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]]> 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]]>
Susan Carter]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> France]]> France--Caen]]> He describes their capture, mistreatment and interrogations at various locations. After interrogations at Dulag Luft they were sent to a transit camp in Frankfurt then on by train to Heydekrug, Stalag Luft VI. Although their camp section was new it was cramped and basic. He describes camp life in detail. As the Russians got closer they were sent by train to an Army camp at Thorn. He read a copy of NCO education in the camp. These courses were extremely popular and supported by text books sent from the UK. Exams were sat and papers sent to the UK for marking. At Thorn they marched to Stammlager 357 but not for long. They then marched back to the railway and were sent to Fallingbostel. He describes the rail journey in detail, then in greater detail he describes camp life.
Later he was moved to an officer's camp at Eichstadt. This turned out to be an Army camp which refused them and they were sent to Sagan. He stayed there for a short time then was moved to Stalag Luft 3, then 111A. As the Russians neared they moved again. After a couple of days waiting in trucks they returned to their camp. The railway system was breaking down as the end of the war neared.
After the Russians reached them they were allowed out of the camp but still remained billeted there. He writes about his impressions of the Russians.
His journey home was delayed by rain that did not allow aircraft to fly.
His story ends with his retelling of the night his aircraft was shot down, his night in Brussels and his return to England.]]>
Alan McInnes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Australia]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lichfield]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Stendal]]> Switzerland]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Poland]]> Italy]]> Canada]]> United States]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Poland--Toruń]]> Greece]]> Greece--Crete]]> Poland--Vistula River]]> England--Staverton (Northamptonshire)]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Poland--Bydgoszcz]]> Poland--Poznań]]> Germany--Pasewalk]]> Germany--Neubrandenburg]]> Germany--Stavenhagen]]> Germany--Malchin (Landkreis)]]> Germany--Güstrow]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Germany--Eichstätt]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Eisenach]]> Germany--Fürth (Bavaria)]]> Germany--Treuchtlingen]]> Germany--Ingolstadt]]> Germany--Regensburg]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Plauen]]> Poland--Wrocław]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> New South Wales]]> India--Jammu and Kashmir]]> China]]> England--London]]> Germany--Elbe]]> Germany--Potsdam]]> Germany--Jüterbog]]> Ukraine--Odesa]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Halle an der Saale]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Brighton]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Ukraine]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Poznań]]> Germany]]> Germany--Hof (Hof)]]> 1944-01-21]]>

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]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Physical object]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Wehrmacht]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Germany]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Arnstein (Main-Spessart)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Opole (Voivodeship)]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Canada]]> Manitoba--Brandon]]> Alberta--Calgary]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Bad Tölz]]> Manitoba]]> 1944-04-26]]> 1944-04-27]]> 1945-01-19]]> 1945-02-15]]> 1945-04-21]]> J Usher]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cara Walmsley]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Arnstein (Main-Spessart)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Opole (Voivodeship)]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1944-04-25]]> 1945-01-19]]> 1945-02-05]]> J Usher]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cara Walmsley]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Poland]]> Poland--Opole (Voivodeship)]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1945-01-19]]> 1945-02-15]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Angela Gaffney]]> eng]]> Text]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> 1945-05-07]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Poland]]> Poland--Bobolice (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Poland--Kostrzyn nad Odrą (Województwo Lubuskie)]]> Germany]]> Germany--Fallingbostel (Landkreis)]]> Germany--Neuwied]]> Germany--Bad Dürkheim]]> Germany--Bremen]]> 1944-11-02]]> F Mannion]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Poland]]> Poland--Olsztyn (Voivodeship)]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> 1945-01]]> 1945-02]]> E Hookings]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Poland]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Halle an der Saale]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Shropshire]]> Great Britain]]> 1944]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1945]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Karl Williams]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Poland]]> Poland--Opole (Voivodeship)]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany]]> Germany--Winterfeld]]> 1945-01-19]]> 1945-02-08]]> 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]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Map]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1945-02]]> 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]]>
MI9]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> France]]> France--Caen]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Poland]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Germany]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> 1945-05-11]]> Henry Wagner]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> He passed through the Aircrew Reception Centre in London, Brighton, and Liverpool, Henry found himself sailing to Durban, South Africa. He tried to become a pilot but failed a test in a Tiger Moth so was placed in the Navigational Training School. He met Graham Walker while there. On 23 December 1943 Henry became a Sergeant with a Navigator’s brevet. (Navigator brevet p27).
After moving through RAF West Freugh, Scotland, Henry was then posted to the OTU RAF Abingdon to learn more complex skills in addition to lectures about the Luftwaffe, Intelligence information and ‘Escape and Evasion’. Henry crewed up at Abingdon. (Photographs of crew p 34-5). The next move was to 4 Group Training School, and this confirmed for the crew that they would be flying Halifax Mark 3 aircraft. Here lectures were ‘all good stuff’.
The penultimate move was to 1952 HCU RAF Marston Moor to learn about the Halifax Mark 3 and meet Sergeant Eric Berry, flight engineer. (Photograph p37). Henry describes the duties of the navigator, the use of the ‘Master Bomber’, some of the anti-aircraft techniques that were used in the technological war. (Photograph using of the H2S p39, pieces of the ‘Window’ radar defence p50).
Finally, they moved to RAF Snaith. There Henry took part in raids on Julich near Essen x 2, Hagen (an aborted mission), Soest, in the Ruhr Valley, Duisburg x 2, Aachen, Munster, and Osnabruck. There was a degree of acceptance that they were statistically going to die during their duties.
Henry was returning from a raid when he appraised the pilot that there was a fire onboard. The pilot to decide to abandon the aeroplane, and Henry parachuted from his plane. He landed in the garden of a domestic house and explains the contents of his evasion-pack. He was captured, moved to the Aircrew Interrogation Centre was in Oberursel and then onto Stalag Luft 7 Bankau, Silesia. Here he rejoined John Trumble with whom Henry had undergone part of his training. There was an army padre at the camp and the influence Captain John Collins had on the POWs both at Stalag Luft 7 and when the men were marching to other camps is described. They arrived at Stalag 3A, Luckenwaldwe. Henry describes Red Cross parcel, daily life there, attacks of dysentery, and ‘Goon-baiting’.
When the ‘gen’ revealed the Russians were only 12 miles from the camp, the Germans abandoned them, and RAF Wing Commander Beamont assumed command of the camp. On 22 April 1945, the Russians arrived. They refused to release the POWs, so Henry and John walked 7 miles westwards where they were met by the Americans and taken to the Reception Centre, Schonebeck.
With VE declared and de-lousing completed they were returned to RAF Wing, Aylebury. He shows the graves of his crew (photographs p 99-101).
On demobbing Henry resumed his university studies and became a teacher. He married and had children. Henry went to a Stalag Luft 7 reunion in 1982.

Claire Campbell]]>
eng]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> Germany]]> Kenya]]> Germany--Winterfeld]]>
Clare Bennett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> United States]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> At the age of 16, Eric had an apprenticeship as an indentured apprentice marine engineer at Liverpool docks, however wanted to serve, however he was classed as being in a reserved occupation, so therefore could only volunteer as aircrew.
Eric flew Avro Ansons, Vickers Wellingtons, before moving on to Short Stirlings with 1654 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Wigsley where he trained as a rear gunner. He then flew Avro Lancasters with 463 RAAF Squadron at Waddington.
He flew missions to France, Nuremburg, Dortmund-Ems canal, Brunswick and targets in the Ruhr. Eric was shot down on 6 November 1944 and was taken prisoner of war, and he tells of his escape from the camp when it was liberated by the Russian forces.
After returning to the United Kingdom, Eric ran the Prisoner of War Camps, before leaving the Royal Air Force and joining the 40th Kings Royal Tank Regiment, and served 6 years as a Troop Commander.
Eric left the Army in 1956 and worked for his father as a salesman in the motor car industry. He started his own business and by the rime he retired, he had built up four businesses which he ran for approximately 30 years.]]>
Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> British Army]]> Great Britain]]> England--Merseyside]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> England--Liverpool]]> France]]> Germany]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]>

]]>
Annie Moody]]> 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--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> 1944-09]]>
Tom Ozel]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> 1942]]> 1943-03-29]]> 1944-08-18]]> 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]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jackie Simpson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-10-22]]> 1944]]> 1945-01-19]]>