#1 and 2 are of the village sign outside the Skellingthorpe Village Hall.
#3 is a view of the memorial with the wreaths left at the ceremony.
#4 and 5 are the standards and attendees at the unveiling.
#6 and 7 are during the ceremony with an RAF officer and and the Bishop of Lincoln speaking in turn.
#8 is the memorial being unveiled.
#9 is a close up of the 50 squadron crest.
#10 is a close up of the 61 squadron crest.
#11 is a close up of 61 squadron motto and bases.
#12 is a close up of 50 squadron motto and bases.
#13 is taken during the ceremony.
#14 is the text on the memorial obelisk.
#15 is the text on the reverse of the obelisk.

]]>
50 and 61 Squadron Memorial Committee]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Lincoln]]> 1989-06-03]]>
9 Squadron]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> France--Marignane]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> France--Nord (Department)]]> Germany]]> 1944]]> Adam Sutch]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> South Africa]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Sent to an operational training unit to fly Wellingtons, he remembers the high rate of losses due to accidents, particularly of flying into high ground. Crewed up at RAF Finningly in September 1942, he was converted onto Manchesters and then Lancasters at the heavy conversion unit at RAF Swinderby. He describes in detail the equipment available to him, which made for a very busy job, and remembers that all the codes were written on 'flimsies' which could be swallowed in an emergency.
Sent to 467 Squadron which, as a special unit, Peter felt were given the "posh and dangerous" jobs. He completed a full tour including minelaying to the Gironde and St. Nazaire, Berlin and also eight trips to Italy, which he considers were easy compared to 'happy valley', as the Ruhr valley was known . One special trip was to Peenemunde and the crews were warned that if they didn't do the job properly, then they would be sent back every night until it was completed. He recalls being attacked by night fighters but the gunners kept them at bay and so completed his full tour in the same aircraft, A-Able.
On completion of his tour Peter was commissioned and put in charge of the wireless flight until 1945 when he commenced his second tour which was terminated with the cessation of hostilities. ]]>
Adam Sutch]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Holmes]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France]]> France--Gironde Estuary]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Italy]]>
Alec Coryton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1942-09-13]]> Andy Barff]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> South Africa]]> Great Britain]]> England]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France]]> France--Nantes]]> Germany]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Italy]]> Italy--Milan]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Tanzania]]> South Africa--Makhanda]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Bill was transferred to 44 Squadron based at RAF Dunholme Lodge. He tells of his operation to Harburg, which was their intended target, but they ended up over Hamburg in the middle of a bombing operation because wind had not been accounted for. Bills also recounts how his aircraft was one of the first to drop their bombs on Dresden; he contends that the city was a legitimate target and distrusts the judgement of those who did not take part to the operation. After the war, he spent time in Rhodesia and also in Pretoria, where he tells of his encounter with an Afrikaner who threatened him because of his ethnicity. After the war, Bill worked at Ampleforth College controlling stores for the catering side. After writing a war novel which he had published in a local newspaper, he then tried his hand at writing westerns with Hales Publishing. His pen name was Jim Bowden, after the place he was stationed in Canada. He also writes under the pen name of Jessica Blair, and is now on his 26th book.]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> South Africa]]> South Africa--Pretoria]]> Zimbabwe]]> Canada]]> Alberta]]> 1945]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Dawn Studd]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Lithuania]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Arthur Harris]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1942-11-05]]> B Goodman]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ashley Jacobs]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Peterborough]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Woodley (Wokingham)]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Kingston]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> United States]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Germany]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> France--Brest]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Russia (Federation)--Arkhangelʹskai︠a︡ oblastʹ]]> France]]> New York (State)]]> Ontario]]> Nova Scotia]]> Russia (Federation)]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Bill Bailey]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Free French Air Force]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> Poland]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Devon]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Domléger-Longvillers]]> France--Ardennes]]> France--Calais]]> France--Cap Gris Nez]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Freiburg im Breisgau]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Manitoba--Carberry]]> Netherlands--Domburg]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Ontario--Hamilton]]> Ontario--Picton]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> France]]> Ontario]]> New Brunswick]]> Nova Scotia]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Warwickshire]]> Manitoba]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> Bill Lord]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Christian]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Croydon]]> England--Torquay]]> England--Devon]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943-07-08]]> Bruce Blanche]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Andy Fitter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France]]> Netherlands]]> India]]> France--Aunay-sur-Odon]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944-02-23]]> 1944-03-03]]> 1944-05-04]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> ]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Chris Cann]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> 1942]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Janet McGreevy]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany--Plauen]]> Germany--Cuxhaven]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Wales--Anglesey]]> Zimbabwe]]> Zimbabwe--Gweru]]> Zimbabwe--Bulawayo]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Essex]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> South Africa--Mahikeng]]> South Africa]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Bishop's Stortford]]> 1945]]>
In accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donor, this item is available only at the University of Lincoln.]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Linda Saunders]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Rutland]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1941]]> 1945]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Manchester]]> Canada]]> Nova Scotia]]> United States]]> Florida]]> Germany]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Italy]]> Italy--Milan]]> Netherlands]]> England--Rutland]]> Germany--Hesse]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Lancashire]]> China--Hong Kong]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> 1942-12]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-03-11]]> 1943-05-12]]> 1944-06-22]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> Great Britain]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Recruited as an engine fitter he trained at St. Athans and then volunteered for flying duties as it was a quick promotion. Because of his engineering background his flight engineering training was reduced to two weeks
He was then posted to RAF Swinderby to fly the Manchester and then to 97 squadron, which became a Pathfinder squadron, at RAF Woodhall Spa alongside 617 Squadron. In May 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Bourne and he was promoted to warrant officer. Henry was happy to stay as an NCO and did not welcome more responsibility.
After his first tour he was rested for six months as a senior instructor at 1661 HCU unit at RAF Winthorpe flying the Stirling. He compares flying the Lancaster and Stirling in some detail.
He returned to operational flying and recalls bombing La Spezia and landing in North Africa where his aircraft went u/s but he repaired it himself in order to return home.
Henry remembers that there were no great celebrations on VE day and he was demobbed in February 1946.
After a period in civilian life, Henry re-enlisted in the RAF in September 1948 as a corporal fitter and was posted to Malaya and Singapore. He left the RAF again in 1952 and then worked for Rolls Royce for 26 years, working on Merlin engines.
]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Terry Holmes]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> North Africa]]> Singapore]]> Malaya]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943-05-19]]> 1943-05]]> 1940-04]]> 1946-02]]> 1948-09]]> 1952]]>
]]> Claire Bennett]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Claire Bennett]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> India--Delhi]]> Scotland--Orkney]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1945]]> Claire Monk]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> England--Suffolk]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> 1941]]> 1944]]> 1946]]> Ron describes how his aircraft was hit on the starboard wing and what happened to the crew. He had problems with his parachute and landed on a house roof, dislocating his leg. He spent a month in a civilian hospital in Munster. He was transported by a kind German fighter pilot to Dulag Luft, near Frankfurt. Ron was sent to Stalag Luft 6. People could study, and there was a library and entertainment. Ron made model aircraft. Provisions became scarce in the latter months. A tunnel was dug near the latrines and 30 prisoners escaped. The guards abandoned the camp and Ron was taken to an aerodrome and flown home in a Dakota. He went to RAF Cosford, but, with little to do, he came out of the RAF.]]> Clare Bennett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Lithuania]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> D Gill]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> United States]]> Florida]]> France]]> France--Clermont-Ferrand]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Italy]]> Italy--La Spezia]]> Germany]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Rheydt]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Norway]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Germany--Euskirchen (Kreis)]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--IJmuiden]]> Poland]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Great Britain]]> New Brunswick]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-04-20]]> 1941-06-08]]> 1942-01-06]]> 1941-01-20]]> 1942-09-11]]> 1943-02-25]]> 1943-03]]> 1943-04-20]]> 1943-11-19]]> 1943-06-27]]> 1943-12-27]]> 1944-09-27]]> 1944-10]]> 1944-11-11]]> 1944-12]]> 1945-01]]> 1945-02]]> 1945-03]]> 1945-03-21]]>