Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Great Britain]]> 1944-04-30]]> 1944-05-01]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Grantham]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> 1944-04-03]]> 1944-05-01]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Geolocated]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hertfordshire]]> England--Berkhamsted]]> England--Potters Bar]]> 1946-02-10]]> Centre, seagull in flight, annotated 'original photograph taken by Bob'.
Top right, weather report; middle, attendees at a police dance, annotated 'Geoff Shaw was in the same squadron (51) as Bob, He was killed on landing at Dishforth one night after an op over Germany when bombs were stuck the undercarriage''.
Bottom left, village bridge and ford over a river. Captioned "St Michael’s, St Albans." 
Centre, cartoon goat captioned "Cuthbert".
Right, a hospital ward following a raid, annotated, 'Mile End hospital'.
Right page: top left, crest of 51 Squadron with the motto 'Swift and Sure', annotated, 'Bob was in 51 Squadron'.
Right, Royal Air Force card.
Bottom, left, head and shoulder portrait of a uniformed man, annotated, 'Peter Captain R.A.M.C.
Right, head and shoulder portrait of a woman, annotated, 'Suzanne, late 1930's'.

Additional information on Gerald Shaw is available via the IBCC Losses Database.]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Stilgoe]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Artwork]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Hertfordshire]]> England--St. Albans]]> England--London]]> 1940]]> 1941-01-28]]>
Whitley aircraft, B-DY, C-DY and E-DY, flying in formation; bottom, crashed Whitley MH-H, annotated 'Usworth 17 11 40' and 'Sketch by Bob of the end of a bombing trip over Germany. It was an emergency landing at a fighter station and the Whitley overran the runway and broke its back on a bomb dump. Bob was 'Second Joe' (pilot)'.
Right page: top, targets in Mannheim.
Bottom, a group of 60 uniformed men standing in front of a Whitley aircraft annotated '51 Sqd 16.12.40. Bob is 6th from the left'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> Germany]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> 1940-11-17]]> 1940-12-16]]>

Part 1.
Doug Marsh was the son of a Royal Navy officer and moved around quite a bit as a child between Kent and Lincolnshire. When his father retired from the Navy his parents bought a fish and chip shop in Grimsby but shortages meant that the business could not succeed and Doug had to find other work. He had secured a place as a trainee with the local authority but the start of the war cancelled the scheme he would have joined. He worked for the Prudential Insurance Company until he volunteered for the RAF aircrew and began training as a navigator in the UK and then in South Africa. Following training in South Africa Doug returned to the UK to continue his training. During part of this training a German plane dropped a bomb on the local railway station and on the hotel where recruits were billeted. He was posted to RAF Bruntingthorpe for his OTU where he joined up with his crew and the trained together after training flights on Manchesters and on to the Lancaster.

Part 2.
Doug Marsh continued his training on H2S at RAF Scampton before being posted to 57 Squadron for operational flying. During that time the flight engineer on the crew had gone up on an operation and failed to return. On the day of their last operation the wireless operator was in hospital and so received the news there that his crew had crashed. On the morning of the last flight the ground crew told the pilot to remember not to land at their usual dispersal because the aircraft was due for an overhaul. In the air the crew heard a bang and the plane was soon on fire. The crew baled out. Doug was knocked unconscious and came to in a field with the parachute in a tree. He hid until he was discovered by French prisoners of war who hid him in the expectation of him finalising his escape plans. He was caught and assumes his capture was due to betrayal by one of the French.

Part 3.
Doug Marsh was was captured and taken to Frankfurt on Oder where he was treated well. One night his German cell mate alerted him to the red glow outside of the window which Doug recognised as Pathfinder flares followed by a single explosion as a bomb fell. Doug just went back to sleep much to the surprise of the youth with him. On his journey to Stalag Luft 6 he passed the towns where he had hidden before his capture. Doug remained a prisoner of war until the POWs were moved away from the Russian advance. On one occasion during the march they came under attack from Allied fighters. Dougie was a small distance from a POW who was killed outright who had been a prisoner from the beginning of the war. ]]>
This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending OH transcription]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Lithuania]]> South Africa]]> England--Leicestershire]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> South Africa--Queenstown]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]>
This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--London]]> Claire Bennett]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berchtesgaden]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1944-11-12]]> Claire Bennet]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Algeria]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Tunisia]]> Algeria--Laghouat (Province)]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Tunisia--El Kef]]> 1941-11]]> 1942-06]]> 1942-11]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> ]]> Dawn Oakley]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Scunthorpe]]> Dave Harrigan]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Burma]]> Great Britain]]> India]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> India--Delhi]]> ]]> Claire Bennett]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Dave Harrigan]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary. Allocated C Campbell]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Jeremy Nicholson. Phil Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Belgium]]> Germany]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> 1941-06]]> 1941-06-17]]> 1940-11-18]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Turkey]]> Turkey--Gallipoli]]> Australia]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> Queensland--Ipswich]]> Queensland--Maryborough]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> New South Wales--Wagga Wagga]]> New South Wales--Lindfield]]> New South Wales--Blue Mountains]]> New South Wales--Neutral Bay]]> American Samoa]]> American Samoa--Pago Pago]]> United States]]> Hawaii--Honolulu]]> California--San Francisco]]> California--Alcatraz Island]]> California--Oakland]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Oregon]]> Washington (State)--Seattle]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Alberta--Jasper]]> Alberta--Fort Saskatchewan]]> Germany]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Alberta--Calgary]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Tasmania]]> Italy]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Gourock]]> England--Brighton]]> Germany--Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> France]]> France--Laon]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Germany--Wesseling]]> France--Montdidier (Picardy)]]> Austria]]> Austria--Vienna]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Queensland--Cairns]]> Saskatchewan--Saskatoon]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> North America--Niagara Falls]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Québec--Montréal]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Scotland--Greenock]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> England--Sidmouth]]> England--Salisbury]]> Scotland--Ailsa Craig]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Scotland--Gatehouse of Fleet]]> England--Newcastle upon Tyne]]> Wales--Holyhead]]> Scotland--Paisley]]> France]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> Queensland--Bundaberg]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> Ontario--London]]> Saskatchewan]]> Québec]]> Nova Scotia]]> Manitoba]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> Scotland--Paisley]]> England--London]]> England--Thetford]]> Norway]]> Norway--Oslo]]> Germany]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Switzerland]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> England--Ely]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Chemnitz]]> England--Brighton]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Liverpool]]> Malta]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Suez Canal]]> Western Australia--Fremantle]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Queensland--Ipswich Region]]> Queensland--Maryborough]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> Canada]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> England--Sidmouth]]> Nova Scotia]]> Covers his training.]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Sidmouth]]> Scotland--Aberdeen]]> England--Salisbury]]> Scotland--Stranraer]]> Scotland--Ailsa Craig]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> Scotland--Paisley]]> Scotland--Glasgow]]> France]]> France--Beauvoir-sur-Mer]]> Australia]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> Queensland--Bundaberg]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> United States]]> California--San Francisco]]> Canada]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> Scotland--Gourock]]> Victoria--Melbourne]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Ontario--Trenton]]> Ontario--London]]> France--Châlons-sur-Marne (Arrondissement)]]> France--Caen]]> Germany]]> Germany--Kiel]]> France--Gironde Estuary]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Eindhoven]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Neuss]]> France--Calais]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> Atlantic Ocean--Kattegat (Baltic Sea)]]> Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Leverkusen]]> Netherlands--Vlissingen]]> Netherlands--Veere]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Fulda]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Heinsberg (Heinsberg)]]> Nova Scotia]]> Manitoba]]> Poland]]> Bob Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Australia]]> Queensland--Brisbane]]> Queensland--Ipswich]]> Queensland--Maryborough]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> New South Wales--Sydney]]> New South Wales--Wagga Wagga]]> Canada]]> New South Wales--Blue Mountains]]> American Samoa]]> American Samoa--Pago Pago]]> United States]]> Hawaii--Honolulu]]> California--San Francisco]]> Oregon]]> British Columbia--Vancouver]]> Alberta--Jasper]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Germany]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> New York (State)--New York]]> Alberta--Fort Saskatchewan]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> North America--Niagara Falls]]> Quebec--Montreal]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Greenock]]> England--Brighton]]> Nova Scotia]]> Centre, a group of seven airmen standing under the fuselage of a Lancaster, wearing Mae Wests, annotated from left 'Jack Crawford, Doug Looms, Dave Cook, Tom Dykins, Bert Jackson, Paul Thompson (the family do not think this is Paul - but I'm not so sure - Ed) Stan Jones', labelled 'The Crew in the last days';
Top right, a close up of Jack's head annotated 'Jack Crawford R.I.P';
Bottom left; head and should portrait of a WAAF, annotated 'Edna's passport photograph';
Right centre, an airman wearing flying helmet with goggles, annotated 'Paul Thompson DFC R.I.P';
Bottom right an airman wearing a Mae West annotated 'Dave Cook R.I.P'.

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
A group of 13 uniformed airmen arranged in two rows outside an open window in a tile fronted building. Seven are standing all with half caps with six seated in front, including two officers. The individuals are annotated, from the top left 'F/S's Spencer, Runl, Porter, Robertson, Sheperdson, Launder, Podborski' and front left ' Bercuson, Tees, P/O's Rolfe, Wittmack, Sgt's Crawford, Smith'. There are blue X's marked against Robertson, Bercuson, Tees and Wittmack. The image is further annotated 'C Squad WAGs 23.8.43';
A group of 27 men in uniform, 24 wearing training half caps, annotated 'Class 48D - 20 weeks on course', Two individuals are further annotated with an M and four with an X. The group is arranged in two rows, one of 18 standing and 9, seated in front;
Seven airmen in uniform, arranged in two rows. The back row are annotated 'Jack, Bert Jackson, Eric (?)' and the men in front, 'Stan Jones, Tom Dykins ad Dave Cook'. Labelled 'First Crew'.

Second row, from left,
A half portrait of John 'Jack' Crawford in his training half cap;
A man sat in an open topped two seater car with the number 7 on its side;
Jack in uniform, annotated 'In Paisley, Scotland';
Jack, in uniform, ststanding behind two two men and two women, annotated 'With uncle Bob's family in Paisley';
A head and shoulder portrait of Edna Crawford; Jack and Edna, both in uniform, annotated 'The Crawford's honeymoon';
A seated Jack in uniform, showing his warrant officer's badge;
Jack and Edna.

Third row, from left,
annotated 'The crashed Lancaster 29 August 1944';
A group of seven airmen standing under the fuselage of a Lancaster. They are wearing Mae Wests and annotated from left 'Jack Crawford, Doug Looms, Dave Cook, Tom Dykins, Bert Jackson, Paul Thompson (the family do not think this is Paul - but I'm not so sure - Ed) and Stan Jones. Labelled 'The crew in the last days';
A close up of jack's head annotated 'Jack Crawford R.I.P'.

Fourth row, from left;
Annotated 'Edna's passport photograph';
An airman wearing flying helmet with goggles, annotated 'Paul Thompson DFC R.I.P'.

Bottom right an airman wearing a Mae West annotated 'Dave Cook R.I.P'.

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> Scotland--Renfrewshire]]> Renfrewshire--Paisley]]>

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.]]>
John 'Jack' Crawford]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> 1943]]>
On the reverse 'Crash at Al-Anod (landing Ground - Aden Protectorate) ("P" K1711 Fairey IIIF) (No injuries)'.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> 1934]]>