break]
3.
I hope the Aga people come as they have promised. I should think you’ve got the worst over, now that Wheeler has finished knocking the house about. Your dining room will be changed a good deal, won’t it, with the cooker there? What has happened to the table & the apples?
All power to your elbow in buying things for our house! It gives me just as much a thrill as it does you. It’s amazing, though, isn’t it, to think of all the odds & ends one needs! I tend [deleted] [indecipherable letter] [/deleted] to think that a house is furnished if it has a bed & table & chairs etc.
Don’t worry about your glass ring. If I can have given you five minutes pleasure through it, I am amply repaid for the making. I won’t promise you another one, however, as I think I’ve no more perspex left.
Talking about those 60 Fortresses, the head of the Army Air Corps said that someone must have warned the Germans in advance of the attack, & that was
[page break]
4
why they lost so many.
I can’t think of anything else I want to say, so I’ll put this letter in an envelope & post it.
All my love, darling.
Harold.
[page break]
[duplicate bookmark]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of the loss of 60 B-17s, the new chief flying instructor and about returning to operations.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-20
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431020
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
B-17
RAF Cark
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9144/EGortonHGortonLCM431021.1.pdf
0e7b1bfe58237090e8ac35c0ab05ced5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark 21/10/43
Dearest,
I was very glad to get your letter today, but sorry that you aren’t feeling very well. You must take care of yourself & not work so hard – for my sake if not for your own. It makes me think it would be a good thing for you to come here for a week or two, so that you could have a rest.
I’ll see if I can fix up for us to stay at the Kent’s Bank Hotel. It’s actually closed for the winter, but the Flying Wing Adj is staying there while her husband is on embarkation leave. She catches the 7.20 train to Cark & has breakfast in the Mess, so that the people in the hotel needn’t get her breakfast early.
I shall be filling in my Ops form tomorrow, & if all goes well I should be leaving here about the 20th November. What about coming up here about the 6th or 8th, & staying until I am posted? I’ll start making tentative enquiries now.
I’m writing this in my room while
[page break]
2
my pupil is doing his night solo. In about ten minutes I shall have to go down to the flights & take up another pupil. It will be long drawn out tonight, as each pupil is doing 2 hours solo after his dual, so that my [deleted] next [/deleted] [inserted] last [/inserted] trip will be at one a.m. if everything goes well.
This afternoon, Stockdale, Gilligan and I went to Ulverston to see the “Life & Death of Colonel Blimp”. It is an excellent film, & we enjoyed it immensely.
Otherwise, I’ve spent most if my time this week on stand-off for night flying, but have only been up once. I’ll have a night off tomorrow, and try & fly on Saturday so that I shall miss the Mess dance, as I don’t feel like going.
I must go & fly now. More later.
11.30 a.m. Friday
I didn’t come back to my room again until 0245, & I’m afraid that I was too tired to finish this letter & then cycle to the post in the rain. I hope you’ll forgive me missing this post, but I really
[page break]
3
had had enough by then.
It seems to be a poor show about your Ideal boiler. Can’t you send a strong letter to the people who sold it, & tell them you want your money back? Even in war time they can’t sell you something as complete when some parts are missing. Having studied the Law of Tort & Contract, I feel I’m able to speak on the subject!
I’m jolly glad the Utility man has been to enquire. It sounds hopeful, doesn’t it, & we shall feel a lot better if we can get some more things. I think we said that a couple of bed settees and some kitchen furniture were our most urgent needs, but we can decide properly when we get our allocation of points.
I’m going to see the Adj. about my ops form as soon as I’ve finished this letter, & I’ll ask her about the Kent’s Bank at the same time. I had a long talk with the C.F.I. the other day. He was a bit doubtful about whether he could let me go, but we’re getting four new
[page break]
4
instructors tomorrow, so it’s all right. His last words to me were that he expected me to do 100 hrs flying before I go! I told him that anyone who could do 100 hours in a month at Cark was a genius! He’ll learn, I think, when he’s been here a bit longer, but he’s too “hour conscious” at the moment.
So Janks got fed up, did he? You must find it very dull now that he’s not at Newhouse. Although I thought Nikko was the better man, Janks was certainly much more lively.
Thanks for the cutting about Artemus Jones.
That was a bad show, wasn’t it, addressing [deleted] l [/deleted] your letter “Mrs J.A.” I’m sorry about that, darling.
I’ll try all I know to find a nice place for us to stay in. You don’t know how much I’m wanting to see you again. It seems an awfully long time since I saw you, although it’s not quite a month yet. Since I’m going to be a
[page break]
5
pupil again, my leave will be less regular for a time. That doesn’t mean that I shall get less leave; in fact, if there is the usual hold-up between courses, I may get a good deal more, & when I’m on ops, I shall get 7 days every six weeks. That will be all right, won’t it?
I’m a bit dubious about this law exam now though. I’ve decided to try & carry on as though nothing had happened, & see if I can get a day off at Grantham so that I can take the exam – that’s if I go to Grantham.
All my love, darling. Take care of yourself, because you’re very important to me.
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes about his law exams, night flying, returning to operational flying and of social activities and domestic details.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-21
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Five handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text. Correspondence
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431021
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
entertainment
RAF Cark
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9145/EGortonHGortonLCM431024.1.pdf
c37f5a42ed63dd63dfac7b1613b2270a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark 24/10/43
Midnight.
Dearest,
I had to see the M.O. on Friday to make sure I was fit for Ops. He mentioned one or two things that amused me. He thought I was too thin! – I’m the same weight, 140 lbs, as I was when I joined up three years ago & he thought I really ought to be heavier. It’s the first time I’ve ever been accused of being thin.
He told me that my night adaptation was above average – very useful for a night fighter, of course, & also that I’d got a scar on my ear-drum. He was a bit anxious about this as he thought it might make my ear less
[page break]
adaptable to pressure changes. However, after I’d held my mouth & nose closed & swallowed a few times, he said my ear-drums flapped beautifully!
I’m writing this letter in the Mess. I’ve done two details this evening, & when I landed at 11.0 p.m. I told the O i/c to scrub, as the weather wasn’t fit – fog. Now, however, we can’t cancel for the night before 2.0 a.m., so I’ve had supper & am now sitting in the Mess waiting till I can go to bed.
The new C.F.I. is certainly making his presence felt. He has now instituted a night flight. I promptly voted myself on it, as we start tonight & do
[page break]
a fortnight, & then have a 48.
My idea is that during that 48 I can go to Newhouse to bring you back here or you can come up to Farnworth or something, Anyway, when I get this 48 [underlined] I want to see you [/underlined], whatever the way we manage it.
I had planned to go to the concert in Bolton on Wednesday, but I’d miss fifty concerts for the chance of seeing you.
The Adj (Flying Wing) saw the manageress of the Kent’s Bank yesterday, & thinks it will be O.K. if I go & fix things up. I’m going tomorrow afternoon. There is a possible snag in that she is going away for a fortnight’s holiday, & may not be back for the 8th,
[page break]
4
but from what I’ve heard, this place is so comfortable & the food so good, that it will pay us to go there when she’ll have us.
I hope you’re feeling better now. Take plenty of rest, darling.
Love,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of night flying duties, returning to operations, social activities and domestic arrangements.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-24
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431024
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
aircrew
ground personnel
medical officer
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9146/EGortonHGortonLCM431027.2.pdf
c6a824bc8c7bdb2005141fa98a50f712
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark.
Wednesday 7.15 a.m.
Dearest,
I’ve just had breakfast & I’m going to go to bed, but I wanted to write to you first.
The night flying is going quite well, except that we haven’t had any decent clamps yet. The past two nights we’ve stopped for a couple of hours or so, but I’ve done a weather test & we’ve carried on then until dawn.
Of course, I’m only doing it so that I can have a 48. My last night will be on Saturday week, & I expect to have Monday & Tuesday off. Yesterday I went to the Kent’s Bank Hotel, & arranged for us to stay there from the 9th onwards. Is this arrangement agreeable to you? I’ll come down to Newhouse for my 48, if you like, but I think the best thing would [deleted] y [/deleted] be for you to travel to Farnworth on Saturday 6th, & I could join you on
[page break]
the 7th. We could then go to a show or something on the 8th, & come up here next day.
That’s only a suggestion, of course. I’d prefer you to say what you’d like to do, & we’ll do it. Absolutely anything will please me if I can see you during my 48. You don’t need to come up here if it will be awkward for you, but [underlined] I do want to see you again [/underlined], if only for a short time. Is that clear?
Incidentally, I was talking to the [deleted] [indecipherable letter] [/deleted] stationmaster at Kent’s Bank, & he said that the Kent’s Bank Hotel is far & away the best place in the district – comfortable & very good food. I don’t know how much it costs, as I forgot to ask the Manageress when I was there, but whatever it is, “it’ll stand it, I reckon” (That’s one of our popular phrases of the moment.)
I forgot to tell you that I’ve been wearing your pullover every day
[page break]
lately. It’s very warm & it really is an excellent fit – far better than the first one you made. The torch has done good service, but is u/s for batteries at present.
Your letter came yesterday afternoon, & was very welcome. Whenever I get a letter from you, I feel, “Ah, that’ll keep me going for another two or three days or so.” So you can see how important your letters are if one member of the R.A.F. is to be kept in good trim.
I’m glad you got the parcel, but sorry I boobed again about the socks. Perhaps I shall learn sense someday, but my nose being what it is, I don’t notice smells much.
That Ware job[deleted]s[/deleted] sounds quite suitable to me, if you really want it. I shouldn’t imagine that Ware is a very inaccessible sort of place, & 3 days a week of P.T. is certainly as much as you want. Would you get a house
[page break]
or furnished rooms? It’s your decision, but if you feel you want a job & don’t mind doing P.T., I should have a crack at it. There’s this advantage, too, that I’m very likely to be stationed on the east side of England, & so should get to Ware easily. On the other hand, it will be crowded like any other town, & you may have to put up with some terrible digs, so please yourself. Whatever you decide will suit me.
I’m very pleased with all the shopping you’re doing. [underlined] I think you’re wonderful [/underlined]
I expect to go to Grantham first for a Blenheim course & then to an O.T.U.
It’s bed time, so that’s all for now.
All my love, darling.
Harold.
[page break]
[duplicate bookmark]
[page break]
[duplicate bookmark]
[page break]
[duplicate bookmark]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of night flying, social activities and arrangements for leave.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-24
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431027
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
RAF Cark
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9147/EGortonHGortonLCM431029.2.pdf
01a32b7387881c3832a1f9546929816c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark. Fri. 4.0 a.m.
Dearest,
This is a funny time to start writing, but then I’ve had a funny evening. We did weather tests at 7.0 p.m., & 10.30 p.m., & after the second one went to the Mess to play billiards until supper time at 12.45. After supper we scrubbed for the night & then went back to the Mess to play billiards for a couple of hours. It probably seems a crazy thing to do, but actually it’s a good thing because it means we get up later and so start our work fresher.
We are having a good time in this N/F flight, because the four of us in it get on very well together & have lots of fun.
The C.F.I. made himself rather unpopular with us by suggesting that we should finish night flying soon & be able to start day flying. That doesn’t appeal to us because
[page break]
we want our 48, so we are altering our policy. Instead of trying to get the work done, we are being careful not to fly in doubtful weather as we have done in the past. We hope to remain on night flying until the end of next week, but I may be able to get my 48 when I want it whether we continue night flying or not.
[deleted] O [/deleted] I had one bit of bad luck two nights ago when I had a taxying accident. A lorry had broken down on the runway we had to taxy along. It had been marked with red lights but I didn’t see them in time because I’d forgotten to bring a cushion with me & so couldn’t see outside properly. The top of the cab made a hole underneath the port mainplane, & I expect I shall get my first endorsement in my log book as a result. Hard luck after 1300 hours, isn’t it?
As for my ops training, if there is no weather hold up, I ought to
[page break]
have finished in a month at Grantham & 3 months at O.T.U., but I expect it will be at least 6 months before I’m through.
You don’t say whether you are actually coming up to Grange for a week or two, but I suppose I’ll hear in my next letter. [deleted] I [/deleted] Even if I didn’t see you again until the end of the war, I should think myself lucky compared, for instance, with Roderick, one of the instructors. He’s only been back from leave a week, & he’s just had a letter from his girl to say she’s thrown him over. It’s hit him pretty hard, & I feel sorry for him.
I’m jolly glad about the Utility coupons. Is 30 the maximum allowed? If I can manage it, I’ll get a booklet illustrating all the furniture, so that I can have an idea of what one can get, but when you come to see me, perhaps
[page break]
you'd bring one too, in case I can’t go out to get one. I haven’t had much time this week as I’ve been going to bed between 7.0 and 8.0 a.m., and starting work between 6.0 & 6.30 p.m.
I think I should let the Y.W.C.A. know that you are available, & then see what sort of job they produce. You can always turn it down if you don’t like it.
Finish the Dorothy Thompson & get another if you can, but if you haven’t read it by the time you see me, I should like to have a look at it.
All my love, darling,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his night flying duties and a taxiing accident.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-29
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431029
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
aircrew
military discipline
RAF Cark
service vehicle
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9148/EGortonHGortonLCM431030.1.pdf
08d3ebd03311f6001380f8366d4d8aec
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark. 30.10.43
Dearest,
It’s Saturday afternoon, & I’ll start this letter now. I don’t want to be long, as I intend to have a bath before tea, but I’ll finish this later this evening when I shall probably remember other things I want to say. There may even be a letter from you by the afternoon’s post if I’m lucky! Actually, I don’t quite know whether I want one or not. If I get one today, it will help me over the week-end, but it means I shall almost certainly not get one on Monday, whereas if there isn’t one today, I can be thinking all through the week-end that I shall get a letter on Monday. Like most things in this war, it’s a choice of two evils, but all the same, I hope there’s a letter for me this afternoon.
You seem to think it would be an inconvenience to me to have you at Kent’s Bank. Nothing could be further from the truth! I shall have no night
[page break]
flying to do after I’ve finished this fortnight – i.e., after next Saturday night, & shall be able [deleted] f [/deleted] to finish work fairly early as the nights are getting shorter. I shall get permission to live out of camp, but shall keep my room here & most of the stuff in it, taking very little gear to the hotel. If you can manage to come, it will be pure unadulterated pleasure for me. Is that clear?
I think I miss you most at present when I’m lying awake in bed, thinking of how you ought to be with me but aren’t. When I’m up & about, I can find things to do that take my mind off you, but in bed, it’s very unpleasant. Still, it should only be a week tomorrow before I see you again – I wish the next week was over!
My torch is now serviceable again. Four of us went into Grange yesterday afternoon, & had a very good tea at the Cookery Nook. I bought a battery & some shoe laces. I ran into Mrs. Banks, who
[page break]
asked how you were, & I told her you were coming [deleted] he [/deleted] up here next week-end.
If I didn’t tell you what ops I put in for, here is my list:
1. Night fighters & intruders (Mosquitos)
2. Day fighter – bombers (Mosquitos)
3. Low level attack bombers (Mosquitos or Bostons)
As you’ll gather from the above list, I want to fly Mosquitos.
Unless it will fill your case too much, you don’t need to send the shirt & socks on; they will do when we meet. You’d better bring your sewing kit, as I’m afraid I shall have a lot of jobs for you.
We’ve had Thursday & Friday free, & I’m hoping there’ll be no flying tonight either. If we can get a few more clamps we shall be able to make our night flying last the necessary fortnight. Then there’ll be no question about my 48.
Sunday 4.30 p.m.
I should have finished this letter yesterday, but in any case it wouldn’t
[page break]
have reached you before Tuesday, so I thought I might as well finish it at leisure.
I was thrilled yesterday afternoon to get your letter & parcel. Thank you very much for doing the mending, darling. I do appreciate it & am very grateful.
I think the letter was one of the best you’ve ever sent, because it seemed to bring our meeting so much nearer. Although I know you are as keen to seem me as I am to see you, yet it gives me no end of a thrill when you say so.
I’ll write to Mother & let her know you are travelling on Saturday, but aren’t certain of the time of arrival. I think it would be best if you could catch the 8.7, as you would then reach Manchester while it’s light. If you are at London Road Station when it’s dark, [underlined] please [/underlined] get a taxi to the bus station, because it isn’t too easy finding your way about a strange city in the black-out. Remember the last bus is 8.40 p.m., so if you are later than that, go to Victoria Station for the 9.25 train.
[page break]
[underlined] MAP OF MANCHESTER. [/underlined]
[street map drawing]
If you catch a tram at London Rd., get one marked Exchange, & get off at the terminus.
If you reach Crewe at 12.45, there is a 1.40 to Manchester (Mayfield) arriving 2.30,
[page break]
or a 2.45 to London Road, arriving 3.55. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about Mayfield station, but one of the Waaf Met officers comes from Manchester, & I’ll ask her. It would pay you to get that if possible, as the second train stops at every station.
If you reach Crewe at 5.35, there is a 5.40 arriving London Road at 6.39, & a 5.53 stopping train arriving 7.18. I should imagine the 5.40 waits for the Welsh train, so you will probably be able to make the connection.
Your furniture sale sounds fun. I wish I could have gone with you. How did you bid? Did you wink at the auctioneer, or what? £6..10..0 does seem a lot for a coffee table, but it will be very useful to go to these sales, as you’ll get a good idea of prices etc.
You ask how long I [underlined] want [/underlined] you to stay at Kent’s Bank. I should have thought the answer to that was obvious – as long as possible. I’ve never yet had too much
[page break]
of you, darling, & I don’t suppose I’ll have had too much when we celebrate our golden wedding. On the other hand, I should imagine you’d better come prepared to stay for a fortnight, & if you get fed up with the hotel or if it’s too expensive, you can go home whenever you want. Anyway, I expect to be posted at the end of the fortnight.
I think you’ve chosen the right stuff to get with our utility coupons. We shall be pretty well fixed up when we’ve got all that, shan’t we, though as you say, I don’t expect it will come through for months.
We are having a splendid weather! The past three nights it has been misty, & tonight we’ve got a real Cark soaker – pouring down all day, & likely to continue all night. All we need now is a clamp on Monday & Tuesday, & we shall have enough work to last us until Saturday. There is a possibility that I shall finish on [deleted] Saturday [/deleted] [inserted] Friday [/inserted], which is what the others
[page break]
want, so that they can have Saturday evening free. In that case I shall go to Manchester to meet you & take you to Farnworth. That would be good, wouldn’t it, but it would mean I should have to start work on Tuesday instead of Wednesday.
I’ve just realised that a week today we shall be together again. Almost too good to be true, isn’t it?
All my love,
Harold.
P.S. Thanks again for the parcel.
[calculations]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of night flying, travel arrangements for his next leave and domestic details.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10-30
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Seven handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431030
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
1943-11
aircrew
love and romance
Mosquito
RAF Cark
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9149/EGortonHGortonLCM431103.2.pdf
9b1053f169da89b94e5a769c0e0dd567
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark, Wed.
Dearest,
I’ve delayed writing to you until I could let you know something definite. This afternoon I spoke to the C.F.I., and we are finishing our fortnight on Friday night. That means that I shall be able to meet you in Manchester on Saturday afternoon, and we’ll go to Kent’s Bank on Monday.
I have learned that Mayfield Station adjoins London Road, so I’ll meet the 1.40 from Crewe or whichever train you catch. You’ll get this letter on Friday morning, so that if there are any changes you want me to suggest you can ring me up the same evening, but don’t bother if these arrangements suit you.
I shall make sure in Manchester that I am meeting the right trains, i.e., the [deleted] the [/deleted] 1.40 from Crewe to Mayfield or the 2.40 to London Road, or the 5.40, so I don’t think there should be any possibility of missing you.
[page break]
2.
Mother says she will be very pleased to have us. Incidentally, you’ll be surprised to learn that they’ve a house to let. They don’t think it will suit us, because it’s not a nice district, & there’s no bath or hot water, but they won’t do anything about letting it until they’re sure we don’t want it. I’ll show it to you this week-end, but like them, I doubt if you want it. Still, I appreciate their desire to help.
There’s no news of my Ops posting yet. I’m not expecting any news for another fortnight, & then it may be a case of moving quickly, as at Ossington. People usually get a few days’ notice, however.
I wish I was with you now. There seems to be so much I want to tell you & can’t put in a letter, & I want to make sure you are really fit. I think & hope the change & the rest will do you a lot of good.
The night flying is going very
[page break]
3
well, as we haven’t done any work since Wednesday. It’s 9.30 p.m. now, & we postponed at 6.30 until 10.30. I doubt whether we shall fly then but we shall do a weather test.
We boobed somewhat, last night, but fortunately the C.F.I. doesn’t know. We postponed until 10.30 & then did a weather test. It was clear, & no cloud below 1500 ft, but as we were coming in to land it started to drizzle, so we said we’d better not fly. The drizzle had stopped by the time we were out of the plane, but we stuck to our decision, especially as the Met report was bad. By one o’clock, half the stars had appeared, & at 4.0 a.m. it was a wizard night. Fortunately everyone else was in bed by then.
The weather test was a bit of [deleted] [indecipherable letters] [/deleted] a dice. Facey & I did it, he flying from the left hand seat, which is strange for him. Just as we were airborne, the artificial horizon went
[page break]
4
haywire & that is the most important instrument for flying at night. He didn’t know where he was, because it was as black as pitch outside, & yelled to me “You’ve got it,” so I had to get the aircraft under control using the other instruments. It made me think that there is a bit of danger even in the night flying that we do, although I’ve done so much without incident that I’ve come to regard it as merely a matter of course.
The taxying accident seems to have blown over without endorsement, which is a good thing. It wasn’t reported to Group, as the C.F.I. suggested to me, so no one here can endorse my log-book, as the A.O.C. is the only one who can authorise it.
I feel at the moment that I’ve been stung over the matter of my battle dress, although I don’t suppose I have. A new A.M.O. has come out making battle dress regulation wear for everyone
[page break]
5
in the Air Force, somewhat on the lines of army battle dress. As a result, we’ve got to pay money & coupons for our present suit & any we may buy in the future. This afternoon I had to give the Stores 10 coupons and £1-5-4 for the one I’m wearing now, and when I get a new one it will cost 20 coupons & £2..10..0. I feel it’s a bit hard that when I’ve looked after my clothes I should have to pay for one that’s nearly worn out, whereas if I’d done a bit of sabotage on it a month or so ago, I should have paid the same for a new one. Still, as far as I can see, it can’t be helped, so I’ve just paid up & grumbled. Anyway, this one will be falling to pieces before I buy another.
I hope you are able to see “Colonel Blimp.” I enjoyed it immensely, & think you will too. Thanks very much for your letter. That’s all for now darling, except to send you all my love.
Harold.
[page break]
P.S. I’m enclosing the latest Bank statement. It’s very good, isn’t it? I suppose you did put £30 in the post office, didn’t you? It seems strange that we should draw £50 out in a month & still have £140 left. Still, I’ve no complaints!
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of night flying and domestic arrangements.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-11
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Six handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431103
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-11
aircrew
entertainment
military discipline
military living conditions
RAF Cark
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9150/EGortonHGortonLCM431115-0001.1.jpg
3d4627aa31325d096e0a05c79fb691db
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9150/EGortonHGortonLCM431115-0002.1.jpg
f6073d1100e23cba8b6635910095f1aa
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark 15/11/43
Dearest,
I hope you had a good journey, & didn’t catch cold. Perhaps it is warmer at Newhouse, but, it has been very cold here today, & I have been wearing my scarf for the first time.
There has been no work to do today, & there will be none tomorrow. It’s been just as well, as I felt fairly tired, & recovered only after spending the afternoon sitting in front of the Mess fire. Even so, I managed to muster up enough energy to have a good game of men’s doubles at Badminton before lunch. I wish you could have played; I’m sure you’d have enjoyed it.
In case my posting doesn’t materialise, I’ve arranged my leave for Dec 3rd – 14th, but
[page break]
2
although I badly want to see you again, I’d sooner get away from here. Still, I suppose one can expect hold ups in winter.
Otherwise there’s nothing to report. Thank you very much darling for coming to see me & giving me such a lovely time. It was worth any amount if money. I hope you’re feeling the benefit of the change, & are not too upset by the journey.
All my love,
Harold
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of the weather and social activities at RAF Cark.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-11-15
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431115-0001,
EGortonHGortonLCM431115-0002
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-11
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
aircrew
RAF Cark
sport
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9151/EGortonHGortonLCM431118.2.pdf
4d2f5ade82e60e63aeee939f362b1557
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cark.
Thursday
Dearest,
I’m sorry I forgot to post that letter on Tuesday morning, but I had such a rush to get in the Mess in time for breakfast that I forgot it.
I’ve definitely sent off the entry form for the Law Exam – 10/6d entry fee, & £1..2..6 term fee to Lincoln’s Inn. I hope I shall be able to cope with the exam!
There’s no news of my posting yet. If I stay here long enough to go on leave, I shall have to interrupt my leave to go to London. It will be a bad show, won’t it, unless
[page break]
2
you come with me.
This is a funny life, here. I keep [deleted] thing] [/deleted] thinking “Now I shall have some work to do,” & nothing ever happens. I’ve worked out that on the basis of my flying time this month, I’m being paid at the rate of 1/8d a minute!
We had a V.D. film this evening. It was actually very good, though a little unpleasant, but I had to go out after quarter of an hour as I couldn’t stand the fug inside.
Last night I went to see the Wyvers, & saw their little boy. He’s a real imp, much
[page break]
rougher & heavier than Dana, but behaved himself quite well while I was there. I find these kids very attractive, & they make me wish we had one, but I’m a bit dubious about the way I should stand up to looking after one all the time. (The above isn’t a hint, by the way; it’s just a passing reflection – we can’t cope with children at the moment).
I was Orderly Officer again on Tuesday. I told the Adj I took a dim view of being on twice in 7 days, but apparently, he’d discovered that I’d done nothing on my last tour,
[page break]
4
and wanted me to work for my living. I felt I’d better not protest too much, in case he turned nasty about last Wednesday.
I can’t think of anything else to say, darling, except that I wish I was home on leave with you, or better still, home permanently. I hope you felt no ill-effects from your journey. Look after yourself.
All my love,
Harold.
P.S. Do you want any more travel vouchers?
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes of his duties and colleagues and discusses his law exam.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harold Gorton
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431118
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Cumbria
aircrew
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Cark
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/660/9153/EGortonHGortonLCM431119.2.pdf
05bc237a71e0c9f09464063218d56bef
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gorton, Harold
Description
An account of the resource
136 items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader Harold Gorton (1914 - 1944, 120984, Royal Air Force) and contains eight photographs and 126 letters to his wife and family. Harold Gorton studied at Oxford, and throughout his time in the RAF he continued studying law. He completed a tour of operations as a pilot in 1941 and was then posted as an instructor to RAF Cark. He returned to operations with 49 Squadron stationed at RAF Fulbeck in 1944. He was killed 11/12 November 1944 during an operation to Harburg.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mair Gorton and Ian Gorton, and catalogued by Barry Hunter. <br /><br />Additional information on Harold Gorton is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/108964/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-05-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Gorton, H
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Cork,
Friday.
Dearest,
I hope your cold is quite cured now despite the bad weather we’ve been having. It’s been pretty cold here, but I’ve been able to keep warm. I’m writing this in the Mess in front of a red hot log fire, & the fire will have warmed my room [deleted] before [/deleted] by the time I get there.
Gilligan is away on commission leave. It came through while I was away. It is back dated 9 months, but he has to wait 2 ½ months before he gets his F/O & then that will be back dated. Funny isn’t it?
I was a bit shaken
[page break]
2
yesterday to learn that all the Flying Control blokes have been made F/Lts. We’re all feeling pretty cheesed about it, because theirs is a pretty poor job & they’re all quite new officers – just got their F/Os. The only one who deserves it is an ex W/O who has done 1000 operational hours.
Otherwise, there’s not much news. I start O.C. night flying tomorrow, [deleted] indecipherable word [/deleted] but Thursday will be my last night, so it shouldn’t be much trouble.
As usual, I’ve done no work since I’ve been back. We shall have no pupils until next Thursday, & I haven’t been near
[page break]
3
an aeroplane yet.
One good thing I’ve discovered is that I can read Law during the day in the Education Block where there’s a reading room that no one goes into during the day. That’s quite useful as the Mess is impossible for reading, & I’m not supposed to light my own fire before 6.0 p.m.
Let me know when you’ve any news.
All my love,
Harold.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
He writes about life at RAF Cark, other officers who have been promoted, and studying for his law exams.
Creator
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Harold Gorton
Date
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1943
Format
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Three handwritten sheets
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EGortonHGortonLCM431119
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
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Andy Hamilton
Title
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Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife
Spatial Coverage
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Great Britain
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943
aircrew
military living conditions
promotion
RAF Cark