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The Flying Gopher September 1942
This edition has adverts, an Editorial, reminisces by Dr Vyse, an appreciation of the arrival of the RAF at Weyburn, photographs of Weyburn, stories about Gremlins, a fictitious love story, photos of dances, Weyburn library, poems, love stories, a…
The Flying Gopher January 1943
This edition covers an Editorial, poems, the padres notes, romantic fiction, a car chase in London, a list of expenditure of the station's social funds, recollections of flying in the Great War, Christmas stories, Officers Mess gossip, a story about…
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.
Alma Leedham's memoir
Tells of early life in London, joining the Woman's Auxiliary Air Force in 1941 and training as a driver. Relates experiences at RAF Scampton and then with 57 Squadron as a tractor driver pulling bomb trolleys. Subsequently went to East Kirkby.…
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 Shuttleworth
Joe Shuttleworth was born and raised in Brisbane but also spent a lot of time with family in the Melbourne area. He volunteered for aircrew and soon began training as a gunner. After initial training he sailed to the United States and on to the UK.…
Interview with Jean Smith
Jean Smith worked as a clerk in the aircraft manufacturing industry before the war and later served as a secretary in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. She served at 27 Operational Training Unit at RAF Lichfield.
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 Jill Saunders
Jill Saunders’s father Frank Simon was born in Salford in 1917. He served an apprenticeship as a fitter before joining A.V. Roe. He had joined the RAF volunteer reserve but as he was in a reserved occupation, he was only called up in 1944. He…
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…
Marriage certificate for Amerkhan Boldy and Lily Moses
Extract from register of marriage for Amerkhan Boldy and Lily Moses at the Armenian Holy Church of Nazarethin Calcutta on 18 December 1917.
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…
Interview with Ernie Patterson. Two
Before joining the Royal Air Force on 4 February 1942, Ernie worked as an apprentice joiner. On being called up he went to Blackpool for training, which included Morse code. Following training at different places he then attended the advanced flying…
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…
Bob Sharrock June 1943 - Feb 1946
Bob's memoirs in the RAF. His training started at Lords cricket ground then Torquay. Technical training was at St Athan. At this time he met Dorothy. In March 1944 he was posted to Dishforth where his aircraft crashed damaging his spine.