Browse Items (190 total)

  • Tags: RAF Swinderby

PDawsonSR16010429.jpg
Left page title 'Handley Page Hampden No 50 Squadron Lindholme and Swinderby, 1941'.

Top - pilot wearing heavy jacket and flying helmet in the opened cockpit of a Hampden. Caption 'Sergeant Pilot'.

Middle - two aircrew and two ground crew…

PSouthgateH1610.jpg
'Group of 7, Southgate on left. Caption August 1942, Swinderby' standing on the left side of the rear fuselage of 50 Squadron Lancaster, F, serial R572?. Posed in two rows one is carrying flying kit.

Additional information about this item has been…

DWynn146838.pdf
Diary commences on joining Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 3 October 1940 and training at Babbacombe, Newquay and passing out as an aircraft fitter. Posting to RAF Kenley 6 January 1942 and association with fighter pilots Bluey Truscott, Paddy…

SBondS-RichardsonAv10014.MP3
Jock begins the interview with joining up and first flying on 201 Squadron, with flying boats from Sullom Voe. He then, briefly, covers training as wireless operator/air gunner. He was posted to 38 Squadron Wellingtons in July 1940 at RAF Marham and…

PMorganA1701.jpg
Alan Morgan was working in a Reserved Occupation as an apprentice toolmaker when he volunteered for air crew with his friend and fellow apprentice. His friend was killed on his first operation. Alan trained as a flight engineer. On one operation the…

PWilliamsAE1510.jpg
Arthur Emlyn Williams describes his life before volunteering and what lead to his decision to volunteer. His parents were upset about his decision to join the RAF. In September 1943, he was accepted for training as an air-gunner. He started his first…

PWilliamsAE1510.jpg
Arthur Emlyn Williams was working as a pump operator at the mines, before he volunteered for the RAF. His mother hid his first recruitment letter. He trained at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and Number 2 Air-Gunnery school at RAF Inverness, on Ansons. He…

PSpencerAHG1701.jpg
Arthur Spencer joined the Royal Air Force after leaving school. He began pilot training in Florida but then re-mustered as a navigator and trained in Pensacola. He completed two tours of operations as a navigator with 97 Squadron at RAF Woodhall Spa…

PAmbroseBG1618.jpg
Basil Ambrose was born in Reading. He left school at 14 and became an apprentice turner. He joined the Royal Air Force in May 1942 and trained as a turner before transferring to aircrew as a flight engineer. He trained at RAF St Athan and completed…

APearsonBM180312.mp3
Betty's brother-in-law was William Mollison Walton who, after training to be a pilot in Canada, was based at RAF Swinderby with 97 Squadron. In 1944 his aircraft was attacked and he baled out. He spent two days on a small island where he buried his…

PSpenceWD1601.jpg
Bill Spence was born in Middlesborough. He abandoned his teacher training and joined the Royal Air Force in 1942, becoming a bomb aimer. He completed 36 operations during his time in Bomber Command. Bill tells of his experiences while training in…

ClarkeC2.10.16.jpg
Charles Clarke volunteered for the Royal Air Force when he was 17 years old and flew operations as a bomb aimer with 619 Squadron from RAF Woodhall Spa. His aircraft was shot down on his 18th operation and he became a prisoner of war. He was held at…

PClarkeC1501.jpg
Charles Clarke joined the RAF aged 17 and began training as a pilot but he became ill with mumps and later trained as a bomb aimer. His aircraft was shot down on an operation to Schweinfurt and he became a prisoner of war. He took part in the Long…

AAdamsCB170802.mp3
Cyril was born in London in 1921, lived in Battersea with his relatives and met his wife in 1940 while working at Harrods. His family were killed by a bomb after he joined up. Cyril enlisted at RAF Cardington in 1941 and trained to be a fitter, then…

AFairweatherF170130.mp3
During the war, Freda Fairweather was called up to work for Avro and worked on Lancasters at RAF Waddington and RAF Swinderby. She describes cleaning the perspex windows and using her own box spanners to remove aircraft wings. She recollects flying…

PSpencerGC1901.jpg
Geoffrey Spencer grew up in Birmingham and worked with his father in tool making, carrying out fire watching as a youngster. He joined the Air Force in August 1943, aged 18. After training, he served as a flight mechanic and fitter with 49 Squadron…

PCullingGC1701.jpg
George Charles Culling’s town struggled constantly during the war due to the amount of bombing, which eventually forced his school to close. Finding an interest in navigation equipment, George joined the Air Training Corps and learned more about…

PCrooksGA1601.jpg
George Crooks was an apprentice electrician before volunteering for the Royal Air Force at the age of 18. After his training, he served as an armourer with 50 Squadron at RAF Swinderby and later RAF Skellingthorpe. He later worked experimenting with…

PCromartyGE1601.jpg
George Cromarty joined the Royal Air Force as an AC2 and served as ground personnel before training as an air gunner. He flew operations as the rear gunner with 630 Squadron from RAF East Kirby. He discusses what operations and life on a station were…

ACatlingG151121.mp3
Gordon Catling grew up in Ipswich and lied about his age to join the Fire Service as a despatch rider. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1943 and flew operations as a rear gunner with 50 Squadron from RAF Skellingthorpe. He was posted to India after…

AAllenG150917.mp3
Graham Allen joined the Royal Air Force aged 19. He trained as a mechanic and worked on inspection and recovery of Spitfire aircraft. He later volunteered to be a flight engineer, and flew a tour of operations with 106 Squadron. His first operation…
Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2