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Interview with Jack Meehan
Jack Meehan grew up in New Zealand and worked on the railway before he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. He flew operations as a wireless operator / air gunner with 75 Squadron at RAF Mepal.
Interview with James Hampton
James Hampton was born in February 1925. He was an apprentice engineer before the war with Laystall Engineering Company and was in a reserved occupation before joining the Royal Air Force in 1943, where he trained as a flight engineer in Bomber…
Interview with Jeff Brown
Jeff Brown worked as an electrician until he joined the Royal Air Force. He flew with 576 Squadron from RAF Fiskerton.
Interview with Joy Colbeck
Joy Colbeck was born in Maidstone, Kent and served within the Women’s Royal Naval Service during the war. Her brother, John, joined the RAF on the 28 of April 1943, qualified at as an air gunner in April 1944, before being transferred to an…
Interview with Peter Rowland Ruthven Neech
Peter was born in London and his home suffered bomb damage during the war. He served in the Air Training Corps until joining the Royal Air Force in 1943. After reporting to the Aircrew Reception Centre at St John’s Wood, he spent a few weeks at RAF…
Interview with Peter Rowland Ruthven Neech. Two
Peter was born on the 7th of January 1925, in West Hampstead, London. He worked in a jewellers in Hammersmith and left his job to join the air cadets at RAF Hendon from 1941 to 1943. On his eighteenth birthday, he joined the RAF to begin training as…
Interview with Raymond George Goss
Raymond Goss lived on the family farm at Westcott before, during and after the construction and occupation of RAF Westcott as 11 Operational Training Unit. One evening a Lancaster collided with a Wellington on the field and both exploded. The Goss…
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 University…
Interview with Roland Spencer Williams
Roland Spencer Williams was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Wanting to get involved in the war he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942. After initial training in New Zealand, as an air gunner, he sailed on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam to San…
Interview with Ron Mayhill
Ron Mayhill was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He joined the Air Training Corp in 1941, automatically entered the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942, trained as a bomb aimer in Canada, and travelled on the Queen Mary to the UK in 1943. While flying…
Interview with Sue Chaplin
Susan Chaplin was born in North Marston and was a local teacher. She recounts the story her mother told her as a young girl, about Wellington HE740 which crashed near the village. With her local history group she researched and wrote a book “The…
Interview with Tim Schneider
Tim Schneider lived at Westcott before, during and after the construction and occupation of RAF Westcott as 11 Operational Training Unit. He tells of feeding the rabbits when he was four years old; leaving school at fourteen to help working on the…
Interview with William Edwin Barnett
William Edwin Barnett talks about his experience of living on the edge of RAF Westcott, near Aylesbury. Remembers starting to work on a farm at the age of fourteen and describes his everyday life and duties. Tells of being conscripted into the Home…
Jeff Brown's flying log book for navigators, air bombers, air gunners, flight engineers
Flying log book for navigators, air bombers, air gunners, flight engineers for Jeff Brown, air gunner, covering the period from 18 August 1944 to 31 December 1951. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and post war flying. He was stationed…
John Russell's F543A Record of service
John was ground crew, initially a Flight Mechanic Engines from 12 February 1943, having gained experience he received further training to Fitter II E from 19 October 1943. He was promoted to LAC 1 November 1944 and then corporal 1 November 1945. He…
Letter confirming John Wenham's death
Letter to John Wenham's father from the Station Commander R.A.F. Westcott confirming John's death and offering his and the station's sympathy.
Letter from Tom Wadeson to Jean Wadeson
Thanks her for the great time he had when he was last home. Writes a little of his activities. Says he was enclosing some Canadian stamps, one of which was fairly scarce as well as a photograph of an Abbey. Closes saying he has little news.
Letter to Jack Newton from the Red Cross
References the other five members of his crew and gives information on the prisoner of war locations of Roy Langlois, Sgt Copely both at Stalag Luft 3 and the other three at Camp de Chambaran, Istres France.
Log book extract
Showing the last operational sorties of the war in Europe by the main force. His pilots on operations were Flight Lieutenant Briant and Flight Lieutenant Sommers.
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…
My Time in the Royal Air Force 1942-1955
An autobiography by Jim about his time in the RAF. He was 17 when the war started and he applied and was accepted for the RAF, on deferred service. Training started at Ludlow, Newquay then grading at Sywell. He was selected for further training and…
Notes about a memorial to the John Wenham crash
Notes produced for a service at North Marston church where a memorial was to be sited.
Peter Banting’s Royal Canadian Air Force flying log book for aircrew other than pilot
Royal Canadian Air Force flying log book for aircrew other than pilot for Peter Banting, bomb aimer, covering the period from 5 October 1943 to 11 July 1946. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and post war flying. He was stationed at…
Peter Bellingham’s observer's and air gunner's flying log book
The log book covers the training and operational career of bomb aimer Peter Bellingham from 10 March 1943 to 21 February 1946. After training in South Africa he flew Halifaxes and Stirlings with 138 Squadron, taking part in 30 night operations over…