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Memoir by Arthur Hollis
Second page has colour photograph of Arthur Hollis, wearing blazer with medals, standing in a field at an event. Narrative covers early life in Hornchurch and Carshalton including schooling and hospital admissions. Writes of Dulwich College studies…
Interview with Joe Shuttleworth
Joe Shuttleworth was born and raised in Brisbane but also spent a lot of time with family in the Melbourne area. He volunteered for aircrew and soon began training as a gunner. After initial training he sailed to the United States and on to the UK.…
Interview with Jamie Barr
Jim Barr grew up in Scotland and worked as an apprentice engineer before volunteering for the Royal Air Force. He trained as a navigator in South Africa and flew operations with 61 Squadron. He describes what it was like to be a navigator with Bomber…
Interview with Lesley Joseph Loosemoore
Les Loosemore describes his upbringing and employment history in Swansea before joining the war in 1945. He describes the Blitz in Swansea before training to be a mid upper gunner for 61 Squadron. He describes his rather intensive training, including…
Interview with Murray Valentine
Murray Valentine was a wireless operator with 61 Squadron and 617 Squadron. He describes his duties. He recalls his pilot always said, ‘Here we go,’ as they embarked on their missions. On one occasion he met Barnes Wallis.
Interview with Stuart Michael Heaton
Michael Heaton grew up in Worcester and was a member of the Air Training Corps. He worked in a bank before joining the Royal Air Force and trained as a navigator in Canada. He completed 22 operations as a navigator with 50 Squadron from RAF…
Interview with David Rose
David Rose was born in Swanage, Dorset. His father had been in the Medical Corps during the First World War and suffered ill health afterwards. David believed his father had as much reason to be on the War Memorial as his two brothers who died during…
Interview with George Holmes
George was born in Mansfield and was bought up by his Grandparents until he was seven when he moved back to his parents in Leicester where his Father ran a coffee shop. He was a semi-professional musician playing violin, trumpet and mandolin. He…
Interview with John Harrison
John Harrison grew up in Yorkshire and worked in the Civil Service before joining the Royal Air Force at 18. After training, he flew operations as a mid-upper gunner with 106 Squadron from RAF Metheringham before being shot down over Leipzig and…
List of Gordon Catling's operations with 50 squadron
Notes that he was posted to 50 Squadron on 2nd November 1944. Then lists 29 operations flown by Lancaster crew including Gordon Catling from Royal Air Force Skellingthorpe between November 1944 and April 1945. First operation flown as co-pilot on…
Interview with Ronald Marlow
Ronald Marlow went to Middleton Council School, then worked at Forgrove Engineering. He joined the Air Training Corps, volunteered for the Royal Air Force training in London at St Johns Wood. He became an air gunner ad flew Wellingtons, followed by a…
Interview with Elizabeth Eady
Elizabeth Eady grew up in Leicestershire and worked in a factory manufacturing parachutes before she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. After her training, she served as a telephonist at RAF Skellingthorpe and RAF Waddington. She was discharged…
Interview with John Firth
John Firth was a flight engineer with 50 Squadron at RAF Skellingthorpe June to August 1944. He was shot down in August 1944 on his 20th operation and became a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 7.
Interview with Richard Hollis
Richard’s father, Arthur Hollis, went to Dulwich College as a day boy. He left at sixteen to join the Home Guard , then worked for a firm of accountants for a couple of years before joining the Royal Air Force. He was sent to Manchester…
Lancaster VN-F at RAF Skellingthorpe
In the foreground a large number of bombs on the ground with tails removed and placed alongside. Five armourers dressed in overalls and side caps surround the bombs; two crouching working on bombs and three carrying tails towards the bombs. Above…
Interview with Les Rutherford. Three
Les Rutherford joined the army and was in the 51st Highland Division which formed the rear-guard defence, allowing for the evacuation of Dunkirk. He escaped out to sea on a barn door and was picked up and taken to England by a French trawler. He…
Interview with Margaret Hourigan
Margaret Hourigan grew up in and around Nottingham. Despite holding Labour principles she volunteered for the WAAF’s as soon as War was declared and was called up in January 1940. She Hourigan served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force as a…
Interview with Jeff Gray
Jeff Gray was a farm labourer in Aberdeenshire when he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. He trained to fly in Texas and completed 30 operations as a pilot with 61 Squadron. After leaving the RAF he worked for BOAC flying Yorks and VC10s.
Interview with Norman Goodfellow
Norman Goodfellow, born in Wakefield, in 1923. Before the war he worked as an apprentice engineer. Joining the RAF at seventeen he was offered the choice of Pilot or Navigator. Although Norman chose to be a Navigator he initially trained as a Pilot…
Interview with Frank Stanney
Frank Stanney was working on the land before he volunteered for the RAF. After training he flew operations as a wireless operator with 61 Squadron. One day his pilot took off as a twenty year old and returned as a twenty one year old as it was his…
Interview with William Geoghegan
William Geoghegan grew up in Australia and after serving in the army, joined the Royal Australian Air Force. He flew operations as a navigator with 61 Squadron from RAF Skellingthorpe.
Reminiscence and memories of Mrs E J Bascombe
Flight Engineer Ron Jones 61 Squadron, killed in action 25 April 1944. Details of his early life and service career. Some information how he met his wife, then their brief marriage. Initially he was declared missing but on January 1945 he was…
Letter from Frank Hobbs to his daughter
![EHobbsFJStorerB[Date]-020001.jpg](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/871/10031/EHobbsFJStorerB[Date]-020001.jpg "EHobbsFJStorerB[Date]-020001.jpg")
Apologises for not having written because he has been busy. Writes about bicycle parts he will bring home and what she would like for Christmas, How she is getting on at school and hopes she is helping mummy.
Letter from Frank Hobbs to his daughter
Wishes her happy birthday and apologises for no card. He has ordered her an air gunner brevet broach. Writes about her party and that mother should give eight kisses for eighth birthday.
Memoir Flight Lieutenant Gordon Cruickshank D.F.M. RAFRO
Memoir written in 1956 by Flight Lieutenant Cruickshank. It starts with his early childhood and family life. It includes his early time in RAF after enlisting in December 1938 with first job as balloon operator and then training as an air gunner;…