IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> In the caption his name is McBridge and in the annotation it is McBride.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> His pilots on operations were Pilot Officer Benitz DFC and Flight Lieutenant Brown. ]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Babs Nichols]]> Pending text-based transcription. Under review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Text. Diary]]> Royal Air Force]]> Italy]]> Libya]]> North Africa]]> Italy--Brindisi]]> Italy--Naples]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1941-11-02]]> 1941-11-03]]> 1941-11-07]]> 1941-11-08]]> 1941-11-09]]> 1941-11-10]]> 1941-11-11]]> 1941-11-12]]> 1941-11-17]]> 1941-11-18]]> 1941-11-19]]> 1941-11-20]]> 1941-11-22]]> 1941-11-25]]> 1941-12-07]]> 1941-12-11]]> 1941-12-14]]> 1941-12-18]]> 1941-12-19]]> 1941-12-23]]> 1941-12-28]]> 1941-12-29]]> 1942-02-22]]> 1942-02-23]]> 1942-03-06]]> 1942-03-09]]> 1942-03-10]]> 1942-03-30]]> 1942-03-31]]> 1942-04-11]]> 1942-04-12]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> SHookerFJ1805487v10030]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> Faversham News]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Faversham]]> England--Kent]]> 1941-02]]> 1941-04-10]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> On the reverse -
'This is the only photo of our crew with Ground Crew standing, 2nd from left
Doug Moe Mid-upper
Barry Ashbee F/E
Ray Irwin B.A.
Bill Lynn W.A.G.
Russ McKay Pilot
Gerry Pelletier R.G.
Harry "Andy" Anderson Nav
E. G. "Ted" Lewis Mid under
PT-X MZ505
June 1944
Tholthorpe'.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> PCothliffKB17030034]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1944-06]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike French]]> Terry Hancock]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Denmark]]> France]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Italy]]> Norway]]> Poland]]> Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea]]> Denmark--Copenhagen]]> Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> France--Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Germany--Helgoland]]> Germany--Kassel]]> Germany--Kiel]]> Germany--Krefeld]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Rostock]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Wismar]]> Italy--Genoa]]> Italy--Turin]]> Poland--Gdańsk]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942-01-15]]> 1942-01-16]]> 1942-04-08]]> 1942-04-09]]> 1942-04-27]]> 1942-04-28]]> 1942-04-29]]> 1942-05-04]]> 1942-05-05]]> 1942-05-07]]> 1942-05-08]]> 1942-05-09]]> 1942-05-16]]> 1942-05-17]]> 1942-05-19]]> 1942-05-20]]> 1942-05-22]]> 1942-05-23]]> 1942-05-27]]> 1942-05-28]]> 1942-08-27]]> 1942-08-28]]> 1942-08-29]]> 1942-09-08]]> 1942-09-09]]> 1942-09-10]]> 1942-09-11]]> 1942-09-23]]> 1942-09-24]]> 1942-10-02]]> 1942-10-03]]> 1942-10-12]]> 1942-10-13]]> 1942-10-14]]> 1942-10-22]]> 1942-10-23]]> 1942-11-07]]> 1942-11-08]]> 1942-11-10]]> 1942-11-11]]> 1942-11-22]]> 1942-11-23]]> 1942-11-28]]> 1942-11-29]]> 1942-12-04]]> 1942-12-05]]> 1942-12-08]]> 1942-12-09]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 'Hugh Woodfield
Dads nephew
Died 2nd W War . Aged 17.']]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]>
Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Maidenhead]]> England--Cookham]]> Scotland--Rothes]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Berkshire]]> Glen Turner]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Canada]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> France--Île-de-France]]> France--Reims Region]]> 1942]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Bob volunteered for Bomber Command which had lost a lot of crews. After one air test for Number 9 Bomber Squadron, he went to 149 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall and flew in Wellingtons. He describes the difficulty of targeting well-defended Essen and bombing cruisers in coastal areas, such as Wilhelmshaven.
Bob then transferred to 70 Squadron in RAF Kabrit, Egypt and the Middle East. Water rationing was an issue. They would carry out raids on transport and railway sidings in response to Field Marshal Erich Rommel bringing German forces into the desert via Benghazi.
Bob had instructor stints at the Operational Training Unit at RAF Pershore and Advanced Flying Unit. He went on operational liaison duties to 950 Squadron. Other aircraft in which Bob flew included: Battle, Defiant, Lancasters, Lysanders and Bothas. Bob undertook 73 operations and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 12th March 1943.
He describes the evolution in air gunnery during the war. He also praises Barnes Wallis’s geodetic construction.

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Nigel Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Beth Ellin]]> Sally Coulter]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Thames River]]> North Africa]]> Egypt]]> Egypt--Kibrit]]> Libya]]> Libya--Banghāzī]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Wilhelmshaven]]> 1939]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1943]]> 1943-03-12]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Bethany Ellin]]> Heather Hughes]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Bochum]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Atlantic Ocean--Irish Sea]]> England--Orford Ness]]> Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Gibraltar]]> Singapore]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Rutland]]> Germany--Dresden]]> 1941]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]> 1949]]> 1952]]> 1956]]> 1963]]> Nigel Moore]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Heather Hughes]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> England--Stainfield]]> England--London]]> England--Yatesbury]]> England--Waddington]]> England--Market Harborough]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Barrow-in-Furness]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Wiltshire]]> Chris Brockbank]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> South Africa]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1942]]> Adam Purcell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Christine Kavanagh]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Australia]]> France]]> France--Pargny-sur-Saulx]]> Great Britain]]> United States]]> After leaving school at the age of 14, Derek delivered books in and around Doncaster before going down to the Royal Air Force Recruitment Centre in Doncaster and signing up for service after developing a love of aviation after seeing Vimmies and Heyfords.
Derek passed his exams for a pilot, however trained as a wireless operator because of his knowledge of Morse code. When he was crewed up, his team flew in Wellingtons at RAF Finningley, with 18 Operational Training Unit.
Derek then was transferred to a Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Blyton, where he worked on Halifaxes, before being posted to 625 Squadron at RAF Kelstern, flying on Lancasters.
He completed operations to Essen, Dortmund, Cologne and also targeted the oil refineries. Derek also took part in Operation Manna, dropping supplies in Holland.]]>
Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Germany--Essen]]> Netherlands]]> Germany]]>
Gary Rushbrooke]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Korea]]> 1947]]> 1956]]> When Donald was sixteen, he joined the local Air Training Corps and later went to St. John’s Wood, where he was entered as a wireless operator / air gunner. He did his basic training at RAF Bridlington and was then posted to a wireless school in Hereford. While there he was taken ill and sent to hospital. On his recovery he asked to be re-mustered as an air gunner and was sent to the Isle of Sheppey to be trained on a Napier. He was then posted to RAF Bridgnorth gunnery school. After finishing the course, he was sent home until he was summoned to form a crew. The crew was posted to RAF Halton where they flew on Wellingtons. Their next posting was to RAF Wittering where they transferred to Lancasters. Donald was then posted to 625 Squadron at RAF Scampton. The squadron flew to Belgium and later to Italy to bring prisoners of war home. They also took part in Operation Manna over Holland. On returning to England the crew were split and Donald was posted to RAF Uxbridge and then demobbed. He went back to work at O. C. Summers until his retirement. At the age of 38 Donald married a typist who also worked for O. C. Summers.


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Harry Bartlett]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Belgium]]> Italy]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--London]]> Netherlands]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> England--London]]> England--Kent]]> England--Kent]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>