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Letter to M H Edwards from A C Rose
Letter to Joyce Donaldson's father, M H Edwards, on headed paper from the Bishop of Dover agreeing to take his daughter's wedding. Goes on to describe his rules for marrying a couple but agrees that he can leave that to M H Edwards in this case.
Letter to Officer Commanding 'B' Squadron
A letter from Captain A Macdonald to Officer in Charge, 'B' Squadron, asking permission for Malcolm Staves to attend the wedding of the writer to Malcolm's sister. Also attached is the wedding invitation to Mr and Mrs Ely on the occasion of the…
Memoir by Arthur Hollis
Second page has colour photograph of Arthur Hollis, wearing blazer with medals, standing in a field at an event. Narrative covers early life in Hornchurch and Carshalton including schooling and hospital admissions. Writes of Dulwich College studies…
Interview with Joe Stemp
Joe was a navigator with 578 Squadron and later with 77 Squadron, flying Halifaxes and later 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…
Interview with Bessie Birkby
Bessie Birkby grew up in Sheffield and volunteered for the Women’s Auxilliary Air Force in 1942. She first worked in Balloon Command in Scotland and then trained to be a driver in North Wales. She was then posted to 625 Squadron at RAF Binbrook but…
Interview with Bob Lasham
Bob Lasham began an electrical engineering apprenticeship with British Thomson-Houston before volunteering for the RAF in 1941, aged 20. He trained at Babbacombe and Wilmslow before continuing to Clewiston, Florida, to complete his training as a…
Interview with Betty Greenwood
Betty Greenwood was born in 1926 in Belton, Lancashire; she attended Princess Mary high school was and privately educated in Paris but returned due to the threat of war. At sixteen she was offered various jobs but decided to join the Royal Observer…
Interview with Sylvia Trapp
Sylvia Trapp remembers serving in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during the war. Describes her training in various stations and her duties as a wireless operator, service life and leisure time at Waddington, how she met her future husband, a…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440703.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1043/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440703.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440703.pdf")
Opens by expressing concern over wife’s health issues. Goes on to give news about upcoming leave. Mentions crew outing to Scunthorpe. Provides details of tenth operation which was a successful daylight operation. Mentioned that the crew had now…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440707.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1044/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440707.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440707.pdf")
Begins with slight admonishment over wife’s letter writing regularity and discussion of progress on wife’s health issues. Provides details of 11th operation which involved an extremely long sortie, taking off in daylight and recovering next…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440715.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1045/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440715.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440715.pdf")
Expresses concern over regularity of wife’s letters and length of time that letters take to get through. Mentions that they might not be able to depart on leave until Tuesday as the might be on operations Monday night. Recounts that planned 13th…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440801.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1046/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440801.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440801.pdf")
Starts with thanks for letter number 3 but complains about lack of letters for a couple of days particularly as he had been on operations. Sets up times for future phone calls. Noted that the crew’s original aircraft had been lost while being flown…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440806.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1047/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440806.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440806.pdf")
Starts with complaint that phone calls from wife are replacing letters which he does not like, but did enjoy hearing his wife’s voice. Letter is then a long explanation of why he cannot answer her last letter as it is in his locker at the squadron…
A poem to Billy
A poem sent to Betty Turner's friend Billy to celebrate their 80th. Betty describes the wartime hardships she endured, hint at the bereavement after the loss of the men she loved, stresses the sense of duty toward her country, friendship and…
This is why I joined the RAF
A poem written in December 1942 after her first love was shot down over France. After his death Betty resolved to join the Royal Air Force and became a wireless operator. According to a note, she later found out that some of what she wrote down went…
Interview with Harry Harris
Harry ‘Sam’ Harris grew up in Scotland and volunteered for the Air Force. He trained as a navigator in South Africa. On the penultimate day of his training he flew over a multitude of lifeboats bearing the survivors of a torpedoed ship. The next…
Interview with Irene Howard
Irene Howard grew up in Salford and describes her life there before the war. During the war she worked in a factory and as a fire-watcher before being called up. She served as an Air Raid Precaution Warden. She describes being bombed at home,…
Interview with Jean Culkin
Jean Culkin grew up in Sunderland and worked as a tea girl and then a typist in a reserved occupation. She discusses her life and her wedding to her husband, John George Mackel Culkin. He was an apprentice at RAF Halton before becoming a fitter…
Interview with Mary Ward. One
Mary Ward grew up in Bloxham. She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in 1940 and was posted to RAF Driffield, on general duties in the officers’ mess. She describes a German daylight attack on RAF Driffield on the 15 August 1940 and the…
Interview with Mary Ward. Two
Mary Ward joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in 1940. She served briefly at RAF Driffield but mostly at RAF Linton on Ouse. She trained as a cook before being moved to duties as a map officer. She prepared maps for briefings and debriefings.…
Interview with Andrew Deytrikh
Andrew Deytrikh’s family emigrated from Russia in 1919 and he was born in the Isle of Wight. He grew up in London before being employed in a laboratory testing metals. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and after training as a pilot he joined…
Interview with William Arthur Coulton
William Coulton was born in Derbyshire and worked as an errand boy for the Co-Op until he joined the Royal Air Force in 1943, aged 18. He trained as a flight mechanic and was posted to 115 Squadron at RAF Witchford where he worked on Lancasters. He…
Interview with Jan Black. Two
Jan Black Stangryciuk was born in Poland but his family emigrated to Argentina in 1934. He volunteered to travel to England to join the Royal Air Force in 1939. He recounts his journey, why he made this decision and how he joined the RAF. He was…
Interview with Johnny Johnson. Two
George ‘Johnny’ Johnson was born in rural Lincolnshire. As a child he won a scholarship to Lord Wandsworth’s Agricultural College in Hampshire. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War and was selected for…
Interview with Martin Arthur Catty
Martin Catty grew up in London and was evacuated to Westward Ho! with his school at the beginning of the war. He completed a short training course at Cambridge University in 1942 and joined Air Force. After training he flew 40 operations as a…