The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form: no better quality copies are available.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Geolocated]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> 1944]]>
Ray was posted to Bomber Command, initially on Stirlings at RAF Swinderby and then RAF East Kirkby. He crewed up with four Australians and two other English men. He mentions the difficult conditions and crews who did not return. The mid-upper gunner faced several issues before being replaced due to injury.
Ray does describe some of the events on his tour: going round Mont Blanc; an encounter with a German fighter plane; instrument failure, going to the oil fields in Poland; insufficient petrol; the ground crew mixing up oil and coolant when diverted to RAF Tarrant Rushton; almost being hit by a trainer Lancaster crew when trying formation flying. He did, however, later find out that they had saved the lives of 2,000 troops crossing the river at Wesel.
When Germany surrendered, Ray was sent on leave, and then Scotland and Grantham for a commissioning course. He became a pilot officer and was posted to Iraq where he was made adjutant of 1 Squadron.
Ray explains how he felt about the treatment of Bomber Command.
Before his death, Ray’s wife, Jean, was married to another crew member, whom she met while training as a nurse. ]]>
Pam Locker]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Sally Coulter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Wales]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Europe--Mont Blanc]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Iraq]]>
Martyn Horndern]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Wales--Vale of Glamorgan]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Chris Johnson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sam Harper-Coulson]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Urft Dam]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> 1945-07]]> 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]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Zimbabwe]]> England--Essex]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Italy--Bari]]> Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco]]> Scotland--Dumfries]]> Zimbabwe--Bulawayo]]> Zimbabwe--Gweru]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1945-08-21]]> 1945-08-25]]> 1945-09-07]]> 1945-09-10]]> 1945-09-13]]> 1945-09-15]]> 1945-10-02]]> 1945-10-04]]> 1945-10-08]]> 1945-10-10]]> Nigel Moore]]> 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]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> 1939]]> 1941]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Training Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> South Africa]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Lorient]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> K Watson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> Dennis Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Argentina]]> Great Britain]]> Argentina--Buenos Aires]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--London]]> Heathrow Airport (London, England)]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Essex]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Normandy]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Nijmegen]]> 1943-10-17]]> 1943-10-18]]> 1943-10-24]]> 1943-10-25]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Terry Hancock]]> Mike Connock]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> British Army]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Brest]]> France--Modane]]> France--Montluçon]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> 1943-09-08]]> 1943-09-09]]> 1943-09-15]]> 1943-09-16]]> 1943-09-17]]> 1943-09-19]]> 1943-09-20]]> 1943-09-23]]> 1943-09-24]]> 1943-09-25]]> 1943-09-27]]> 1943-09-28]]> 1943-10-02]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-10-04]]> 1943-10-08]]> 1943-10-09]]> 1944-02-11]]> 1944-02-12]]> 1944-03-11]]> 1944-03-12]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-06-13]]> 1944-07-03]]> 1944-07-04]]> 1944-07-12]]> 1944-07-13]]> 1944-07-23]]> 1944-07-24]]> 1944-07-28]]> 1944-07-29]]> 1944-08-02]]> 1944-08-03]]> 1944-08-04]]> 1944-08-05]]> 1944-08-09]]> 1944-08-10]]> 1944-08-17]]> 1944-08-18]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-08-25]]> 1944-08-27]]> 1944-08-28]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Peter first learnt to fly powered aircraft at Elementary Flying Training School and was then attached to the 9th United States Air Force. He flew in C-47s, then went back to C squadron, flying Hamilcars. When the war finished, Peter went to Fairford and converted onto Waco CG-4As to go to the Far East.
Peter discusses the time leading up to the Second World War, his views on Chamberlain and Churchill, and how prepared the country was for war. He describes his training and time as a boy soldier.
He trained at RAF Stoke Orchard on Hotspur gliders, towed off the ground by Master aircraft. When he left Glider Training School he went on Horsas, towed by C-47s. Hamilcars needed four-engined bombers: 38 Squadron Halifaxes. Peter describes flying these different gliders.
Peter recounts in some detail the Rhine crossing in which they were hit by anti aircraft fire and landed nose down before escaping to Hamminkeln and ultimately returning to RAF Brize Norton and then to his squadron at RAF Tarrant Rushton. He talks about his Bren gun.
Peter expresses his pride and the many friendships made. He also praises several generals for their roles in the war.
Peter discusses the VJ and VE Day celebrations and how warfare has since changed.]]>
Tom Ozel]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> British Army]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Dorset]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> Germany]]> Rhine River]]> Germany--Hamminkeln]]> 1938]]> 1945-05-08]]> 1945-08-15]]>