Browse Items (73 total)

  • Tags: bombing of Helgoland (18 April 1945)

ASnowballM150626.mp3
Maurice Snowball was born and educated in Sunderland. After school, he served an engineering apprenticeship with a local family firm and was a member of the Home Guard. Maurice was a keen amateur footballer and had hopes of turning professional, but…

PBlakemoreL1601.jpg
Leslie Blakemore was born in Willenhall, near Wolverhampton and he joined the Royal Air Force in 1943. He flew operations as a wireless operator with 514 Squadron from RAF Waterbeach.

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John Green was born on the 22nd of September 1921 in Penge, South East London. He registered for the Royal Air Force to prevent being called up by the Army and was drafted in 1942. He was posted to the Isle of Man, where he volunteered as a drogue…

ARobinsonG150803.mp3
Geoff joined the Royal Air Force as a flight engineer in April 1943. He reported to Lord’s Cricket Ground and went to an Initial Training Wing near Sunderland. He moved to RAF Bridlington, followed by six months’ training as a flight engineer at…

ABibbyG150521.mp3
Squadron Leader Geoff Bibby grew up in New Zealand and transferred from the army into the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1943. After training in New Zealand and Canada, he flew operations as a navigator with 101 Squadron from RAF Ludford Magna.

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Frank Page grew up near Teddington Locks and was working for an engineering firm when the war started. His house was bombed and he remembers recovering bodies from the ruins and says he joined the RAF to get his revenge on the Germans. His pilot…

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Ernie Patterson DFM was born in Middleton St George in Darlington. At the age of 14, he left school and took on a job as an apprentice Joiner.
He joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 19 in 1941, but whilst he was waiting to be called up, he was…

PMatthewsEH1501.jpg
With an interest in flying after experiencing Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus, Ted volunteered for aircrew. He went to the Air Crew Reception Centre at St John’s Wood, followed by Newquay on the Initial Training Wing. Ted proceeded to RAF Locking for…

PGurneyDAE1602.jpg
Derek Gurney was working at the De Havilland Works before he volunteered for aircrew. While on training he saw one Wellington blow up and another with a broken wing. He was posted to 10 Squadron, RAF Melbourne for his tour. On one operation they…

PMcNallyC1701.jpg
Charles McNally spent his childhood in Dundee and Airdrie, Scotland. He began work at the Post Office as a Telegram Boy before joining the engineering department. This meant he now worked in a Reserved Occupation and he struggled to get permission…

AGrayLW170301.mp3
Bill Gray was born and grew up in Australia and volunteered for the Air Force. After training, he flew 29 operations as an air gunner with 15 squadron from RAF Mildenhall. He returned to Australia after the war but contracted tuberculosis. He was…

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Ben was born in 1925 in Kent and his first job was in the gas works. A member of the Air Transport Command, he was called up in 1944 and after initial training at RAF Locking he joined No.4 flight engineers course at RAF St Athan for one year. He…

PSmithA1701.jpg
Albert was born in Aberdeenshire. Before the war he worked as an apprentice in an engineering firm. In 1943 he volunteered for the Royal Air Force, trained at London, Bridlington and Newquay before going for mechanical and engineering training. …

LParryHP2220054v1.pdf
Flying log book for navigators, air bombers, air gunners, flight engineers for Hugh Parry, air gunner, covering the period from 27 May 1944 to 16 October 1945. Details his flying training, operations flown and post war flying. He was stationed at RAF…

LMossH3041799v1.pdf
Air gunner’s log book for H Moss covering the period from 10 July 1944 to 20 March 1946. Detailing his flying training and operations flown as air gunner. He was stationed at RAF Pembrey (1 AGS), RAF Wing (26 OTU), RAF Langar (1669 HCU), RAF…

PSandersDS16020005.jpg
Target photograph showing a very large number of bomb explosions covering most of the image. On the reverse 'Heligoland 18.4.45. The airfield under intense R.A.F. Bomber Command attacks, 27 April 1945'.

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A newspaper cutting showing Heligoland before and after it was bombed by Lancasters.

PBarrettR1704.jpg
Photograph shows coastline with fires burning, captioned 'Heligoland K4298, Dist 23c' including directional arrow. Caption at top of photograph: '4008 106G.5377.18.APR.45.F/36"//542 SQDN→ 4'. Caption in right hand bottom corner of photograph:…

PWrightJ1527.jpg
Aerial oblique photograph of Heligoland showing damaged buildings and bomb craters. In the foreground are cliffs. Captioned 'Heligoland'.

PLarmerLO15010009.jpg
Reconnaissance photograph of Heligoland after bombing, with most buildings and port facilities destroyed and large plumes of smoke from fires.

Additional information about these items was kindly provided by the donor.

PThomasAF20040030.jpg
An annotated vertical aerial photograph of naval facilities at Heligoland. U boat pens and a burnt out oil storage facility are marked.

PLarmerLO15010007.jpg
Reconnaissance photograph of Helgoland with port facilities visible.

Additional information about this item was kindly provided by the donor.

PEleyNJ1603.jpg
A vertical aerial photograph of the attack on Heligoland island. Most of the island is obscured by bomb explosions. Submitted with caption; “Actual photo taken over Heligoland submarine pens during 1000 bomber raid April 1945.”
The image is…
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