J D Elliott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1943-12-20]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Training continued on Whitleys before a transfer to Acaster Malbis for yet more training, followed by the heavy conversion unit at Marston Moor, on Halifaxes.
His first operational posting was 51 Squadron at Snaith. He covers each operation in detail. Interspersed with the details are explanations of electronic systems and tactics used.
During one operation he was shot down and parachuted behind the German lines. Eventually he was taken prisoner, interrogated then transferred to Stalag Luft 7. As the Russians got nearer they were forced to walk west. Later they were transferred by train to Stalag IIIA.
The account then jumps to reunions in the 1980s, then returns to the last few days at the camp as the war ends.
He reached home on 15th May.

This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. ]]>
Henry Wagner]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> England--Henley-on-Thames]]> England--Reading]]> England--London]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Hull]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Liverpool]]> South Africa--Durban]]> South Africa--East London]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> Egypt--Suez Canal]]> Egypt--Port Said]]> Libya--Tobruk]]> Italy--Sicily]]> Algeria--Algiers]]> England--Harrogate]]> England--Whitley Bay]]> England--Newquay]]> England--Falmouth]]> England--York]]> Northern Ireland--Belfast]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Germany--Jülich]]> Germany--Essen]]> England--Beachy Head]]> Germany--Neuss]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> England--Derby]]> Germany--Soest]]> England--Nottingham]]> Germany--Hildesheim]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Alps]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Düren (Cologne)]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Italy]]> Algeria]]> Libya]]> Egypt]]> North Africa]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> South Africa]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Schönebeck (Schönebeck)]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> E W Sanger]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Diary]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> 1943-02-23]]> 1943-02-27]]> 1945-01-28]]> 1945-02-04]]> 1945-02]]> 1945-04]]> 1945-05]]> E W Sanger]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Bradbury]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Poland]]> Poland--Szubin]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> 1943-02-25]]> 1943-04-07]]> 1945-01-28]]> 1945-05]]> Des Matthews]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> BAutonJAutonJv10002,
BAutonJAutonJv10003,
BAutonJAutonJv10004,
BAutonJAutonJv10005,
BAutonJAutonJv10006,
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BAutonJAutonJv10009]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> South African Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Austria--Linz]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Italy--Brindisi]]> Poland--Warsaw]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Zerbst]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hull]]> Europe--Elbe River]]> Germany]]> Italy]]> Poland]]> Austria]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1945-05-08]]>
Great Britain. Red Cross and St John war organisation. Prisoners of war department]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Cyprus--Famagusta]]> Switzerland--Geneva]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Germany--Colditz]]> Germany--Neubrandenburg]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Görlitz (Görlitz)]]> Germany--Meiningen]]> Germany--Obermassfeld-Grimmenthal]]> Great Britain]]> England--Merseyside]]> England--Oldham]]> England--Surrey]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Germany--Barth]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Moosburg an der Isar]]> Ukraine--Odesa]]> Germany]]> Cyprus]]> Netherlands]]> Switzerland]]> Ukraine]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1945-04]]> Great Britain. Red Cross and St John war organisation. Prisoners of war department]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Angola]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Cuba]]> Cyprus]]> Czech Republic]]> Czech Republic--Prague]]> Ethiopia]]> Ethiopia--Addis Ababa]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Port Said]]> France]]> France--Toulon]]> Germany]]> Germany--Bautzen Region]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Goldberg (Schwerin)]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Hohnstein (Grafschaft)]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Ravensburg]]> Germany--Sandbostel]]> Germany--Schönfeld]]> Iran]]> Kenya]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Northern Rhodesia]]> Sri Lanka]]> Sri Lanka--Colombo]]> Switzerland]]> Switzerland--Geneva]]> Turkey]]> Turkey--Istanbul]]> Ukraine]]> North Africa]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Czech Republic]]> Czech Republic--Karlovy Vary]]> Germany--Moosburg an der Isar]]> Ukraine--Odesa]]> Germany--Mühlberg (Bad Liebenwerda)]]> Czech Republic--Cheb]]> Lithuania]]> Angola--Luanda (Luanda)]]> 1945-05]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Plymouth]]> France--Dieppe]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Ontario--Ottawa]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Belgium]]> France--Fresnes (Val-de-Marne)]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Alberta--Hinton]]> Germany--Berlin]]> England--Cambridge]]> England--Oxford]]> England--Southampton]]> Germany--Cologne]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Manitoba--Brandon]]> Switzerland--Geneva]]> United States--Mason-Dixon Line]]> England--Skipton]]> France--Falaise]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Virginia--Norfolk]]> Italy--Sicily]]> Italy--Calabria]]> Italy--Naples]]> Italy--Florence]]> Austria--Spittal an der Drau]]> Poland--Toruń]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Europe--Elbe River]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Germany--Mühlberg (Bad Liebenwerda)]]> Italy]]> Poland]]> France]]> Virginia]]> Ontario]]> Alberta]]> Germany]]> Austria]]> Switzerland]]> United States]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Devon]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> Manitoba]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> British Army]]> Royal Navy]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Plymouth]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Spremberg]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> Poland]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Devon]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> Poland--Żagań]]> New Zealand--Auckland]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Abbotsford]]> British Columbia--Victoria]]> England--Headcorn]]> Australia]]> New South Wales--Penrith]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> England--Stafford]]> England--Nottingham]]> Poland]]> New South Wales]]> Ontario]]> Germany]]> New Zealand]]> England--Kent]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> He lists the men who were shot after recapture during the Great Escape.
Included are poems and parodies, a list of their daily rations, an account of the Mass Escape, recipes and small strips of Window dropped by the RAF.]]>
Jim Tyrie]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> deu]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Germany--Barth]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Bernau (Brandenburg)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
Jim Tyrie]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> deu]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Germany--Barth]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Bernau (Brandenburg)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Joy Reynard ]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Hastings]]> Germany--Barth]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Belgium--Nivelles]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Cyprus--Limassol]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Scotland--Dundee]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Bernau (Brandenburg)]]> Belgium]]> Cyprus]]> England--Sussex]]> Cyprus--Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1945]]> Flt Lt J B P 'Tuesday' Spencer, 20 years, Pilot from Greenside, Co Durham
Sgt W D E West, 21 years, Mid Upper Gunner, from Barking, Essex
Sgt H Gordge, 21 years, Bomb Aimer, from Itchen, Southampton
Flt Lt R T Clarke, DFM, 21 years, Flight Engineer, from Teddington, Middlesex
Sgt E D Anderson, 19 years, Rear Gunner, from Kirkstall, Leeds
P/O N E Hughes-Games ('Hughie'), 21 years, Navigator, member of RCAF from Kelowna, British Columbia.
He gives descriptions of 'Tuesday' Spencer, and 'Hughie' Hughes-Games.
Peter carried out 25 operations since he had already completed a first tour of 30 operations. While he was on leave, his aircraft crashed and his crew died, including one who survived the crash but later died of meningitis in prison.
Peter then commenced a third tour but the war ended before it was completed.]]>
Hazeldene,P]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> BHazeldenePVHazeldenePVv10002,
BHazeldenePVHazeldenePVv10003,
BHazeldenePVHazeldenePVv10004
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Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Spalding]]> France]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Caen]]> France--Joigny]]> Poland]]> Poland--Poznań]]> 1943-10]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-08]]>

This item has been redacted in order to protect the privacy of third parties.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
Fred Hooker]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> SHookerFJ1805487v10021,
SHookerFJ1805487v10022]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Germany--Winterfeld]]> 1944-09]]> 1945]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1945-02]]> Photo 2 captioned 'Table and Bench Seat' shows two men at the table, one seated.
Photo 3 is of a church, captioned 'Converted Hut by Russian POW for Worshipping'.
Photo 4 is of rows of tents with men squatting and eating, captioned 'View of American Compound'.
Photo 5 is looking through barbed wire at prisoners walking in a circle, captioned 'Daily Exercise walking perimeter of compound'.
Photo 6 is of five people in uniform, one man has an accordion, captioned 'Group of Russian's [sic] soon after our release'.
Photo 7 is a cemetery, captioned 'View of Local Cemetery. Attended funeral, Basingstoke lad buried here'.
Photo 8 is a tented area, fence with washing on it and people walking about, captioned 'Another view of American compound'.
Photo 9 is of four men using a pole to carry a large cooking pot, captioned 'Soup ration for 250 men +F'.
Photo 10 is of a football match watched by large numbers of prisoners, captioned 'Playing Fields'.
Photo 11 is of prisoners and American troops captioned 'First Americans to arrive speaking of there [sic] plans for us'.
Photo 12 is of two topless men with their hands raised, by a wall. Two soldiers with rifles are standing facing them. A third soldier is standing by the prisoners. It is captioned 'Photograph in camera when found'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> SHookerFJ1805487v10014,
SHookerFJ1805487v10015,
SHookerFJ1805487v10016,
SHookerFJ1805487v10017,
SHookerFJ1805487v10018]]>
Royal Air Force]]> United States Army Air Force]]> United States Army]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> 1945]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Great Britain. Red Cross and St John war organisation]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Navy]]> British Army]]> 1945-04]]> Les Arrowsmith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Henry describes The Long March from Bankau to Luckenwalde, the cold, the guards and lack of food. They walked for some three weeks to Goldberg and then spent two days in cattle trucks going to Luckenwalde. Anyone who fell was left at the roadside to die of exposure.
Henry refers to the large number of aircrew who lost their lives in Bomber Command and one of Air Marshal Harris’s speeches on the radio.]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Evacuation was never easy from the aircraft, particularly when there was damage to its infrastructure, and there were difficulties removing some of the crew safely. However, due to many drills to this procedure they left the plane in an orderly and pre-arranged fashion. There was also the added complication of any parachute malfunction, fire from other plane enemy/friendly, and anti-aircraft fire from the ground on top of any problems arising from the landing. Landing in an area already ablaze with the very bombs that you were there to drop was also a real concern.
When Henry had to bail out of his Halifax, they aircraft landed in Holland and was buried too deeply to be salvaged.
He describes his journey though Oberursel, Frankfurt to Stalag 7 Bankau, and the march they had to make because the Germans wanted to keep the POWs away from the oncoming Russians. He explains how the POWs survived their time in captivity, particularly after the ‘Great Escape’ from Stalag Luft 3 where fifty were killed. Towards the conclusion of the war, the POWs worried that they too were going to be killed like those of Stalag Luft 3.
The march from Bankau to Luckenwalde took place in the winter of 1944/45. The POWs never knew how far they would be marching each day, what they would be given to eat or where they would sleep. Henry calls modern reconstructions of the march ‘pantomimes’ as they bear little resemblance to the truth. The German guards would threaten to shoot anyone who failed to keep pace with the group, but Henry cannot recall this occurring. Rather those men who fell behind were left to die from exposure to the cold.
The interview concludes with Henry’s post-war life in teaching, his family and what he became involved with once he retired.

Claire Campbell]]>
eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Netherlands]]> Europe--Meuse River]]> Poland]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany]]> 1945]]>
Judy Hodgson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Henry returned to the UK and was posted to RAF West Freugh, Scotland, then RAF Abingdon to learn about the differences in flying in European weather. He crewed up at Abingdon before moving to the HCU RAF Stanton Harcourt. On being posted to 4 Group HCU RAF Marston Moor he learnt that he would be flying Halifax aircraft and the final member of his crew joined them. Here they learnt about the Gee navigation system. Once the left this base, they were classed as an operational aircrew.
Henry’s crew was posted to RAF Snaith near Doncaster. He explains how it was a constant race to keep ahead technologically ahead of the German. Henry tells of the operations he went on to Julich, Munster, and six in the Ruhr area (Duisburg etc.). He details the types of target, and the kinds of defences the targets have.
After talking of the losses sustained by Bomber Command during the Second World War, Henry describes his final flight during which the aircraft bombed the target successfully but on it’s return journey was shot down. Henry was the only member of the crew to successfully bail out. He describes the small survival kit that the RAF had issued him with and his evasion the any Germans until he was caught and initially placed in the Luftwaffe’s care. He was sent via Frankfurt to Stalag Luft 7 which was for RAF NCOs at Bankau. After the Russian front drew near to the camp, the POWs were sent to the already overcrowded prison camp of Stalag 3A Luckenwalde. The prisoners were only able to take a few items from Red Cross parcels like blankets, shaving kits, toothbrushes, etc. While they were marching in the bitter winter 1944/45, they often had to stay in farm building, were mainly given soup to eat.
Henry describes life in Stalag 3A, and how he came to be liberated. He was flown to RAF Wing and returned to Reading University to complete his education and become a teacher.
Henry details his post-war life in teaching and with his family.

Claire Campbell]]>
eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> South Africa]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Alps]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]>
Alastair Montgomery]]> 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]]> Poland]]> England--Suffolk]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Germany--Rastatt]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>