He tells of his two brothers who served in the forces and then goes on to talk about his crew and some of the experiences he saw whilst flying in a Bomber Stream.
After his missions, he was then posted as an instructor on Operational Training Units, before flying with 97 Pathfinder Squadron.
Percy flew in Bleinheims, Halifaxes and Lancasters and recalls his life in the Royal Air Force, and his crews and training, also meeting up with the relatives of his former crew, and meeting people from Holland after the war.
Percy also tells of his experiences flying in a Catalina after visiting his brother, who flew in Coastal Command.
Percy completed two tours of duty in Bomber Command and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in September 1944.
]]>
Adam Sutch]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
Adam Sutch]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Katie Gilbert]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Wales--Swansea]]> 1943-02]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Adam Sutch]]> 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]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1944]]> Air Commodore 100 Group]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1945-04-14]]> Alan Cobley]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> Jamaica]]> Saint Lucia]]> Saint Lucia--Castries]]> United States]]> Alan Edgar]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Belgium]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> France--Tours]]> France--Mailly-le-Camp]]> Belgium--Leopoldsburg]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> 1944]]> 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]]>
Alastair Montgomery]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> France--Mailly-le-Camp]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> Alexander Lamb]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Christian]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Bocholt]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Netherlands--Rotterdam]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Netherlands--Hague]]> Germany--Münster in Westfalen]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> 1945-03]]> 1945-04]]> 1945-05]]> The second part of the story is written by a German pilot who was involved in shooting down the damaged Lancaster.
A third item is a note crediting the German pilot with shooting down the Lancaster.]]>
Allan Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> deu]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Parchim]]> Germany]]> 1943-11-23]]>
Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Gemma Clapton]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> England--Kent]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1945-04]]> 1945-05]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Freiburg im Breisgau]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1944]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> 1945-04]]> 1945-05]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Mimoyecques]]> Wales--Bridgend]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> ]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Sri Lanka]]> England--London]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Cheshire]]> Netherlands]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1944-01-04]]> Anna Hoyles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cathie Hewitt]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Brazil]]> Chile]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Peru]]> Chile--Santiago]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Anne Phillips]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> France]]> France--Normandy]]> 1944-06-30]]> Annie Bartle]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription. Allocated]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> Northern Ireland--Londonderry]]> Germany--Lüneburg]]> New Zealand]]> England--London]]> England--Lancashire]]> Germany]]> 1942-11-09]]> 1942-11-10]]> 1943]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Hugh Donnelly]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Norfolk]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> 1940]]> 1941-05-10]]> 1942]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Katie Gilbert]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1942-10-24]]> 1942-10-17]]> Annie Moody]]> Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cathie Hewitt]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Italy--Sicily]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1965]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Carron Moss]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Austria]]> Great Britain]]> Austria--Vienna]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Wales--Anglesey]]> 1939]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Dawn Studd]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Lithuania]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>