IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Christian]]> David Bloomfield]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Bombing of the Creil V-1 storage areas (4/5 July 1944)]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Creil]]> 1944-07-04]]> 1944-07-05]]> On the reverse are adverts.]]> Birmingham Mail]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Czech Republic--Bohemia]]> Germany--Coesfeld]]> Germany--Dülmen]]> Germany--Ahaus]]> Germany--Bocholt]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Netherlands--IJssel Lake]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany]]> Denmark]]> Czech Republic]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1945-03]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> ita]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Poland]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Euskirchen Region]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands--IJmuiden]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Ontario--Hamilton]]> Ontario--Picton]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> 1943]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1944-12-08]]> 1944-12-11]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1944-12-31]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-12]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-02-26]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-03-27]]> 1945-04-06]]> 1945-04-07]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-13]]> 1945-04-15]]> 1945-04-16]]> 1945-04-19]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1945-05-10]]> 1946]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> David Bloomfield]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Bombing of the Le Havre submarine pens (14/15 June 1944)]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Le Havre]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Laura Morgan]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Bombing of the Le Havre submarine pens (14/15 June 1944)]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Le Havre]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> H G Adams]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Bremerhaven]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Poland]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-07-28]]> 1944-09-11]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-18]]> 1944-10-06]]> 1944-12-17]]> 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]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Belgium--Leopoldsburg]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> France--Abbeville Region]]> France--Argentan]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> France--Brest]]> France--Creil]]> France--Kembs]]> France--Lille]]> France--Limoges]]> France--L'Isle-Adam]]> France--Nantes]]> France--Nevers]]> France--Orléans]]> France--Paris]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Paris Region]]> France--Rennes]]> France--Saint-Pierre-du-Mont (Landes)]]> France--Saumur]]> France--Toulouse]]> France--Tours]]> France--Valognes Region]]> France--Vitry-sur-Seine]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Braunschweig]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Darmstadt]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Urft Dam]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943]]> 1944-04-03]]> 1944-04-04]]> 1944-04-05]]> 1944-04-06]]> 1944-04-10]]> 1944-04-11]]> 1944-04-18]]> 1944-04-19]]> 1944-04-26]]> 1944-04-27]]> 1944-04-28]]> 1944-04-29]]> 1944-05-10]]> 1944-05-11]]> 1944-05-12]]> 1944-05-19]]> 1944-05-20]]> 1944-05-21]]> 1944-05-22]]> 1944-05-23]]> 1944-05-24]]> 1944-05-25]]> 1944-05-27]]> 1944-05-28]]> 1944-05-31]]> 1944-06-01]]> 1944-06-03]]> 1944-06-04]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-06-07]]> 1944-06-08]]> 1944-06-09]]> 1944-06-10]]> 1944-06-11]]> 1944-06-21]]> 1944-06-22]]> 1944-06-23]]> 1944-06-24]]> 1944-06-25]]> 1944-06-27]]> 1944-06-28]]> 1944-06-29]]> 1944-07-04]]> 1944-07-05]]> 1944-07-07]]> 1944-07-08]]> 1944-07-14]]> 1944-07-15]]> 1944-07-16]]> 1944-07-19]]> 1944-07-25]]> 1944-07-26]]> 1944-07-28]]> 1944-07-29]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-07-31]]> 1944-08-01]]> 1944-08-14]]> 1944-08-18]]> 1944-08-25]]> 1944-08-26]]> 1944-09-23]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-10-03]]> 1944-10-07]]> 1944-10-29]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1944-12-08]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-02-24]]> 1945-03-13]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-21]]> 1946]]> 1951]]> 1952]]> 1953]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Leitch]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> Middle East]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Alençon]]> France--Amiens]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Brittany]]> France--Châteaudun]]> France--Lille]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Orléans]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Yvelines]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Bielefeld]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Germany--Ludwigshafen am Rhein]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Nienburg (Lower Saxony)]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Urft Dam]]> Netherlands--Hoek van Holland]]> Netherlands--Ijmuiden]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Poland]]> Germany--Herne (Arnsberg)]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> France--Herquelingue]]> France--Morsalines]]> France--Ver-Sur-Mer]]> France--Manche]]> 1943-09-22]]> 1943-09-23]]> 1943-09-24]]> 1943-09-27]]> 1943-09-28]]> 1943-09-29]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-10-04]]> 1943-10-05]]> 1943-10-08]]> 1943-10-09]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1943-11-18]]> 1943-11-19]]> 1943-11-22]]> 1943-11-23]]> 1943-11-25]]> 1943-11-26]]> 1943-12-03]]> 1943-12-04]]> 1943-12-29]]> 1943-12-30]]> 1944-01-28]]> 1944-01-29]]> 1944-01-30]]> 1944-01-31]]> 1944-02-19]]> 1944-02-20]]> 1944-02-21]]> 1944-02-25]]> 1944-02-26]]> 1944-03-01]]> 1944-03-02]]> 1944-03-06]]> 1944-03-15]]> 1944-03-16]]> 1944-03-18]]> 1944-03-19]]> 1944-03-26]]> 1944-03-27]]> 1944-04-09]]> 1944-05-10]]> 1944-05-11]]> 1944-05-12]]> 1944-05-22]]> 1944-05-23]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944-06-07]]> 1944-06-08]]> 1944-06-09]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-06-13]]> 1944-06-15]]> 1944-06-16]]> 1944-12-08]]> 1944-12-11]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-21]]> 1944-12-29]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1944-12-31]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-06]]> 1945-02-08]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-22]]> 1945-02-24]]> 1945-03-13]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-15]]> 1945-03-19]]> 1945-03-21]]> 1945-03-22]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-03-27]]> 1945-04-06]]> 1945-04-07]]> 1945-04-09]]> 1945-04-19]]> 1946]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> France]]> France--Brest]]> France--Gosnay]]> Norway]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Friedrichshafen]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Germany--Schweinfurt]]> Germany--Augsburg]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> France--Clermont-Ferrand]]> France--Normandy]]> France--Orléans]]> France--Poitiers]]> France--Nantes]]> France--Nevers]]> France--Vitry-le-François]]> France--Caen]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Mönchengladbach]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Walcheren]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Mittelland Canal]]> Czech Republic]]> Germany--Neubrandenburg]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Czech Republic--Most]]> 1917]]> 1918]]> 1938]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Holten]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincoln]]> France]]> Netherlands--Tilburg Metropolitan Area]]> Norway]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Russia (Federation)--Arkhangelʹskai︠a︡ oblastʹ]]> Germany]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> 1944-09-23]]> 1944-09-24]]> Middle - reconnaissance photograph showing coast and port with harbour wall and basins in built up area.
Bottom left - b/w photograph of boat pens before demolition.
Bottom right - a large crater produced by 10 ton bomb. Also included is a copy of the album page and other copies of the same target photograph.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Geolocated (cumulative polygon)]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--IJmuiden]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-30]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ashley Jacobs]]> David Bloomfield]]> Georgie Donaldson]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Bombing of the Samur tunnel (8/9 June 1944)]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Saumur]]> 1944-06-08]]> 1944-06-09]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> David Bloomfield]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Bombing of the Le Havre submarine pens (14/15 June 1944)]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Le Havre]]> 1944-06-14]]> 1944-06-15]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Margaret Carr]]> David Bloomfield]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Bombing of the Mimoyecques V-3 site (6 July 1944)]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Mimoyecques]]> 1944-07-06]]> Alan was posted to Bradfield Park for training and then to No. 2 Air Observers’ School in Edmonton, Canada. He was given a commission as a pilot officer and went to the Advanced Flying Unit at RAF Wigtown in Scotland, followed by the Operational Training Unit at RAF Lichfield. Alan describes the process of crewing up. He trained on Wellingtons and then went to the Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Winthorpe. Alan describes the night they had to parachute from their Stirling after a trip to the coast of Holland.
After Lancaster Finishing School, Alan was posted to 617 Squadron where the Commanding Officer was J B “Willie” Tait. His first operation in November 1944 was to bomb the Urft Dam in Germany but it was too cloudy to release the 12,000 lb Tallboy bomb on board. A second attempt was also unsuccessful. Alan then refers to two operations in the Netherlands where U-boat pens were bombed. Bergen was another operation. On 25 April 1945, their target was Berchtesgaden, their last operation leading a Main Force Group of 400 aircraft.

Alan then went to 467 Squadron at RAF Metheringham. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they were no longer required to go to Okanawa. Alan returned to Australia in February 1946 and joined Shell company in Sidney. ]]>
John Horsburgh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Norway]]> Queensland]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> 1942]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1944-01]]> 1944-09-24]]> 1944-11]]> 1945-04-25]]> 1946-02]]>
The first of his eleven operations was to the Ruhr valley which was uneventful, unlike the one to Helgoland where the aircraft in front of them exploded and they flew through the debris virtually unscathed. On another op, Ben had a grandstand view of the release of a Tallboy bomb and its devastating effect.
At the end of the war Ben retrained as a marine fitter and spent a year in Singapore before being demobbed. After a year as a photographer, he spent time in the camera workshop repairing commercial cameras and became a qualified photographer. Moving to a commercial photographic firm and then Saunders Roe, he specialised in air to air photography, including the SR53 experimental aircraft and Concorde and still retains his interest by visiting air displays.
Ben has had exchange visits with his Canadian former crew and feels, like most bomber command veterans, that they were treated shabbily.
]]>
Chris Johnson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Chris Johnson]]> Terry Holmes]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> Germany]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Singapore]]> 1944]]>
Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Russia (Federation)--Arkhangelʹskai︠a︡ oblastʹ]]> Scotland--Lossiemouth]]> Russia (Federation)]]> Russia (Federation)]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Julian Maslin]]> 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]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> Atlantic Ocean]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Scotland--Moray]]> 1942]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1945]]> After the war, he got a job at the gravel pits as a crane driver. He completed part of his National Service in Berlin during 1954 and was based in the Spandau Jail where Rudolf Hess and Albert Speer were held. He describes the damage to Berlin caused by the Russians and allied bombing. Colin also recalls visits he made to Belsen, the Bielefeld viaduct, and the Berlin Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. ]]> Mike Connock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Nick Cornwell-Smith]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1942]]> 1944]]> 1953]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Scotland--Lossiemouth]]> Norway--Narvik]]> 1944-11-12]]> Michael Jeffries]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Heather Hughes]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany--Böhlen]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Germany--Lutzendorf]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Coventry]]> France--Brest]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Scotland--Lossiemouth]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1945]]> Julian Maslin]]> 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]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943-06]]> Claire Bennett]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]>