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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/501/22419/BCurnockRMCurnockRMv1.2.pdf
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Title
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Curnock, Richard
Richard Murdock Curnock
R M Curnock
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IBCC Digital Archive
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Curnock, RM
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2016-04-18
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Description
An account of the resource
92 items. An oral history interview with Warrant Officer Richard Curnock (1924, 1915605 Royal Air Force), his log book, letters, photographs and prisoner of war magazines. He flew operations with 425 Squadron before being shot down and becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection has been licenced to the IBCC Digital Archive by Richard Curnock and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[photograph]
Richard Montague Curnock
My War Story
[page break]
[underlined] CONTENTS [/underlined]
Page Number
Foreword 4
World War II begins 5
Samuel William Curnock 7
Dick's War Begins 10
Dalcross 10
Wellesbourne- Warwickshire 11
Heavy Conversion Unit - Dishforth (York's) the crew is completed 13
Tolthorpe - Squadron station 14
Our First Mission 15
The Second and Final Mission 16
Prisoner of War-number 2108 17
Stalag Luft VI - Heydekrug 18
Kriegies 10 commandments 20
Torun Stalag Luft 357 25
Oerbke near Fallingsbostel 27
The Long March 27
19th April 1945 28
The end of the War nears 31
Military Transport Training 33
Horsham 34
Egypt??? 35
To Italy 36
On the Road to Bari 39
Mercy Mission to Egypt 43
Dakota back to Italy - Treviso 46
2
[page break]
Reunions 49
Appendix 1- RAF flying log book 52
i) Gunnery course results 52
ii) Gunnery training 53
iii) - vi) 22 O.T.U 54-57
vii) - viii) 1664 Conversion Unit 58 - 59
ix) 425 Squadron 60
x) Flights to visit Bob in Egypt 61
Appendix 2 - Berlin cemetery plan 62
Appendix 3 - The March 63
Appendix 4 Red Cross map of prisoner of war camps
i) Long march route and map correction information 65
ii) Long march route 66
iii) Blue cross in circle marks where Dick was shot down. Red
cross near Frankfurt where he was moved to 67
iv) Red line shows route taken by Dick. Torun (Thorn camp) 68
v) Poznan - Stalag Luft XXI D 69
vi) Stalag Luft VI - Lithuania 70
3
[page break]
Foreword
The following writings are a combination of Dick's recollections as he remembers them in 2013/14. Also within are additions (in blue) from earlier recordings by Barbara, and information taken from his Wartime log (given to him by the Red Cross when in his first POW camp). And from his RAF navigator's; air bomber's and air gunner's flying log book.
Richard Montague Curnock (in his own words January 2014)
I was speaking just recently to Shirley and Steph about the anniversary of the shooting of the 50 POW's that attempted the escape from Stalag Luft 3, as I was at that time also a prisoner in another camp and was recounting how we took the news of this wholesale murder of our fellow airmen, also what the Germans retaliated with was an excuse for their prisoners over in North Africa having to sleep in tents (which anybody knows most troops lived that way in the desert) they took all our mattresses off the bunk beds, which left us with about five or six bed boards only and one blanket too sleep on, also we had two tables and a few chairs to each room, these they also removed.
All this happened whilst we were herded out of huts on to the parade ground where we were surrounded by hundreds of the German army in lorries with mounted machine guns, also the troops were on the ground with machine guns also lying on the roofs of the huts were virtually surrounded and all you could see guns pointing your way.
4
[page break]
[underlined] World War II begins [/underlined]
Guess it is time for me to start this saga of my war time story, which started when it was announced that Hitler had not replied to our letter stating of no reply had been heard from them by 11am on 3rd September 1939 then we would be at war with them, no reply so we were at war again.
I was a fifteen year old and had been working for a year and half, the first twelve months in a piano shop on Belgrave Road, was sacked for not dusting the violins and bows that hung on the walls "enough times".
My day started at 8.45 washing the front of the shop which was on a corner, so had two large windows and tiles along under the window, then dust all the pianos and they needed polishing regularly, sweeping regularly, attending to customers who wanted to pay for the their [sic] pianos which they paid for weekly. Pianos were priced at the lower being 12 pounds for an upright and 15 pound for an over strung, we had a special made for a customer a baby grand, the wood used was walnut and cost 35 pounds was on show for a week.
[photograph]
Dick, Sam, Bob and Mary, Minehead Street. 1940-1
Next job was making boot polish and paint that was used in the boot and shoe industry. My job was delivering the product to a lot of factories in Leicester and as far as Wigston and Oadby on a bike with a large basket over the front wheel, which held quite a lot of cans, they weighed nearly as much as I did that's another story.
5
[page break]
[photograph] [photograph]
Dick in ATC uniform 1941 Bob, Dick, Sam and Mary (1941)
6
[page break]
[underlined] Samuel William Curnock [/underlined]
[photograph]
Samuel William Curnock RAFVR: newly qualified sergeant pilot 1942
Brother Sam was already in the RAF and over in Canada training to be a pilot and I had then joined the Air Training Corps on third September 1941 as an aircrew cadet, brother Bob I believe was waiting to go into the RAF as a trainee pilot, I believe that during his tour over there Sam was killed in a flying accident at Gibraltar in 1942 (26th September 1942).
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[photograph]
Our flying crews have their recreation room at the United Kingdom landplane base
Sam (second from left) in a recreation room
There was nothing to how the accident happened but that the aircraft crashed into the sea at Gibraltar with no survivors. The pilot was a senior captain, Sam was a second pilot officer and they had an officer wireless operator. We were led to believe it could have been sabotage but no one knew.
It was then I decided I would get in the RAF quicker if I re-mustered as an air gunner instead of waiting for my pilot navigator course to come through.
In 2009 Peter and Jayne received a phone call from Jonathan Falconer who was researching Sam Curnock, the extract below gives more information on the circumstances of Sam's death than the family had ever known before.
Extract from "Names in Stone"-Jonathan Falconer.
Sam had volunteered to join the RAF in October 1940 on his eighteenth birthday, just as the fortunes of the RAF seemed to be swinging in its favour after the desperate air battles of the Battle of Britain in the summer months. He learnt to fly on Tiger Moths at 7 Elementary Flying Training School, Desford; Leicestershire. Before sailing to Canada; for further flying training at 73 Service Flying Training School; north Battleford, Saskatcheqan [sic] .
Sam qualified as a pilot and returned to England. With a shortage of flight crews for civil aircraft he was transferred in May 1942 to fly transport aircraft with Britain's national airline; BOAC.
in September 1942, Sam was Second Officer in the four-man crew of Whitley MK V, G-AGCI, which was operated by BOAC on its route between the UK and Gibraltar. Thirty-three year old Capt Charles Browne was in command of "Charlie-India".
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Charlie-India had flown into Gibraltar from England on 10th September 1942 and the aircraft's Master had stated in his Voyage Report that the aircraft was tail-heavy for the landing. The aircraft left again for England on 13th September, but her Master decided to turn back after only 25 minutes, reporting that Charlie India was now flying nose heavy.
Not long before his death, Sam was second pilot in a BOAC Whitley that crashed in England on take-off due to engine failure. He was uninjured and managed to walk away from the wreckage. In the fortnight that remained before her fatal crash, Charlie-India was the subject of several engineering inspections and three test flights after report by several pilots of nose and tail heaviness during flight. These problems appeared cured, but on 19th September the Master reported that Charlie-India was underpowered during take off and the initial climb, and unstable in flight. A further detailed inspection was carried out and another test flight was arranged.
To add to Charlie-India's woes, on 24th September the twin Bristol Hercules engines of an RAF Beaufighter was run up on Gibraltar's tarmac, tail on to the BOAC Whitley. The powerful propeller wash from the two radial engines caused damage to the trailing edge of the Whitley's elevators and the rudder trim tabs. Engineers made temporary repairs to the elevators, the damaged trim tab mechanisms were replaced, and a test flight was arranged for 3.56pm on 26th September.
With Charles Browne in command and Sam and the rest of the crew, Charlie-India took off normally from Gibraltar's east-west runway at 3.56pm and climbed out over the Bay of Gibraltar to about 300 feet, whereupon Browne eased the Whitley into a left-hand turn. Then something went badly wrong because the aircraft assumed a power glide attitude and continued in a shallow dive until it struck the sea at 3.59pm, sinking almost immediately in more than 900 feet of water.
Naval vessels were on the scene within minutes. Apart from a few small items of wreckage floating on the surface, the aircraft was not recovered. There were no survivors from her crew of four, and no bodies were ever recovered.
BOAC's technical investigators launched an immediate inquiry into the crash and on 29th October 1942 they made their report. Its conclusion was based more on informed speculation than hard fact, but in the absence of any wreckage or survivors this was the best that could be hoped for: "The precise cause of the accident cannot be determined, but a possible cause was an uncontrollable elevator trimmer tab due to a fracture in some part of the actuating mechanism .... There exists a possibility that subsequent to the take off one or both of the elevator trimmer tab mechanisms fractured, with the result that the Master was unable to maintain longitudinal control of the aircraft."
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[underlined] Dick's war begins [/underlined]
22nd March 1943; When l was 18 and 11 months I was called up (RAF (V.R) volunteer Reserve) and was sent a rail warrant for travel to London and Lord's cricket ground which was the Aircrew Receiving Centre (A.C.R.C) for al! aircrew candidates were we were kitted out and billeted in hotels all around the St Johns Wood area, loads of marching around going from one lecture to another with lots of marching exercises around the hotels, and in between times you were taken to a medical centre for inoculation, stand in line both arms bared, left arm two injections one inoculation right arm then out to the street, where there were bodies al! over the place, some bodies flat out other holding their arms and moaning. When they managed to get all of us in some semblance of order, we marched back to our hotels, but swinging of arms was painful and was not done with any energy.
After our initiation into RAF life we were on a train to Bridlington to learn navigation, armaments mathematics- aircraft recognition plus as always plenty of marching from one lecture to another, one other pastime was Morse code and the Aldis lamp, this was done with someone being sent to the end of the breakwater with an instructor with an Aldis lamp and they sent signals to the rest of us on the beach in twos, one reading the signal being sent and your friend writing it down, we used got some very weird messages at end of a session.
My next stage of training after Bridlington was Bridgnorth where unfortunately there was an outbreak of scarlet fever and German measles and unfortunately I happened to catch German measles and was put into an isolation hut, one of many for the recruits who had caught one of the diseases. I was put into a room of my own and had two weeks being looked after very well by a WAAF nurse during the day, and my night nurse who looked after me exceptionally well and was a lovely young lady. And as my condition improved she brought a radio into my room and we managed to have a dance and then she would tuck me up for the night with a cuddle and kiss goodnight.
After two weeks it was back to work where we did have a lot of lectures about armaments - aircraft recognition - Morse code with mathematics also but mainly armaments, how to dismantle a machine gun and also put it back and hope it worked alright.
Aircraft recognition was a priority knowing which the enemy was and which ours. My time spent with aircraft recognition at home kept me getting top marks in every exam we did, we had night vision exams where pictures were shown on a screen as if you were in a turret and had to identify the aircraft shown, my trouble was the fellows around me were always asking me what the aircraft was, the instructor stopped me helping them, he said that they would not be any use unless they got to know themselves. From then on I was removed from my seat and had to sit by the light switches turning them on and off as required. After finishing this course my instructors gave me a very good report and should get on well.
[underlined] Dalcross [/underlined]
Dick RAF flying log book information can be seen in appendix 1
My section was then sent on leave for a week after which we had to board a train to Scotland, destination was a place called Dalcross (near Inverness, Moray Firth) which turned out to be our Initial Flying Training course on Avro Ansons.
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Pilots converting on to twin engine Airspeed Oxford after training in Canada. This was now 17.7.43 and my course here lasted until 28.8.43 (appendix i) and ii)). The training consisted of being taken up in Avro Ansons six training gunners and an instructor we took it in turns to sit in the turret which had one gun in it attached was a camera which we had to train on a fighter aircraft which made a dummy attack on you, all exciting stuff, except when the fighter was late arriving and you had to fly round and round a church steeple, that was when my last coffee and biscuit decided to reappear, this happened three times, each time I was sent to the sick bay and gave an explanation of what was happening, I was given a glass of horrible liquid and told to report back for more flying. This occurred twice more by that time my stomach stopped playing around and settled down to the rigours of flying.
We also had firing with the one gun at a drone towed behind another aircraft and our bullets had colours on the tips so that they could record the number of hits. Our results were pathetic as the guns would only fire two bullets at a time and then jam so you then had to rearm it; we also used camera guns with which we had more success.
It also happened to be a training camp for pilots on night flying on airspeed oxfords.
Bob had by this time gained his pilots wings in Canada and was back in England and was posted to Dalcross near Inverness. I think this was during July 1943 and August 1943 to train on twin engine Airspeed Oxfords. Neither of us knew we were there until one evening we were going into Inverness and just happened to be walking down the road to catch the bus into town when I spotted Bob who was as surprised as I was; from then on we spent a bit of time together until he was posted elsewhere.
I continued at Dalcross to become a Sergeant air gunner had quite a good report from all the training staff and was given above average report from most of the tutors, not that it helped much as the ammunition we were using had a wide flange on the bullet casing as it was American and caused it to stick, you could only fire a couple of rounds and then you had to re-cock it again, life was hard on us.
[underlined] Wellesbourne- Warwickshire - meet the crew [/underlined]
18.9.1943. (Appendix iii) t [sic] vi)) My next posting was to Wellesbourne (Warwickshire) the Operational Training Unit to start being crewed up with members of a crew. The procedure was for the pilots to have a chat with the navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers and air gunners and then ask the ones he wished to be his crew if they would join him Charlie (Chuck) Stowell, the pilot picked Bob Friskey as navigator then Eugene Fullum our wireless operator, the next was our bomb aimer Gordon Dinsmore, which left the rear gunner, which I believe was unanimous decision by them all that was me. We then spent our time getting to know each other; that is we went out at night doing a spot of drinking and rather a lot of talking or the other way round.
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[page break]
[photograph]
Bob Friskey, Eugene Fullom and Chuck Stowell
[photograph]
A copy of the only photo of the crew: Back row: Bob Friskey, Gordon Dinsmore
Front row: Eugene Fullom, Dick Curnock, Chuck Stowell
This was at Gaydon the satellite airfield to Wellsbourne, here we started flying as a crew in the Wellington bomber, doing practice bombing at targets on the coast and various places also we had
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[page break]
fighter aircraft doing dummy attacks during which I had a camera gun and it recorded my success against these attacks we also did firing at a draught [sic] towed behind another aircraft, with our bullets being painted different colours so they could count the number of hits we scored. This proved to be very hap hazard as the ammunition we were using was American and every second round got stuck in the breech and had to be manually ejected so our scores were very low. We did quite a lot of cross country flying for the navigators to gain experience a lot of it at night time.
We also did a lot of circuit flying at night so that the pilot could manage to get us back to the airfield safely. Some nights were a bit bumpy as he misjudged his height, my head used to get a lot of knocks on these occasions and the skippers name was anything but "Chuck".
[drawing]
Picture drawn by Dick whilst a prisoner of war
[underlined] Heavy Conversion Unit - Dishforth (Yorks) - the crew is completed [/underlined]
14.1.1944. ( appendix vii and viii) We moved on next to a conversion unit which meant going onto four engine aircraft this was at Dishforth (near Ripon, Yorks) 1664 Heavy conversion unit. The aircraft was a four engine Halifax bomber for which we needed two extra crew; a mid upper gunner and a flight engineer. These we met and we all moved into a hut so that we would could get know each other. The mid upper gunner was a Canadian from a farming background a rather slow on the uptake but we got on well together. The engineer was from Salford a tall lad and red haired. The mid upper gunner was Wesley (Wes) Skerick and the engineer was Ginger Wheadon.
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[photograph] [photograph]
Ginger Wheadon Wes Skerick
At this stage we were beginning to get to know each other and in the evenings we were usually down in mess having some light refreshments, Bob Friskey didn't very often come, as he had not been married very long and took to writing to his wife almost every evening, so the rest of us went into Burroughbridge [sic] the nearest town to have a few beers, this we managed quite well with a another couple of Canadians from another crew who Chuck knew, and we each bought a round of drinks which lasted us most of the evening.
[underlined] Tolthorpe - Squadron station [/underlined]
7.2.1944. (Appendix ix) We then moved from Dishforth on to our squadron station which was at Tolthorpe near Easingwold still up in Yorkshire. It was the only French Canadian squadron from Canada, although all spoke English there was a lot of French spoken between most of the other crews, also most of the senior officers were from French ancestors. They could get very aggressive to each other as happened one evening later on.
Here there were four squadrons of Halifax bombers with around 60 planes. The squadrons with mainly Canadian or French/Canadian crews were:
[picture of 425 Squadron crest]
420 Snowy Owl
425 Alouette (the Lark- Dick's squadron)
431 Iroquois
434 Blue Nose
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We did lots of night cross country to various parts of the England to give the navigator, targets to find and which would be our target to bomb later on, also we had a bombing range which we had to find and drop practice smoke bombs on and from a certain height, some pilots tried to drop from a lower height so that they were getting better results and a higher percentage of hits. Not our pilot he said we would go as high as the aircraft could climb and then drop our bombs, which we did, only to be told on our return we were still too low, to which the skipper said that the Wellington couldn't climb any higher, and the rear gunner had a tin of drink in his flying suit pocket that was frozen no more was said on the subject.
We as a crew were sent to a camp which was to improve our fitness, which we didn't think was necessary as we all felt fit and well, we were allocated a hut and promptly forgot, we went for meals regularly and were not called on to do anything apart from eat and sleep, Eugene Gordon and myself walked around the fields and found where they were growing swedes, carrots, turnips, so we borrowed a few and cooked them on our stove in the hut and with other bits from the cookhouse and had some good meals in the evenings. Fortunately we were only there for about 10 days, and then were sent to squadron.
The squadron was from Canada and had only been in England a short while and we joined it at the end of January 1944 in which time we got to know the aircraft we to fly in, it was a Halifax MK3 K.W.U for Uncle. Unfortunately for us we only did about 14 hours training on our aircraft.
[photograph of Halifax bomber]
Halifax Bomber
[underlined] Our First Mission [/underlined]
February 24th/25th we were called for a briefing and found we were due to fly a bombing trip to a place called Swinefurt [sic] , a long trip to the south of Germany which would be an eight hour round trip but unfortunately the port outer engine decided to cause a problem and stopped altogether, we couldn't climb to our bombing height due to lack of power and could not carry on at this low height, so the skipper decided we had best abort and return to base dropping our bomb load at sea. Which we did, and landed back at air station about three hours after take off. Not a good start at all, but the fault was found to be a blockage in the fuel pipe to the engine.
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[underlined] The Second and Final Mission [/underlined]
February 25th/26th we were on our second trip which was a bombing raid on Augsburg (North West of Munich) to bomb a factory making ball bearings for tanks, from which we failed to return. Our aircraft was hit by anti aircraft fire and both the engines on our left side were put out of action and caught fire. The noise it made when the shell hit our left side was like a firework being let off inside a dustbin. Then the next thing was flames coming past my turret Chuck our skipper came over our intercom asking if we were all uninjured which he did by calling each one by name. Then he said that we were not going to keep going, so had to bale out, each one of us saying we understood, good luck and made ready to bale out. What to do first I thought, disconnect my intercom, then the oxygen tube, think we were flying at a height of around twenty four thousand feet so would I have enough oxygen to keep going to get my parachute which was in a rack in the fuselage and then get the panel open in the fuselage floor for myself and mid upper - which was Wes to jump out. We shook hands and shouted good luck and looked down through the hatch to see the flames from the engines flying by so put my leg out and flow of air pulled the rest of me out!!
Suddenly everywhere is quiet, you are supposed to count to ten before pulling the ripcord to your parachute by the time I counted up to four I didn't hear any noise so pulled my ripcord and was instantly jerked upright, with my flying suit collar up round my ears and it was very quiet.
My thoughts whilst drifting down were varied and very worrying to say the least, it had my thoughts in turmoil.
Below was a patchwork due to snow and could have been fields, but from a height of 20000 feet there was no telling what it was going to be. My thoughts of a church spire came to mind or there was an industrial town down there with factories with tall chimneys also electric power cables, or a town with tall house and me hanging from the roof. The later [sic] was near to it as I came down between two poplar trees and I landed in a town house garden in an apple tree. I had my parachute hanging up in the tree, which I decided to pull down but it must have snagged and a piece ripped off and was left hanging in the tree what I had pulled down and bundled up and slipped under some buses [sic] . I then decided to find a way out of the garden; so removed my flying kit as I would be very conspicuous walking around in it. At that time I was just in my battle dress getting very cold, I then found a road running alongside the garden, so jumped over the wall onto a road started walking past some large houses all about five stories high, I had landed in a large residential area of a town. Then the siren for what I presumed was an air raid starting, so I walked up another road to miss people around that area, then the siren started again and people started running around (I discovered later that they had two sirens at the start of a raid and also two all clears) by which time I was back to where I had landed in the garden. So I hopped back over the wall and decided to put my flying suit back on as I was feeling very cold.
What to do now I thought; sleep seemed the best option or wake someone up and tell them who I was and call the police. I ended up curling up and sleeping and was woken by a squirrel running around me and then two elderly ladies coming our of the house next door and saw a piece of my parachute stuck up the tree, they shouted and ran back indoors and about 10 minutes later a policeman came down the garden path with a little pistol pointing at me and said hands up or words to that effect. Which I obliged, he then told me to take off my flying suit and go in front of him where
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he had left his cycle, and for me to put my clothes on his bike and we walked into the town to a police station. There were lots of people in the police station a lot were ex army with battle scars but quite polite, except one old boy who should have been in a home for the elderly along time ago, saying we would never win the war by sending us over to spy on them.
[underlined] Prisoner of War -number 2108 [/underlined] (Appendix 4 - iii) -Red Cross Map of prisoner of war camps)
I was then escorted to the Gestapo headquarters in the town which I discovered was Darmstadt (South East of Frankfurt) (on this journey Dick cut up his parachute with his penknife so that it couldn't be used by the Germans), and there met up with Wes, Eugene and Gordon whilst waiting there a rather irate man came in and picked up a chair and was going to hit Eugene with it, but fortunately I was able to stop the blow hitting Eugene with my flying suit, we found out later that Eugene had fractured his spine, releasing himself from his parachute harness whilst still hanging along way from the ground, which meant he had to go to a hospital so we didn't have any further contact with him.
Wes, Gordon and self were then taken by two armed guards to a building being used by the Police and handed over to Dulagluft Interrogation HQ on a tramcar with civilians on board who looked at us rather hostile, good job we had a couple of Luftwaffe guards with us, on the way through the streets there were a number of bodies hanging from lampposts turned out to be American airmen shot down on an earlier raid, quite a jolt to the system.
At the Interrogation HQ all our belongings were taken from us and we were then put into a cell with only a bed and a chair in it, no windows and an electric light on all the time, so you didn't know what part of the day or night it was. Dick became prisoner of war number 2108.
Then every so often an officer came in and said he was from the Red Cross and he would make sure that my parents would be notified where I was and was alright, but was being held in Germany as a prisoner of war and would be able to write once we had been sent to a POW camp. This treatment went on for quite a time you didn't know what day it was or time of day, we were fed soup and black bread and had brown water which they said was coffee, two or three times I was taken out and interviewed by an officer who told me who our commanding officer was and he had a daughter, had I met her, and then proceeded to tell me about the Halifax bomber but it wasn't doing much damage and we were losing them at a fare [sic] rate every night. When after a few days we were taken into the camp and given an American plastic suitcase in which was all manner of toiletries and clothes -a pair of slip on slippers, a towel, a face flannel, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, pyjamas, packet of pipe tobacco and a pipe, packet of twenty cigarettes, some vest and pants, a bar of chocolate a meal can opener, also an American army shirt.
We stayed there for a short while until they had enough bodies to fill up a lot of cattle trucks to take us to our next camp. I was then issued with our name and prisoner of war number, mine being 2108 and made of metal, we still had only our battledress uniforms and it was February so felt the cold. (Appendix 4 - iv)
Then one morning we were paraded on the square with our cases and marched off to the railway yard where our train awaited, there was no difference between first and third class, you were just herded along and pushed up into a cattle truck 20 prisoners into each end of the wagon (The wagons had written on the side - 40 hommes or 8 cheveaux, this became part of the POW insignia after the war),
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with the centre section for the guards, so each wagon was divided into compartments by a wire netting wall. There were no toilets so you had to wait until we had been shunted off the mainline and were then allowed to do your do's sitting on a log which was alongside the railway line, at first it was very embarrassing but after three or four days you didn't bother just got on with it.
We had a stop each day for a bowl of soup and drink of so called coffee. Forgot to mention that each truck had a guard sitting on top of the wagon and must have been covered in smoke from the engines. Sleeping was almost impossible with twenty people in a small space, but you managed you might have had feet by your head or a bottom, because the only pillow you had was your plastic suitcase.
I didn't keep a record of how long the train trip was but was told it was ten to twelve days, we passed through a couple of large stations but could only see out through the gaps in the sides of the trucks as the guards closed the doors, were surprised at one station when we went slowly past a train of open trucks packed with people they were either Jews or displaced persons being taken to places of forced labour, we couldn't pass them anything so had to just let them pass without being able to speak to them.
[underlined] Stalag Luft VI - Heydekrug [/underlined] (Appendix 4 - vi)
We finally arrived at our destination Heydekrug (in Lithuania) and Stalaf Luft 6 which meant in German prison camp for airmen. This was in East Prussia on the Baltic coast and was built on sand, so that tunnels couldn't be dug in the sandy soil, that didn't stop some of the hot heads from trying. Only one was tried and the Germans had some idea this was happening and brought a motor roller in to run up and down between the huts, it found a tunnel starting out between two huts and it sank into the sand about six feet and was stuck for two days, when they finally tried to move it, they couldn't start it as a lot of the parts had somehow gone missing, the Germans never did the same trick again.
All the crew members met up again here, except for Eugene, who was in hospital. The camp was divided into 3 compounds, two of which contained 2,000 men, the third being smaller held 1,000 men. Dick was in one of the larger compounds, with 60 men to a room. Dick and Ginger were in the same hut, the other crew members elsewhere.
We had some good men who cold [sic] turn their hands to anything and make things out of bits and pieces, one being a clock which went backwards made from an old gramophone. Also we had radios I think there were two, both were built inside Dixie's which was an eating and cooking pot.
We had some well educated lads with as a lot of early aircrew were from college undergraduates who were in the call up age range, so they started up classes in the camp on a variety of subjects, and you could qualify for a degree as the Red Cross got permission from the Germans for this to happen. One of the POWs that made use of the books was Peter Thomas, who became a Welsh MP after the war and later Lord Thomas.
My only inroad into anything like this was to draw in our POW book, we were issued with, like a diary was the drawing of the aircraft they flew in and the air force inscription over the top; and I charged one cigarette for each drawing, not a lot but helped out. I believe a number of people at home sent me cigarettes through the Red Cross but only two tins of tobacco got through to me, these were St
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Bruno and they lasted me some time. They would have lasted longer but I used to roll some into cigarettes and fellows used to drop by for a couple of puffs.
[drawing of book]
One of Dick's drawings
Dick also found a talent for needlework. He unpicked the silk lining from his flying boots, and made a cravat, with the RAF crest embroidered on it.
Cigarettes were used as currency for buying food, if and when the Red Cross food parcels arrived, they were divided up and were allocated, as 1 parcel between seven or ten men, not a lot, but as some kriegies didn't want some of the item they sold them for cigarettes. (Kriegies was short for Kriegesgefangenen which is the German word for prisoner of war)
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[underlined] Kriegies 10 commandments [/underlined]
[drawing of scroll]
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We had radios which were hidden in various places. In our hut we had the men who looked after the radios. One evening after being shut in, lookouts kept watch whilst repairs were being done. Suddenly someone shouted Goons up. An officer with three men plus an Alsatian dog walked in, the tables were cleared very quickly, everything dropped into a carton and passed down the lower bunks, it arrived at my bunk and I had nowhere to pass it to so I hid it under my knees under a blanket and picked up a book to read. The dog came sniffing around but kept on going by, when I sort of came too I found my book which I was supposedly reading was upside down. Good job the dog didn't notice it.
[drawing of hut interior]
Inside one of the huts in a camp
Mornings started with the overnight latrine bucket having to be emptied, not a nice job we had a rota in the hut and two of us had to take a 30 to 40 litre container almost full and take it and empty it at the toilet block you invariably finished up rather damp and needed a good wash.
Next it was the guards shouting "RAUS!" get out the parade ground for morning head count and anything that the Germans thought we should know, like how well they were doing in the war but didn't say where.
After the head count which could take quite some time, they couldn't agree on the figures and had to do it again sometimes it was our own faults [sic] for moving around whilst they tried to count us.
Finally all was right so off for breakfast the German rations were not very plentiful. It started with what they said was coffee, first in the morning, but what it was made with didn't question, but it was hot and with adding powered milk you drank it, it had to be fetched from the cookhouse in metal jugs.
Dinner was usually a soup of some sort could just be potato or sauerkraut and on a good day you were given corned beef which was send to the camp from Argentina, another soup was swede with potatoes, we were also issued with a fish cheese which was not very palatable but you ate it.
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Bread, black was issued per day, it varied in the amount which was either 6 or 10 persons sharing a loaf which was about 8 or 9 inches long about 4 inches wide and could be 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches deep that is they were thicker one end than the other, so one can imagine trying to share it out to either a combination of three or twelve.
Then to the cookhouse for our very large cans of ertzats [sic] coffee I still don't know what it was made of but it was wet and warm and washed down your breakfast if you ever had any. You were dreaming about eggs and bacon and toast and marmalade but didn't make a habit of it.
The next part of the morning was spent washing and shaving or not then cleaning up your space and making it tidy, then any washing you had to do for which you had to boil water which meant finding some material to burn, bed boards were used but there was a limit to how many you could sleep without and still have a straight back. As I previously mentioned classes were being held in huts all around the camp during the day also we had the parade ground on which was played sports, football, rugby, rounder's and also they had physical exercises for those who wanted it, we had a stream running through a part of the camp which was used to see who could jump it in one go! If not you had a free foot wash and legs and shorts!!
During the evenings one of our newsreaders would come in the hut, with days news that had been listened to on one of the radios (Daily Express reporter Cyril Aynsley was one who took it down in shorthand), some of us would keep watch at the door and be ready to stop the reader if any Germans happened to be about.
Most nights it was a nightly ritual to have a walk, around your section of the camp and have a chat with anyone and everyone. Then back to your hut for a late evening drink of tea or coffee which entailed lighting up your blower to boil the water. When we then had to either get to bed or light a candle and try and read but not for long.
[cartoon drawing of brew up]
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[photograph of washing facilities]
Washing facilities of Stalag 357 Fallingbostel
Our washing and shaving facilities were very limited, with some of the camps having the washing troughs in the open, ours were inside, just a trough with cold water running along it with holes in it about 18 inches in between to allow the water to run out into another trough below. If you wanted hot water it meant you had to get the blower out find some paper - cardboard or wood to burn to get some hot water. Wood was hard to come by unless you used your bed boards, which left you with another bend in your back. So it was usually a cold water shave and not everyday.
There was a shower room but this was situated about half a mile from the camp and we were taken there under guard once in about six weeks, why it was so far from the camp no one knew.
We were searched on leaving the camp and again when we returned, what they thought we would steal from room which only had showers and all in one large room. The water was switched on for about 10 minutes so you had to be quick.
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[letter confirming POW status]
Letter received by Dick’s Father, from the Chaplain at Tolthorpe
We were allowed to write home one letter and two postcards each month, which I think most of us took the opportunity, although it took quite a long time for the first ones to come from home. My first on arrived on August 14th having been sent from home on May 28th in all I think my mail total for my stay in Germany was a total of 42. 34 from Mum and Dad and a further 8 from friends and the caterpillar club confirming I had become a member.
[photograph of family] [reverse of photograph]
Family photo Dick received, the reverse shows the German censor’s mark
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There was a lot of aircrew arriving in the camp that they had to get two large tents and add them on to the rows of huts, each one held a further hundred men which didn't help our food rations. Not long after this we were told that we were to be moved into Germany.
[underlined] Torun Stalag Luft 357 [/underlined] (Appendix 4 - iv)
The place was actually in a part of Poland which had been the Polish Corridor and was Thorn or Torun Stalag 357. So we had to get packed up and ready to go in two days as the Russians were headed our way, so it was take the essentials, our pots and pans and the blower which was used for heating water mostly; any food plus your blanket and toiletries any spare clothes, some of the Canadian families had sent things over which were ice skates and baseball bats, most of which were left behind.
A wind up gramophone was smashed up plus all the records, and on the walk to where we had to board our cattle trucks which was about two miles away the road or more like a country track for carts was littered with discarded equipment people decided they could do without.
Once we were at the train which was waiting us at the trackside, no station. We were herded into the cattle trucks, 40 persons per truck; 20 bodies in each end of the truck. The centre used for the guards. They also had a guard sitting on top of each wagon wearing goggles and had a machine gun.
This trip took us about five days and nights on a slow train to Torun (on the river Vistula), and one wasn't very clean and tidy upon arrival.
The others at Heydekrug that were being shipped by boat from the port of Memel had a very bad time on the boat as they were herded into the hold of a boat and spent between five and seven days on board in horrible conditions on the way to a camp in Germany.
Our trip by train took about five days of shake rattle and very uncomfortable and one stop a day for the toilet, and sad to say we had to use a corner of the truck to relieve ones self.
We arrived at Thorun, which was a large camp mainly army prisoners and we were crowded into huts about 120-140 per hut and the meals we had were very poor in quality and quantity. We were only there for 6 weeks and once again were on our cooks tour again, back into our 40 hommes or 6 cheveaux carriages with a small amount of straw spread across the floor which had large gaps between the floor boards and no central heating, and again another train journey of six days to our next camp which was Fallingshostel [sic] which was about 80 miles north of Hanover. This again was an army camp but now accommodated American air force as well as us British and was split into three separate camps which also included a Russian compound. (Appendix 4 - i) and ii)
Also around this time I wanted some shoes as mine were about paper thin and I managed to get a brown pair of American army boots which was just what was needed if we were going for a long walk.
The huts were the usual having two tier bunks down each side of the room and a further rows [sic] up the centre of the room, with a large stove in the centre which wasn't used as there was no fuel for it.
The cookhouse supplied us with what was called coffee and made from what we really never found out what, but we called it coffee because it was brown. The food from the cookhouse was mainly
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some sort of soup, mainly potatoes with some sauerkraut like cabbage added. Sometimes we would have a ration of corned beef which the Argentineans sent over in bulk for us and very good too. We did also had what the Germans called cheese, but it tasted very fishy but never quite found out what its origin was our supplies of Red Cross parcels were getting few and far between with so much disruption on the railway.
Where they originally intended to have one parcel person per week, we were now having to make do with one parcel for ten men and had to last them a week or longer until more arrived.
Being closer to some large towns we now had the sounds of bombers targeting them at nights, we also had some low flying Mosquitoes shooting up the railway not far from us.
We all stood outside the hut watching when one of the guards shouted at us to get inside; of course no one moved so he took his rifle off his shoulder and put a bullet in the chamber. But forgot there was one already in, so it sent a round flying out onto the ground. The old fellow looked at us shrugged his shoulders picked up the bullet and left us to watch.
[photograph of prisoners]
Prisoners of war watching allied aircraft - inside Fallingbostel
Life here was not very good as there were too many of us cramped into huts, we did have an unusual game some evenings - because as it got dusk we had some large flying insects around, about an inch to inch and half long with a hard shell body. We used to wait them and then hit them with a wooden stick, scoring two points for a certain hit and one point for a probable; you had to produce a body for the two points. But there wasn't any prizes for a high score only a mess of squashed bodies.
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[underlined] Oerbke near Fallingbostel [/underlined]
The news we had from the Germans was that during the next couple of weeks we would be leaving camp and would be marching north to a holding area somewhere near Hamburg.
Our last camp at Oerbke near Fallingbostel was very large and housed British soldiers - some Russians also American airmen, the war was drawing to a close and the Russians were approaching us from the East and the Allies from the South so the beginning of April 1945 we going to be made to leave the camp in sections and carrying all our possessions. (Appendix 4 – i) and ii)
[underlined] The Long March [/underlined]
There is more information on the Long March in appendix 3
Whatever a holding area was meant to be for and why they would want us there was never discovered. There was a lot of speculation that they were going to drive us into the Baltic and drown us or otherwise just put us in barbed wire enclosure and leave us, but they didn't.
Instead we were marched out of the camp early April to begin a long trek northwards. The first lot we were marched out of camp April 6th in parties of about 500, everybody loaded with bags and blankets a box of food, a water bottle and all your clothes which didn't amount to much. I was glad that I had been given a new pair of army boots, also an overcoat, French army blue but very thin and not very waterproof but better than nothing. We covered varying distances each day, the weather varied from wet and windy to very cold, and we were not sure where would be sleeping the next evening.
It turned out that first night which was rather wet with rain, our accommodation was a field, no trees or high hedges to shelter us so it was rather a nasty start to our walk, which was on rough tracks through farmland and we managed to collect some vegetables from fields we passed although the guards were told to shoot anyone found doing it, which meant just about everybody.
Our second night was under the stars in a field.
It was on our third day we arrived in a village and were taken in to the church for our nights lodging sleeping anywhere you could lay out on the pews and under them and in the aisles. We had to boil water outside for our tea, on our blowers.
As we progressed each day through the county we saw American aircraft by their vapour trails going on some bombing mission.
There were some days after marching or should say walking, or hobbling, that we would finish up in a farmyard, this was welcome as we soon found eggs about. Some lucky lads found barns that were not in use as the cattle were in the fields; this allowed chicken and sometimes a small pig to enter the barn which was quickly turned into a meal.
One occasion was a nice bit of garden behind a barn that was full of ripe rhubarb, must have been about 10 feet wide and 14 feet long, within a very short time it was clear, the farmer was furious, he got an officer who said he would punish any prisoner found with stewed rhubarb. He walked around
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with the farmer looking in every saucepan or a fire, in which lo and behold they were full of stewing rhubarb, he just shrugged his shoulders and that was it.
Later in the month we had to cross the river Elbe by a railway bridge, but as we approached it there was a column of tiger tanks coming over and their tracks were breaking up the road as they passed. Our guards suddenly vanished into air raid shelters and circling over the bridge was one Spitfire. With the Germans firing at him with machine guns mounted on the ends of the towers at the ends of the railway bridge, but they were nowhere near hitting him as they fired miles behind him. They were useless.
When it quietened down and the tanks had all gone our guards came out of their air raid shelter and herded us across the bridge.
We must have covered a fare [sic] distance as we have been walking every day from the 6th April and it is now midway through April and the weather is improving, but our lodgings don't improve, the villages we go through gave us drinks of water and now the guards turn a blind eye.
It must have been mid April that was about the 18th April that we stayed at a farm that was rather run down and neglected. Cow sheds were filthy and hadn't been cleared so no one could sleep in them so we were in the open up against walls. I was itching around my waist and found that it was lice, so I needed a good wash, but where so had a look around and discovered a duck pond covered in greed [sic] weed, there had to be water under the weed, so clothes off make a hole ain [sic] the weed and lower myself into about 8 inches of water and a foot of mud, it was wonderful and I got rid of a lot of the lice.
We stayed one night in a farm where the farmer had a stable for a couple of horse, on a walk round with another chap, I found this stable and it had a water tank on top, so we had a look and found a pipe leading down from the roof with a large tap at the base, we hurried back for our toiletries and towels. I said you sit in front of the tap which was about 4 inches across and I will turn it on, which I did, and oh dear the water came out with such force he shot backwards across the cobbled floor on his bottom. He said you wait until it is your turn. It was a wonderful feeling to get your self refreshed.
[underlined] 19th April 1945 [/underlined]
Still moving North on about the 19th April we were informed that at our next stopping place we were going to get a Red Cross food parcel, one parcel per man at a place named Gresse, this was very good news as it was about three weeks since we last had one.
We were walking through a rather large forest for quite some miles now and were informed that on the other side we would be issued with our parcels.
We had been living on soup some overnight stops and now and again ertzats [sic] coffee reputedly made from acorns.
So to be handed a parcel for your self was out of this world and very much needed. So we came out of the forest along a track which was about 18 feet wide and had about another 6 or 8 feet either side which was about a foot lower and then a few trees sort of along the edge after them were fields and quite a lot more trees.
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At this time we were having a rest on the track starting to open up our parcels, when we heard some aircraft flying parallel to us about half a mile away. They sounded like Hurricanes so could be ours so kept sorting our parcels, when we heard these load explosions coming down the road towards us. The aircraft turned out to be our own Typhoons equipped with rockets and cannons plus machine guns and anti personnel rockets.
I flung myself down and into the ditch which was only shallow and behind a plant which was about a foot high and about eight inches wide. it was just something to hang onto. The guard who had been sitting by a tree had been wounded and next to me an Aussie Sergeant wireless operator had been shot through his head and chest, my nearest bullet hit my boot heel, as I felt it but it just left a line across the heel.
The two others I shared everything with were Ginger Wheadon and Alec Laing, who were no where to be seen. So I decided to walk back and found Alec not far away but very shaky. So told him to stay put and I would look for Ginger, on my way back up the track, I was giving drinks of water to people who had been wounded and were waiting for treatment either shock or wounds, but couldn't find Ginger.
There were people calling out for their friends, I came across one fellow sitting by a tree with the lower part of his body a mess, although he asked me for a drink as if nothing was wrong. Just as I had given him a drink a couple of his pals came and took over whilst I carried on my search for Ginger.
At one hedge I passed there were legs sticking through so I hopefully looked on the other side, but hastily moved on as they were all there was.
There were quite a few bodies lying about on the track but not Ginger, someone suggested I looked in the fields near where we had been; a lot of men had run across them, so I did and found him but he had been hit in the chest whilst running and was dead.
He must have left his belongings in his haste as I never found them.
In Dick's Wartime log book he wrote on April 20th 1945 - "to our engineer Ginger Wheadon. Ging was killed by a bullet from a Typhoon whilst we were resting during a march on April 19th 1945, he was killed instantly. We are trying to get some of his personal kit to bring home for his Mother and Mary his girl. He was buried at a village of Heydekrug, 4km from Gresse where we had just drawn food parcels. He was buried by our Padre and a parson. The time of his death was about 12 noon.
Having looked after one or two other badly wounded lads, l went back to Ginger only to find that all his kit had been taken and his pockets empty. Some thieving B……. had pinched everything he had on him.
I only hope the food choked them and all the other things brought them the worst luck possible."
The count was 35 POW were killed also 6 of the German guards.
I searched around and found one of our seniors who I gave him Gingers name which apparently someone else had already done so after finding his name and number on his dog tags. So I returned to where I had left Alec and we moved on down the road to the next village where we stayed for the
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night in field with a couple of barns in it but some good thick hedges to bed down under and found a barn with some straw in which we used as bedding.
Dixie Deans our camp commandant spoke to the officer who was in command of the Germans guarding us to let him go through the German lines accompanied by a German officer with a safe conduct note, to then contact the Americans, and let them know that there were 20,000 allied prisoners on the line of their advance and to advise them to let their airbase know of this situation. This was done and Dixie Dean and his accompanying German officer cycled back through the lines and after sorting out the burial of our lads in the churchyard at Gresse.
They were buried in a mass grave and the German priest held a service for our lads and also the guards that were killed. (After the war the RAF personnel killed in this attack were reburied in a new Commonwealth War grave cemetery outside Berlin see appendix 2).
The injured where taken to a hospital at Boizenburg for treatment, and no doubt sent home for further treatment.
Our English Padre was to march on with the others as he would not attend the church service as it was not his parish.
That was April 19th 1945 which will always be remembered as it was just a few days before my 21st birthday which I very nearly could have missed, that was a dream that haunted me for quite some time.
We constantly saw American aircraft around but they were mainly bombers heading Hamburg way we did pass an airfield that had JU88's on it but it had been bombed and most of its aircraft destroyed.
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[War Graves Commission citation]
Ginger's burial place, to the right of the building in the distance (see Appendix 2 for cemetery map)
[underlined] The end of the War nears [/underlined]
We carried on Northwards and the farms that we stayed in were larger and did have some decent barns, but were rather a lot bodies and not everyone got in a barn. Alec and my self usually found a well and stayed out with the weather now being quite good. My birthday on the 26th April was nothing special I think maybe I had an extra piece of chocolate and maybe made a cigarette with my pipe tobacco and smoked it all myself, otherwise we usually passed them around.
It's now the beginning of May the weather is quite good and there are lots of American aircraft leaving vapour trails, we think Hamburg or ports in the North were their targets.
We settled down on the 2nd May in a small outhouse with no windows or doors just three walls and a roof that would have let in more rain than it kept out and wondering what tomorrow would bring.
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When we woke to a fine morning and made a drink someone said look all our guards have gone during the night, so we then went to find what our next move was.
We were told not to go out on the roads running North as there were German panzer troops still in that area, this information we got from an officer in jeep which came on ahead of the English and American troops who pushing the Germans back in this area.
We were then informed by Dixie Deans that we were to find some means of transport and make our own way South to Luneburg where our troops had built a pontoon bridge over the river Elbe and from there proceed to a German airfield situated near Luneburg, which had been turned into a reception area for POWs.
The area around the airfield became littered with vehicles we had acquired including a fire engine, a few tractors some civilian cars, horse and carts, motor cycles and a couple of buses.
My mode of transport was in one of the buses so had a comfortable ride to the reception centre.
May 8th 1945. The road we had to use to get the river crossing was littered on both sides with German and English military vehicles which had been bulldozed off the road so that others could get through to the pontoon bridge at Luneburg.
We spent a couple of days here being subject to a delousing period that incurred someone with a spray gun putting it down your back and front and also each trouser leg.
After which they took your particulars and you were given an identity card with your name, number, rank, and squadron number and told to find a bed in one of the huts and report back in the morning. If we had anything which we didn't need there was a bonfire on which we could get rid of old clothes not that we had much. But some of the prisoners had picked up guns and ammunition on the way which they decided to get rid of, there was a lot of exploding ammunition going off all night and the next day.
We had a breakfast of coffee and a slice of toast and then had to go on a parade ground and form up into groups of around 40 to await the arrival of aircraft for our homeward flight to England and a POW reception centre at RAF Cosford in a Dakota, used as transport and troop carrier the workhorse of the air force.
Here we were met by nurses and WAFs and again given the treatment of delousing, then a check over by doctors and lots of questions as to how you felt. Then it was a sit down meal, but our stomachs would only take a small amount, l can't remember what was on the menu but I know I could only manage a little, and a nice young WAAF sat with me and talked me into eating a little more. I really couldn't eat anymore, but had more tea so I could keep her talking with me.
We were then subject to being kitted out with new uniforms and glad to be out of the old stuff. The only [sic] I kept was my American army boots which had walked many miles or should say kilometres over German countryside, they lasted a good many years as my gardening boots. They still have the mark on the heel where a bullet from a typhoon clipped it when we were shot up.
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We only stayed at Cosford long enough to be kitted out and given some idea of how would carry on until our number for demob came up.
I had still about a year to do so was given a choice of ground trades which was, clerk in accounts, pigeon keeper or store keeper. What a choice is that it I asked and said that I didn't like any of these and wanted to be assigned to the transport division either as a driver or in admin. The Officer said he would put my choice forward but didn't think I would be lucky as so many had chosen transport as an option. So it was then we had to collect our travel warrants and any pay we had coming plus identity cards and ration book.
It was now late May and a start of long awaited leave which was for about four weeks to get me back into being fit again, I arrived from Cosford at London Road station and a neighbour who was a taxi driver happened to be at the stand and so he shouted over to me to get in his car. After putting my bags in and much hand shaking from other people I was on my way home. Mr Shuker talked all the way and got me up to date with what had been happening in Minehead Street, and upon arriving there he slowed down and hooted so people could know that he had arrived with a neighbour. There was quite a lot came out and gave me a cheer, and upon arrival at home I [sic] most of our neighbours were there with Mum, Dad and Mary. It was quite a homecoming with lots of hugs and kisses from all the close neighbours, it was something I’II never forget.
It took a while to get used to a normal bed and home routine but it was good to be home.
My two pals Ken and Derek who were both in the air force Ken was an engine maintenance engineer at fighter station, while Derek was a Corporal in the RAF police service. They managed a spot of leave whilst I was home so we spent a few days together.
The first evening they took me down to our local pub which was the Blue Moon. This was the first time for me to go out for pint.
Ken and Derek ordered pints, but I said that mine had better just be a half, which was just as well as when I got up to go the bar to order another round my legs gave way so I didn't have any more. So Ken and Derek took me home, I could manage to walk but not very steady, I guess that my system hadn't had any booze for quite some time but would get around that problem in time.
[underlined] Military Transport Training [/underlined]
My leave seemed to pass very quickly and very soon a travel warrant arrived to say that I was being posted to Melksham, and it turned out to be a course for Drivers-motor transport, I was told previously that there was no chance for this as so many had tried but were told they had no chance. Lucky me as my Aunts and Uncles all lived around this area at the village of Wingfield, so I would have some place to go at weekends.
So up one morning and off to catch the train for Melksham and becoming a driver for the air force in what sort of vehicles one wondered.
It turned out to be initial training was on vehicle maintenance as you had to be able to keep your vehicle in road worthy conditions at all times.
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We had a very rigorous course on engines and ensuring they were in good running order with oil and water checked daily, there were lectures every day on subjects such as Highway Code road traffic signs and use of hand signals and being courteous to other road users.
Our first driving lessons were with British School of Motoring civilian instructors driving mainly Austin cars, each car had three learners with tutor and took it in turns at the driving. I had some goes at driving but this was a trifle different as you had to double de clutch as if you were driving a vehicle without synchromesh gears. One instructor was very strict and if you didn't get it right he had a wooden mallet with which he used to clout your knee with, it worked well, my leg went up and down like a yoyo, after just one tap.
If you passed you then passed on to RAF instructors to learn the different types of vehicles you would encounter, these were classified as Hillman Minx used a lot by junior officers, then on to 15 cwt hundred weight [sic] for light loads, then three ton vehicles used for ration collection and general work. Progressing then to the lorries, eight ton and ten ton lorries and the five and seven ton cranes, last of all came the sixty foot long trailers for carrying aircraft when dismantled for repairs.
Having mustered [sic] this little lot you had to pass a driving test on a three ton vehicle and one of the other larger vehicles. After passing all this you had a written test on all subjects and if all was well you were given a driving certificate and were now an MT driver.
What was nice about this posting that every weekend I could spend on the farm with my Aunt and Uncle it was called Sparrow nest farm and they kept cattle for milking, and I was not at all good at milking but helped out fetching the animals in for milking and taking the milk churns on a tractor and trailer to a platform on the roadside ready for the lorry to collect which was twice a day.
Alternate weekends were spent in Wingfield village with Aunt Hilda and Uncle Bill and Granddad who was Aunt Hilda's Uncle, he and I used to play cards in the evenings and he used to beat me at cribbage quite often even though he was missing a lot of his fingers on both hands due to wounds in the First World War.
One morning I awoke and on looking out my bedroom window overlooking a field there was a white object there in a corner, so when l got up I said to my Aunt I'm just going to see what's in the field, and when I got there it was a mushroom the size of a dinner plate, yes I had it for breakfast.
Another time Granddad and I were walking down a lane when a rabbit ran out from the hedge, I had a walking stick which I threw towards it and it stopped running because I had killed it, broke its neck and so we took it home and Auntie skinned it and it made us a dinner.
I used to catch a bus from camp to Wingfield but Uncle Bill always took me back to camp on his motorbike and no crash helmet.
[underlined] Horsham [/underlined]
When I finished at Melksham I was posted to Faygate near to Horsham, it was a maintenance unit, where we were sent out to dismantle aircraft that were not required anymore.
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My vehicle that I was allocated turned out to be a six wheeled lorry a left over from the last war, a
1918 model it would not start on the starter motor so had to be towed.
I got up into the drivers seat to which there was no door only canvas panels which just hooked across also the whole cab was just canvas. The steering wheel was about 2 feet in diameter like a bus, the gear lever was about three foot tall and the handbrake was on the right side and about four feet tall, I wondered what I had let myself in for.
They towed me out of the gates with a three ton Bedford lorry on to a main road and I managed to get it started. They then left me and said over to you and don't forget that this vehicle has not got synchromesh gear so you have to double declutch on all gear changing.
After about two hours and 15 miles later I had mastered it all and found my way back to the unit.
There were no facilities for accommodation on the camp so we had to be billeted at Horsham and commute every day by train. But we were away quite often for three or four days, we spent two days at Monston [sic] airport dismantling an Avro Anson that had overshot the runway and went through a small plantation of trees, which left it a write off, so my band of lads reduced it down to a scrap heap. We had to stay there awaiting the vehicle to collect the parts so had an extra day there.
Over [sic] next trip was down to Boscombe near to Bournemouth and we were told we would be there for four or five days as we had to dismantle quite a lot of spitfires which had been made redundant at Christchurch airfield. So we had to look for accommodation in Boscombe, which we found in a Salvation Army hostel and had five days there.
I parked my lorry in the railway goods yard as there would be someone with a vehicle there to give you a tow in the morning. The old lady surprised me one morning and started first time on the starter motor but that was the only time.
That was my only trip with her as t was assigned to a brand new three ton Bedford lorry. It was the same that we trained on at Melksham and I was to use it to collect all the supplies for the officers mess also all the others so had quite a decent job, also whenever we had rations to collect I was
accompanied by a WAAF which was a nice change from a load of lads.
I was checking tyre pressures and as these vehicles were equipped with its own air pump driven by the motor it was quite simple, but as I was checking one of the front tyres the wind blew the drivers door open and I stood up and hit my head on a corner and finished up flat out, not very long though but decided I had better go to sick quarters and get patched up as it was bleeding a lot. I passed a few people who asked if I was okay but I just said yes and they carried on. At sick bay they patched me up and I went back to finish the job and the motor was still running. So switched off, locked up and retired to the mess prior to catching the train.
[underlined] Egypt??? [/underlined]
Next day I was back into camp and was informed that I was moving on. It was that I was being posted to Egypt, l made a request to see our commanding officer who was an ex aircrew Squadron Leader, saying that I wasn't happy being posted abroad and that I had done my bit for the country and thought it most unfair as there were lots of people who hadn't left England.
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He listened to me and yes, he saw my complaint but he didn't think he could alter the decision and if I gave it a bit of thought, look at it as a holiday paid for by the Government for what you went through. So, yes that sounds reasonable and I'll go along with that, and thanked him. He said he wished me well and try to enjoy your cruise. He would have liked to have joined me, he said.
Went home for a spot of leave and got ready for my next forage into the unknown.
I was then sent a travel warrant for an air force camp situated at Newhaven to be kitted out with my overseas uniform, two khaki shirts and shorts plus long trousers and socks, then some inoculations for tropical diseases then were claimed ready for travel.
We were then told we would be travelling by the Medlock route that is from Newhaven to Dieppe in France by boat and thence by train down to Marseilles where we would be shipped across the Mediterranean to Egypt.
After the trip across to France at night we then continued through Switzerland and snow, it was very cold, but the villages on the mountainsides looked like the one on postcards very romantic amongst the snow. The French trains were not the cleanest but must have moved a lot of British service men since the war had ended over here.
At Marseilles we left the trains at the docks and boarded an American Liberty boat for the next part of the journey. We were shown into the first deck which was fitted out with beds in tiers of three the whole width of the ship and about forty or fifty foot in length. I managed to get one of the lower ones. When we settled in I was told and shown to the bakery, and was put in charge of 6 airmen which was very good as we had very new bread at our meal times. The six airmen worked well and we got along very well with the American crew.
We set sail in the evening and had a quiet evening up on deck, the weather was calm so after supper decided to turn in but couldn't sleep, the motion of the ship wasn't helping me and it took ages for me to eventually nod off.
Our second day went well and my lads and I ate well, but this next night we had a storm and Liberty boats are welded together not riveted and creaks in every joint. I wasn't very happy but just kept lifting the bows up after it went down in a trough. Didn't get much sleep and was glad to reach Alexandria and then taken to a camp at Damunbur and it was very hot and our accommodation was in tents that were built over three foot deep dugouts which gave you a bit more head room than just a tent. We stayed here for about three weeks.
[underlined] To Italy [/underlined]
But apparently there was nothing for us in our line of work required here so we were shipped back across the Mediterranean to Naples in Italy, where we stayed for a couple of days. We made the most of it seeing a part of the world and some of the Roman era, also there were plenty of young and very beautiful senoritas.
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[photograph]
Stanco, Dick's dog
We stayed in Naples for two days and were then told that we would be moving on to any [sic] airfield a few miles outside of Udine in a northern village of Potsuolo, which was the desert air force headquarters known as D.A.F.H.Q. Here were 3 squadrons which flew Mustang fighters. We were attached to DAF headquarters transport section and did all the movement of materials and stuff. This was very good as it entailed collecting the rations from stores which was about twenty miles away, but the roads in places was awful and stony. One item was an open top tin of jam which an Italian was carrying in the back, unfortunately a back tyre exploded like a bomb going off, my poor Italian thought he had been shot as he was covered in jam. After changing the wheel we continued back to camp.
[photograph]
Potsuolo
Another job we had was taking personnel up to our leave hotel up in the mountains for a week at a time and the driver stayed with them and drove them to scenic places, one of which was a lake about thirty miles trip, but was well worth seeing. It was but the road was very rough running along the side of the mountains our wheels were on the very edge of a few thousand foot drop and were running on
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a log which had been built into the road where the edge had fallen away, very bad for the nerves. Other places were when crossing over the bridges from one side of the mountain to the other. These were just planks of wood about three inches thick and about ten or twelve inches wide about fourteen feet long spaced about six inches apart on wooden beams. There was just enough room to get the vehicle around the ends onto the bridge, I only bent the tool box that was on the chassis when we were going.
[photograph]
Dead Slow Ahead!
It was a wonderful place called Cortina quite scenic we stayed for lunch and then I decided to return knowing it was a long way back and I would be on the outside looking down into the valley.
I said to the chap sitting next to me when we get to the logs set into the road edge, tell me how much room I've got your side, his remark was that my side mirror was about two inches from the rock wall which meant when I looked out that my wheels were running on the top of the logs, my legs shook a bit but I thought we came through this way so should be okay going back hopefully.
[photograph]
Dick's leave hotel in Forni Avolti, to the left of the church with a cross marked on the roof
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The hotel was very good and there were quite a few locals and there was a lady there with her daughter, the mother worked in the hotel and her daughter who was about 10 or 12 decided that when a few of the locals and us went for walks she would come and hold my hand and look after me, her name was Tina. We walked across one field and the melting snow had made a three or four foot wide stream down the grass, there was about twelve in the group and it was decided to jump instead of finding a place to cross. We all decided it was no problem just a short jump should do it, but it didn't. I think we all had very wet legs far the rest of our walk, but we all enjoyed it.
[photograph]
Tina and Friends
Most evenings there were four musicians who would play for us, sometimes a good old sing song of tunes of the times, and that led into dance music which was very tiring, as the girls that worked there kept going most of the evening and made sure we kept up with them. Lana the Austrian girl if she got hold of you your feet hardly touched the ground. But they were all good fun. The week passed very quickly and it was drive them back to camp and back to work.
Every other week we were duty driver for a day, which meant servicing the commanding officers vehicles; that he wanted to use that day. You had to knock on his caravan door and go in and ask him which of his three vehicles he required that day. From a jumble of blankets a voice would say either Merc or Jep or Util, which interpreted was either Mercedes or Jeep or his Utility, so you checked all three to make sure you got it right. You were busy taking officers to meetings and also running them into town to various places sometimes just so they could do some shopping.
[underlined] On the Road to Bari [/underlined]
Some days I was office boy handing out jobs to the drivers, this I didn't like as I would rather be out driving, and I was very lucky, our M.T officer who was also ex aircrew said he had a job for three vehicles to go down to Bari, where they were closing down an airfield and we had to bring back the furniture from the officers mess. Would I like to be one of the drivers? Of course that would be very nice, he then said and I shall be going as well to make sure we bring back the right things. So my friend another ex aircrew now a driver and the third driver was a corporal who had spent quite some time in Italy and knew his way around. We also had three airmen armed with rifles as guards, on to each vehicle so we had all the bodies required for the trip.
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[photograph]
On the Road to Bari
So it was up early one morning, pack the essentials for the trip which we had no idea how long we would be, so we took a change of clothes for it [sic] we went out in the evening at some stage of the journey.
Out [sic] first stop was at Rimini which was a holiday resort on the coast and there was an air force station there where we could find a bed for the night.
We left Udine and passed by Venice into Padova then for Ferrari, the roads were quite good but the towns and villages had been taken quite a bit of damage. From here we headed for Ravenna on the Adriatic coast. It again was a holiday resort; like most places took a lot of damage, then on to Rimini and a well earned rest. Out [sic] mileage for this leg of our journey was approximately 432 kilometres.
Some of the vehicles we passed on the way were rather weary, the loads they carried were unreal some were the width of the lorry but finished up twice the width at the top. The tyres were smooth and the engines were held together with bits of wire. The Italians were noted for have good mechanics, we had one of them in our section who could just listen to an engine running and get to the cause of the trouble straight away.
Back to our trip, we left Rimini the next morning after checking our vehicles and filling up with petrol heading for our next stop which was to be Rome. Our next road was heading inland across Italy into the more agricultural part of Italy, the traffic was very mainly bullock carts with four of them in the shafts pulling very large loads which hung over the sides and took up a lot of road space. Also we kept passing a lot of women and children carrying canes on their heads and shoulders, l thought that if one turned to chat with another it would cause chaos down the line if we hit them.
One thing that we noticed was the lack of bridges crossing the roads, mostly the countryside was very flat and were either agricultural or cattle. The towns and villages we passed through were a bit showing the signs of war damage and were trying to get back to normal. In the villages there were always lots of children on the streets and all were begging for chocolate, no doubt remembering the times the Americans were there.
We reached Rome in the evening and found the army barracks were we to stay the night, we all decided we would have an early night as tomorrow was a shorter trip and we could spend a little more time in Naples which we did. The road from Rome was fairly good although there was plenty of damaged buildings everywhere and not much building taking place although it was mainly getting the
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places ready for residents to return to repair jobs mostly. Although in Naples we found that the night life was very much alive, and we spent a few hours around the night clubs, and the officer and we two warrant officers were quite happy after consuming numerous bottles of wine with some very good food. And so to bed quite happy, not looking forward the next day's trip which was going to be a long one.
Up early the next morning and had a good breakfast and refuelled our vehicles and away on the road to Bari which is situated on the North coast of Italy, known as the heel of Italy. The road out of Naples was very busy with most vehicles having enormous loads and engulfed in a fog which we were glad to leave behind and over to our right was Mount Vesuvius but only a trickle of smoke from it. We were then heading North East and the road was less busy, and was pretty rough, villages we passed through had been very heavily damaged. We stopped for a meal or I should say a sandwich, and a family in a nearby house were having their spaghetti, there was an old lady with a plate full which was devoured in a very few minutes, guess she was hungry.
[photograph]
Still on the Road to Bari
We pressed on as it was starting to look like we were going to head into some rather wet weather, we did, and finding the place we wanted was not easy. The leading lorry with our officer and corporal driving, found what they thought was the right track to the airfield which turned out to be a very narrow road just wide enough for one lorry. After about a mile the road finished and we were left with the prospect of reversing all the way back to the main road in the pouring rain. There was no where we could have turned round as the fields had been ploughed on both sides. So about half an hour later three very wet headed drivers, a very wet officer and a guard who had walked back along the track with torches to guide us. We found the right road and got to our destination, and a good hot meal was very welcome.
I seem to remember that we didn't need much rocking to sleep.
We found out the next morning after breakfast that what we were collecting was a lot of electrical equipment which was too valuable to leave and could be useful elsewhere along with quite a lot of furniture from the officers quarters some of which turned out to be large mirrors about 5 foot high by 3 foot wide with a very ornate surround, and I don't recollect whether they survived the journey, it would have been very lucky if they had. Our three young guards did alright and had an armchair for the ride back. After we had packed everything into the lorries it was dinner time, so we had a very
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good meal and washed down with some very nice wine, and decided to stay the night here and start at 8am the next morning, so we had a look round Bari which had a good port for ferries to Yugoslavia across the Adriatic. Retired to our beds ready for the start back.
The trip back to Naples was uneventful but in Naples our guards had their hands full keeping loads of youngsters from climbing up the sides of the Lorries and stealing anything. Most of what we had was furniture which was stacked on top of the wireless equipment so they left empty handled.
It was evening time when we finally arrived in Naples so didn't go very far around the town just had a drink or two and then retired to bed.
Next morning it is up and away on our next leg to Rome where we hoped to spend a little time looking around the place as there is plenty to see, and walked around the centre of the Coliseum where the gladiators did their acts, and I was glad that I wasn't acting in it, and I think the lions that did an act had already eaten that day.
[photograph]
Coliseum Rome
Later on we found a good restaurant where we had a good meal washed down with a very good Italian wine, and walked back to our billets in an army barracks and so to bed.
Not looking forward to our next trip as it is a long run and not very scenic from Rome up to Rimini, mainly farming country and only a couple of towns on the way, the one consolation was that it stayed fine all the way.
Rimini was an army controlled town so there were lots of tanks and all types of weaponry around and we stayed in army barracks that night and we were up early the next morning as it was a long trip back to Udine.
We took the road out of Rimini for Rarenna along the coast, hence our next town was Venice where we stopped for a short rest and found a restaurant for a meal which was steak mushrooms and tomatoes washed down with a red wine, very nice too.
We were then only a couple of hours from our destination and our own beds. The whole trip had taken us about ten days, but that said the items we brought back was it worth it.
Overall we had a good look at how the Italians lived and were good mechanics, as they managed to keep their Lorries on. the road tied together with lots of wire and a lot more faith.
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We had a football team made up of NCOs and we played against teams from other ranks and also from the squadron that was stationed here. I was given the position of right wing and was usually up against a six foot left back of the opposing team, I don't think we won many of our matches, but it was a bit of good fun.
[photograph]
Military Transport Football Team
It is now getting into September and we are still living in tents, and have had a lot of rain recently and the camp was rather badly flooded, my other occupant and I were lucky our tent survived the storm, we had a lot of tents blown down and the roads were flooded and it took quite a while for everywhere to dry out.
Our leave hotel in Grado on the coast was popular and we ran an evening bus most nights, and it was one of my jobs as a driver to take the bus down to the town at 5pm and collect them again at 10pm from the town square. Most made it in time and on my trips we seemed lucky and didn't have any missing bodies, most of them were quite happy. I had four days leave and stayed in our leave hotel, very nice food and comfortable beds also there were grapevines where we had breakfast, so grapes were on the menu every morning. First thing after breakfast I went down the road and at the store shop used to buy a melon and take back to the hotel and have a waiter cut a square hole in it and put in a good portion of wine then put it in the fridge and have it with our evening meal, very nice finished the meal with it.
[underlined] Mercy Mission to Egypt [/underlined]
it was around September 15th that I had a call from the office of the Adjutant to tell me that I had been given ten days leave to go to a hospital in Egypt where my brother Bob was ill, and it would help him return to good health if he had a relative to see him. I was staggered and amazed as I had no idea of his whereabouts and that he was ill.
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18.9.1946. So I had to sort my kit out what I would require and managed to pack it in my small side pack. I then had to collect the pass and papers needed and so to Udine airport, arrived there at an early hour as flight was at 9.00am in a Dakota aircraft next stop Rome. Had a hotel for my overnight stay and very nice too, good food and bed and a very good night sleep.
My flight next morning which was to be about nine hours leaving Rome at ten past seven in the morning and we landed in Malta at 9.45 to refuel the aircraft had a drink there then left for our next stop which was El Adam in North Africa. Only stayed fifty minutes again to refuel and left at 4pm for our next stop at Almaza which we arrived at 6.30pm which was my stopping off place for Cairo.
I was driven to the Heliopolis hotel and shown to my room and then taken to the dining room and had a good meal.
I was very hot after being quite cool in Italy so changed into my shorts, but it was still very sticky hot, so decided to have an early night see what tomorrow brings.
! was up early as the night was very hot and I didn't get much sleep. I had a good breakfast and had to sit around and await my transport to the hospital.
20th September a car arrived and I was driven to the Helmieh hospital, where I was taken to meet the colonel of the hospital, who welcomed me and hoped my presence would help in Bob's recovery. He then told me I was to be accommodated at the Sergeants mess of the main hospital. There were numerous sections to the hospital, a fracture unit, dental unit, isolation unit which Bob was in eye and ear unit, it was quite a large place.
I was issued with a pass the [sic] to the isolation ward in which Bob was in with note to say the above named warrant officer was permitted to visit his brother signalman Curnock in isolation ward 1 and full preventative measures should be taken.
The sister I gave the note to just laughed gave me back the note, took me by the arm and gave me a hug, and said how lovely it was that I was able to have leave to go there, and then she took me to see Bob. He was surprised as he had no idea where I was, but he was very thin, white, and I looked like an Indian next to him as in a photo of us together.
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[photograph] [photograph]
Dick and Bob at Helmieh hospital, Egypt
My time at the hospital was spent on visits to Bob every day, having a game of snooker with some of the other members of the mess, or at other times some of the nurses and sister would ask me to escort them into Cairo to do a spot of shopping which I did quite willingly.
My ten days leave passed rather quickly, but when I rang the air booking centre in Cairo, I wasn't on any of the flights so had to wait another week. In fact it was the 25th October before my flight for Italy was finally here, so I had about 6 weeks of a 10 day leave.
Each unit had its own Sergeants mess and most evenings there was entertainment in one of them. Once or twice a week there was horse racing in one of them, and in the dental mess one night they had a Derby meeting, the horses were bid for at the start and I bought number two for two pounds after bidding against the colonel. And it won the race and I was twenty two pounds richer for a while, but lost a bit on the following races, good fun though.
The other entertainment was a quiz night which was quite hilarious, with answers to some questions quite ridiculous but funny. Others had classes which were well attended by all, as we had lots of nurses and sisters to make a good evening of it.
At another sergeants mess they held a bingo night with some other entertainment as bingo wasn't very popular.
In the sergeants mess some of them had nicknames, one was known as bash he was a boxer in Civvy Street; we also had a slash as he was always cutting himself when shaving, so I had to have one and was known as the parachute kid.
We had a snooker table in the mess and I had plenty of practice on it as I had quite a lot of time to fill in.
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Time passed and I finally had my seat booked for my return to Italy. So then I had to say my farewells to all the friends that I had made during my stay and to Bob of course and also I went to see the colonel and thanks him for all they had done for Bob and also making my stay a pleasant one.
[underlined] Dakota back to Italy – Treviso [/underlined]
So on the 26th October my flight was at 6.30am so was up early for the return journey. One of the sergeants had said the night before that he would take me to the airport as he was duty driver for that day. So once again I joined up with a Dakota of the South African Air force at Almaja airport stopping at El Adam to refuel then on to Malta where we stayed the night. The next day we were away at seven am on the last leg to Rome.
At Rome airport I was informed that the personnel of the 239 Wing Desert Air Force; had been moved to a place called Treviso so that where I was being sent. They said my kit had been transferred already so I had to get to this place, but found out that I was booked on a flight to an aerodrome just outside of Treviso.
[photograph]
Sergeants Mess Treviso 1945, Dick and friend
There was transport at the aerodrome and I was taken to our sergeant mess which was a town villa in Treviso and was shown to my room and where I was reunited with my kit bag.
This was luxury after living in tents for a long period with wash basins and baths and there were ladies to do your laundry and any repairs to your clothes.
I certainly enjoyed having a nice hot bath and retiring to a good bed and hoped that I wasn't to be moved again, as I had had enough of travelling for a while.
At Treviso it was usual routine doing runs into town and around the airfield, towing petrol trailers around to the aircraft for refuelling. Also fetching blocks of ice for the bars of the officers and sergeants also messes of other ranks. By the time you got back to camp there was a lot of water in the back of the truck and you had to lift blocks of wet ice into the various messes, a cold job.
From Treviso it was only a few miles into Venice and we spent a few weekends there, and got to do a lot of walking, you could have a gondola ride but they charged the earth, so we usually walked.
St Marco's square was very popular with lots of shops and cafes around. There was an abundant supply of jewellery shops and also the square had hundreds of pigeons, making it quite messy.
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There was a bell tower in one corner which had a large bell on the top. Apparently an Italian gent decided to inspect it too close and his head flattened by the bell hammer, very nasty.
There were lots of bridges over the canals and as you went into the centre where they had warehouses it was a rather different place, the canals were not so dean, and people living alongside them just threw rubbish out of the windows, not a good healthy environment to live in.
We found a very good restaurant in Treviso down a back street a very smart little place, who did beef steaks, which you could pick from a large selection and then you could see them being cooked and you then selected what you wanted with it.
Time passed very quickly at Treviso and was January before we realised suddenly that our demob numbers would be coming up soon. And it was January when we were told that some of us were going home and that we could be going to Villach in Austria to catch a train for the trip across Austria, Switzerland and France and home.
The day arrived when we were notified that we had reached the final week in Italy and would travel by train to Villach, and thence start our journey home. We cleared with all the necessary forms as was needed, paid any mess bills and said our farewells to rest of the transport department and was then taken to the station.
It was an uneventful journey to Villach where we had to stay overnight and there was thick snow there and rather cold with long icicles from roves [sic] of our huts.
[photograph]
Villach - with icicles
I met up with some of the other lads who had travelled with me on our trip out earlier, when we were leaving; waiting on the road for transport to the station a whole lot of youngsters arrived with sledges, so all we had to carry was our small kit, the kit bags were loaded on the sledges and so on to the station.
Our train was in and so we went aboard with kit bags on the corridors and rest of our kit on the racks, it was then that we all got into the spirit of finally going home. The trains were French so the toilets had no seat, just two places for your feet and a hole in the middle, not very comfortable.
With it being January everywhere was very white with snow and I took some pictures of the mountains as we passed into Switzerland which was wonderful. Coming out of a tunnel on the
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mountainside and there was a village and it appeared to just be hanging on. It went on like this from many miles as we went through Switzerland and into France.
[photograph]
Switzerland from the train
We stopped in Paris station for a hot drink and a sandwich and managed to have a wash and brush up before our next stop which was to be Dieppe and a channel crossing to Newhaven.
The trip over was uneventful but the sea was rather rough and there were one or two heaving stomachs to prove it, and we arrived in the dock, and then when we had sorted out our kit bags from a very large heap, the train was waiting in the station to take us to the demob centre, which was at No 101 Dispersal centre at Kirkham in Lancashire.
This was the place where you returned to civilian life once again. It is now the 21st January 1947 about to sort out from a large selection of shirts, underwear and suits and find some that is a reasonable fit. After which you went and tried on the items you had selected and handed in your uniform, well most of it, l remember that there was a shirt, a pair of shorts and some desert socks along with the boots that I wore during our sight seeing tour of Germany. Then you had to see numerous sections who dealt with your pay due to you and the amount of leave which turned out to be eighty days from the 21st January 1947.
You then had to collect your travel warrant, your pay also was entered in the back of your service release book and you had to collect it from the post office when it was due, and they would date stamp it in the back of your pay book.
My return home was a wonderful feeling after all my travels. At the station the neighbour of ours who had a taxi cab saw me and had me in his cab very quickly.
Upon arriving at Minehead Street the first thing I saw was the street still decorated with flags and bunting after the end of the war in Japan and not for me.
Mr Shuker sounded his horn and slowed down and there were a lot of people came out to welcome me home and of course Mum, Dad and Mary and our close neighbours were all waiting and I was smothered with their welcome.
And so I looked forward to a nice long holiday and getting used to civilian life once more.
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[underlined] Reunions [/underlined]
Dick's mother (Arabella Curnock) had welcomed several of the Canadian crew members into her home, and had corresponded with members of their families back home in Canada during the war.
Bob Friskey's wife Isabella in Abbotsford also wrote to Dick and Barbara after their marriage, as well as continuing to correspond with Dick's mother. It was from them that the news came that "Chuck" committed suicide some time after returning home.
Rob died sometime after, but Isabella continued to write to Dick.
Wes and his (Scottish) wife Mae made contact again sometime in the 1970s, when Dick received a phone call at the Thurmaston plant of Thorpe and Porter where he worked. The call was from the railway station in Leicester where Wes and Mae were - accompanied by the youngest of their five sons!
Dick went to pick them up, and they stayed overnight with [sic] at Queniborough before carrying on their journey to Scotland. Wes and Mae paid a short visit to Dick's mother, as Wes had stayed with her during the war when on leave.
In 1984 a lady who lived on Upperton Road (Mrs Tobin) was clearing out a house on Minehead Street (no 59) which was formally the Curnock family home. Amongst the papers was an unopened letter from Eugene Fullum in Montreal. She looked in the phone book and found a R Curnock and rang and this got Dick and Eugene back in touch.
[photograph]
Eugene and Dick 1985 (Leicester Mercury photo)
Eugene came over the UK in 1985, and when Dick and he met it was the first time they had seen each other since the police station in Germany the day after they had been shot down.
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[photograph]
RAF Prisoner of War insignia
[photograph]
Gordon, Eugene, Dick, Wes, 1987 Reunion
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[photograph]
Dick in the rear gunner position of a Halifax bomber; at Elvington, Yorks. 2004
[photograph]
Dick exiting the Halifax, the last time he did this, the Halifax was on fire and he was about to parachute into enemy territory
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Appendix 1 – Dick’s RAF flying log book – 17.7.1943 to 25.8.1947
i) Gunnery course results
[document]
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Appendix 1 - ii) gunnery training
[flight log book document]
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Appendix 1 – iii) 22 O.T.U.
[flight log book document]
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Appendix 1 – iv) 22 O.T.U.
[flight log book document]
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Appendix 1 – v) 22 O.T.U.
[flight log book document]
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[page break]
Appendix 1 – vi) 22 O.T.U.
[flight log book document]
57
[page break]
Appendix 1 – vii) 1664 Conversion Unit
[flight log book document]
58
[page break]
Appendix 1 – viii) 1664 Conversion Unit
[flight log book document]
59
[page break]
Appendix 1 – ix) 425 Squadron – shows the last mission Dick flew to Augsburg
[flight log book document]
60
[page break]
Appendix 1 – x) Flights to and from Egypt to visit Bob
[flight log book document]
61
[page break]
Appendix 2
[drawing of Berlin War Cemetery]
Ginger Wheadon is buried in 6.B.19
62
[page break]
Appendix 3 -The March - source Wikipedia
"The March" refers to a series of forced marches during the final stages of the Second World War in Europe. From a total of 257,000 western Allied prisoners of war held in German military prison camps, over 80,000 POWs were forced to march westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany in extreme winter conditions, over about four months between January and April 1945. This series of events has been called various names: "The Great March West", "The Long March", "The Long Walk", "The Long Trek", "The Black March", "The Bread March", and "Death March Across Germany", but most survivors just called it "The March".
As the Soviet Army was advancing, German authorities decided to evacuate POW camps, to delay liberation of the prisoners. January and February 1945 were among the coldest winter months of the 20th century in Europe, with blizzards and temperatures as low as -25 O C and even until the middle of March, temperatures were well below 0 O C Most of the POWs were ill-prepared for the evacuation, having suffered years of poor rations and wearing clothing ill-suited to the appalling winter conditions.
In most camps, the POWs were broken up in groups of 250 to 300 men and because of the inadequate roads and the flow of battle, not all the prisoners followed the same route. The groups would march 20 to 40 kilometers a day - resting in factories, churches, barns and even in the open. Soon long columns of POWs were wandering over the northern part of Germany with little or nothing in the way of food, clothing, shelter or medical care.
Prisoners from different camps had different experiences: sometimes the Germans provided farm wagons for those unable to walk. There seldom were horses available, so teams of POWs pulled the wagons through the snow. Sometimes the guards and prisoners became dependent on each other, other times the guards became increasingly hostile. Those with intact boots had the dilemma of whether to remove them at night - if they left them on, trench foot could result; if they removed them, they may not get their swollen feet back into their boots in the morning or, worse, the boots may freeze or be stolen.
With so little food they were reduced to scavenging to survive. Some were reduced to eating dogs and cats and grass-anything they could lay their hands on. Already underweight from years of prison rations, some were at half their pre-war body weight by the end.
Because of the unsanitary conditions and a near starvation diet, hundreds of POWs died of disease along the way and many more were ill. Dysentery was common; sufferers had the indignity of soiling themselves whilst having to continue to march, and being further weakened by the debilitating effects of illness. This disease was easily spread from one group to another when they followed the same route and rested in the same places. Many POWs suffered from frostbite which could lead to gangrene. Typhus, spread by body lice, was a risk for all POWs, but was now increased by using overnight shelter previously occupied by infected groups. Some men simply froze to death in their sleep.
In addition to these conditions were the dangers from air attack by Allied forces mistaking the POWs for retreating columns of German troops. On April 19, 1945, at a village called Gresse, 30 Allied POWs died and 30 were seriously injured (possibly fatally) in a "friendly-fire" situation when strafed by a flight of RAF Typhoons.
63
[page break]
As winter drew to a close, suffering from the cold abated and some of the German guards became less harsh in their treatment of POWs. But the thaw rendered useless the sledges made by many POWs to carry spare clothing, carefully preserved food supplies and other items. So, the route became littered with items that could not be carried. Some even discarded their greatcoats, hoping that the weather did not turn cold again. As the columns reached the western side of Germany they ran into the advancing western Allied armies. For some, this brought liberation. Others were not so lucky. They were marched towards the Baltic Sea, where Nazis were said to be using POWs as human shields and hostages. It was later estimated that a large number of POWs had marched over five hundred miles by the time they were liberated, and some had walked nearly a thousand miles.
64
[page break]
Appendix 4 – i) Stalag Luft 357 – long march route, and camp numbering correction information
Red Cross map of prisoner of war camps
[map]
65
[page break]
Appendix 4 – ii) Stalag Luft 357 and long march route
[map]
66
[page break]
Appendix 4 – iii) Blue cross in circle marks where Dick was shot down. Red Cross near Frankfurt where he was moved to
[map]
67
[page break]
Appendix 4 – iv) Red line shows routes taken by Dick. Torun (Thorn) camp shown
[map]
68
[page break]
Appendix 4 – v) Poznan – Stalag XXI
[map]
69
[page break]
Appendix 4 – vi) Stalag Luft VI – Lithuania
[map]
70
[page break]
26th April 2014
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Title
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My War Story
Description
An account of the resource
A memoir written by Dick Curnock. It covers his wartime service and also his service after the war for the RAF. It covers his brother Sam and his accident as a pilot. Dick started his training at Lords in London, Bridlington then Bridgnorth and Dalcross. Next move was to Wellesbourne where he crewed up and practised bombing from a Wellington, then Dishforth for conversion on to Halifaxes. His squadron was 425 at Tholthorpe and he undertook night flying training. On his second operation he was shot down near Augsburg. He was taken prisoner and interrogated before being transferred to Stalag Luft VI. He describes his life there. As the Russians got nearer they were transferred by cattle truck to Stalag Luft 357 at Torun. Next they were subjected to the Long March in April 1945. During this the flight engineer, Ginger Wheadon was shot by an RAF Typhoon. After being liberated and returning to the UK he served briefly in Egypt then Italy as an RAF transport driver. During this time he went to Egypt to visit his brother, Bob who was ill in Cairo. Eventually he was demobbed from Italy via Austria and Paris.
Creator
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Dick Curnock
Date
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2014-04-26
Format
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71 printed sheets
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
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BCurnockRMCurnockRMv1
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
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Austria
Austria--Villach
Canada
British Columbia--Abbotsford
Québec--Montréal
Egypt
Egypt--Cairo
France
France--Paris
Gibraltar
Germany
Germany--Augsburg
Germany--Darmstadt
Germany--Schweinfurt
Great Britain
England--Bridlington
England--Horsham
England--Leicester
England--London
England--Melksham
Italy
Italy--Bari
Italy--Cortina d'Ampezzo
Italy--Naples
Italy--Padua
Italy--Ravenna
Italy--Rimini
Italy--Rome
Italy--Udine
Italy--Venice
Malta
North Africa
Poland--Toruń
Germany--Lüneburg
Poland
Lithuania
Poland--Żagań
Lithuania--Šilutė
Germany--Bad Fallingbostel
England--Christchurch (Dorset)
Québec
England--Dorset
England--Leicestershire
England--Yorkshire
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944
1945
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
22 OTU
420 Squadron
425 Squadron
431 Squadron
434 Squadron
air gunner
aircrew
animal
Anson
anti-aircraft fire
arts and crafts
bale out
bomb aimer
C-47
Caterpillar Club
crash
crewing up
Dulag Luft
final resting place
flight engineer
ground personnel
Halifax
Halifax Mk 3
Heavy Conversion Unit
Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945)
Hurricane
Ju 88
lynching
mess
Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy
navigator
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
P-51
pilot
prisoner of war
RAF Boscombe Down
RAF Bridgnorth
RAF Bridlington
RAF Cosford
RAF Dishforth
RAF Elvington
RAF Gaydon
RAF Inverness
RAF Manston
RAF Tholthorpe
RAF Wellesbourne Mountford
Red Cross
sanitation
service vehicle
sport
Stalag Luft 3
Stalag Luft 6
strafing
the long march
training
Typhoon
Wellington
Whitley
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6383/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-15.pdf
f470d6287a3b08c62d923eeade750328
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1384535. LAC. Lamprey. P.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14 Group. RAF.
[underlined] Inverness. [/underlined]
Friday [underlined] 6th [/underlined]
Dear Bill – Others.
From the general tone of the three letters just received, in one envelope, it seems that you will be pleased when I get leave. What the hell do you think I will do – bust [sic] into tears? Mr. Harbour in his magnificant [sic] effort closes with “I will leave the news to Bill”. For over a year now I have been waiting for news from that bloke and I still have to get the news when I pay one of my infrequent
[page break]
visits. All that Lug is good for is making dates with other blokes [sic] women. If he keeps on as he is going, it will be more than a front tooth that is broken.
Why in heaven I ever take all the trouble to print my letters to such an unappreciative audience, is one of this wars [sic] miracles. Just because half of you dumb clucks cant [sic] read a decent bit of writing, I have to sit and sweat. The next thing you'll want is the bloody letters illustrated.
Breaking away from my usual custom of keeping things dark – you will notice that I am now an LAC. Any letters addressed to AC2 Lamprey in future, will be treated with the
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]
contempt they deserve. This is equivalant [sic] to an army rank something below a Major- General and above a Private. Having attained, by dint of hard work etc [sic] this honourable recognition, I am expected to do 25 words a minute on the key. I am also expected to do a lot more things but life seems to be a shade too short for most of them. At any rate, I have at last got a genuine excuse for going on a belt, so if you do not hear from me for a fortnight or so, you will know that a good time was had by all. I usually manage to fall by the wayside just before a spot of leave. The big advantage is, that it
[page break]
enables me to save up a few coppers to go on leave with. However, even if the gods smile and I continue my career without trouble, I think I can make the “Harrow Tavern” for one night.
Life generally - is running on well oiled wheels up here. The visit to Tiree has been postponed for a while until new equipment has been got together. This – I hope – will be a week or so and with a bit of luck I'll be on my well earned vacation when the party goes.
Knowing how you are all interested in my welfare I can say that I am feeling very fit. I can say it, but I have to make an effort to believe it myself. The weather here has definitely
[page break]
[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]
broken a leg and fallen on its side. If I [sic] keeps like it we will need snow-shoes to go to bed in. It is a good job spring has come to Scotland as were getting browned off with the eternal heatwave. The local inhabitants can always tell when Spring has arrived by the layer of ice that forms on top of the bloody snow.
Thanks very much for the offer to fix me up with a lighter but I [corrected] already [/corrected] posess [sic] one. In any case I have suffered in the past from some of the blasted fixing you perishers do. It is a pity the inventors can't fix one another and give a decent clean living airman a chance to open his mail without finding
[page break]
another dirty bit of work inside.
Having been in the land of the heather for nearly six months, I hope – very shortly – to get down south for a wee while. This is the dream of every southerner, but I should think my posting must be very near now. As I was only supposed to be here for six weeks I should think something must be happening somewhere by now.
Having given you all my hopes, aspirations and disappointments I can now safely turn to enquiries about the health – good and bad of my so called friends. Mr Ashton I presume, still suffers occasionally from poetic rash, while Mr Barnes is still taking steps to see things all right. Archie having gone in for a bit of exercise and lost a couple
[page break]
[underlined] 7. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]
of pounds has now disappeared entirely. The labour front (Warren and Gilbert) continue with their “I told you so” now that the Russians are coming west. Tell Reggie Smith I saw a lovely picture last night. Four pints (paid for) and a lonely “WAAF”. A real moving picture. The beer I had won and the WAAF didn't need winning. That is one of the reasons this letter is being finished Sunday.
However, having once again disappointed Mr Hunt, I really must close this letter. Remember me to the OPA's and the engineers. Tell Dave to try and keep straight or at least make the circles as large as possible. Thank Charlie for his
[page break]
letter – it was a pleasant surprise as I thought he had lost the use of his arms. If you can find anyone with a really low mind get them to kiss “Old Ivory” for me. Tell Doug that the wife and family are still doing fine and up till the last letter still received the grant. Remember me to all.
Best of luck.
[underlined] Pete [/underlined]
P.S. If you can't bloody well spell yourself don't knock me about mine.
P.P.S. Lay off the women.
See you [underlined] soon. [/underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
The letter contains gossip and complaints over letter writing shortcomings of his correspondents. Mentions work in signals section at Royal Air Force Inverness and that he is hoping to come south for leave.
Creator
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Peter Lamprey
Format
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Eight page handwritten letter
Language
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eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
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ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-15
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6512/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-16.pdf
c1046277928a7fedaf8a76f7d68a0f18
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
RAF Crest]
HQ. 14. Group.
RAF. Inverness.
[underlined] Tuesday. [/underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill - others.
I know a hell of a lot better ways of using paper than writing to you non-reciprocating lugs: for the last two months [sic] the sole topic in your letters has been that you were two up on me. Well, at the present rate of receiving letters from P.R. I shall be about twenty up with this one.
Interlude for the muse: -
For more than a year I have laboured.
And held the wrong end of the stick.
While the cheers of the blokes left behind me,
Continue to make me feel sick.
[page break]
2.
I’ve delayed the despatch of this letter
Since the day that I went and joined up.
But I now wish it put upon record
That someone, has sold me a pup.
Ive [sic] about had my fill of square – bashing
And slinging a rifle about
Now the red - letter day in my diary
Is the one when I’m pushing off out.
Its [sic] not that I don’t like the service
Its [sic] easy – its [sic] cheerful and bright
But I get such a load, of insulting remarks
Every time you daft perishers write.
In the year that has passed, I have worn out my feet
On parade grounds [sic] all over the place
And I’ve suffered a lot, of distress and despair
In unfortunate lapses from grace.
Continued on Page 3.
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]
But I suffer as well, from some dimwitted clucks,
Who when writing to me seem to think
That I spend all my time in Elysian fields
Surrounded by women and drink
Ive[sic] been to some spots in my travels
And its [sic] not been so bad on the whole
But for holes as they go, the hole I’ve just left
As a whole, was a hell of a hole.
But the troubles and toil that I suffer
Don’t seem to produce any tears
For my hardships and trials only seem to give cause,
For amusement and three hearty cheers.
But in case you should think you can do it
Without some repartee from me
I’d like to point out – that I’m biding my time
And I’ll wait for the day patiently.
[page break]
When there’s one of you wits, with a pen in his hand
Attempting to ride me with verse
And you’ll all realise, as the storm really breaks
What is meant by an A.C.2’s curse.
The news, as such, is as usual, non-existant.[sic] I am doing just the same as I was yesterday. As I didn’t write then you won’t know what I’m doing today so it doesn’t matter if I don’t tell you. The weather is about the same to. [sic]
I have, much to Mr. Hunts [smudged] chargin, [sic] [/smudged] been out on the belt in an endeavour to forget my sorrows. It took me two hours hard thinking to find a sorrow so that could go out and drown it. The beer is as usual, pretty good and having been out of practice for so long I found that the exercise entailed made me very tired. I could just walk and that’s about all. Tomorrow night I must find out just what happened. I was either out
[page break]
[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]
With a sailor or a big WAAF and I don’t want to be caught bending.
I doesn’t [sic] seem as if I am destined to have my much awaited liberty for long. I [smudged] have [/smudged] had been warned to be prepared to go back to the Isle of Sorrows at a days [sic] notice. At present I am on my knees praying for snow and plenty of it. If my outing last night turns out wrong I shall of course cancel the prayers.
There is a hell of a lot of new faces up here, besides plenty of old ones that need changing. In fact I am myself being looked upon as one of the oldest inhabitants and pointed out as a man who has withstood the rigours of a Scottish winter and 4 months proximity to the A.T.S. Barracks.
I expect to hear from someone when
[page break]
Doug. has finished with his pen and then I might hear a bit more news. But don’t worry about writing if things are ok, but let me know if they are wrong and give me a laugh. [smudged] Thanks [/smudged] for the books etc. Keep off the grass and kiss Jack Denny for me.
Remember me to one and all.
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined]
P.S. Its [sic] a pity the two bloody inventors don’t [sic] invent something to teach “old ivory” how to write.
P.P.S. and to spell.
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
Letter with poem from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey’s letter contains general gossip and a long humorous poem about his training and his life in the Royal Air Force.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Six page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Text. Poetry
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-16
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
arts and crafts
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6517/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-170001.jpg
969c1d92467bf18f6f3598a74b117640
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6517/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-170002.jpg
28230af4013e3ffb4d39115f4573a101
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
H.Q. 14 group. RAF.
Inverness.
Scotland.
Dear Bill - one and all.
In your snug little cribs – the horrors and hard-ships of war are tales that only reach you [deleted] indecipherable letter [/deleted] when, by superhuman efforts, a caravan gets through from the far mot. [sic] Here, my friends, once again comes news from afar. News that will distress you and cause sackcloth and ashes to be the garb for many a moon. I am settling down and beginning to like the place. This, after the epistles I have written, might seem like a retreat, but is in fact, no more than a strategic withdrawal to straighten my lines and find something else to moan about. That it is also a means of playing for time can be judjed [sic] by the fact that things are still the same.
I was glad to receive the letters from my old friends. I also got one from Eddy Hunt. You might tell eddy I have thought better of joining forces with him. That idea struck me in a moment of dire misery when all hope was dead still, thanks for the letter Eddy, thats [sic] four of the
[page break]
straw about them. But I really do want to get out for a night with the boys next time. My memory of the last evening spent with Moloney is still fresh. We drank all night, he spent a couple of hours and stood around. If the RAF can get some service out of him it will be about all.
Remember me to my friends the engineers etc. also the OPA’s. Remember me as well to my friends’ [sic] in the chapel - all four. If anyone feels upset about anything I have said – I’m glad. Keep your nose clean and never spit into the wind. Kiss “Rusty” for me.
Best of luck
Pete.
P.S. Tell Brother George – they still use bows and arrows, the kids I mean.
P.
P.P.S. If any of the boys have any old books, magazines etc. The herberts [sic] up here would appreciate them, anything to read as a change from DRO’s.
Cheers [underlined] Pete. [/underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he is beginning to like Royal Air Force Inverness and then several comments catching up with friends. He concludes by requesting any old books and magazines be sent for his fellow servicemen to read.
Creator
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Peter Lamprey
Format
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Two page handwritten letter
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
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Identifier
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ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-17
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6528/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-18.pdf
94036e85f4a21672dc3085fbcd1e9d5c
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
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Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1384535. LAC. Lamprey
Signals Section.
HQ. 14. Group.
RAF. [underlined] Inverness. [/underlined]
[underlined] Sunday. [/underlined].
Listen. If I happen to lay off writing for a couple of days, there is a hell almighty row, but you; you can take no bloody notice for weeks and then drop a line and think all is forgiven, but; it won’t do. If you can’t write, for Petes [sic] sake draw a cross on a bit of paper and post it. I will know then that you are still alive. Not that I care.
I would like some more information about this terrific attack of patriotism that struck three
[page break]
[underlined] 2. [/underlined]
half wits all at once. What I want to know is. Are they joining now or in about six months [sic] time.? The latter I hope, as I have all my work cut out shouldering the war along now – without having to take three more passengers aboard.
Life has once again given me the back of the hand. Just when I had got a nice line in dates they whipped a dirty card out of the pack and I found myself out in the blasted backwoods, playing at boy scouts. Having upset everything that makes life worthwhile, they replant me here and expect me to raise three hearty cheers. One of these bright days they’ll leave me in one place for a few days and I’ll break a blood vessel in my excitement. If you talk to me about Scotch [sic] scenery
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
any more, I'll fetch a handful home and ram it where it will do most harm. I’ve seen so much of the backwoods lately that I expect to finish up in a bloody log-cabin for the duration. If I turn up next time in a deerskin suit with a pair of blasted snow shoes under my arm you’ll know the worst.
If the above cry from a bleeding heart does not stir a bit of compassion in you – it is only what I expect but at least I can lay back and hope the three stooges get a bellyful. With a bit of luck even Brother George will be in the home guard. All he needs to find is a bit of sand and s--- and he can fight his battles all over again with full effects. Only I shan’t be there to cheer as he wins all his medals singlehanded. Mr. Hunt will doubtless arrange to carry his company
[page break]
[underlined] 4. [/underlined]
to the battle-front at greatly reduced rates. All I hope is that Archie excesises [sic] his authority and makes sure they fight this war in the modern manner – plenty of time off for whatever is going.
Lack of news from the home front bars me from commenting in any way on the doings of my erstwhile friends. But knowing them as I do, I should think they are still carrying on in the true minder way – getting some other dumb cluck to carry the can. I expect to return and find Rusty bow-legged after working with the old rip for a partner. If he – the O.R. – is still at his games he should write his memoirs and give the troops some really warm literature for the winter months.
I might mention that I have heard from two certain people and if you
[page break]
[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
-Mr Gunton – are not a bit more careful who you speak to in tea-shops – you will be caught with your trousers down and a lot to explain. Keep off the blondes. Should you want any advice on this subject you know what you can do.
Having exhausted what passes for news up here, I hope to hear a bit from south of the line. Don’t write if you are still short of money as I am in the same state but a card will do – even if it is only one in memoriam for some of the others.
Look after your apples. Remember me to all. Lots of love
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined].
X.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter lamprey writes from RAF Inverness unhappy about his life including backwoods training. He goes on with banter to acquaintances and asks his friends to write back.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter lamprey
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Five page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-18
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6529/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-19.pdf
1a7909f88d09c66d54b51942993df5e0
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
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Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
14. Group. H.Q.
RAF. Inverness.
Scotland.
Monday.
Dear Uncle Bill and other friends
Too numerous to mention
Another letter has arrived
For your esteemed attention.
And though the contents may seem harsh
And sometimes rather trite.
Its [sic] just because I feel brassed off
And it comes out when I write.
The visit that I payed [sic] you showed
That all were much the same
All dodging work and swinging lead
The good old minders game.
So all you good old scroungers
I feel I really must
Extend the seasons compliments
[page break]
I feel it only just.
But why in hell I do this thing
Is rather hard to see
I ought to wish the blasted luck
You perishers wish me.
And touching on my visit
I thought it rather grand
The way all of you shoved along
To shake me by the hand.
Harry Ashton, pleased to see me
So at least he said
While all the time he’d like to wrap
A brick around my head.
The things I said to Eddie Hunt
Would make the man annoyed
Had he not, between his ears
A great big aching void.
While Harry Straws collection
Of bags is such a size
He even carries two about
Beneath his blinking eyes.
[page break]
And poor old Uncle Jack,
His knee, had such a shocking jar.
His foot slipped off the rail
While he was leaning on the bar.
But taken by and large the boys
Were [sic] going on the same
All taking things quite [deleted] eays [/deleted] easy
And finding it quite tame.
Well it’s the same up here and I dont [sic] propose to spend all the evening writing to you guys so I’ll stop the nonsense.
Having fitted back into the war in the accustomed place I find it hard to realise I ever had a leave. The next move – I hope – will be south and keep on rubbing the old rabbit foot and hope it is soon. I missed one or two of the boys when I was up but it was quite unintentional and wish them all the best etc.
For Uncle Bills’ benefit – I have had a parcel from McVitie and prices. That was the dame we met. I’m glad you saw [smudged] me [/smudged] home I might have
[page break]
finished up at Pinner like someone else.
Hope all the other service herbs got a spot of leave in [inserted] and [/inserted] had as good a time as I did. There is nothing to write about except that I feel brassed and the hell you care so with the usual smooge. Look after your money. Kiss Rusty for me. Remember me to everyone. Let me know if the other boys have to go and I’ll give ‘em a few addresses.
Don’t do anything a dirty dog wouldn’t do
Pete.
P.S.
Thanks for the books ‘etc.
P.PS. Tell Moloney not to worry about having no teeth, they don’t feed you for six weeks.
[underlined] P. [/underlined]
C.S.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey starts with a poem about his recent leave and continues with banter to acquaintances and the hope that he may move south.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four page handwritten letter
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Correspondence
Text. Poetry
Identifier
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ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-19
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
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.
arts and crafts
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6530/ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-20.pdf
b7d60e55386d7d99acba7899588bd0a3
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1384535 A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
H.Q. 14 Group. RAF.
Inverness.
[underlined] Scotland. [/underlined]
Dear Bill and those who wish me well
I have a sordid tale to tell
Of one who would – an airman be,
Who went and signed as W.OP/A.G.
Now when the fatal papers came
(the same to which he’d signed his name)
He left his home – and went to find,
If he was lame: or halt: or blind.
They tapped him there – they tapped him here
And said “it really does appear –
As if at last, we did not fail
To find the ultra – perfect male”
His final test seemed rather crude
And might to some – appear quite rude
For when he turned his head to cough,
They nearly tore the damn things off.
But finally then sent him forth
And posted him – somewhere up north.
[inserted] PTO. [/inserted]
[page break]
[underlined] 2. [/underlined]
Now in this town of great repute
They gave him such a lovely suit
With loads of other things to pack
And learn to carry on his back.
Then wheeled him out upon the square
And lined him up with special care
With heaps of others of his make
Who’d made the same futile mistake.
And there his troubles really start
A sergeant with a stony heart,
Made him drill and do P.T.
Until, as far as he could see,
A horse’s life was one long laze
Compared with how he spent his days.
From that – he started on his course,
And weeks and weeks he spent at Morse,
His sanity – he hardly kept
He sent the damn stuff as he slept.
And when he thought he’d learnt the lot
They sent him to another spot
And bashed the Morse at him again
Until he’d got it on his brain.
[inserted] Cont on [underlined] P.3 [/underlined] [/inserted]
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
At last they said “here starts the fun,
We’ll show you how to use a gun
And just what tricks, to bear in mind,
When Jerry’s coming up behind”.
He learnt each little lark he could,
And said he really understood;
To always try and [deleted] an [/deleted] be the first,
To get in with a [deleted] lo [/deleted] nice long burst
That stopped his dirty little games
And shot the blighter down in flames.
At last the day he did receive
Three tapes to sew upon his sleeve
And realized at last that he
Had passed out as a WO/P/AG
The big day [deleted] indecipherable letter [/deleted] came – to his elation
Off he flew on operation
Heeding not the months he’d spent
Off at last – at last content
So his tale must close at last
Rueing not his bitter past
Heedless of lifes [sic] bitter knocks
He came back in a wooden box.
What a life.
[page break]
Of course you don’t finish up in a wooden box but I couldn’t get “wiped him out of the back turret” to rhyme – still you get the idea. A fat lot you care, you haven’t signed as one.
Thank everyone for their wishes - their letters - their books. One of these days I’ll compose a poem in praise of the chapel – when I’ve saved enough to get properly drunk. Tell Charlie to use the other hand – there are fingerprints all over his last letter.
Best of luck
Three cheers
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined]
P.S. If Moloney ever thinks of writing I shan’t believe it – it would be miracle even if he could think.
[underlined] P. [/underlined]
P.P.S. Get Eddie Hunt to kiss Moloney for me, they’ll both die of poisoning.
P.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes about basic and wireless operator/air gunner training in the form of a poem.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Text. Poetry
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-20
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
aircrew
arts and crafts
military service conditions
Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy
RAF Inverness
training
wireless operator / air gunner
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6566/ELampreyPGuntonW41XX03.1.pdf
c2bd24af529b1d60f5f859f65d2c6e63
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
10.22 AM
3 [undecipherable]
1941
Mr. W. Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal.
London N.W.10.
[page break]
[reverse of envelope blank]
[page break]
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey. P.H.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14 Group.
RAF. Inverness
[underlined] Scotland] [/underlined]
Monday.
Dear Uncle Bill and other folk.
The delay in answering the many letters, parcels, poems and what have you has been quite unintentional and is due to the fact that, unfortunately, my spare time has been used for other purposes. That is now past and I am once more in circulation and capable of carrying on my correspondence with my so called friends.
Things have not gone with the pleasurable smoothness usually associated with affairs in which I am concerned but from now on a more normal state of affairs should prevail.
I must thank all the friends who wrote to me. I am [deleted] axam [/deleted] examining Mr Ashtons last
[page break]
[inserted] 2. [/inserted]
effort again before I include him in that category. I’m very pleased to see Mr Denny has again taken up the pen and joins the ever growing [sic] number who attempt to play me with their missives.
The tide of war doesn’t surge so fiercly [sic] in these parts as on other fronts but we are getting by very nicely thank you. The pass has gone in for my leave and I spend most of my spare time on my hunkers praying they won’t give it the elbow. If by some freak of fortune it goes by I will be seeing something of you before Christmas. If by some underhanded skulduggery it gets heaved I’ll see you about 1947. The latter course would most likely suit a number of you, but as always, I shall do my best to see you are disappointed.
The weather here is much the same as the last time I didn’t mention it. The scenery is also still the same and it is only superhuman
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
selfcontrol [sic]that prevents me from biting large lumps out of this much publicized [sic] countryside.
We have been getting into town a bit more than on our first few weeks here. The pubs are still doing business and despite all fervent appeals by the S.A. and Mr Hunt to stay away from them, I still consider it my duty to support firms who are doing a good job of work under difficult conditions. As you are no doubt aware, these places are not laid out in the southern style, although the customers are. It is a real treat to be in town on pay night. With a few fireworks it would be good enough for a peace celebration. The fireworks are always held over until we flow back to the billet. This admission will most likely cause Mr. Hunt to sort out a few more tracts for my edification. These I hope to collect in about a fortnights
[page break]
[underlined] 4. [/underlined]
time.
I’m sorry to hear my old friend J. Honey is incapacitated. It might be water on the knee. The way the beer is diluted these days is terrible. I suppose Mr. Moloney is still at work? Hasn’t broken his neck or anything sensible yet? Well, I’ll still hope. I heard from an unimpeachable source that Mr Gilbert has once again been in the clutches of the law. He should buy a season ticket, it works out cheaper if you are always visiting these places. From another source I heard Brother George was considering having a smack at me. This I want to mention is rather a dangerous proceeding and liable to have serious repecussions [sic].
I should like to warn all chapel members against a certain party who seems to be lining you all up. Said party has of late been missing his note-case and then dis –
[page break]
[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
covering it was at home. Next time he wants to go back to the railway station a responsible official should accompany him. There are too many of these lapses of memory in Slate Club secretaries. I hope to see him on my leave but would never be surprised to see a notice stating he was missing.
The ginger cat I suppose is safely settled in its [sic] winter quarters and purrs every time a set runs off. Charlie Stan, I hope, still continues to fight his defensive action and hold his territorial gains. When Alf launches his blitz however I’m afraid Charlie will be on his knees. Thats [sic] if he fights fair.
I hope and trust Mr. Hunt is enjoying the weather and the local fog hasn’t upset his naturally urbane manner. In any case if he only keeps on long enough he will
[page break]
[underlined] 6. [/underlined]
get something done – to him.
This letter must be finished and I shall at the first opportunity come up again with another effusion. Circumstances, as I have said, have been against me this time.
Thank Fred Honey for the parcel and letter and express my best wishes for his affairs. Jack Denny – Sir – I thank you. Harry Ashton – curse you I’ve just deciphered the epistle. Remember me to anybody I’ve forgotten. Thanks for everything from a part-worn – sorry – war worn airman.
Best of luck Pete X.
P.S. The paper inside might interest you.
I’ll write as soon as I know my leave is OK.
[underlined] P. [/underlined].
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that has received letters and parcels from his workmates but has been too busy until now to reply. He has put his leave pass in and is hoping to see friend before Christmas. He makes some comments about Scottish pubs and concludes with catching up with friends.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and six page handwritten document
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
ELampreyPGuntonW41XX03
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6571/ELampreyPGuntonW4202XX.2.pdf
756e70b57e4789ebc554f1706b5cf499
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
PM
FEB
1942
[postage stamp]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[page break]
[Reverse of envelope]
[RAF Crest]
[Page Break]
[RAF Crest]
HQ. 14 Group
RAF. [underlined] Inverness [/underlined]
[underlined] Friday [/underlined].
Dear Uncle Bill and others.
This is going to shake the rats nest rotten. Instead of printing a nice long letter I am just rushing off a few lines to stop a load of moans about you never hear from me.
At the moment I am rather busy on this war business and have no time to indulge in fanciful flights. As you will see – if you are still capable of doing any strenuous work – I have arrived back at this haven of rest and contentment. Since landing
[page break]
I have hardly had time to much less saunter into town and go on the belt.
From the terrific applause I got from my last epistle I should think I forgot to address it. If you come any more cracks about being two letters up I shall refer you to this bleak period.
If you send me Bill’s address next time you find a spare bit of paper I’ll drop him a line and give the army some gen on how to a stay out of trouble. This information will I in no way impart to “old ivory”. One thing about his (Moloneys’) false teeth is that he has got something to stay in his head at
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
last.
Having returned to life I shall make a valiant attempt to re-establish contact with my friends. I shall also write to you occasionally. Mr Hunt can also look forward to being dealt with and as for brother George, I might even stir another letter from that [deleted] undecipherable [/deleted] inexhaustible store of fairy tales.
I hope to be posted south shortly and then my pseudo-friends – attention will be paid to all who have slighted me – cheered my misfortunes and generally praised my incarceration as the finest thing the RAF have done this year.
I believe I have already thanked
[page break]
Everyone for the fags and books but in case I have overlooked this I thank you again.
Tell me if you can understand. [sic] this letter only if you would like me to print the nest I know what to do. Remind Dave to get in early and not over do things. Not that he needs the second bit of advice.
Remember me to all at home.
Love and kisses x
Pete.
P.S. If half the chapel can’t read this letter its [sic] the fault of the education authorities – not mine.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey catches up with friend and mentions that he hopes to be posted south soon.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-02
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and four page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW4202XX
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-02
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
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6582/ELampreyPGuntonW411002.1.pdf
44593710d4f73d4bdba433b554bd580f
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
10.45PM
2 OCT
1941
[postage stamp]
[inserted] EXAMINER 2155 51/9911 WB [/inserted]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[page break]
[Reverse of envelope]
[inserted] P.C. 90 OPENED BY EXAMINER 2155 [/inserted]
[page break]
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals [deleted] Office [/deleted]. Section.
Group 14. Headquarters.
Inverness.
Scotland.
Start. Monday.
Finish.. Thurs.
Dear Bill – Gents.
From this far-flung outpost of the empire – greetings. In the wilds of the north there still beats a southern heart but – its [sic] beating bloody slow. I have at last come to the conclusion that somebody has got it in for me and has wished me bad luck. This place is so far from anywhere that if you wanted to buy some beer you would need three days [sic] rations and a compass. Talk about where the hand of man has never trod, even the sea-gulls look lost and follow the trains to get to town. We are billetted [sic] in somebody’s hunting lodge by the looks of it. Why they built it miles from anywhere can only be put down to the fact that money softens the brain – witness E. Hunt. He will be pleased to know that the bright lights – the flesh pots and the debauchery of the cities is now a thing of the past with me, [underlined] but [/underlined], not because I want it to be. The powers that be, have decided I shall rusticate so who am I to argue?
[page break]
I may have remarked in the past that, what I am, I owe to my friends. I now remark, if I owe this load to one of my friends he had better dig a big hole – jump in and pull the dirt in after himself when I get away. By the way, tell Herbert Bud. That this is a lovely course and he wants to get in right away – let them all suffer. They say this life puts hair on your chest – its [sic] more likely to put a bunch of flowers there. Mind you, after a few days I shall probably like it. I’ll be properly balmy [sic]. I am writing this lying in bed and its [sic] so cold the herbert opposite thinks I’m waving to him, he’ll know I’m only shivering when I stop suddenly and freeze solid. The heating in the hut is good, one 40 watt bulb and a couple of hot jokes.
From all reports, by the boys here, I have joined the legion of forgotten men. Once you arrive here they scrub your name out and let you waste away. I expect any moment to run into a veteran who mustered as an air-gunner in the Boer War and got posted here. Don’t forget to let me know if the war ends as I want to do a bit of celebrating. When I think of the pleasures I left behind in civilization I begin to wonder if I ought not to try
[underlined] 2. [/underlined]
[page break]
and curb my adventurous spirit and settle down to a nice little A.C.H. job round about the London district. Thats [sic] if there are any jobs like that left in the RAF.
I missed one or two of the herbs when I called up there last week but they will know it was unintentional and due to the rush I was in. In particular I missed Dave and owe him my appologies [sic] but will see him next time they take my chains off. Also Jack Moloney – I did not get much chance to do a lot of cracking with him but have really plenty to yap about, but it will keep for a few months. Next time I call I hope to miss a few of the smiling faces and [deleted] her [/deleted] hear they are under training in the Orkneys or Shetlands, see how they like it. My heart bleeds when I think of what some of them have to face, it is one pleasure I have got to come at any rate.
There will be none of the nights of romance from now on. Life is real – life is earnest here. Work and sleep ad. infinitum. No more drifting from the Y.M.C.A. to the sports field with a nice WAAF and a nasty mind.
I had a very nice couple of days with the family and came up to London with them but didn’t have another chance of getting to the firm. I should imagine, from what
[inserted] 3. [/inserted]
[page break]
some of the old stagers here say, I shall be a perfect stranger by the time I do see the old homestead again. I’ll more than likely need a guide to take me round London so you can start arranging for it, next time up.
Well theres [sic] not a lot more I can write for the present so with the usual madam I’ll wish you all the best etc. Remember me to the maintenence [sic] etc - etc. Don’t overdo things and start working hard.
Best of luck.
Pete.
P.S. You asked me to get something or other. What was it? I’ve forgotten.
[underlined] P. [/underlined]
P.P.S. I’ll let you know when parcel arrives [underlined] from the wife [/underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he is not enjoying his life in Scotland away from civilisation and feels that they have all been forgotten.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941-10-02
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and four page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW411002
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-10-02
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6583/ELampreyPGuntonW411007.2.pdf
faac4e1f5783907c81da49cd308eca36
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
1.45 PM
7 OCT
1941
[postage stamps]
[inserted] EXAMINER 4,789 [/inserted]
Mr. W Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Rd.
Park Royal.
London. N.W. 10.
[page break]
[Reverse of envelope]
[inserted] P.C. 90 OPENED BY [/inserted]
[page break]
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
Headquarters. 14. Group.
RAF. Inverness.
Scotland.
[underlined] Second week. [/underlined]
Dear Bill and One and All.
Many thanks for the parcel which arrived this morning, greeted, I might say, with exclamations of joy. Well, here after 8 months service I can be found, unsteady but nevertheless, still on my feet and going in for the third round. I started my career as an A.C.2. and now, by strict application and hard work I find myself still an A.C. 2. Thank the lord I am holding my own. On the last camp we understood the RAF could do anything with you, barring give you a baby. We have since revised that idea. Now evidently they can even do that, but they still can’t make you love it. My one big worry since being posted here is that the whole affair will blow over and I shall know nothing of it. The wilds of darkest Africa have nothing on this place and at any moment one expects an expedition to discover us and reap the plaudits of civilised parts for their intrepid penetration into uncharted areas. This would be a rescue in the fullest sense of the word.
[page break]
Not of course that I am grumbling, I always wanted to see Scotland, but I’ve seen all of it now, all I want to. Mind you, I could be posted south among the perils and pitfalls of civilisation and be worse off. But only if I was broke.
All we can do here is read and write so if you receive more than your fair quota of letters, don’t imagine I think any more of you. It is just something to do. In any case half of you can’t write so I take it you’re short on reading too. This place, one gathers, is laid out to harden us off. By a slight misjudgement it is browning us off instead. The miles to town are as long as my memory and that, I warn all who have cheered at my luck, is of a mighty length.
Mr Hunt will be glad, once again, to hear that I am now definitely a teetotaler [sic]. The nearest beer is 4 or 5 miles away and 400 on a Sunday. The Scottish stuff is reputed to be extremely good but I think I will take words for deeds and stick to water. The stomach can crave but the feet won’t go. The next time I go on the bash I will very likely have three grape-fruit and proceed to take the town apart brick-by-brick. I am certainly joining Harry Beachams [sic] Band of Hope, hope
[inserted] 2. [/inserted]
[page break]
somebody else pays next time.
And the biggest surprise of all in the parcel. Rusty’s P.S. “Any complaints”? Listen. If I really got worked up on complaining I’d need a 72” and about 6 months leave to get it all down. As he was only asking about printing L.C. I can only reply “Is that what you do now? Then what did you call the process while I was there?” Surely I can still see the master-hand underlaying [sic] the cuts? Or am I wrong Mr. Denny?
As to your wants Mr. Gunton. You want a stone from Stonehenge and a side of bacon from Calne, where they cure it. Near Calne, there’s a place where they can cure you of wants. I’ve just left it.
Has any more been heard of Herbert. Is he going on a course. If so what. Where etc? And Bill Smith and F. Batch. How are they doing these days – just keeping the war slightly under way from the army side I suppose? Bill should just about have a few tapes by now shouldn’t he? You said something about his being shifted from Cardiff so he might land up here somewhere – and would it shake him. One idea of mine has certainly come unstuck. The weather here keeps fine and dry – I thought it was always raining and that was why Scotsmen always went to England. To keep dry. In
[inserted] 3. [/inserted]
[page break]
any case, I don’t blame them going south, they’re good judges.
Well my friend – the fount of inspiration having dried – with my usual madam I’ll wish all of you the same as you wish me – and see how you like it. Remember me to the maintenance and any other enquirers. Give my regards to anybody you like – I’m far enough away not to worry. Tell Maloney I often think of what he has to go through – and laugh like mad. How is Charlie’s youngster these days? I’m sorry I forgot to ask when I was there. Remember me to the puller-in-chief and deputy.
Best of luck
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined]
P.S. Don’t all write at once – the signals room is very small and we have to work there and bags of mail are awkward.
P.P.S. Remember me to Bert Frankham will you? I missed him when there.
[underlined] Cheers [/underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he has now spent eight months in the RAF and is still an AC2. He then includes some banter and asks for news of his friends in the services.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941-10-07
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and four page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW411007
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
England--Stonehenge
England--Wiltshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-10
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6584/ELampreyPGuntonW411103.1.pdf
44f3958cf31a7af0e9b1ed28758032c5
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
10.15 AM
3 NOV
1941
[postage stamp]
[inserted] EXAMINER 1989 [/inserted]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Waterlow and Sons Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[page break]
[Reverse of envelope]
[inserted] P. C. 90 OPENED BY [/inserted]
[page break]
1384535 A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
H.Q. 14 Group. RAF.
Inverness
Scotland.
Saturday [underlined] 1st. [/underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill – Friends – J. Moloney – E. Hunt.
Thanks for the shoals of correspondence I have received this week. The bardic crown was much appreciated and will do to wear when I get browned off wearing my cap - field service – airmen – for the use of. “The Royal” is a nice bit of work and I like the contributors – especi-ally the poet. On the subject of poetry – I shall attend to the pseudo-Shelly, who’s effort accompanied said .bardic crown, personally. [sic]
The news, as usual, remains meagre. I can say however, that although still attached to H.Q. I no longer work in the ease and comfort of the signals office, but out in the frozen fields in a tender. Two days out there and a brass monkey couldn’t enjoy his rights.
Feeling rather chirpy, on Thursday we decided to go into town and take it apart. Having spent a pleasant afternoon we decided to spend a better evening. The beer was good. Having tasted blood I was prepared to roar. Would
[page break]
they let me? Not on your duff. Down came the shutters at 9 oclock. [sic] Talk about Eddie Hunts paradise. No beer after 9. It’s enough to make a man turn tee-total for life. I know why Scotchmen [sic] live in England.
The weather keeps much the same as in civilised places. When it keeps fine, its [sic] dry and its [sic] usually wet when it rains. The locals keep on shaking their heads and saying “Wait till [sic] it snows” – the trouble is I’ve no option. I’ve got to. From the tales I hear I shall finish up a snow-shoe expert.
Having settled down and decided to carry on the war from this remote fastness I am now getting a bit more used to the scenery and don’t hate it for so long every day. One reason being with the shorter days you don’t see so much of it. The heather is turning brown and will soon match the airmen.
I have your letter dated 21st. As the postmark is 26th either there has been some skulduggery and it wasn’t posted or the postal service is getting slack. I pray it is the latter. In your P.S. you say “If you cant [sic] get what you want where you are, let you know and you’ll get it”. Well I’d take advantage of that but what I want you can’t get. Or at least you can’t send it on – only how it felt.
[page break]
In “The Royal” I notice my agents are looking after my interests. I hope they have clinched a hard bargain as to royalties and sold the film rights to Hollywood. Though how Moloney will get on when it comes to signing his name on a contract – I don’t know. Personally I should have liked my lifes [sic] work printed on hand-made and hide bound – but suppose what they have done is the best.
I have booked my leave – so far – for January 10th. This as you will realise don’t mean a thing but being of an optimistic nature I thought I’d just try it out. If, by some freak of fortune, I get it on that date I hope some of you will have a few bobs left to help me celebrate my return from the back of beyond.
So “Tich” Mitchell has gone and become a gunner. Well, well, the war must now be moving to a climax – just one or two more out of the boys and I think we could break this affair wide open. And Herbert thinking of remustering to a pilot, eh? It’s a long hard road and only us supermen of the RAF know how hard. Mr Hunt will most likely come back with some dirty crack about the superman but as I never read his letters I shan’t know. But if he is not a bit more genteel
[page break]
than in his last letter, I shall apply for compassionate leave and come up and see him. Although, mind you, I enjoy some of his letters. Just shows you how your taste can deterioate. [sic]
As I am going to reply to a certain person within a few hours I shall close this brief epistle with my usual [deleted] forula [/deleted] formula. Remember me to anyone who cares to remember. Kiss Doug for me – or get Dave to do it. Thank everyone for the books. Don’t work yourself to death – until you have replied. Tell Cherry and Charlie the next flowers I wear round my hat I’ll pick off their graves.
Best of luck.
Pete.
P.S. You thought that I was going to put in a dirty crack about Maloney here but you’re wrong – I can’t think of one dirty enough. P.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes thanking friends for letters and a poem. He complains about early pub shutting times in Scotland and about the weather. He mentions that he has booked leave and concludes with some light hearted banter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941-10-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and three page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW411103
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-10-03
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6585/ELampreyPGuntonW411121.2.pdf
579e552b0ff2a9e62d6b023bdf961e17
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
10 15AM
21 NOV
1941
[postage stamp]
[inserted] EXAMINER 6340 [/inserted]
Mr. W. Gunton
Machine Room
Waterlow and Sons Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[page break]
[reverse of envelope]
[inserted]
P.C.90
OPENED BY
[/inserted]
[page break]
1384535 A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14 Group. RAF.
Inverness.
[underlined] Scotland. [/underlined]
[Underlined] Tuesday [/Underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill – Friends – [Underlined] Etc. [/Underlined]
Once again I thank you for the letter. Once again I salute Mr Hunt for his valiant effort to emulate Byron. Once again I warn Mr Ashton that flesh and blood can stand so much and then I shall have to slaughter him piecemeal. Still – thanks. Being of an open nature – I shall open the parcel and thank you after – having been the victim of a number of parcels. The news you sent me is indeed stirring. I shall use it discreetly and no one shall know where I got the information – much.
[Page Break]
The news from the fighting line is again scarce. Very little has occurred since the last communique was issued. Gradually we settle down and now I am learning the language things are a shade better. I can now ask for a pint – and get it. Instead of being told “Its just through that door”
The number of businesses that this war has closed down is apalling [sic]. I have heard that the old firm of “trimmers – pullers and special sorters” has had a severe body blow and half the staff has left. The founder however, is – so I am told – keeping it going by doing a bit himself. This is the change the doctor has been advising him to take for years but up till now he has never risked it. The retiring partner is going in for finance I understand. He’ll find it
[Page Break]
[Underlined] 3 [/Underlined]
harder to trim the boys than trim radio.
Mr Hunt – I am sorry to note – is still alive. My faith in prayer diminishes every day. You might tell him that the people buried at Culloden are dead all over. I’m pestered by a bloke dead from the shoulders up. And as for someones [sic] daughter presenting him with a puppy – have a good look and see if it looks like Moloney – he’s the dirtiest dog round there.
I [deleted] Km [/deleted] knew Rusty would have to get into some sort of uniform even if he could only take a temporary commission in the R.S.A. He should look sweet in a waterproof and gum boots with his figure.
[Page Break]
[inserted] 4 [/inserted]
While getting stuck into this letter I received one from Fred Gunner. You might like to know he is now a corporal. I’d have forwarded his address but he is going overseas and by the time you get this he will be on his embarkation leave. He seems to be glad he’s going and sounds ok. You might pass the information on to Freddie Goodspeed.
Having retired to a dark corner and opened the parcel – I send my thanks to everyone once again. The mail has flowed so thick and fast these last two days that this letter has suffered a series of setbacks. I apologise for the delay knowing you will understand the position of us fighting men.
I should have warned you previously against spending an evening out with Mr. Evans. As soon as he approaches a bar his back feels bad and only
[Page Break]
[Underlined] 5 /[Underlined]
a drop of gin will do it good. He will now come back at me with the old crack – I can take it, my back is broad. Thats the trouble, it takes such a lot of gin for a broad back.
Excuse me one moment – the muse has taken over again.
Who is it? When a bloke comes round
To see the shop - is always found
Working hard at this and that
And always has his answer pat.
“Someone else will have to do
The dirty work, I’ve one or two
More important things on hand
I’m sure that you will understand”.
But let it be a bit of fluff
And then just watch him do his stuff
Sends her on the upper deck
And nearly breaks his blasted neck
Making sure she doesn’t fall
But keeps below and sees it all
PTO
[Page Break]
[inserted] 6. [/inserted]
is safe.
I know your dirty mind. Who is it? Two guesses – right both times – Bill Thornhill.
I won’t let on who told me about this when I got the books.
Having finished that we can get down to the rest of the news. I have booked my leave for Dec. 16th. If I, with my proverbial luck, get it, I shall be along and take my seat at the ringside for the fight that, I have been informed is in constant progress favouring no one – I hope my dear friend Mr Standivan has his ears pinned back, by the “Greenford Gorilla” Mr Barnes. This will save me a job. Having disposed of Mr. Standivan I can put him on to one or two more little jobs he could do for me.
Getting back – the trouble with your people is – you want to rush this war.
[Page Break]
[Underlined] 7 [/Underlined]
Everything is under control. At present I am a WOP. Eventually I shall be a WOP/AG. – then my friends – the tapes. If you don’t like it there are two things you can do. Inbred politeness prevents me from mentioning either.
Mr Hunt – bless him – will speak to nothing less than a sergeant. At last my dreams are coming true, if he keeps his word the war is worth it.
Mr Ashton forward – thank you.
You spell like a don
And the way you run on,
Reminds me of Tennysons’ brook
Your scansion is good,
That is quite understood,
And your subject would fill up a book.
But despite all your flair
For the verse: I despair
Of the trouble that your efforts spell
For although you can rhyme,
I maintain – all the time
Your poems continue to smell.
[Page Break]
[Underlined] 8. [/Underlined]
This – I am afraid – will be about all. If I have failed to insult – upset or antagonize anyone, my mission is a failure. Remember me to all my friends. Thank those that wrote and those that can’t.
Kiss brother George – J. Money – J. Denny and Rusty, your taste is worse than mine. Lots of love and kisses x
Pete.
P.S. I forgot to insult Moloney this time – remind me in your next letter.
P.P.S. Hear about the airman with one foot. All the WAAFs followed him for miles.
[Underlined] Be seeing you [/Underlined]
[Underlined] Pete. [/Underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes thanking friends for correspondence and that he is getting used to Scotland. He mentions a letter from a colleague in the services and includes a couple of short poems. He advises that he has booked leave.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941-11-21
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and eight page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Text. Poetry
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ELampreyPGuntonW411121
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-11-21
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
arts and crafts
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6586/ELampreyPGuntonW411211.2.pdf
542ddff365dc60f838af759d487d6b94
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
10 15AM
11 DEC
1941
[postage stamp]
Mr. W. Gunton
Waterlow And Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10
[page break]
1384535 A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14 Group.
RAF. Inverness.
Scotland.
Tuesday – as ever [Underlined] was. [/Underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill – My friends and all
I fear my letters sometimes fall
On ears that do not seem to heed.
The mighty truths in every screed.
You may look askance at the date
And sometimes murmer [sic] “Pete is late
His letters come in such a stream
The lad does nothing else but dream”.
Now this is quite the wrong idea.
It is’nt [sic] dreams of you I fear
But my example seems to lead
To sheets of stuff that’s [sic] hard to read
And though I welcome any note
The stuff that Mr Ashton wrote
Has made me realise the curse
That’s laid on me for writing verse.
[Page Break]
[Underlined] 2. [/Underlined]
Now my friends – just plain madam – I hope this will be the last letter I shall write from here until the New Year. So far my pass has stayed in the office and up to the time of going to press, nothing has been found wrong with it. So everything points to the fact that you are likely to have the thrilling experience of talking to an airman next – or rather listening to one. I am warning you in plenty of time so that the bunting and flags can be flown and the carpet laid. I shall endeavour to arrange this treat for Tuesday or Wednesday.
After a slight hitch in the normal run of things we have once again settled down to a steady effort at war winning. My nights – to your no doubt infinite dismay – have been dreamless and all things considered, it is as well. This breathing spare will give the Pseudo-Poet – Mr Ashton a chance to think up a few more libels. It will also enable my old friend Mr Hunt to collect the few wits he has and struggle on with his atte[inserted]m[/inserted]pts at verse.
[Page Break]
So for the present you will have to put up with prose. Should the muse heave one at me I will not fail to let you have it. Not that I have had a lot of time to listen to anything lately as I have been putting in a few well learned hours in town.
Im glad to hear Frank Batch is doing ok – if he’s doing as well as me he’s looking for his cards. I’d like to have seen him – or for that any of them. I don’t know who writes the bits for the Royal but he’d better keep it a secret until after I’ve called as there is something like a dirty crack in it, at me.
I think I’ve discovered your lovely scenery at last. It’s mainly in town. The only doubt as to whether it is the kind you mean is, I don’t know whether they had any A.T.S in the last dog-fight. I shan’t write a lot as I want to give you all the “gen” at first hand next week so just excuse the brevity.
Remember me to everyone and hope to see you next week.
Be seeing you.
Pete –
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey starts with a poem and then goes on to say this should be his last until after the New Year. He concludes with friendly banter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941-12-11
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and three page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Text. Poetry
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ELampreyPGuntonW411211
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-12-11
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
arts and crafts
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6587/ELampreyPGuntonW420102.1.pdf
ebac8cf135793006377e059da9fb6d51
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
10 15AM
2 JAN
1942
[postage stamp]
[inserted] EXAMINER 6399 [/inserted]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Waterlow and Sons Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal. N.W.10.
London.
[page break]
1384535. AC.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14 Group.
RAF. Inverness.
Scotland.
1st. [Underlined] Jan [/Underlined]
Dear Uncle (and for this letter) my friends.
Many months seem to have passed since I last saw your ugly pans but I put that down to the fact that I am feeling low. Having celebrated Hogmany [sic] in the truly Scottish style all I crave now is a quick death. This feeling I hope will pass, as I have one or two things to attend to this year.
Many thanks for the parcel which I found surrounded by a surging mob of airmen when I arrived at this hole – dump or what have you. Having rested I have now gone back to the job of winning the war, with a good heart. Things are once again under control. The RAF, once more, is at full fighting strength and now you can
[Page Break]
expect a change to come over the aspect of the war. Expect on for a while my friends, as I have my contacts to resume and cannot guarantee any real change for a while but, as I said befor [sic], things are under control.
I haven’t had time yet to study the lie of the land but I think the supply of pleasure is still good and plentiful and easy. So I must get me to town tonight and sample a bit.
There is, as you can guess, very little to write about at present but I feel the muse stirring and would never be suprised [sic] if, one of these days, I break out into a horrible attack of rhyme. The main trouble is to find out who to insult first. Collectively, I could insult you easily but I like to feel my mighty truths go home singly. I hope Mr Ashton is still in the best of health. I’m a bit of a dab for telling lies. Mr Hunt is as usual liable to every disease bar brain fever. In passing I might mention I have been thinking of signing the pledge and only drinking
[Page Break]
what he pays for, but on second thoughts I realise I should die of thirst so I’ll leave it.
I hope everyone had as good a Christmas as I did and all returned to their labours? fit and full of what it takes.
Dear Uncle – Wyn wrote to me and wanted to know why you didn’t turn up Tuesday. I bet that shakes you – you don’t even remember marrying the girl I suppose?
Thank Arthur Gilbert for his letter and I shall write to him and Fred Cooper as I let Fred down. Kiss Doug for me and will write over the weekend.
Look after yourself while nurse is away.
Best of luck.
Pete.
P.S. Compliments of the season.
PP.S. That goes for Moloney – I feel big hearted.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he is feeling ill after celebrating Hogmanay. He notes there is not much news and concludes with some banter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-01-02
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and three page handwritten letter
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ELampreyPGuntonW420102
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-01-02
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6589/ELampreyPGuntonW420305.1.pdf
6a5a3713fc7d41b825bb2f8c5d113121
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
3.45 PM
5 MAR
1942
[postage stamp]
Mr W. Gunton
Machine Room
Waterlow and Sons
Twyford Abbey Road
Park Royal. N.W.10
London
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[page break]
[RAF crest]
Signals Section
HQ. 14 Group
[underlined] Sunday [/underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill
It seems quite a time since I have written to you. It will be a hell of a time before I write again if I do not get a more friendly style of correspondent. You have certainly got some gyver [sic]. Cracking on about my spelling – if I ever lower myself to visit that den of thieves where the machine managers hide, I shall fetch some of the brightest of the letters from my mail and shake a few of you.
[page break]
[underlined]2. [/underlined]
Things are very much the same as the last time I wrote. Not that half of you care if I am lying dead and the other half hoping it. Very shortly I hope to visit London on one of my periodical excursions. Should any of you wish to see me keep it to yourselves as the others will think you are mad. I am alredy [sic] (have a look at that for spelling) convinced of that fact.
The poetry was, I am afraid, a wasted effort on Mr Ashton’s part as I had only time to give it a quick glance and have not got down to it seriously yet. I am dodging around a bit and do not get a lot of time for the present. However I shall consider its contents before the week end and let you have a real poets [sic] opinion on it.
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[underlined]3[/underlined]
I am still waiting for a plane for a trip back to the island for a week or so, but from the look of things Ill [sic] get fallen arches hanging around.
In my, unfortunately limited, spare time I have managed to get to town a number of times, and things – I am glad to say –are very nice thank you. The beer is still fair and there is plenty around. The only drawback at present is the snow. Its [sic] very damp and you show up against it when on private affairs with one of the new recruits.
This I suppose, will cause Mr Hunt to reach for his book of tracts and get ready to post another one on to me. If, however, it should arrive while I am
[page break]
still sober I will give it the consideration it deserves.
The ideas some of you people have of Tiree evidently need a serious overhauling. From the general idea you think it is just one round of life and laughter. Listen to my friends – if I ever hear one peep of pleasure at the blood I’ve spilt on those sands I shall proceed to erect a gallows in the machine room and have a good time hanging you in bunches of five.
Despite the horrible threats against my person, Brother George seems to have retired into his cave. Again, [deleted]s[/deleted] he is, I take it, now inventing a new type of stone axe to use when his age group gets its second chance.
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[underlined] 5 [/underlined]
Since starting this epistle the parcel arrived. Many thanks for everything and if I can do anything for you don’t [sic] be afraid to ask. I shall not be afraid to refuse. I am glad to see by the Royal that there are one or two others helping me with the war. The work I have been doing lately made me wonder if I was carrying it alone or if Harry Beacham had been called up. At one time I understood the gallant Home Guard was on the verge of writing. If all he wants is encouragement I dare him.
While still on the same page I should point out that, every time I receive a parcel packed by the ginger cat it is opened outdoors and left in a bucket of water for a couple of hours. This
[page break]
being purely a precautionary measure against and because of the bloody inventors bright ideas. It might ruin the parcels but I am still alive, or as near as doesn’t matter.
How – if I am not overstepping the bounds of friendship – is our old friend Dave? Still pulling the same copy around as when I left or has he started another one? From the information I have had, he seems to be going to the dogs. Hitting the high spots at night and late every morning. A very strict watch is advisable on all chapel accounts as we know he intimidates Rusty and I take it they go over the books together.
Not having heard from Mr W. Collins since his outburst some months back,
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
I presume writers [sic] cramp has set in and he has still to undergo treatment for it. The usual method is a glass vessel filled with liquid clasped firmly in the right hand. He should know as he had something to do with this mob once.
Things are now moving towards me and it looks like a bit more work so I’ll finish up.
Remember me to everyone. With a bit of luck I’ll see you before the month is out. Keep your hands of [sic] my women or I’ll tell the chapel.
Keep your nose clean
Pete.
[page break]
P.S. Hard luck, nothing to say.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey starts with some banter and continues with some general comments on Tiree before catching up with news of friends.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-03-05
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and eight page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420305-0003
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-03-05
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6590/ELampreyPGuntonW420312.1.pdf
e5649bef25cee370ff4f3ce291a2fe7e
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
10 PM
13 MAR
1942
[postage stamp]
Mr W. Gunton
Machine Room
Waterlow and Sons
Twyford Abbey Road
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[inserted] X [/inserted]
[page break]
Reverse of envelope blank
[page break]
[RAF crest]
Signals Section
HQ. 14 Group
RAF. [underlined] Inverness. [/underlined]
12th March 1942
Dear Uncle Bill and others.
First – I don’t write enough – then I write instead of print – now I have to put the date on. Next you will want the bloody letters delivered by hand – but before you shove that request in – I must tell you it is a bit of a job to do it.
Thanks for the books – boards etc. I can see that, despite the pressure of work on lighters, the inventors still have time to do anything but print.
With your usual disregard for the truth or anything approaching veracity you state
[page break]
“We stand just the same”, if I remember aright. The last time I saw you it could hardly be said that you were standing – balancing, yes. Standing, never.
The fact that I happen to be kicking the gong around in Inverness seems to be a sore point with more people that Eddy Hunt. I’ll tell you soon enough when I start back for the island. And I might mention that my cactus does not need water. It will feed only on the blood of my pseudo friends.
Things, as you can guess, are much the same here. Spring having come to [deleted] indecipherable [/deleted] Scotland we expect to drag out our snow shoes and skis any moment now. The beer is still very fair and boy – the latest- is she dark. A WAAF with as
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[underlined]3[/underlined]
much principle as Moloney – who, by the way, I hope is now in a worse state of health [inserted] than [/inserted] anyone who has been dead six months.
So far I have managed to be undetected and I am still as free as a bird. I can’t make my mind up what bird – a canary or a zoo parrot. But at least – up to the time of going to press – I can still get to town on occasion and waste my money and health on riotous living. Having discovered a decent dance hall I shake a wicked hoof every so often and feel like Fred Astaire – about 60.
You will no doubt be pleased to hear that I have booked my leave for the end of the month. You can therefore
[page break]
dig out your red carpet and bunting and send it to the cleaners in readiness. Only this time I think, we had better have a bit better company on the evening out. There were too many drunks around last time.
At last I have had time to study Mr. Ashtons [sic] perorations. I have examined them from every angle and fins they are best upside down. You can’t read them that way. Even so they still smell. Not that I should complain too much – I realise anything would smell after being so long near Mr Hunt.
You say that Archie might write – he might if somebody taught him how to spell first and then wrote the letter for him. As for Brother George he
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[underlined]5[/underlined]
is still too busy winding up the 1914-18 do to worry about helping this tea party along.
Having burst into a letter I now take it that Rusty is recuperating and I shall hear from him again in about six months or so. I am glad to hear that Dave has ceased to be a thorn in the flesh. I suppose he has now graduated as a knife in the back. If only half of what I hear about him is true he should be in our little mob. He could show us new ways of being a curse to all honest people.
I seem to get precious little news these days of how you poor sufferers are standing up to the rigours of
[page break]
this total war. I never seem to hear the latest news of the never ending fight of Mr Beacham to let Mr. Straw do it all, and Mr Straws [sic] gallant retreat.
So here I will leave you – short of news as usual, but if you can’t imagine what I am doing now, after all the letters I’ve written, it will be no good trying to excite your crippled brains with any further information.
Remember me to Tich Mitchell the next time you write. I should imagine that by now he knows the right end to keep clear of. If you should write Herbert tell him there is plenty of room for
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[inserted] 7. [/inserted]
good airmen up here – he can have my place.
Remember me to the Guv’nor [sic] and his two partners in crime. Give my regards to the OPA’s and the Engineers. If anybody wishes to be remembered to me, tell ‘em [sic] I’m very busy and I’ll rmemeber them when I get time.
If I have forgotten to insult anybody this time its [sic] because my stock of epithets have run low.
Look after yourself and keep calm I’ll be there soon.
Your loving nephew
Pete.
P.S. Kiss Auntie for me. The blonde one. PTO.
[page break]
P.P.S. Should Moloney be lying in bed it is nothing unusual – he lies wherever he is...
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes about life in Inverness and that he has booked leave for the end of the month. He concluded with banter and a request for news of friends.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-03-13
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and eight page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420312
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-03-13
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6591/ELampreyPGuntonW420318.2.pdf
aa46b617eb416ed0d0823f2192911599
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
9 AM
20 MAR
1942
[postage stamp]
Mr W. Gunton.
Waterlow and Sons Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[page break]
[RAF crest]
Signals Section
HQ. 14 [underlined] Group [/underlined]
[underlined]Wednesday 18th March 1942[/underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill etc.
You can – I am very sorry to say – put the flags – bunting and red carpet back in the store. I shall not be coming on leave just yet. Should anybody break into hysterical cheers over this fact you might note their name for future attention.
The way of an airman is very hard my friends. After steering a clever path through all the snags – pitfalls and what have you that beset the road I tread, they decide it is time to take this long heralded trip back to the island.
[page break]
My cup of bitterness is – as you can guess – now full to overflowing. Should you hear of an air force being formed in Scotland, having no connection with the RAF, it will be me forming my own one to get a bit more leave.
If anyone should – in their misguided way – tell me, I shall soon get used to the island, I shall have much pleasure in beating, what goes for head with the them, off their blasted shoulders. I shall never get used to it – I don’t want to get used to it.
Owing to the exigences [sic] of the service I am [deleted]unu[/deleted] unable to concede to your request to mark your letters off on the cribbage board. The fire was out and there was no wood so that now – your letters go
[page break]
[RAF crest]
[underlined]3[/underlined]
unmarked. Not that I would ever consider marking off some of your latest efforts as letters. They were just lurks to try and catch up – but they don’t get by with me, my friend.
Once again I implore you. Don’t shoot that horrible line [deleted]about[/deleted] to me about Scotch scenery. I don’t like Scotch scenery – except when I am heading south. Then it is moving in the right direction. Just remember that you saw it from the ease and comfort of a ship. I have to walk all over it.
Thanks for the latest parcel – which by the way is still unopened – as it was packed in my kit ready for the big trip. Should it be one of those parcels I
[page break]
shall withdraw the thanks in my next letter – if any.
Having got us all packed and waiting on the drome they decided the weather was too bad for flying so here we sit. Just the bare necessties [sic] of life to live with. Dare not open up the kit as I’d never get all the stuff back again.
After much mature consideration I have decided not to say any more about Brother Georges efforts in the last war. If he should burst a blood vessel I’ll never get that drink he is always refusing to buy me, or he might haul off and beat my block in with his stone axe.
So far – despite all your letters – I have no inside information about things down there. Are they still the same or do you
[page break]
[underlined]5[/underlined]
[RAF crest]
have to work now? Is Dave still in charge of the books or have they found him out? Thats’ the news I want – or some good news like, Moloneys’ funeral was a big success.
The inventors I suppose still dodge around doing their good deeds. Not that I give a hoot if they are doing time – which, by rights, they should. I like to think that one day they’ll have all their work cut out inventing excuses – and that the Sergeant won’t listen. If I ever get a chance to help them out of a tight corner they can rely on me to do the right thing – I owe them one or two things.
Mr Hunt seems quiet these days. If it is because I have upset him in any way – I am
[page break]
sorry I never thought of it before.
Here unfortunately I must leave you. This being the last sheet on the pad and the rest packed. Remember me to everyone.
I will write from Tiree but at present do not know what part we are going to.
Love to all at home.
Your loving nephew
Pete.
P.S. I’ve heard all about your outing – you dirty beast. After the girl trusting you.
P.P.S. Don’t blame it on me. Mine have all got blue eyes,
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that his leave has been cancelled and he is being sent back to Tiree. He continues that he hates Scottish scenery and that bad weather caused the cancellation of his flight. He concludes with banter and says he will write from Tiree.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and six page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420318
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-03-20
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-03-20
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6596/ELampreyPGuntonW420517.1.pdf
9dfdd534335922490f57031bd416cc54
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
11-AM
18 MAY
1942
[postage stamp]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10.
[page break]
[reverse of envelope]
[RAF Crest]
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
Signals Section.
HQ. 14. Group.
[underlined] Inverness [/underlined]
[underlined] Sunday. 17th. May. [/underlined]
Dear UNK and Others.
Heaven forbid that I should ever sink so low as to neglect my friends. This letter is written in bitterness – sorrow and anguish. Where the bloody hell is a reply to some of my blasted letters?
You will notice – I hope – that I am once more back in the arms of civilisation. And oh boy – what arms. After more than a week of the usual dithering, we flew back yesterday. And what a trip. The kite did everything but lay eggs – we did that. But now we are safe
[page break]
and able to take nourishment the fun will commence – or to be truthful, has.
The parcels were safe and my usual thanks for them. Having perused “The Royal” I have come to the conclusion that my rise in rank is a greater achievement than I considered. Your help was, as usual, such that I rose despite it. You might return my contribution that I so willingly sent for Mr Hunts’ [sic] wreath. I see he is still alive – or at least moving. As undependable as ever. Lowering myself to reply to him, I thank him for his wishes and hope he breaks his as well. Where in hell he gets his ideas of a good time from is just no bodys’ [sic] business. Still, I shall have much pleasure in being as rude as possible when I visit.
The return to Inverness has brought us face to face with war at its grimmest form. Beer
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
is rationed. The pubs only open five days a week and then – according to eyewitness accounts – the slaughter is terrible. For myself, I only had a few in celebration last night. I saw an old friend and although good looking she doesn’t live up to looks. A good time was had by all. The A.T.S. are wearing summer issue already.
Realising the pleasure I shall bring – I am applying for leave tomorrow. If I get it – you, as master of ceremonies, will of course be informed, and the bunting unfurled ready. I am putting in for 14 days but whether they will stand me or not I dont [sic] know yet. Still we’ll have a bash.
I don’t like to insult Brother George in this letter as he may have already written me a
[page break]
letter apologising. Seeing that the war is doing so well here and there, I take it that no other minders have joined anything but their hands. We might consider a bit of help later on but, at the present moment, you can all lie back and act as a brake – your finest position. I have left things in good hands in the island and can now look forward to a spell of working my way back into the gutter. The tale of my progress in this direction will be unfolded later, as if you think I am going to lie here writing when there are a number of things to be done and the boys are waiting – youve [sic] had it.
[underlined] Pete [/underlined] .
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he is back in civilisation at Inverness. But complains of wartime beer rationing. Ne states that he is applying for leave and concludes with some banter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-05-18
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and four page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420517
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-05-18
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6597/ELampreyPGuntonW420523.1.pdf
adee0edb93e6ffa24304400fe6b3ec0c
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
10 – PM
25 MAY
1942
[postage stamps]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Machine Room
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road
Park Royal.
London. N.W.10
[page break]
[reverse of envelope]
[RAF Crest]
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
Signals Section.
HQ. 14. Group.
[underlined] Inverness [/underlined]
[underlined] Saturday 23rd [/underlined]
Dear UNK. Others. Friends.
Life – I am sorry to say – has now assumed all the appearances of the arse-end of a 250 H.E. - very grim. I stuck a pass in for leave as soon as I got back and they proceeded to play merry hell. Then they slung it out, so I put another in. Then they told me I only get seven days. I – in polite language told them to work it and I am now waiting to see the old man and pull his ear down. I shall
[page break]
either get leave or 14 days. If I don’t get leave I shall make sure I enjoy the 14 days. This place has gone to the dogs since I’ve been away and the sooner they send for me for my gunnery the better this erk will like it.
Outside of business hours however – it is not too bad. We have re-established contact with the life of the town and are now in the position of having some real sorrows to drown. I hope the money outlasts the sorrow. The realities of war don’t look so bad through the bottom of a glass and khaki hides a multitude of pretty legs.
My mail is gradually catching up with me. I notice that you can still write. Some of your news in any case is only what I have always expected. The very thought of
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
the dangers the F.O.C. faces is appalling. That Mr. Evans should run amok with a knife is nothing unexpected. I have always advocated the policy of keeping well clear of people who seem to spend their nights in riotous living and their afternoons in getting someone to give them a blow. How he spends his mornings is, as always, a mystery.
Should at any time, anyone feel like sending me a bit of sand, I should advise keeping a few handfuls back to spread on the blood I shall beat out of them at some future date. The news that Brother George is back to his old form is a bit of a blow. How his staff must suffer. But in the days of tommy-guns etc. it is
[page break]
nice to hear of the wonders worked with a stone axe and a handful of bricks.
You always mention Charlie and the ginger cat in your epistles. Evidently there is a wrong impression abroad somewhere. I asked for news of my friends. The sooner the military catch up with these babies the sooner I celebrate. That goes for “Old Ivory” to. [sic]
Since returning to this place and spending a week in it I am afraid I have not had a lot of time for letter writing. There are still a few places I haven’t visited yet and I have these omissions to repair before I can say I have really arrived. In any case I dont [sic] wan’t [sic] to tell you all the news as I hope to be seeing you – lets [sic] get this straight –
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
I hope to be getting leave.
So my friend – this is again short and sweet. Get the bunting ready. Remember me to all. Thanks for the letters.
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined].
P.S. The morse at the bottom of the letter was lousy.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he is having trouble getting leave but that his out of work hours social life is not bad. He concludes with some banter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-05-25
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and five page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420523
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-05-25
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6598/ELampreyPGuntonW420712.2.pdf
e1fc51d3a00daa3a71eafe107d2ac0c0
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Inverness
11 – AM
13 JUL
1942
[postage stamp]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal. N.W.10
London.
[page break]
[reverse of envelope]
[RAF Crest]
[page break]
1384535. LAC. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14. Group.
RAF. [underlined] Inverness [/underlined]
[underlined] Sunday. 12th. July. [/underlined]
Dear UNK. – Others.
Listen my friends. It is not often I complain. This is however is just a warning against the perfidious habit of printing lies about me in the “Royal”. If this is continued I am sorely afraid someone is going to get a nasty clump with a handy sized brick. I did not have 14 days leave. I admire the way you peri-shers [sic] try and get me extra leave but it is doing no good. Another little point. I have not left for any more training thanks very much. At the present
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
moment I am engaged in jollying the war along very nicely – thanks very much. Life has repented and is now engaged in treating me like the blue eyed boy. If it continues at this rate I shall need twenty-one days sick leave to recu-perate. [sic] Talk about bring on your dancing girls and let’s make a night of it. Half the bother is the nights don’t seem to stop.
I don’t seem to have a lot of spare time these days and the way your last letter read, seems like you do not realise the handicap we are fighting this war under. Remember my friend if I let anything slip the blasted army works a fast one into me and I have to find another date. In any case what the hell do you want every time I write? A set of
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
bloody love lyrics? Rest content with the fact that even amid the turmoil of battle, I still remember you.
I received – with a sense of shock – the news that the two love birds have joined up. From now on I am afraid Cherry will have to throw his own bricks. That is if he still has the strength after he has been taught to march and walk, and drill and what all hell knows else. The pity of it is I shan’t see them scraping the fat off Moloney with a rifle – but I shall nevertherless [sic] enjoy thinking of it. I don’t know what he is going in for but if he wants any advice on the subject I shall enjoy withholding it so he can suffer as all us real airmen have. The only advice I can give Cherry is never to stoop in
[page break]
[inserted] 4. [/inserted]
the dark as some airmen are always getting into tight places.
There does’nt [sic] seem to be much chance of me moving for a while and from tales that do get through now and again I think life here will suit my style of rugged beauty a bit better than some places. I am still bashing a key for a living and am not particular who for pleasure. There was a bit of [deleted] takk [/deleted] talk about going back to the island but I think I’ll break a leg or something if they mention it again.
I don’t know whether I wrote but I heard from Bill Smith and he seems to have got this war business pretty well banged – in fact if they stop it now I think he’d kick up hells delight about it.
[page break]
I haven’t heard from Wyn or Kitty yet but expect they are trying to find some bloody fine excuse for something. From what I know of the previous time they won’t be the ones who have to find them.
This is your lot and for Pete’s sake don’t start yelling. Thanks for the P.O’s – books and good wishes that were enclosed – I feel the same about you. Kiss Brother George and give him something to moan about. Remember me to one and all.
Love and kisses.
Pete. X .
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey starts with some general banter and then notes that two of his ex-work mates have enlisted. He comments that there is not much chance of him moving yet and concludes with some catching up with news.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-07-13
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420712
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-07-13
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and five page handwritten letter
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6599/ELampreyPGuntonW420727.1.pdf
5bcd7b7905ee46f2fb76cafdd024e8dc
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[postage stamp]
Mr. W. Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Road.
Park Royal
London. N.W.10
[inserted]
EXAMINER 2473 51/9911. H.B.
[/inserted]
[page break]
[inserted]
OPENED BY P.C. 90
[/inserted]
[page break]
1384535. LAC. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14. Group. R.A.F.
Inverness
[underlined] Sunday. 26th. July. [/underlined]
Dear UNK – Others.
Very – very funny. I take it that the last missive I received from you was Maloney’s farewell letter. If some of you people are not more careful you will be getting a rush of brains to the head and Christ knows what will happen then. I might even get a bit of news – not that I want good news after your last effort. However it served its purpose and I [inserted] am [/inserted] able to see you are still alive. I almost said glad but have decided to stick to the truth.
[page break]
Life still continues to drag me feet first. If I wade through much more of this glorious Scotch scenery I shall apply for a transfer to the infantry so I can at least ride on the bleeding route marches. We have spent exactly two nights in our own beds in the last seven days and I am seriously considering taking in a lodger and making a bit on the side.
Still on the two nights mentioned we managed to get into town. I am sorry to say that I disregarded Mr. Hunts good advice and went on the beer. If we could have had a few more pints we’d have had this war over before August. I might mention that the evening lasted very well and the W.A.A.F I had, was a bit tight – at
[page break]
first. I also ran into a printer who said he knew Jack Denny but I told him not to worry about it too much, as we all had some undiscovered mistakes in our lives. We have also a new pal that has been stuffed up here. A Welshman. Dave Evans – but this one is a decent bloke so I never mentioned the old RIP. Taken by and large, we have a nice little party now. Seven strong, healthy airman willing to let anyone do our share of the war as long as the beer – and the cash – lasts out. If any of us see this year out without doing a spell inside it will be because we have collapsed under the strain of total war.
If the three dumb clucks have gone I hope they run into a sergeant we
[page break]
have just been unfortunate to lose. He will at least prove that all the battles are not won and lost on foreign fields. In fact he’ll prove that you can start a bloody fine war over nothing. I hope it keeps fine for them.
Some while ago I asked Bert Smith if he would forward a certain photo on and having thanked him for it would like to know when the hell he’s going to do it. If I get posted down south I shall be stopping off for a night and I don’t want to do any more explaining than I can help. I do so much blasted explaining at this lark that I am running out of tales and I should hate to have to fall back on the truth.
I have just been informed that I am on another job tomorrow. Lord knows
[page break]
where – I suppose they are finding the muddiest place. The sooner they find out I am only and air gunner U/T and not a bleeding camel the better I’ll like it.
Well I am packing up now and will write when I get time. Theres [sic] a date in town that must get by.
Remember me to all.
Love.
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined].
P.S Don’t forget the Royal.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes complaining about route marches and lack of sleep although he was able to get into town on nights off. He continues with comment on life and concludes with friendly banter to former workmates. Letter was stamped 'Examiner 2473 51/9911. H.B., Opened by P.C.90'.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-07-26
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and five page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420727
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-07-26
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6600/ELampreyPGuntonW420802.1.pdf
1c99710b9810c17e6668637a439480e7
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
INVERNESS
4 AUG
1942
[postage stamp]
MR W. GUNTON.
MACHINE ROOM,
WATERLOW AND SONS. LTD.
TWYFORD ABBEY ROAD
PARK ROYAL. N. W. 10.
LONDON.
[page break]
Reverse of envelope
[page break]
1384535. LAC. LAMPREY.
H.Q. 14 GROUP
RAD. INVERNESS
[underlined] SCOTLAND [/underlined]
[underlined] SUNDAY. 2ND. [/underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill etc.
Listen. If you have at last decided to write to me, for Pete’s sake don’t tell me how much you enjoyed your blasted unpatriotic holiday. While you were lounging around – I – was resisting the enemy and shouldering your share of the war. Not that the amount I shouldered for you made much difference.
Life – thank heaven – is still treating me like a favourite son. I am managing to get by with no trouble and not much more effort. I suppose one of this[sic] days the storm will break and I’ll and I’ll find
[page break]
[underlined] 2. [/underlined]
Myself in the brig. But it is very nice at present – thanks very much. I have managed to poke in a few crafty trips to town and during a spell of fine weather a visit to a local beauty spot. Beautiful long grass and nobody around. A very fine view from where I was.
One thing I am glad to hear is that the three stooges haven’t actually come yet. Personally I don’t think the public could stand another set-back at present so the longer the T.S. Act as a brake on R.T. Production the easier for the rest of us. You didn’t say what they were going in as but as long as they are nice and green the sergeant will be pleased to see them. My heart bleeds for them – I don’t think.
If Mr. Hunt has the idea I am going
[page break]
[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
To waste my valuable time trying to get under his thick hide it is just another of his mistakes. As for brother George if he thinks I enjoy writing about his past misdemeanours and laying them bare to the world he has a funny idea of my nature. I don’t like doing it but feel it is my duty as one who had to take up a job he only half finished.
Since starting the letter I have had a break for a spot of entertainment and am sorry to state it has had to be delayed. The whole trouble with this war is the way it interferes with my letter writing.
The is something funny about the way they have left me alone this last day or so. I don’t like it and expect any minute to find I am due to be
[page break]
[underlined] 4. [/underlined]
Wafted away into the remote blasted highlands on another perishing job. Generally the news from here is noticeable by its absence and this week is nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t want to upset anybody at P.R. as I hope to grab a spot of leave in about a months [sic] time and would hate to be stabbed in the back.
If the bloody engineers think I am going to write about or to them they can think again – if possible. Its[sic] about time Bert Smith sent my perishing photo back and found one of Audrey instead. Half my time is spent in finding women for other blokes to pinch.
I am glad to hear the old R I P has quietened down a bit and is leading a more sober
[page break]
[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
life. He must be sickening for something.
I received everything you sent and you might tell Charlie I can recommend his taste. If he ever gets up here I’ll put him on to some of the people who shared the experiment.
Keep your head down and I’ll be along one day and lift it for you remember me to all
All the best
[underlined] Pete [/underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey starts with some friendly banter and mentions that he has managed some time off. He says the letter was interrupted by some unspecified duty away and concludes with catch up news.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-08-02
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and five page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420802
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-08-02
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6601/ELampreyPGuntonW420820.2.pdf
536163c7883cc30b5485b77bc000a88a
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Envelope
Inverness
20 Aug
1942.
[postage stamp]
MR. W. GUNTON.
MACHINE ROOM.
WATERLOO AND SONS. LTD.
TWYFORD ABBEY ROAD.
PARK ROYAL.
NW10 LONDON.
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
[page break]
1384535. LAC. LAMPREY
SIGNALS SECTION.
HQ. 14 GROUP.
RAF. [underlined] INVERNESS [/underlined]
RX11DAY.
My friend etc.
I have been sold down the river on numerous occasions but – believe me, the smooth way you perishers do it has got Mr. A. Hitler looking like a bloody amatuer[sic]. When I write – I am not getting at anybody. When I don’t write – I am forgetting you. Listen. For the love of Pete – tell me what you want and then get someone else to do it. And another thing – you’ve got the belly to talk about me writing to other people. Remember you are still about ten letters behind. When you catch up you
[page break]
can start peeping but until then just take your turn in the queue.
Usually I start my letters in a spirit of duty and pleasure but I am afraid pleasure has rather come out on top and hence the temporary hold up in the mail. Since starting this epistle I have had news. I have got my posting on the last lap of my course at last. The fact has given my prospective a right hander and I dont [sic] suppose I shall be seeing you for quite a few months. This will be no hardship to me but I dont [sic] know how you people are going to stand it.
Seeing that I have quite a bit of work to get under my belt before I can leave I am parking this. You can bind as much
[page break]
you like but for all I care you can burn.
I will write as soon as I get to Y. Remember me to everyone.
Best of it.
Pete.
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes complaining that post has been held up but that he has at last received his posting to the next step in training.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-08-20
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Envelope and three page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420820
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-08-20
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
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.
military service conditions
RAF Inverness
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/372/6602/ELampreyPGuntonW420923.1.pdf
ce78c4bb917989f889846f37120d178d
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
Lamprey, Peter
Description
An account of the resource
122 items. The collection contains letters from Flight Sergeant Peter Lamprey (1384535 Royal Air Force) to 'Uncle Bill' W Gunton and his former colleagues at Waterlow Printers, Park Royal, London. The letters cover all his stages of training and operations at Royal Air Force Ludford Magna. A wireless operator / air gunner, he was killed, aged 36, on 14 January 1944 during an operation on Braunschweig when 101 Squadron Lancaster LM367 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed at Lautenthal. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Dereck Titchen and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br /> A photograph of Peter and his final resting place appears in the Arthur Standivan collection <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/items/show/35884">here.</a><br /><br />Additional information onPeter Lamprey is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/113449/">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
2016-02-24
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Lamprey, P
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Envelope
CALNE
WILTS.
23 Sep 42
[postage stamp]
MR. W. GUNTON,
MACH [missing] ROOM.
WATERLOW AND SONS. LTD.
TWYFORD ABBEY ROAD.
PARK ROYAL. N.W.10.
LONDON.
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
[list of names]
[page break]
138458535 AC 2 LAMPREY.
SIGNALS SECTION.
HQ. 4. GROUP RAF.
INVERNESS
SCOTLAND
[underlined] TUESDAY [/underlined]
Dear Uncle Bill and others.
Once again I write padding the letter with superfluous words to make it appear that you are getting some news. This of course, is a false impression, as the only things that happen here are sunrise and sunset – and you can’t always depend on them. Still – what news there is – is yours.
We have got a job that has removed us from the warmth and comfort of headquarters and planted us out in the fields. Despite our sturdy frames and general hardiness it is definitely a job for eskimos and should any apply for a job down there send them straight up. After three weeks out here I consider the serpentine bathers are pansies. As soon as the snow is deep enough we intend to send for a blue-print of an igloo and have a stab at building one.
Still, the job has its compensations. We have got
[page break]
very friendly with the farm girl down the road. She gives us milk and other stuff. If she can only be made to give a little more – things would be interesting and a good time had by all. However patience and persistence are on our side even if right is not.
The bright lights of town have called me on one or two occasions lately and I have been tasting the joys of debauchery and liquor again. The only trouble is that time is always against you. The curtain comes down at nine prompt and the show is over – you’ve had it. After that we visit the night clubs – Y.M.C.A. – S.A. – soldiers and sailors home etc. Sinks of iniquity I’ll admit but I can take care of myself by now.
The food we get here is remarkable – or rather the cooks are –if someone hooked their tin opener we’d starve to death. And the number of ways they serve the stuff up is a treat - if you didn’t have to eat it. They can do anything with it or make you like it. Still theres [sic] always plenty and if you dont [sic] fancy what is on your plate you can always get another helping of it.
For some unknown reason I have received no mail now for
[page break]
3.
five days. Either my fans have turned fickle and forgotten me or my latest excursions into literary composition have shaken all my correspondents [sic] rigid. This I can hardly hope for – but am still praying. The muse – as you can see – has deserted me on this occasion, not – I might add – permanently, but just long enough to collect – collate and consider what insults shall hurl and who shall be the target. This should cause my friends to rush to their letter pads and the others to consider the advisability of establishing friendly relations.
Today – feeling full of beans (Heinz baked) and the joy of life we clambered over large stretches of this scenery you keep raving about. It might be easy on the eyes but it is a shade hard on the feet and legs. After two hours I am of the opinion that the whole lot would be better if it were ironed out a bit more. As you are no doubt aware we are very near the historic Culloden Moor. Thank goodness they fight their wars near civilisation nowadays.
And now to the usual madam that I usually stick in these epistles not that I care how you are – I have enough worries keeping myself out of an early grave without bothering whether any of you are
[page break]
Suffering from overwork or any of the kindred complaints of civilian life. Mr Hunt I hope still enjoys the best of health – I’d hate to hear he’d passed out while I’m in a place where I couldn’t celebrate properly. Mr Maloney I take it still attends night school and by now can sign somebody else’s name so he can dodge any calling up. Dave is still keeping a firm hand on Rusty I hope and doesn’t let him too far out of his sight. Remember me to the engineers - electricians and all other leadswingers. Give my regards to the opa’s – especially worker – Bert Frankham, Fred Cooper and Speedy. Give my love to the guv’nor. [sic]
See you in church
Pete.
P.S. Start saving up. I might be up Christmas. I’ve altered my leave date, not that it means anything but I’d like to give Maloney something at Christmas. A black baby preferably.
Three cheers
[underlined] P. [/underlined]
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
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Lamprey writes that he has a job out in the field although compensated by the presence of a friendly farm girl. He goes on to comment on social life and the good quality of food on base. He mentions a route march before closing with more banter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Lamprey
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-09-23
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Mismatched envelope and four page handwritten letter
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
ELampreyPGuntonW420923
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Highlands
Scotland--Inverness
England--Wiltshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-09-23
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
military living conditions
RAF Inverness