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Interview with Harvey Hayward Bawden
Harvey Bawden, from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, volunteered for the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942 at the age of eighteen. After initial training school and assessment as an air gunner, he was shipped to England via the United States. After…
Interview with John Richard Bell
John Bell completed 50 operations as a bomb aimer with 617 Squadron before becoming an instructor.
Interview with Thomas Carroll
Tom joined the Royal Air Force as a flight engineer. He did his ground training at Mablethorpe, followed be a course at RAF Locking and RAF St. Athan. Tom speaks highly of the training he received. He went to RAF Lindholme where they crewed up as…
Interview with Ray Charlton
Ray wanted to join Bomber Command but after going to RAF Paignton, he was re-mustered and went to RAF Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey where he decided to train as a flight engineer. He was posted to Bridlington and this was followed by a six-month…
Interview with Ernest Cutts
Ernest Cutts was born in Mallee in Victoria and at the age of fifteen he passed the Commonwealth Public Service Exam, joining the Military Post Office as a civilian junior postal officer. At eighteen he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force and…
Interview with John Eppel
John Eppel grew up in Australia and joined the Royal Australian Air Force. After training, he completed 30 operations as a navigator with 550 Squadron. He describes initial training in Australia and the journey by sea via the United States, then…
Interview with David Rayner Fox
David Rayner Fox grew up in New Zealand and joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942. After training, he flew operations as an air gunner with 75 Squadron from RAF Mepal. During one operation his pilot, Dave Moriarty was terribly injured when a…
Interview with Lindsay Hibbard
Lindsay was born in Murwillumbah, Australia, before moving to Brisbane in 1927. Lindsay tells of growing up on the family, and how his eldest brother was killed in Malaya on the Thai Railway, and his older brother returning home to run the farm after…
Interview with Pat Hickton
Pat Hickton was born in New Zealand. His mother passed away when he was young and he spent his childhood in a number of foster and children’s homes until he started working on the railway. He volunteered for the RAF and began training as a rear…
Interview with Harry Irons. Two
Harry was under age when he joined the RAF in 1940 after witnessing bombing in London. He went to Blackpool in August 1941 and became a rear gunner. Gunnery school for six weeks at RAF Manby followed, and Harry joined 9 Squadron at RAF Waddington. He…
Interview with Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall volunteered for the Royal Air Force and was called up to serve with two others from his home town of Birtley, neither of whom survived the war. He flew operations as a navigator with 192 Squadron from RAF Foulsham including Special…
Interview with John McCredie
John McCredie grew up in Australia and served in the Militia before he volunteered for the Royal Australian Air Force. He flew two operations as a pilot over France during training and was later posted to India. He later returned to Australia to…
Interview with Gerald McPherson
Gerald McPherson grew up in Australia and was working in banking before he volunteered for the Royal Australian Air Force. He flew operations as a rear gunner with 186 Squadron.
Interview with Les Munro
John Leslie Munro was born in the area of Gisborne, New Zealand. He only completed two years of secondary education because of the economic slump and in 1936 began work on a sheep ranch and then a mixed farm. On the outbreak of the Second World War,…
Interview with Edith Taylor
Edith Taylor (née Tate) grew up in Manchester and experienced the bombing of Manchester. She also describes life as a young evacuee.
Interview with Peter Watson
Peter Watson was born in South Wales and joined the Royal Air Force in 1943. He wanted to be a pilot but there was a surplus of pilots so he became an air gunner. He crewed-up and flew with 101 Squadron initially, a special duties squadron, and he…
Interview with Rusty Waughman. Two
Russell (Rusty) Waughman was born in Shotley Bridge, County Durham. Due to serious poor health as a child his education was interrupted. He describes his training with the Empire Training School in Canada. He was posted to 101 Squadron which was a…
Interview with Geoffrey Whittle
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Whittle was born in London. After leaving school at fourteen he became an apprentice printer in the family business. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force on the outbreak of the Second World War and trained as a navigator.…
Rouen
Vertical aerial photograph of Rouen. No ground detail visible, most of the image is obscured by flares or anti-aircraft fire. Captioned ‘5B 5B’and ‘647 Wky 18/19-4-44 //NT 8” 8000’ [arrow] 026° 0027 Rouen S 11x1000 4x500 19secs F/S…
Argenteuil
Vertical aerial photograph of Argenteuil. Street pattern and buildings are visible, the cemetery is in the bottom-right corner. Anti-aircraft fire along bottom of photograph.Captioned ‘A O (x4) 12 NT 29/30/4/42 F/8” [arrow] TX
Rostock
Vertical aerial photograph of a railway junction. At the bottom is Rostock urban area. Anti-aircraft trace fire obscures part of the left side. Captioned ‘1. P(Y6) 12 NT 26/27/4/42 F/8” [arrow] TX’, on the reverse 2500’ W of old…
Aulnoye
Vertical aerial photograph of Aulnoye. The image is largely obscured by cloud or fires and anti-aircraft fire. The bottom half has roads and an urban area surrounded by fields. Captioned ‘608 WKY 10/11.4.44 //NT 8” 9000 [arrow] 030° 0221 …
Nurnburg
Vertical aerial photograph of Nuremberg. The image is totally obscured by cloud or fires and anti-aircraft fire. Captioned ‘4B 4B’ and ‘[indecipherable] WKY 30/31-3-44 //NT 8” 22000 [arrow] 175° 01.15 Nurnburg Z 1 x 4000 16x30 31…
Frankfurt
Vertical aerial photograph of Frankfurt. The image is totally obscured by cloud or fires and anti-aircraft fire. Captioned ‘4B 4B' and ‘481 WKY 22/23-3-44 //NT 8” 21000 [arrow] 177° 21.57 Frankfurt Y 1 x 4000.12 & 4.11x30 31 secs F/S…
Hemelingen
Vertical aerial photograph of Bremen Hemelingen. The image is largely clear with only one flare in the centre left. A large river bisects the image and in the top are docks. Street patterns and buildings are clearly visible. At the bottom it is…