Browse Items (47 total)

  • Tags: coping mechanism

SBondS-HobbsCv10002.MP3
Cliff mentions that he had interviewed his pilot Peter Fotherby, looking for further information about some incidents. He describes volunteering for RAF and training as an air gunner in Ansons. He was posted to Middle East, trained and crewed up at…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

SHarriganD[Ser#-DoB]v370002.mp3
John Bell completed a tour as a bomb aimer with 619 Squadron. The crew decided they would like to continue flying and, so, volunteered to join 617 Squadron. They were interviewed by Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire and accepted on to the squadron.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PFeltonM2201.jpg
Monty grew up in Croydon and became an articled accountant in London before joining the RAF. Training at the Initial Training Wing in Torquay was followed by RAF Bishops Court in Northern Ireland and RAF Kinloss, which had a flight simulation room.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BWittyARWittyARv1.pdf
History of wartime experiences of Ronald Witty. Starts with schooling and early employment just before the war in Hull. Mentions German bombing of Hull and volunteering for the RAF. Describes training in London and Torquay before departing on a troop…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

EHoganPJHoganM440929.pdf
Writes a little of recent activities and discusses state of parcels on arrival. Writes about fatalism of aircrew and then goes on to describe recent leave in Sussex and Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland then finishing in Sheffield.

Tags:

BBrookMBrookMv1.pdf
Opens with some details of 625 Squadron and introduction with reasons for writing. Writes of beginning of the war when still at school and experiences before joining up. Mentions activities with Air Training Corps and being awarded an RAF bursary to…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BWagnerHWWagnerHWv1-01.pdf
Hand written by Henry, Part 1 covers his early life and time at university. It goes on to cover in some detail his time in the RAF, his time training in South Africa conversion to the Halifax and operations on 51 Squadron. It also covers his time as…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BGambleATGambleATv1.pdf
Part 1. "By the Seat of his Pants". Covers from Alan Gamble's years as a schoolboy in Worthing in the late 1930's, up to joining the RAF in 1943, where he trained as a wireless operator in Blackpool. He joined 620 Squadron, which was equipped mainly…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BBaxterPDBaxterPDv1.pdf
The detailed and wide ranging story of Peter Baxter's service in the RAF from an Airframe Apprentice to Flight Engineer Leader.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MMillsGA1445361-201003-07.jpg
Five verse song or poem about Bomber Command operations

Tags: ; ; ; ; ;

PBrowningDJ1601.jpg
Don Browning was posted to 463 Squadron at RAF Waddington. During one operation, two aircraft collided and Don lost friends who he had trained with. On an operation to Calais, the weather was very poor and the attack aborted but not all aircraft…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

BFordTAFordTAv1.pdf
Terry Ford's wartime experiences written and read to Avon Talking Magazine for the Blind.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MTurnhamK1850743-151002-01.pdf
Booklet produced as part of 'Their Past Your Future's series produced for the Heritage Lottery. This is based on Ken's memories of his training for and operations with Bomber Command and his post war service in the Royal Air Force, as described to a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MWhiteheadT1502391-180307-08.pdf
Includes: editorial matters; our sketch club; official reports from camps; the letters they write home; pictures of camp life; groups from the camps; exam results; when they come back; the brighter side; parcels greet repatriates; how they help…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

MAllenJH179996-160512-020001.jpg
An account of Jim Allen's life from 1941 to 1997. He details meeting his future wife and their intermittent courtship. There is great detail about his social life and relationship with his future wife. There are two pages of photographs:
First page:…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PWilsonJS1601.jpg
James Stanley Wilson remembers serving as a flight engineer on 626 Squadron during the war. He describes his first operation to Berlin as a baptism of fire when his aircraft was targeted by enemy fighters. He mentions marking targets on D-Day, and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PRichardsHJ1807.jpg
Harold Richards, from Lincoln, was working in the health industry before he volunteered for the RAF. After trying to be a pilot he trained as an observer. He was posted to 297 Squadron at RAF Stoney Cross from where he and his crew dropped supplies…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AGreenWG150911.mp3
William Green was born in Kings Lynn in Norfolk and joined the Royal Air Force when he was 17 and a half at the outbreak of war, becoming a rear gunner on Lancasters and, eventually, rising to the rank of squadron leader.He tells about going on to…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AAn00086-150722.mp3
This interviewee was working at Chatham dockyard before being accepted by the RAF as a mechanic. He then re-mustered as a flight engineer which fulfilled his hopes to be aircrew. While waiting for a place on the training course at St Athan he did…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PStubbsD1501.jpg
Derrick Stubbs joined the RAF aged 17, after lying about his age having previously been told he was too young by the army recruiter. After training at RAF Catfoss, Derrick was posted to Egypt and was attacked by U-boats on route. Derrick did some…

Tags: ; ; ; ;

PRoyallG1501.jpg
George volunteered to be a pilot but settled for Air Observer. He talks about his selection and training in London and then in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he enjoyed the theatre and how, at Brighton, illness separated him from the rest of the course.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PQuineJW1603.jpg
John volunteered for the Royal Air Force as a pilot. He went to Lord’s cricket ground, followed by the Initial Training Wing at Scarborough. He spent 10 hours on Tiger Moths in Carlisle. After a short time at RAF Heaton Park in Manchester, John…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

AEdwardsAE161024.mp3
Allan joined the Royal Air Force in December 1942 as a flight engineer, having been a member of the Air Training Corps before the war. From Blackpool, he went to RAF St Athan for flight engineer training. His first squadron was at RAF Waterbeach,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PStempJ1502.jpg
Joe was a navigator with 578 Squadron and later with 77 Squadron, flying Halifaxes and then Dakotas. Joe has a sister and a brother. His brother ended his service with the Royal Air Force after an accident on a dinghy drill course left him deaf in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

PSpenceWD1601.jpg
Bill Spence was born in Middlesborough. He abandoned his teacher training and joined the Royal Air Force in 1942, becoming a bomb aimer. He completed 36 operations during his time in Bomber Command. Bill tells of his experiences while training in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2