Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Dumfries and Galloway]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Belgium--Saint-Vith]]> France--Brest]]> France--Calais]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Watten]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Netherlands--Oostkapelle]]> Netherlands--Westkapelle]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> France]]> Belgium]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-08-25]]> 1944-09-09]]> 1944-09-11]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-09-15]]> 1944-09-16]]> 1944-09-17]]> 1944-09-23]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-09-25]]> 1944-09-26]]> 1944-09-30]]> 1944-10-15]]> 1944-10-23]]> 1944-10-29]]> 1944-10-30]]> 1944-11-02]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-18]]> 1944-11-21]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-21]]> 1944-12-26]]> 1944-12-28]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1945-01-02]]> 1945-01-05]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-17]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Bethany Ellin]]> Heather Hughes]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Atlantic Ocean--Irish Sea]]> England--Orford Ness]]> Adam Purcell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Hugh Donnelly]]> Mal Prissick]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Manitoba]]> United States]]> England--Sussex]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> Œuf-en-Ternois [sic], Renescure, Rennes, Schweinfurt, Skagerrak, St Martin d’Hortiers, Stettin, Stuttgart, Tergnier, Thiverny, Tours, Valenciennes, Venlo aerodrome and V-1 sites. His pilots on operations were Flight Lieutenant Phillips DFC, Wing Commander Lockhart and Wing Commander Cox. The log book is well annotated with comments about events during operations.]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Poland]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Skagerrak]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Amiens]]> France--Cabourg]]> France--Chambley Air Base]]> France--Falaise]]> France--La Pallice]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Lille]]> France--L'Isle-Adam]]> France--Lumbres]]> France--Mantes-la-Jolie]]> France--Montrichard]]> France--Nord (Department)]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Nieppe Forest]]> France--Oise]]> France--Oisemont (Canton)]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Rennes]]> France--Somme]]> France--Tergnier (Canton)]]> France--Tours]]> France--Valenciennes]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Netherlands--Venlo]]> Northern Ireland--Antrim (County)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> France--Neufchâtel-en-Bray]]> France--Châlons-en-Champagne]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> France--Œuf-en-Ternois]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1943-09-21]]> 1943-09-22]]> 1943-09-27]]> 1943-09-28]]> 1943-10-02]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-10-04]]> 1943-11-18]]> 1943-11-22]]> 1943-11-23]]> 1944-01-30]]> 1944-01-31]]> 1944-02-20]]> 1944-02-21]]> 1944-02-24]]> 1944-02-25]]> 1944-03-01]]> 1944-03-02]]> 1944-04-09]]> 1944-04-10]]> 1944-04-11]]> 1944-04-12]]> 1944-04-18]]> 1944-04-19]]> 1944-04-24]]> 1944-04-25]]> 1944-04-26]]> 1944-04-27]]> 1944-05-01]]> 1944-05-02]]> 1944-05-06]]> 1944-05-07]]> 1944-05-21]]> 1944-05-22]]> 1944-05-23]]> 1944-05-24]]> 1944-05-25]]> 1944-05-27]]> 1944-05-28]]> 1944-05-31]]> 1944-06-01]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-06-07]]> 1944-06-08]]> 1944-06-09]]> 1944-06-11]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-06-13]]> 1944-06-15]]> 1944-06-16]]> 1944-06-17]]> 1944-06-27]]> 1944-06-28]]> 1944-07-01]]> 1944-07-04]]> 1944-07-06]]> 1944-07-08]]> 1944-07-12]]> 1944-07-15]]> 1944-07-16]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1944-07-19]]> 1944-07-20]]> 1944-07-21]]> 1944-07-23]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-28]]> 1944-07-29]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-08-01]]> 1944-08-04]]> 1944-08-06]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-09]]> 1944-08-10]]> 1944-08-11]]> 1944-08-12]]> 1944-08-13]]> 1944-08-28]]> 1944-08-29]]> 1944-08-30]]> 1944-09-01]]> 1944-09-03]]> 1944-09-05]]> 1944-09-06]]> 1944-09-09]]> 1944-09-10]]> 1944-06-05]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Plauen]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Ted carried out 15 operations. The first two were daylight ones to Mainz and Cologne. The third was a night operation to Kamen on the Ruhr and they encountered an intruder JU188 aircraft when landing, as part of the German Operation Gisela. Other operations included Helmstedt with anti-aircraft fire; Dortmund; Wuppertal; Witten where they were hit on the starboard engine; Recklinghausen where bombs dropped on a munitions train instead of their target; in Osnabrück they were hit in the bomb bay by shrapnel; Heligoland and Wangerooge saw two Halifaxes collide mid-air. Ted describes the spectacle of lines of fuel on fire in an oil plant.
Ted discusses in detail his role as a flight engineer.
Ted stopped flying in September 1945. He dropped old ammunition and bombs in the North Sea and did a safety course at RAF St Athan. He was sent to a maintenance unit in Faßberg, near Belsen, and was demobilised. He became a government Senior Scientific Officer.]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Somerset]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Soltau]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Helmstedt]]> Germany--Kamen]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Recklinghausen (Münster)]]> Germany--Wangerooge Island]]> Germany--Witten]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1945-09]]>
Flying training commenced at RAF Booker on Tiger Moths and he was then sent out of England as part of the Empire Training Scheme. Flying training on Stearman aircraft recommenced at Lakeland in Florida followed by multi-engined training at Macon in Georgia and Valdosta for advanced training. In October 1942 he became a pilot under the American Army Air Force System and declined an offer to stay and become an instructor.
Returning to Britain on an unescorted Queen Elizabeth liner, he trained on Oxfords at RAF Little Rissington. Posted to RAF Harwell to fly, in Bluey's terms "clapped out Wellingtons" he describes the system for forming a crew. They were posted to RAF Riccall to fly the Halifax.
The next posting was to an operational squadron at RAF Lissett where he did his first operational flight to Krefeld in June 1943 and trips to Berlin, Cologne and Mannheim. After his trip to Krefeld, his rear gunner refused to fly and was removed. On his second trip to Mannheim, Bluey's aircraft was struck by a bomb from an aircraft flying above. They had to reduce height and so used Window to disguise their location. The final trip was to Berlin in November 1943 and, having completed his tour, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Bluey never flew again. Sent to Tilly Whim, Bluey was trained to operate Oboe and explains the device. Posted to an Oboe station at RAF Winterton to monitor junior operatives, he met his future wife.
After the war had finished he became an instructor on the Link Trainer and sent to various RAF stations and finally to RAF Marham from where he was demobilised and returned to civilian life. In civilian life, employment in the farm feed industry was followed by time in the lubricant industry until retirement. Bluey compiled a register of all crews that flew with 158 Squadron and formed a Squadron association in 1947, of which he became president, and organised a memorial to the squadron at former RAF Lissett.]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Canada]]> United States]]> Florida]]> Florida--Lakeland]]> Georgia]]> Georgia--Macon]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-11]]>
Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Sheffield]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Lossiemouth]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Australia. Royal Australian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Bayreuth]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Manitoba--Dauphin]]> Scotland--Banff]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Victoria--Benalla]]> Germany--Wangerooge Island]]> Victoria]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Boizenburg]]> Manitoba]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1945-03-12]]> 1945-03-13]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-04-08]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-11]]> 1945-04-13]]> 1945-04-14]]> 1945-04-18]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-07-04]]> 1945-07-09]]> 1945-07-30]]> 1945-08-03]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Brest]]> France--Calais]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Nieppe Forest]]> Germany--Bingen (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Goch]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Soest]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1944-08-05]]> 1944-08-15]]> 1944-08-17]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-09-10]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-09-15]]> 1944-09-16]]> 1944-09-17]]> 1944-09-23]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-09-26]]> 1944-09-27]]> 1944-10-16]]> 1944-10-17]]> 1944-10-23]]> 1944-10-25]]> 1944-10-28]]> 1944-10-30]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-18]]> 1944-11-29]]> 1944-12-02]]> 1944-12-03]]> 1944-12-05]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-22]]> 1944-12-24]]> 1945-01-06]]> 1945-01-14]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-17]]> 1945-01-28]]> 1945-01-29]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-04]]> 1945-02-05]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-09]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-02-17]]> 1945-07-05]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Atlantic Ocean]]> Belgium]]> England]]> France]]> Germany]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Wales--Carmarthenshire]]> Belgium--Tienen]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Brest]]> France--Calais]]> France--Falaise]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Nieppe Forest]]> Germany--Bingen (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Goch]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Hanau]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Saarbrücken]]> Germany--Soest]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Great Britain]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1944-08-05]]> 1944-08-14]]> 1944-08-15]]> 1944-08-17]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-09-10]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-09-15]]> 1944-09-16]]> 1944-09-17]]> 1944-09-23]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-09-26]]> 1944-09-27]]> 1944-10-16]]> 1944-10-17]]> 1944-10-23]]> 1944-10-25]]> 1944-10-28]]> 1944-10-30]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-18]]> 1944-11-29]]> 1944-12-02]]> 1944-12-03]]> 1944-12-05]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-22]]> 1944-12-24]]> 1945-01-06]]> 1945-01-14]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-17]]> 1945-01-28]]> 1945-01-29]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-04]]> 1945-02-05]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-02-17]]> Mark Hunt]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> His pilot on operations was Pilot Officer Evans. The logbook also contains a pair of newspaper cuttings concerning Donald Fraser being awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and a note signed by the Air Vice Marshal Commanding 1 Group for Donald Fraser’s award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Modane]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Mönchengladbach]]> Poland]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Rob Scott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sam Harper-Coulson]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> 1943-11-18]]> 1943-11-19]]> David Meanwell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Barth]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1941-05]]> 1942-05]]> 1944]]> 1945-01-20]]> 1945-04-30]]> 1945-05-05]]>
Ken describes his schoolboy life in Durham, including leaving the Anderson Shelter one evening and watching searchlights scanning the sky over Sunderland. One bombing on Durham was shortly after Coventry had been bombed: the mist rose from the river and shrouded the city, with local folklore being St Cuthbert protecting the Cathedral. During his father’s service at RAF Woodhall Spa, Ken recalled travelling there with his mother from Durham by train and seeing extensive bomb damage to York railway station. Ken served three years in the RAF, posted to RAF Insworth a non-flying RAF station where the RAF Records Section was based, transferring to the Coronation Unit for training ahead of the ceremony in 1953. He recalled route lining in the Haymarket, due to the narrowing of the road he was very close to the Queen’s coach and in the evening went to Buckingham Palace and assisted the police with crowd control. Ken recalls watching The Dambusters film with his father in 1955 and his father commenting on the accuracy of the film.]]>
Joyce Sharland]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jim Sheach]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Durham (County)]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Tyne and Wear]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Durham]]> England--London]]> England--Newcastle upon Tyne]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943-05]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1953]]> 1954]]> 1955]]>
Adam Sutch]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Southeast Asia]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> United States]]> Alabama--Montgomery]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> James Sheach]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> 1943-11]]> 1945]]> Upon leaving school, and unable to obtain employment in his chosen career, his father arranged a bound apprenticeship with a joiner. Attracted by the glamour of the RAF, when almost eighteen, and without his parent's knowledge, he travelled with a friend to Sheffield and they both enlisted in the RAF. Entry was initially deferred until Ron was at the required age. He describes his route through training, on successful completion of which, his crew joined 578 Squadron. In February 1944, Ron’s aircraft was attacked from behind, killing the rear gunner. With limited control of the aircraft, the remaining crew was forced to evacuate and Ron was immediately captured. Following interrogation, he eventually arrived at Stalag Luft 7. Whilst there he met a fellow prisoner playing a piano accordion. Having learnt to play in his younger days, Ron describes how further instruments were obtained and the formation of a concert party which enabled them to entertain their fellow prisoners. However, they were also required to entertain the German officers which caused some concern to Ron, but they received meals in return. There was a known collaborator amongst the prisoners, and care had to be taken to ensure no loose talk gave away any information. In January 1945, the advancing Russian army forced the evacuation and the prisoners were forced to march to Stalag 3A. This took several weeks in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, and improvised sledges were used to pull weak prisoners. Following liberation, Ron returned home to discover his mother was terminally ill. He spent some time on general duties before being discharged and with support from the RAF, was able to complete his apprenticeship. Contact with some of his crew has been maintained in conjunction with 578 Squadron Association, with several visits to the grave of the rear gunner. The site of the crashed Halifax, with the body still in position, was located when civil engineering was carried out in the area. ]]> Dan Ellin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Worksop]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1939]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Jamaica]]> Arthur describes some of the incidents he encountered. The most notable was a daylight operation to Cologne towards the end of the war. The starboard engines caught on fire and they had to bail out. He was taken as a prisoner of war and, after interrogation in Frankfurt, was taken to a camp in Nuremberg. En route their train was bombed by American aircraft. They had very little food but were liberated by the Americans. Arthur was flown in a C-47 to Reims and on to RAF Tangmere in a Lancaster. He went to RAF Cosford, then RAF Hereford and was posted to the 51 Maintenance Unit at RAF Fradley. He eventually was sent to the Motor Transport Section before being demobilised.

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Mick Jeffery]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Great Britain]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> 1945]]>
On their 20th operation, they were hit by anti-aircraft fire upon which they bailed out near Dordrecht, and the pilot was killed in action. The crew were then held at German headquarters in Frankfurt for interrogation and eventually sent to Stalag Luft 7. He reports that when the Russians reached the camp they gave them rifles to kill as many Germans as they could. They took back six heads to prove that they had killed them.
He flew back in June 1945. After three weeks leave, he completed further training before being posted to RAF Cottam, where he stayed until 1948. Rose recounts his life after demobilisation, including working in South Africa and keeping in touch with his crew.
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Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Tilly Foster]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Dordrecht]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> South Africa]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1943]]> 1945-06]]> 1948]]>
The girls started work at about 8.00 o’clock or half past, finishing at about 6.00. During the summer and harvest time they worked longer hours. They would mostly be weeding the fields and thinning out the crops or pulling fruit and vegetables. Joan enjoyed working with the pigs and spoke about the hard work at harvest time. After Fulbeck Joan was moved to Bourn near Selby, Yorkshire, where there was a Bomber Command station. The girls would be invited to the camp dances.
When Joan left the Land Army she went back into hairdressing until she got married. She met her husband, George, just after the war and they married two months later. George had been a navigator with 357 Squadron on B-24 flying Gurkhas from Burma to Japan. When he was demobbed, he worked as a surveyor and later volunteered at Duxford. Their daughter was in the Royal Air Force and married a flight engineer. Joan said that being in the Land Army had been hard work and miserable at times.
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David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Selby]]> Japan]]> Burma]]>
John Horsburgh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Falaise]]> France--Limoges]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> New South Wales--Narrandera]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Victoria--Point Cook]]> Victoria]]> New South Wales]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-06]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-09-11]]> 1944-10-07]]> 1945-12-09]]> ]]> Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> British Army]]> Great Britain]]> Burma]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> England--Newquay]]> England--Rotherham]]> England--Sheffield]]> Germany]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Scotland--Fife]]> Scotland--St. Andrews]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> 1943]]>