Air Marshall Sir Ralph Sorley]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> England--Felixstowe]]> England--Eastbourne (East Sussex)]]> England--Calshot]]> England--Bembridge]]> Atlantic Ocean--Spithead Channel]]> England--Cowes]]> England--Stroud]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> England--Sunbury]]> England--London]]> Monaco]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Iraq--Baghdad]]> England--Felixstowe]]> England--Aldeburgh]]> Iraq]]> Middle East--Kurdistan]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> Jordan]]> Iran]]> Middle East--Euphrates River]]> Syria]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> Singapore]]> Australia]]> Borneo]]> China--Hong Kong]]> England--Kent]]> United States]]> New York (State)--New York]]> France--Paris]]> Nigeria]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> Yugoslavia]]> Norway]]> Portugal]]> Spain]]> Denmark]]> Japan]]> Belgium]]> Argentina]]> Austria]]> Brazil]]> Canada]]> Chile]]> Greece]]> China]]> Lithuania]]> Estonia]]> England--Weybridge]]> Scotland--Island of Arran]]> England--Kingston upon Thames]]> France--Dunkerque]]> England--Hatfield (Hertfordshire)]]> Newfoundland and Labrador]]> New Brunswick]]> Maine]]> Maine--Presque Isle]]> Washington (D.C.)]]> Massachusetts--Boston]]> Pennsylvania--Philadelphia]]> Maryland--Baltimore]]> Washington (D.C.)--Anacostia]]> Tennessee--Nashville]]> Arkansas--Little Rock]]> Texas--Dallas]]> Texas--Fort Worth]]> Texas--Midland]]> Arizona--Tucson]]> California--Burbank (Los Angeles County)]]> California--Palm Springs]]> California--Los Angeles]]> California--Beverly Hills]]> California--San Diego]]> Arizona--Winslow]]> New Mexico--Albuquerque]]> Kansas--Wichita]]> Missouri--Saint Louis]]> Ohio--Dayton]]> New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Newfoundland and Labrador--Gander]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> Germany--Rheine]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> India]]> Switzerland--Zurich]]> Lebanon--Beirut]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> India--Kolkata]]> Singapore]]> Indonesia--Jakarta]]> Australia]]> Northern Territory--Darwin]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> South Australia--Woomera]]> South Australia--Adelaide]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> Sri Lanka--Colombo]]> Spain--Madrid]]> South Africa--Johannesburg]]> Kenya--Nairobi]]> Sudan--Khartoum]]> Greece--Athens]]> Italy--Rome]]> Zambia--Lusaka]]> Zambia--Ndola]]> Zambia--Mbala]]> Heathrow Airport (London, England)]]> Turkey--Istanbul]]> France--Nice]]> Utah--Salt Lake City]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Atlantic Ocean--Firth of Clyde]]> Italy]]> France]]> Arizona]]> Arkansas]]> California]]> Kansas]]> Maryland]]> Massachusetts]]> Missouri]]> New Mexico]]> New York (State)]]> Ohio]]> Tennessee]]> Texas]]> Utah]]> New South Wales]]> South Australia]]> Victoria]]> Northern Territory]]> Egypt]]> Sudan]]> North Africa]]> Ontario]]> Québec]]> Germany]]> Indonesia]]> Iraq]]> Kenya]]> Lebanon]]> Netherlands]]> South Africa]]> Switzerland]]> Pakistan]]> Sri Lanka]]> Turkey]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Czech Republic]]> Slovakia]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Sussex]]> England--Great Yarmouth]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Gill Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated T Holmes]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> France--Mimoyecques]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Saumur]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> France--Watten]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Tilly Foster]]> Steph Jackson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1945]]> B N Wallis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Correspondence]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> 1944-04-17]]> B N Wallis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Correspondence]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> 1944-03-23]]> B N Wallis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Correspondence]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> 1944-04-25]]> B Wallis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943-05-25]]> 1943-05-27]]> B Wallis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Effingham]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Chester]]> 1976-12-23]]> Audrey was 23 when the war started and was conscripted on 15 December 1942 electing to join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. After her kitting out at RAF Innesworth she did some basic training at RAF Morecambe, then posted to RAF Lindholme and eventually to RAF Waddington where she worked as an administrator in the officer's mess. At that time there were four squadrons on the station: 9, 44, 463 and 467 Squadrons.
Audrey's duties in the officer's mess included checking the crews against the battle orders to ensure only crews flying that night got the special pre-flight meal and waiting on tables for VIP dinners, including Wing Commander Nettleton VC. She describes her friendships with the other staff and especially with bomber crews, mostly nice and respectful. Audrey and others would gather on the perimeter track to see them off. She and many others were billeted in a beautiful old building, known as "The Waafery”. Audrey describes her busy social life, dancing at many venues and winning jitterbug competitions. Remembers being called ‘belle gambe’ [beautiful legs] by Italian prisoners of war.
Audrey also describes the events of one night when an enemy fighter followed the aircraft home and strafed the airfield, hitting the incendiary dump, which exploded.
After the war, Audrey eventually worked for the local authority’s adoption service after the tragic death of her husband at a young age.]]>
Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Andy Fitter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1942-12-15]]> 1945-08]]>
C E Brennan]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Greater Manchester]]> England--Stockport]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Dan Ellin]]> Heather Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Brian May]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> In the early 1970s the Lancaster PA474 was flown to RAF Waddington from RAF Henlow ostensibly to be a gate guardian. In 1973 the Lincolnshire Echo announced that it was to be moved to RAF Coltishall. A group gradually formed to oppose the move because of the Lancaster’s connections to Waddington; the Lincolnshire Lancaster Committee. A public meeting was held and the City Council agreed to adopt the Lancaster. The Lancaster moved to RAF Coltishall. The committee collected over 17,000 signatures in 15 weeks and eventually the Lancaster returned to RAF Coningsby.
The committee became Lincolnshire’s Lancaster Association so funds could be raised. While Stuart was Chair for c. 36 years, £½ million was donated to projects, including the digitisation of manuals.
Stuart describes how unfairly he felt Bomber Command and Sir Arthur Harris were treated.
Stuart lists a large number of people he has met, received letters or signatures from.]]>
Dan Ellin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Lincolnshire]]>
David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> GB Blacklock]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Skipton]]> Scotland--Bedrule]]> England--Northumberland]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> England--Appleby-in-Westmorland]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> Egypt--Aboukir Bay]]> England--Chester]]> England--Newmarket (Suffolk)]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Guernsey]]> France--Marseille]]> Northern Ireland]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> Germany--Hannover]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Wangerooge Island]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Borkum]]> England--Wisbeach]]> England--Weybridge]]> Norway--Bergen]]> Norway--Stavanger]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> France--Givet]]> Belgium]]> France--Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais)]]> France--Hazebrouck]]> France--Dunkerque]]> France--Socx]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> France--Salon-de-Provence]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Lünen]]> Wales--Hawarden]]> Germany--Baden-Baden]]> England--Eastleigh]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> England--Doncaster]]> France--Brest]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Emden (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Lingen (Lower Saxony)]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Magdeburg]]> France--La Pallice]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> 1944-03-29]]> Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Correspondence]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> 1944-03-13]]> Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Cheshire, Leonard. Correspondence]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Surrey]]> England--Weybridge]]> 1944-05-12]]> Ivan Ure]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Wehrmacht]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Royal Air Force]]> Polskie Siły Powietrzne]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Wales--Colwyn Bay]]> England--London]]> England--Lancing]]> England--Blackpool]]> Scotland--Edzell]]> Scotland--Arbroath]]> England--Whitley Bay]]> Germany]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> France]]> France--Le Tréport]]> France--Abbeville]]> France--Paris]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Lithuania--Klaipėda]]> Poland--Świnoujście]]> Poland--Białogard]]> Europe--Elbe River]]> Germany--Lüneburg]]> Germany--Rheine]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Lithuania--Klaipėda]]> John Horsburgh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Birmingham]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Hampshire]]> England--London]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Australia]]> New South Wales]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Warwickshire]]> 1940]]> 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]]> ]]> Long Eaton Advertiser]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Matlock]]> England--Derbyshire]]> Bob volunteered for Bomber Command which had lost a lot of crews. After one air test for Number 9 Bomber Squadron, he went to 149 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall and flew in Wellingtons. He describes the difficulty of targeting well-defended Essen and bombing cruisers in coastal areas, such as Wilhelmshaven.
Bob then transferred to 70 Squadron in RAF Kabrit, Egypt and the Middle East. Water rationing was an issue. They would carry out raids on transport and railway sidings in response to Field Marshal Erich Rommel bringing German forces into the desert via Benghazi.
Bob had instructor stints at the Operational Training Unit at RAF Pershore and Advanced Flying Unit. He went on operational liaison duties to 950 Squadron. Other aircraft in which Bob flew included: Battle, Defiant, Lancasters, Lysanders and Bothas. Bob undertook 73 operations and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 12th March 1943.
He describes the evolution in air gunnery during the war. He also praises Barnes Wallis’s geodetic construction.

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Nigel Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Beth Ellin]]> Sally Coulter]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Thames River]]> North Africa]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Kibrit]]> Libya]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943]]> 1943-03-12]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>

This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln. ]]>
P V Clegg]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Greater Manchester]]> England--Chadderton]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]>