John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> He then went back to Yatesbury for an aircrew wireless operators course then on to Penrhos for an Air Observers and gunners course. From there John went to 10 OTU at Abingdon, while there he flew on one of the 1,000 bomber operations in a Whitley flying from Stanton Harcourt.
Having finished his course John was posted to 10 Squadron at RAF Leeming, still on the Whitley, the squadron converted to the Halifax, John flew in the Halifax II fitted with Merlin engines. The squadron then moved to RAF Melbourne, in Sept/Oct 1942 John’s crew were posted to Leeming to a new squadron No 408 (RCAF) as part of 6 Group.
On an operation to Hamburg 2/3 February 1943 John’s aircraft was badly damaged and the crew baled out, he recounts the difficulties of bailing out from an out of control aircraft. He landed in a tree and evaded capture for three days.
As a prisoner of war, he exchanged identities with a soldier. He was also on one of the long marches from January to April. ]]>
Stevenage Heritage Project]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Trevor Hardcastle]]> Pending OH transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943-02-02]]> 1943-02-03]]> 1945]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> France--Vichy]]> France--Paris]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> France]]> Germany]]> 1942-05-19]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Navy]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Sri Lanka]]> Great Britain]]> England--Sheffield]]> Australia]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Chile]]> England--Tunbridge Wells]]> England--Ashington (Northumberland)]]> England--Birmingham]]> Canada]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> France--Paris]]> France--Vichy]]> England--Flamborough Head]]> France--Givet]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Lowestoft]]> England--Norwich]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Germany]]> 1942-05-19]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Royal Air Force ex-Prisoner of War Association. Batchelder, HE]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> EBatchelderHE[Recipient]C920907-0003]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France--Givet]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Netherlands]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lowestoft]]> England--Norwich]]> France]]> Germany]]> 1942-05-19]]> 1942-05-20]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> Singapore]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Great Britain]]> Malaysia]]> 1956]]> 1957]]> 1958]]> 1959]]> 1960]]> 1961]]> Peter Lovatt]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> United States]]> Rhode Island--Quonset Point Naval Air Station]]> Bahamas--Nassau]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Bahamas--New Providence Island]]> Great Britain]]> England--Harrogate]]> Scotland--Perth]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> England--Warrington]]> England--Blackpool]]> Luxembourg]]> France]]> Belgium]]> Netherlands]]> France--Dunkerque]]> England--Dover]]> England--Grantham]]> England--Torquay]]> Wales--Aberystwyth]]> Iceland]]> Greenland]]> Sierra Leone]]> Russia (Federation)--Murmansk]]> Singapore]]> France--Saint-Malo]]> Denmark]]> Sweden]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Netherlands--Ameland Island]]> England--Grimsby]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Lundy Island]]> Germany--Cologne]]> North Carolina]]> North Carolina--Cape Hatteras]]> Aruba]]> Curaçao]]> Iceland--Reykjavík]]> Greenland--Narsarssuak]]> Canada]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Rhode Island]]> New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Gulf of Mexico]]> Caribbean Sea]]> Virginia]]> Florida--Miami]]> Cuba--Guantánamo Bay Naval Base]]> Puerto Rico--San Juan]]> Cuba]]> Florida--West Palm Beach]]> Cuba--Caimanera]]> India]]> Sierra Leone--Freetown]]> Jamaica]]> Jamaica--Kingston]]> Jamaica--Montego Bay]]> Virginia--Norfolk]]> Washington (D.C.)]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> Northern Ireland--Limavady]]> England--Chatham (Kent)]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Gander]]> Gibraltar]]> England--Leicester]]> Massachusetts--Boston]]> Egypt--Alamayn]]> Algeria--Algiers]]> Algeria--Oran]]> Algeria--Bejaïa]]> Algeria--Annaba]]> Italy--Sicily]]> England--Milton Keynes]]> Germany--Essen]]> England--Dunwich]]> Europe--Scheldt River]]> England--Sizewell]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> England--Kent]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> England--Crowborough]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> England--Peterborough]]> England--Bristol]]> Germany--Homburg (Saarland)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Belgium--Liège]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Aschaffenburg]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Mittelland Canal]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Leuna]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Ulm]]> Germany--Munich]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> France--Ardennes]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Grevenbroich]]> Germany--Dülmen]]> France--Metz]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Zeitz]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> England--Dungeness]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Wiesbaden]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Worms]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Europe--Lake Constance]]> Germany--Bergkamen]]> Germany--Dessau (Dessau)]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> France--Aube]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> England--Feltwell]]> England--Croydon]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Sweden--Stockholm]]> Czech Republic--Prague]]> Italy--Florence]]> Portugal--Lisbon]]> Monaco--Monte-Carlo]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Netherlands--Venlo]]> Netherlands--Amsterdam]]> France--Paris]]> France--Lyon]]> France--Digne]]> France--Nevers]]> France--Lille]]> Norway--Ålesund]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Bailleul (Nord)]]> Belgium--Ieper]]> Belgium--Mesen]]> France--Cambrai]]> France--Somme]]> France--Arras]]> France--Lens]]> France--Calais]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> France--Brest]]> France--Lorient]]> France--La Pallice]]> Egypt--Suez]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> Cyprus]]> Turkey--Gallipoli]]> Black Sea--Dardanelles Strait]]> Turkey--İmroz Island]]> Turkey--İzmir]]> Greece--Lesbos (Municipality)]]> Greece--Thasos Island]]> Greece--Chios (Municipality)]]> Greece--Thasos]]> Bulgaria]]> Turkey--Istanbul]]> Europe--Macedonia]]> Greece--Kavala]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> Africa--Rhodesia and Nyasaland]]> Tanzania]]> Sudan]]> Eritrea]]> Ethiopia]]> Sudan--Kassalā]]> Eritrea--Asmara]]> Yemen (Republic)--Perim Island]]> Ethiopia--Addis Ababa]]> Sudan--Khartoum]]> Ghana--Takoradi]]> Libya--Cyrenaica]]> Libya--Tobruk]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Iraq]]> Greece--Crete]]> Libya--Tripolitania]]> Tunisia--Mareth Line]]> Libya--Tripoli]]> Tunisia--Qaṣrayn]]> Tunisia--Medenine]]> Italy--Pantelleria Island]]> Malta]]> Italy--Licata]]> Italy--Brindisi]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Italy--Cassino]]> Italy--Sangro River]]> Italy--Termoli]]> Yugoslavia]]> Croatia--Split]]> Croatia--Vis Island]]> Italy--Loreto]]> Italy--Pescara]]> Trinidad and Tobago--Trinidad]]> North America--Saint Lawrence River]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Happy Valley-Goose Bay]]> Bahamas]]> Florida]]> Italy]]> Poland]]> Massachusetts]]> New York (State)]]> Algeria]]> Tunisia]]> Libya]]> Egypt]]> North Africa]]> Ontario]]> Québec]]> Germany]]> Croatia]]> Czech Republic]]> Ghana]]> Greece]]> Kenya]]> Norway]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Turkey]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Portugal]]> Trinidad and Tobago]]> North America--Niagara Falls]]> France--Reims]]> Europe--Frisian Islands]]> Germany--Monheim (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Greece--Thessalonikē]]> Germany--Herne (Arnsberg)]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Russia (Federation)--Arkhangelʹskai︠a︡ oblastʹ]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Jersey]]> Virginia--Hampton Roads (Region)]]> At the end there is a biography of the officer in charge of Arnhem, Lt-Gen Sir Frederick Browning and his wife Daphne du Maurier.]]> Roger Millington]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> British Army]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Free French Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--Letchworth]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> Wales--Penrhos]]> Egypt--Heliopolis (Extinct city)]]> Singapore]]> France--Cherbourg]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> France--Brest]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Dunkerque]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> France--Brest]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Italy--Turin]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> France--L'Isle-Adam]]> France--Quiberon]]> France--Boulogne-Billancourt]]> Germany--Essen]]> France--Le Creusot]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> France--Caen]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Norway]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Rochester (Kent)]]> Northern Ireland--Belfast]]> England--Longbridge]]> France--Arras]]> England--Darlington]]> Italy--Genoa]]> England--Longbridge]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> Europe--Frisian Islands]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Italy--Sicily]]> France--Normandy]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Nijmegen]]> Wales--Pwllheli]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Leicester]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> Scotland--Edinburgh]]> England--Rochford]]> England--London]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Scotland--Ayr]]> England--Friston (East Sussex)]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> England--West Malling]]> England--Hailsham]]> England--Yelverton (Devon)]]> England--Bentwaters NATO Air Base]]> England--Great Dunmow]]> England--Heacham]]> England--Weybridge]]> Wales--Hawarden]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Old Sarum (Extinct city)]]> England--Kent]]> England--Folkestone]]> England--Hambleton (North Yorkshire)]]> England--York]]> Scotland--Scottish Borders]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--Thurleigh]]> England--Darlington]]> England--Hitchin]]> England--Lancashire]]> Italy]]> France]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> Netherlands]]> Great Britain]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Devon]]> England--Durham (County)]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Essex]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Worcestershire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Swindon (Wiltshire)]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> MLutwycheCE561197-170703-05]]> Royal Air Force]]> France--Perpignan]]> France--Nantes]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hove]]> France]]> England--Sussex]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> PDentonDH20052, PDentonDH20053]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> 1941-06-23]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Kenya]]> Tanzania]]> Zimbabwe]]> Kenya--Kisumu]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> Tanzania--Mwanza]]> Uganda--Entebbe]]> Africa]]> 1945]]>