A N Hollis]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> France]]> France--Paris]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Manchester]]> Canada]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> United States]]> Florida]]> New Brunswick]]> New Brunswick--Moncton]]> England--Gloucestershire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> France]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Czech Republic]]> Czech Republic--Plzeň]]> Italy]]> Italy--Milan]]> Germany--Friedrichshafen]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> China]]> China--Hong Kong]]> Nova Scotia]]> A Pearce]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1942]]> A Pearce]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Diary]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Northern Ireland--Down (County)]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Chesham]]> England--London]]> England--Enfield]]> England--London]]> Northern Ireland--Omagh]]> Great Britain]]> England--Middlesex]]> 1943]]> 1943-01-09]]> 1943-03-26]]> 1943-08-09]]> 1943-11-19]]>
Item 1 : Photograph of air raid shelter with pets
caption 1 'Air Raid Shelter constructed by a firm called "Troy" in 1938. Left [undecipherable] It was 16' deep with a poisen [sic] gas free escape hatch chamber.'

caption 2
'Just before 2nd World War
10, West Heath Avenue Golders Green London NW11
Some animals understand to keep together
Just before 2nd World War 1938
Pekenese [sic] (Chinky) Rabbit (Wilfred) Cat (Timy)
Taken near our air raid shelter'.

Item 2 is photograph of a group of air cadets on parade in a street. They are being inspected by a civilian in a suit and three officers. It is captioned 'I joined the Air Training Corps in Jan 1941'.

Item 3 is the cover of a Civil Defence leaflet. entitled 'Some things you should know if war should come'. Public Information Leaflet No.1, July 1939.
It is captioned 'The 2nd World War started at 1100 hrs on the 3rd of Sept 1939.']]>
A S Coller]]> Great Britain. HM Government. Lord Privy Seal's Office]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1938]]> 1939]]>
Mentions childrens pastimes such as mimicking aircraft dogfights, playing Mikado or cops and robbers, trading toy soldiers, cards and comics. Recounts wartime anecdotes: assembling a makeshift Christmas tree, wood-pilfering after curfew and the encounter with a Luftwaffe serviceman who foretold how he would have a career as a pilot.
Mentions how he tried to escape the vigilance of the warden to play hide-and-seek outside and reminisces on life in large underground public shelters: dripping walls, fetid sweat, damp air, and smell of rot. Remembers the omnipresent scent of Melissa (Melissa officinalis) then widely used as a cure for all. Narrates how his elder brother came home after he had witnessed the bombing of Nuremberg and urged his relatives to never use domestic shelters. Mentions Father Placek, a Bohemian priest who disappeared during the war and another member of the clergy who defied the authorities. Describes "Pippo" dropping small bombs, identifying the aircraft as a Storch (Fi 156). Maintains people had a non-judgemental view on bombing and saw the Allies as liberators. He never heard civilians cursing aircrew. Describes how he tried to forget the war until recently. In hindsight, he considers himself a lucky man because wartime hardships gave him a greater resilience that helped him later in life.]]>
Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Francesca Campani]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy--Trieste]]> Italy]]> 1944-06-10]]>
Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy--Monfalcone]]> Italy]]> Explains the differences between different kinds of shelters: tunnels;
re-purposed basements beneath substantial buildings; and small, private, concrete structures. Reminisces about heavy bombing which destroyed his home, how they were temporarily housed inside a tunnel and his subsequent life as an evacuee in the countryside. Narrates an episode in which German soldiers showed appreciation for piano music and later came back to enjoy the homely atmosphere of his flat. Describes the conflict as a relatively care-free period: his parents tried in every way to protect him from the horrors of war while farmers provided non-rationed supplies. Bombings were an unavoidable consequence in the state of war.
]]>
Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy]]> Italy--Udine]]>
Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending OH transcription]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy]]> Italy--Po River Valley]]> Italy--Milan]]> 1944-08-10]]> 1945-04-29]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy]]> Italy--Udine]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending OH transcription]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy]]> Italy--Po River Valley]]> Italy--Milan]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> ita]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Italy]]> Italy--Po River Valley]]> Italy--Milan]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943-08]]> 1944-10-20]]> Andrew Cowley]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Egypt]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> North Africa]]> Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> England--Chatham (Kent)]]> England--Kent]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-08-17]]> 1943-08-18]]> Andrew Sadler]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jackie Simpson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Luckenwalde]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Wales--Cardiff]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-10-22]]> 1944]]> 1945-01-19]]>
Label reads “202”; signed by the author; caption reads “29 Dicembre 1944. Attacco diurno di aerei anlgo-americani alla citta di Udine gravi i danni alle abitazioni civili, 3 aerei abbattuti dalla caccia.”

Caption translates as: “29 December 1944. Day attack by Anglo-American aircraft to the town of Udine, causing severe damage to civilian houses. Fighters shoot down three aircraft.”]]>
Angiolino Filiputti]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Francesca Campani]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> Helen Durham]]> Giulia Banti]]> Maureen Clarke]]> ita]]> Artwork]]> Italy--Udine]]> Italy]]> 1944-12-29]]>

Label reads “297”; signed by the author; Caption reads “2 MAGGIO 1945. S. GIORGIO di NOGARO UD. Prigionieri “SS” spagnoli, in realtà erano degli arruolati istriani, offertisi di spolettare e trasportare una bomba, rimasta inesplosa durante l’azione notturna di “Pippo” del 23 Febbraio. Rimasta interrata nella cantina, veniva rimossa e transportata verso il cancello, d’uscita, dove un nugolo di curiosi si assiepavano, essendo stati tolti i cordoni di sicurezza. Erano le 11.00, un boato tremendo, lacerava il paese in festa, la bomba era esplosa provocando un massacro, 25 le vittime, 5 patrioti, 2 ignoti e molti feriti. Il disegno nato il giorno della sciagura; da sinistra R.M. - F.L. - R.P. -A.M.- A.S. assieme a 3 prigionieri istriani. Una mamma di questi soldati ignoti venne dall’Istria in cerca del figlio che sapeva a S. Giorgio, io la vidi, quanto pi’anse, ma nessuno l’aiutò.”

Caption translates as: “2 May 1945 – San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine province). Spanish Schutzstaffel [sic] prisoners, who as a matter of facts were Istrian enlisted soldiers, offered to defuse and carried away a bomb that had not detonated following 23 February Pippo’s night bombing. It remained buried in the basement; it was removed and transported towards the main gate, where a crowd of onlookers gathered as the area was no longer cordoned off. It was 11.00 am; a terrible boom shocked the jubilant population. The bomb had exploded resulting in 25 victims (five patriots, two unknowns, and many injured); it was a massacre. This artwork was finished that same day. It depicts (from left to right): R.M., F.L., R.F., A.M., and A.S., together with three Istrian prisoners. One of the soldiers’ mothers came from Istria looking for her son, knowing he was in San Giorgio. I saw her. How much she cried! - no one helped her.”]]>
Angiolino Filiputti]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Francesca Campani]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> Helen Durham]]> Giulia Banti]]> Maureen Clarke]]> ita]]> Artwork]]> Italy--San Giorgio di Nogaro]]> Italy]]> 1945-05-02]]>

Label reads “298”; signed by the author; caption reads “2 MAGGIO 1945. L’UNPA al lavoro dopo il recupero delle salme, in seguito allo scopio della bomba che ha troncato 25 giovani vite a S. GIORGIO di NOGARO. UD”.

Caption translates as: “2 May 1945. The National Union for the Anti-Aircraft Protection (UNPA) rescuing of the bodies of the 25 victims of the bomb explosion in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine province).”]]>
Angiolino Filiputti]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Francesca Campani]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> Helen Durham]]> Giulia Banti]]> Maureen Clarke]]> ita]]> Artwork]]> Italy--San Giorgio di Nogaro]]> Italy]]> 1945-05-02]]>
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]]> Anna Hoyles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Louth]]> 1941-02-19]]> ]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1940]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1940-12]]> 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]]> On his return, Geoff was posted to RAF Stormy Down on Whitleys and RAF Brize Norton where he trained army pilots to fly Horsa gliders. He was also posted to fly Wellingtons at the RAF Sutton Bridge experimental unit.
Geoff was eventually posted to Bomber Command and trained on Wellingtons at RAF Finningley. They did dummy raids, and dropped leaflets and Window. Geoff went to 550 Squadron at RAF North Killingholme in May 1944. He completed seven operations within 11 days and was shot down on the seventh. The first four operations were over the Normandy coast, starting on 5 June 1944 around D-Day.
Geoff describes how his plane was shot on its way to Sterkrade in the Ruhr. They baled out just over the Dutch border. Geoff landed in a wheat field whilst the aircraft hit a farm, killing seven people. Geoff found the church and was given clothing and a false identity card. He went down the escape line with his mid-upper gunner to Antwerp. They were betrayed by the Flemish collaborator, René van Muylem, who had set up a false escape line.
Geoff was interrogated and taken to Frankfurt. He was then sent to Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp in Barth for nine months. There was little food but it was otherwise acceptable. His parents learnt he was a prisoner when his letter to them was read out by Lord Haw-Haw. The Germans left before the Russians arrived. Geoff was returned on a B-17.
Geoff was posted to Ely as Assistant Air Traffic Controller and stayed in the RAF volunteer reserve until his commercial pilot licence was granted.]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sally Coulter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Alberta--Medicine Hat]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Alberta]]> Alberta]]> Canada]]> Nova Scotia]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1944-05]]> 1944-06]]> 1945]]>
In about 2006, Jill made contact with the 153 Squadron Association and through it, with two of Frank’s former crew. She became involved in the running of the Association and remains Honorary Secretary.
]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Ian Whapplington]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Second generation]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
B Jackson]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Derby]]> 1945-05-29]]> 1945-06-10]]>