Antony Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cathie Hewitt]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> France]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> England--Wiltshire]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> 1943-03-28]]> Donald Briggs]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> France--Tours]]> Germany]]> France]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944]]> 1944-06]]> 1944-07]]> 1944-07-18]]> 1944-07-30]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-08-07]]> 1944-08-08]]> 1944-08-15]]> 1945]]> Adam Purcell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Hugh Donnelly]]> Mal Prissick]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> Canada]]> Great Britain]]> England--Brighton]]> England--Staffordshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Manitoba]]> United States]]> England--Sussex]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> South African Air Force]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Kiel]]> 1944-05-03]]> 1944-05-04]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Mal Prissick]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Spain]]> Spain--Bilbao]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> 1940-08-15]]> 1942-06-12]]> 1943]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Mal Prissick]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Yemen (Republic)--Aden]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Spain]]> Spain--Bilbao]]> Yemen (Republic)]]> 1940]]> 1942-06-12]]> 1945]]> He volunteered as aircrew, in 1941 but failed the assessment test on his first attempt. He passed on his second try and went to Bridgenorth for his Initial Wing Training. After progressing through Yatesbury, Sheerness, and Bridlington he was posted to No. 7 Air Gunnery School and was successful at becoming an air gunner.
After ‘crewing up’, and further training which took them to various bases in the UK, they took part in operations to bomb Holland, were diverted to an American Airbase in extremely bad weather, bombed the Ruhr valley, and on 11 September 1944 they were hit by flak.
Fred goes on to describe having to bale out of his aircraft. He was picked up by the Germans and made to board a coach together with his flight engineer and bomb aimer. Fred was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Poland and describes life there together with the value of Red Cross food and clothing parcels. A hidden radio kept the prisoners current with the progress of the war.
The Germans moved the POWs out of the camp before the Russians could advance too close and they were marched through heavy snow and sometimes at night. Fred’s small group of friends tried to escape but were caught and made to continue the march.]]>
David Meanwell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Claire Campbell]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Poland]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944-09-11]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1945-01-19]]>
Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Belgium]]> Canada]]> Gibraltar]]> Great Britain]]> Spain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Paris]]> France]]> 1940]]> 1942-10-04]]> 1942-11-01]]> 1945]]> Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> South Africa]]> Arctic Ocean--North Pole]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Scotland--Montrose]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Angela Gaffney]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1944-02-19]]> Photograp of five individuals talking to a seated officer studying paperwork on his desk, caption 'Rum coffee & a fag while de-briefing'. Annotated K. Scot Nav 101 Squadron Ludford Magna De-brief.
Two small photographs of family group with Nissen hut end wall as background, captioned ' Mum, Dad & Pat & Pam '46'.
Small photograph of same family group plus WAAF, same WAAF perched on a post, sandy beach as background.
Small photograph of Keith standing in front of hedge.
Telegram stamped Signal section 17 Oct 1944 RAF Hixon, it is addressed to 177463 P/O Thompson Officers Mess and reads 'Congratulations on winning decoration. Love from all at home. Mother'.
Letter to Keith Thompson from Mike Garbett. On the letter are drawings of the DFC and DFM and printed description of the medals and ribbons and the award criteria.
Certificate recording Keith Thompson's commission and subsequent promotions.
Newspaper clipping 'Huddersfield WAAF marries DFC' shows bride and groom about to enter their car after the ceremony. further caption 'Flying Officer Kenneth David Corkill D.F.C. of the Isle of Man, and his bride Miss Mary Watson of Lockwood, Huddersfield, a member of the W.A.A.F. after their wedding at the Crossland Moor Parish church, Huddersfield yesterday.']]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]>
Tom Bennett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Angela Gaffney]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> France--Mailly-le-Camp]]> 1944-05-03]]> 1944-05-04]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> Lee Collins]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tilly Foster]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Australia]]> New South Wales]]> New South Wales--Cootamundra]]> United States]]> Hawaii--Honolulu]]> Hawaii--Pearl Harbor]]> Canada]]> Alberta]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Great Britain]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Devon]]> England--Suffolk]]> Scotland--Wigtownshire]]> France]]> Europe--Garonne River]]> France]]> France--Arromanches-les-Bains]]> Sweden]]> Sweden--Malmö]]> Germany]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Poland]]> Poland--Szczecin]]> Hawaii]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1932]]> 1942-05]]> 1943-02-10]]> G Dunmore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Christian]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1942-09-06]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> They are annotated 'PL22315' and 'UK6255'.
Information supplied with the collection states 'Three countries are represented in the group of Iroquois Squadron airmen pictured as they relaxed after returning from an attack on Mannheim on the night of Nov 18/19, 1943 . Shown are (left to right) front row - Pilot Officer John Morton, an English lad in the R.A.F., navigator; P/O George Rich, from Berkeley, Cal., U.S.A., air gunner; F/O George Milner, also English. Standing - F/O Douglas Wiley, London, Ont. air gunner; F/Sgt. Malcolm McMillan, Edmonton, Alta. pilot.']]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> PCothliffKB15110099]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> 1943-11-18]]> 1943-11-19]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Jim Tease]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Canada]]> Manitoba--Winnipeg]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bournemouth]]> Ontario--Windsor]]> British Columbia--Vernon]]> Ontario--Sarnia]]> Ontario--Hanover]]> Nova Scotia--Halifax]]> England--Kent]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Ontario]]> Alberta]]> Germany]]> Nova Scotia]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Hampshire]]> Manitoba]]> 1944]]> Reg Miles]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Georgie Donaldson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Navy]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Transport Command]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> Free French Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Margate]]> England--Wendover]]> England--Aylesbury]]> England--High Wycombe]]> England--Dover]]> England--Shrewsbury]]> England--Liverpool]]> England--Penzance]]> England--Devon]]> South Africa--Bloemfontein]]> England--Taunton]]> England--Blackpool]]> Sierra Leone--Freetown]]> South Africa--Durban]]> South Africa--Muizenberg]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> South Africa--Krugersdorp]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Belgium--Ghent]]> England--Folkestone]]> France--Paris]]> France--Lens]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Essen]]> Belgium--Liège]]> France--Somain]]> France--Pas-de-Calais]]> France--Neufchâtel-en-Bray]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> France--Creil Region]]> France--Saint-Vaast-La Hougue]]> France--Montrichard]]> France--Mimoyecques]]> France--Le Havre]]> Germany--Castrop-Rauxel]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Kiel]]> France--Boulogne-sur-Mer]]> France--Calais]]> Germany--Bottrop]]> Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)]]> Norway--Bergen]]> England--Harrogate]]> Malta]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Australia]]> Queensland--Mackay]]> Libya--Tripoli]]> Israel--Tel Aviv]]> Middle East--Jerusalem]]> West Bank--Bethlehem]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> Pakistan--Karachi]]> India--Kolkata]]> Sri Lanka--Ratmalana]]> Sri Lanka--Negombo]]> Israel--Lod]]> India--New Delhi]]> England--Cornwall (County)]]> France]]> Queensland]]> Libya]]> Egypt]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> India]]> Iraq]]> Israel]]> Norway]]> South Africa]]> Pakistan]]> Sri Lanka]]> Sierra Leone]]> West Bank]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Kent]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Somerset]]> England--Lancashire]]> Egypt--Jīzah]]> France--Chantilly Forest]]> Peter Baxter]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> Wales--Glamorgan]]> England--Staffordshire]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Italy--Milan]]> France--La Rochelle]]> Europe--Frisian Islands]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Italy--Turin]]> France--Lorient]]> Germany--Bremen]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> France--Saint-Nazaire]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr]]> Germany--Wuppertal]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Wanne-Eickel]]> Germany--Bonn]]> Germany--Paderborn]]> Italy]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> France]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]>
Part 2, "No Problem Sport".Covers Alan Gamble's short flying history over France in 1945 before being shot down, and his experiences as a POW in southern Germany and subsequent liberation. The manuscript of Part 2 appears to be complete except for one or more pages missing about two thirds of the way through. This is at the beginning or the end of a fragment bound by metal clips, and could easily have become detached as the outside pages of some fragments' in Part 3 were also lost. It is therefore possible that only one page is missing.

Part 3. "Nil Desperandum".Covers Alan Gamble's post war experiences up to about 1963. This has not been read.

The manuscript of Part 3 is missing pages 24-86, 120 and 170, the latter two being the outside pages of bound fragments. (Page numbering here has assisted in reconstruction).

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





]]>
A T Gamble]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Bradbury]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Wehrmacht]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Skegness]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Norfolk]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> Wales--Porthmadog]]> England--Cumbria]]> England--Barrow-in-Furness]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Atlantic Ocean--Bay of Biscay]]> Germany--Gelsenkirchen]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--North Friesland Region]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Italy]]> Italy--Turin]]> Germany--Peenemünde]]> Germany--Berlin]]> France]]> France--Modane]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Jordan]]> Jordan--Amman]]> 1943-06-13]]> 1943-06-17]]> 1943-06-22]]> 1943-07-03]]> 1943-07-24]]> 1943-08-10]]> 1943-08-12]]> 1943-08-17]]> 1943-08-27]]> 1943-08-31]]> 1943-10-03]]> 1943-11-03]]> 1945-01]]> 1945-02-03]]> 1945-02-07]]>
Henry Wagner]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Roger Dunsford]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Essen]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-11-28]]> 1944-11-29]]> Henry Wagner]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> He passed through the Aircrew Reception Centre in London, Brighton, and Liverpool, Henry found himself sailing to Durban, South Africa. He tried to become a pilot but failed a test in a Tiger Moth so was placed in the Navigational Training School. He met Graham Walker while there. On 23 December 1943 Henry became a Sergeant with a Navigator’s brevet. (Navigator brevet p27).
After moving through RAF West Freugh, Scotland, Henry was then posted to the OTU RAF Abingdon to learn more complex skills in addition to lectures about the Luftwaffe, Intelligence information and ‘Escape and Evasion’. Henry crewed up at Abingdon. (Photographs of crew p 34-5). The next move was to 4 Group Training School, and this confirmed for the crew that they would be flying Halifax Mark 3 aircraft. Here lectures were ‘all good stuff’.
The penultimate move was to 1952 HCU RAF Marston Moor to learn about the Halifax Mark 3 and meet Sergeant Eric Berry, flight engineer. (Photograph p37). Henry describes the duties of the navigator, the use of the ‘Master Bomber’, some of the anti-aircraft techniques that were used in the technological war. (Photograph using of the H2S p39, pieces of the ‘Window’ radar defence p50).
Finally, they moved to RAF Snaith. There Henry took part in raids on Julich near Essen x 2, Hagen (an aborted mission), Soest, in the Ruhr Valley, Duisburg x 2, Aachen, Munster, and Osnabruck. There was a degree of acceptance that they were statistically going to die during their duties.
Henry was returning from a raid when he appraised the pilot that there was a fire onboard. The pilot to decide to abandon the aeroplane, and Henry parachuted from his plane. He landed in the garden of a domestic house and explains the contents of his evasion-pack. He was captured, moved to the Aircrew Interrogation Centre was in Oberursel and then onto Stalag Luft 7 Bankau, Silesia. Here he rejoined John Trumble with whom Henry had undergone part of his training. There was an army padre at the camp and the influence Captain John Collins had on the POWs both at Stalag Luft 7 and when the men were marching to other camps is described. They arrived at Stalag 3A, Luckenwaldwe. Henry describes Red Cross parcel, daily life there, attacks of dysentery, and ‘Goon-baiting’.
When the ‘gen’ revealed the Russians were only 12 miles from the camp, the Germans abandoned them, and RAF Wing Commander Beamont assumed command of the camp. On 22 April 1945, the Russians arrived. They refused to release the POWs, so Henry and John walked 7 miles westwards where they were met by the Americans and taken to the Reception Centre, Schonebeck.
With VE declared and de-lousing completed they were returned to RAF Wing, Aylebury. He shows the graves of his crew (photographs p 99-101).
On demobbing Henry resumed his university studies and became a teacher. He married and had children. Henry went to a Stalag Luft 7 reunion in 1982.

Claire Campbell]]>
eng]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> Germany]]> Kenya]]> Germany--Winterfeld]]>