A C O'Donovan]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1942-10-27]]> Adam Purcell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jackie Simpson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-10-22]]> 1944]]> 1945-01-19]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943]]> B M Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Bradbury]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Crawley (West Sussex)]]> England--London]]> England--Middlesex]]> Bahrain]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Sussex]]> Bahrain]]> Bahrain--Muḥarraq]]> 1951]]> 1952]]> 1957]]> 1969]]> 1975]]> Covers his training.]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Sidmouth]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> England--Salisbury]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> Scotland--Ailsa Craig]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Scotland--Paisley]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> France]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> Australia]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Queensland--Bundaberg]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> United States]]> California--San Francisco]]> Canada]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Scotland--Gourock]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> Ontario--London]]> France--Châlons-sur-Marne (Arrondissement)]]> France--Caen]]> Germany]]> Germany--Kiel]]> France--Gironde Estuary]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Neuss]]> France--Calais]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Netherlands--Veere]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Fulda]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Heinsberg (Heinsberg)]]> Nova Scotia]]> Manitoba]]> Poland]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Turkey]]> Turkey--Gallipoli]]> Australia]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> Queensland--Ipswich]]> Queensland--Maryborough]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> New South Wales--Wagga Wagga]]> New South Wales--Lindfield]]> New South Wales--Blue Mountains]]> New South Wales--Neutral Bay]]> American Samoa]]> American Samoa--Pago Pago]]> United States]]> Hawaii--Honolulu]]> California--San Francisco]]> California--Alcatraz Island]]> California--Oakland]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Oregon]]> Washington (State)--Seattle]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Alberta--Jasper]]> Alberta--Fort Saskatchewan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Alberta--Calgary]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Tasmania]]> Italy]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Gourock]]> England--Brighton]]> Germany--Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> France]]> France--Laon]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Germany--Wesseling]]> France--Montdidier (Picardy)]]> Austria]]> Austria--Vienna]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Queensland--Cairns]]> Saskatchewan--Saskatoon]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> North America--Niagara Falls]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Scotland--Greenock]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> England--Sidmouth]]> England--Salisbury]]> Scotland--Ailsa Craig]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Scotland--Gatehouse of Fleet]]> England--Newcastle upon Tyne]]> Wales--Holyhead]]> Scotland--Paisley]]> France]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> Queensland--Bundaberg]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> Ontario--London]]> Saskatchewan]]> Québec]]> Nova Scotia]]> Manitoba]]> Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams ]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Scotland--Edinburgh]]> 1944]]> After RAF Padgate, Peter was selected as pilot/gunner/engineer at RAF Hornchurch. He was posted to Number 4 Initial Training School at RAF Cranwell and then went to RAF Feltwell. He trained on Prentices and Harvards and became a pilot. RAF Driffield followed and Meteors. Afterwards at RAF Chivenor, Peter flew Vampires, which he did not particularly like.
Peter re-trained and received his navigator brevet at RAF Hullavington. He took a holding post at RAF St Mawgan, the Maritime Reconnaissance School. He trained at RAF Lindholme, Bomber Command Bombing School, on Canberras before joining 61 Squadron at RAF Wittering. He was at RAF Wittering for a year before they went to RAF Upwood.
Peter describes his overseas detachments, and outlines and contrasts visual bombing and Gee-H bombing.
For the last 18 months, he was posted to 58 Squadron at RAF Wyton as adjutant. He flew the PR.7 variant of the Canberra for photographic reconnaissance.
Peter then learnt Russian and passed the Foreign Office interpreters’ exam. He went back to fly Victors at RAF Marham as a navigator. Peter talks of Operation Forthright, flying between the UK and Cyprus bringing back Lightnings. In the UK, they practised refuelling.
Peter subsequently went to the British Commanders-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Berlin. He took photographs in East Germany, particularly of airfields. He then went to the Ministry of Defence South American desk and worked for the Security Services before retirement.]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Devon]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Cyprus]]>

In 1948, Barry was posted to RAF St Athan No. 32 Maintenance Unit. He initially serviced a flight simulator, then moved to the Aircraft Electrical Servicing Squadron. After a year, he was posted to RAF Cranwell, servicing generators and was promoted to corporal. He passed his leading aircraftman examination. He spent two years in Malta before being posted to RAF Honington, where he became a sergeant.

Barry wanted to service flight simulators, did a course and was posted for two years to Fighter Command at Bentley Priory. He had a broad role in aircraft engineering at Command Headquarters.

Barry moved to become an education officer and did a course at the School of Education at RAF Uxbridge. He spent two years in the education branch, initially at RAF Melksham. He was then posted to RAF Halton to teach electrics and electrical mechanics before setting up the basic training for the first ground electrician apprenticeships.

Barry undertook an unaccompanied 12-month tour to RAF Muharraq (Bahrain) and was in charge of the battery charging room. A further twelve months were spent at RAF Benson on 90 Group Tactical Communication Wing before returning to RAF Halton to join the Trade Standards and Testing Board. This moved to RAF Brompton where he wrote skills and knowledge specifications for RAF trades. Barry left the RAF in 1975 and continued in teaching and training roles.
]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Bahrain--Muḥarraq]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--London]]> Bahrain]]> Bahrain--Muḥarraq]]> 1945-02]]> 1948]]> 1975]]>
Donald then trained at Rothesay as a submarine detection (ASDIC) operator before joining HMS Essington. He served on the Arctic convoys and recalls surviving a torpedo attack in the English Channel and being shelled from Guernsey whilst hunting a submarine.
After the war Donald entered the church and became a Royal Air Force Chaplain and he tells amusing stories of his RAF service. His first posting was to RAF Halton, where his wartime medal ribbons earned him respect, despite arriving late on parade with oily hands from a recalcitrant bicycle chain. Then he moved to RAF Innesworth where he arranged a guard of honour for a friend's wedding, which impressed his Air Chief Marshall.
Donald was then posted to Aden, describing accommodation, training, and service anecdotes. From Aden, he was posted to RAF Cranwell where he set up a Sunday School, taught cadets to dive and took them to Cyprus to assist in some marine research. He recalls travelling around the Mediterranean to perform pipeline inspections and to referee boxing matches.
His final post was administering Bomber, Fighter and Coastal Commands, for which he flew around numerous RAF stations.
He also describes flying in a Vulcan and a Victor with his pilot brother and speaks of his emotion on visiting the National Arboretum and reading the names of the dead from HMS Blackwood, which was hit by the torpedo that missed Essington.
In later life he received the Ushakov medal and the Légion d'honneur.]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Navy]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Cyprus]]> Atlantic Ocean]]> Scotland--Rothesay]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams ]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> Germany]]> Germany--Gütersloh]]> Korea]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Mons]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Chris Johnson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Chris Johnson]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--London]]> 1944]]> Dan Ellin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Dawn Studd]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> Great Britain]]> 1943-09]]> 1944]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> 1943]]> 1944-12]]> 1945]]> David Meanwell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Netherlands--Amsterdam]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1941]]> 1945]]> Dawn Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sam Harper-Coulson]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Coventry]]> England--London]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> France]]> France--Lorient]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Wales--Ceredigion]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1940-05]]> 1940-09]]> Dawn Oakley]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> E Pickering]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Sheffield]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Whitley Bay]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Milton Keynes]]> 1940]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
The bombing operations he took part in are described, as is his investiture and his time in India as an administrative officer.

Cruickshank then moves to Instructing before returning to Operations including Nuremberg. He then describes the transition to civilian life after his demobilisation from the RAF, poor health and his attempt to build a business in post war Britain.

Some of the photographs mentioned were donated separately and some are recorded as separate items.]]>
G Cruickshank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Portland]]> England--Bristol]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Essex]]> England--Aldershot]]> England--Felixstowe]]> England--Harwich]]> England--Middlesex]]> England--Herefordshire]]> Scotland--Ross and Cromarty]]> France]]> France--Clermont-Ferrand]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> France--Toulouse]]> Germany]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Italy]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> India--Kolkata]]> India--Bhopal]]> England--Liverpool]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> India--New Delhi]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1942-04-17]]> 1942-05-30]]> 1942-05-31]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1944-03-30]]> 1944-03-31]]> 1944-04-05]]> 1944-04-06]]>
Allied troops arrived and repatriation to the United Kingdom was carried out by C-47 aircraft. On arrival in England, he and other returning men were taken to RAF Cosford where they were given baths, clean beds and new uniforms. Rehabilitation courses were provided, and John served at RAF Cranwell until he was demobbed.]]> Gary Clarke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Tilly Foster]]> Jean Massie]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Poland]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Diepholz]]> 1943-06]]> 1944-01]]> 1944-06]]> Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Kenya]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Wakefield]]> Kenya--Mombasa]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> 1941]]> GB Blacklock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Skipton]]> Scotland--Bedrule]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> England--Appleby-in-Westmorland]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> Egypt--Aboukir Bay]]> England--Chester]]> England--Newmarket (Suffolk)]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Guernsey]]> France--Marseille]]> Northern Ireland]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Wangerooge Island]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Borkum]]> England--Wisbeach]]> England--Weybridge]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Stavanger]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> France--Givet]]> Belgium]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Hazebrouck]]> France--Dunkerque]]> France--Socx]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> France--Salon-de-Provence]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Lünen]]> Wales--Hawarden]]> Germany--Baden-Baden]]> England--Eastleigh]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> England--Doncaster]]> France--Brest]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Lingen (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> France--La Pallice]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]>