Group Captain Stan Keyte was commissioned in 1962 after initial Officer Training at RAF South Cerney. He completed navigation training at Hullavington and Stradishall, obtaining the Bristol Trophy as Best All Round Student, and converted to Vulcan B2s.
He served on 12 Sqn and 50 Sqn before completing an instructional tour at the Strike Command Bombing School.
In 1972 he was posted to the OCTU at Henlow as a Flt Cdr and left on promotion to Sqn Ldr in 1975, returning to the Vulcan force on 617 Sqn and, later, a tour in Ops Wh at Scampton.
He was awarded the MBE in 1978.
In 1980-81, he completed advanced ADP training at the Defence ADP Training Centre. Following 2 short tours, as an instructor at Blandford and on a software team at HQ 1 Gp he was posted to DofCC/MIS/(RAF) in 1982 as ADP(Ops)2(RAF) with the acting rank of Wg Cdr. His responsibilities included the Air Staff Management Aid (ASMA), the RAF Command Support System (RAFCSS), UKAIR CCIS, the Station Operational Management Aid/Battle Readiness and Management Information System (SOMA/BRAMIS) and EIFEL (Central Region Air Tasking System).
From 1987-89 he was the RAF Commander at Greenham Common, for which he was subsequently awarded the OBE.
In 1989 he was posted to HQSTC as the Project Manager for SOMA/BRAMIS. A period of 9 months in a newly created information technology (IT) post at HQSTC followed, then in July 1991 he was posted to DofCC/MIS(RAF) with the acting rank of Gp Capt. On the reorganisation of the Directorate in August 1991, he became Deputy Director Information Systems (Polict & Plans) (RAF).
Group Captain Keyte was educated at Bicester and Aylesbury Grammar Schools and, over the period 1972-78 obtained an Open University degree in mathematics and computer science.
He was married and his wife’s name is Beryl. He passed away in 2010.
His interests included golf, walking and photography.
Kenneth Robert Henry Baldwin, known to everyone as Ken, volunteered for the RAF in 1940, having been born in March 1921. His entry was delayed due to a broken arm but selected for pilot training his first flight was in March 1942. He was sent for pilot training in the US on the Arnold Scheme as part of Class 43A arriving via Canada. Issued with a Royal Canadian Air Force Logbook, his first flight and solo were in July 1942. He was sent south to Alabama first to undergo an orientation course into the “strange” US ways and then to join with US cadets to be taught how to fly by civilian instructors. The local residents made him very welcome, one in particular, Mrs Barrett, took him under her wing as a surrogate mother. As the US had only just entered the war he was still subject to their peace time “Bull“, something which he told me the English cadets tried to avoid as much as possible, also the strict discipline was not at all what the RAF cadets were used to as they were more interested in learning to fly and then a speedy return to England.
His training was in Albany, Primary at Darr Aero Tech, Basic at Gunter Field and Advanced at Turner Field where he gained his USAAF (United States Army Air Force) wings in January 1943. While in the US he flew the PT17 Stearman, Vultee BT13, Cessna AT17 and Curtis AT9. He also made firm US friends and corresponded with them for the rest of his life.
Back in England his service was interrupted by another broken arm. As he was assigned to multi engine aircraft he spent the second half of 1943 training on two engine types (Blenheims, Ansons and Beauforts) ending up at 54 OTU (“Slaughter” Hall) to transition to Beaufighters for Operations. His first flight as No 1 pilot didn’t go well as he overcompensated for the torque of the engines resulting in a ground loop and a close shave with the control tower. He said he had never seen people leave a building as fast as those in the tower as he careered towards it. Luckily there was no real damage done but his flying career nearly ended.
He was reassessed and was posted as a staff pilot to No2 (O) AFU at Millom in Cumberland flying Ansons, although he was promoted to Flight Sergeant. He spent his time at Millom stoodging up and down the Irish Sea with trainee navigators on board. As they flew quite low he always knew where Snaefell (highest point of the Isle of Man) was as the accuracy of some of the navigators (even quite high-ranking ones) wasn’t that good. As Millom was right on the coast, they had an amphibious vehicle to go and collect any crews who were unfortunate enough to ditch on their approach. The local lifeboat was also launched in such instances, and he said the unfortunate crew always paddled like mad towards it away from the base so they could get a night in the local town. Luckily it never happened to him.
At the end of 1944 he was promoted to Warrant Officer and posted to the Empire Air Armament School at Manby in Lincolnshire. Here he flew Wellingtons (Mark X, XIII and XV) training bomb aimers. He said his accuracy at bombing was always better than the trainees as he would “throw” the bombs out (twitching the aircraft at the critical moment) and always hit the target. As the only rated Anson pilot on the base, he also flew admin trips in the base Anson and Oxford. Any passenger was always given the job of winding the twenty-eight turns to raise and then lower the manual undercarriage. In fact, he considered the Anson his own private aircraft akin to the first car that he had just managed to buy.
At the end of the war he married my mother, his long-term girlfriend in June 1945. He continued to serve at Manby until June 1946 when he was demobbed having accumulated 915 hours as first pilot. He returned to his hometown of Walsall where he developed a very successful business, became a local preacher in the Methodist Church and served as a JP for many years before his death in November 2010.
My Dad’s name was Albert George Alley, but he was always known as George. He was born in Trowbridge in 1922 and volunteered for the RAF at the earliest opportunity.
Albert Alley
He initially worked in Motor Transport, but always wanted to get into Aircrew. He really wanted to be a Radio Operator – as he loved radio and used to build crystal sets. However, when he got his Bomber Command chance, it was as an Air Gunner (quite appropriate for someone with the initials A.G.)
His first posting was to 15 Squadron, based at Mildenhall. He preferred being the rear gunner, but was sometimes mid-upper. I remember him telling me that after they had crewed-up and were issued with their flying kit, the ‘comedian’ of their crew proceeded to put on all of his kit, including flying helmet and then climbed onto a table, spread his arms and fell flat on the floor. He got up and with dead-pan face said “There, I told you it wouldn’t fly”. Talking of flying kit, Dad was only 5 ft 4, so when he had his full kit and parachute on, his chute was almost on the floor, so the crew nick-named him “Drag-ass” as they said he could wipe out his own foot prints!
He completed 7 ops with his first crew, led by Flying Officer Collins. His first was on 26/08/44 to Kiel. His diary states “Today’s the day. We are on the battle order for tonight’s op!” But on his seventh mission to Wilhelmshaven in October, he flew with a severe head-cold and should really have gone sick, but as he would say, “If you could go with your crew, you went”. Unfortunately, they were attacked and had to take evasive action. This was the “famous” corkscrew manoeuvre. The sudden change in air pressure burst Dad’s blocked ear-drums! He passed out and his oxygen mask had fallen off. He was only saved by one the other crew checking him out, because his intercom had gone silent.
He was hospitalised and the Doctors decided to remove his infected tonsils – but after the operation these carried on bleeding throughout the night! When he was found he’d lost so much blood they didn’t think he would survive and they brought in a padre. His Dad travelled all the way from Wiltshire to be by his bedside. He was given a blood transfusion – and he then developed jaundice!
It took him a while to recover and by the time he was fit for duty again in March ’45, his crew had finished their tour of 30 ops and all gone their separate ways. So Dad flew as a “spare” with various crews until VE day, completing another 6 ops and also taking part in Operation Manna.
Following the end of the European conflict, he had the chance of a posting to 49 Squadron at Mepal, with another permanent crew, led by his pilot F/Lt (later Squadron Leader) Rupert “Chick” Woodcraft. They were preparing to move to the far-east as part of Tiger Force, but before they were fully-operational the dropping of the atomic bombs ended the war. Their crew did take part in Operation Dodge, bringing back members of the Eighth Army from Italy. At the end of August they tested Lancaster LSB, with Dad noting in his log book “Testing the White Lanc to be used by Bomber Harris on his Middle East tour”.
Chick Woodcraft’s crew. Dad is sat on the wing with his knee raised.
CREW 150, 466 SQUADRON RAAF – A PROUD HALIFAX TEAM
This tale was relayed to ‘us’ by P/O John McManus but he ‘forgot’ to inform ‘us’ of the names of the ‘irresponsible’ pair.
A friendship between a RAAF ground-staff sergeant and a RAAF pilot had developed to such a degree that a foolish task was undertaken.
The pilot agreed to take the sergeant on board a Halifax during a daylight bombing raid on a German airfield target. The sergeant had served in England for at least three years and wanted desperately to experience the causes of damages to the many aircraft repaired by him in his time in England.
The pilot seated the sergeant in the rest position jump-seat which was midway in the aircraft and used in cases of treating injured personnel.
As the target was approached, visibility was good and flak was moderate. The pilot requested the sergeant to lower the jump-seat, on which he had been seated, and stand in a position to the right of the pilot. The top of the sergeant’s head was level with the bottom of the windscreen, thus his view was limited but he could move quickly to an escape hatch, if necessary, and also not impede the passage of escape of crew members in the case of a serious mishap.
Suddenly, a hole appeared in the right-hand side of the windscreen at a height level with the sergeant’s body if he had remained in the jump-seat. Half the base plug of an 88mm shell had passed through the screen, grazed the arm of the flight engineer and buried itself in the cushioning of the jump-seat.
As in the situation of getting the sergeant on board without being noticed, the unloading of him on reaching base in daylight required similar guile.
In Sydney, in the 1960’s, the pilot learned from the sergeant that, after the pilot had left 466 Squadron on completion of a tour, the sergeant inveigled another RAAF pilot to carry out a similar act in an operation at night.
Both of these irresponsible acts, if detected, would result in most serious disciplinary actions, inclusive of court martials.
Back row: Sgt J.S. Hancocks (R/G), Sgt K. Hawkins (M/U/G), Sgt A.C. Swinfen (Nav), Sgt R.S. Fox (B/A). Front row: Sgt H.A.W. Samuel (F/E), P/O J.B. McManus (Capt), F/Sgt R.G.F Oatt (W/Ag).
Re Crew 150 of 466 Squadron: they finished their tour. The Captain, J B McManus did his 2nd pilot trip during operation B133 (Homberg) with Joe Herman’s crew (131). Later, McManus did testing and ferrying in RAF Maintenance Command, then served in RAAF 76 Fighter Squadron in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. Alan Swinfen and Ken Hawkins were commissioned after completing a tour. Swinfen served in 246 and 511 Squadrons of Transport Command and flew to India and Singapore before being a member of the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Hawkins served with the RAF Regiment in Palestine. John Hancocks served with the RAF in Germany. Because of ill health prior to B161 and B162 raids, Ron Oatt was replaced by Arch Walmsley (Crew 145) and G Wallace (Crew 148) respectively for the two raids. For good luck, Ken Hawkins took a mitten-type monkey on each operation.
As an 18-year-old RAF volunteer in 1941 from Leicester, Alan Castle was like most trainee volunteers of the time sent to Canada by boat for several months of aircrew training. These young men arriving in Ontario often found themselves being billeted with local families during this period as he was. As Alan was a relatively high achiever at School, passing his initial RAF intake assessment he was selected for Navigational and Bomb Aiming training, and upon completion of his courses promoted to Pilot Officer.
On returning to England in September 1941, he was posted to No 23 OTU Pershore to continue training on Wellington Bombers taking part in practice day & night training missions. A loss of his first Logbook due to a fire at RAF Bourn means we’re not sure of his exact activities before late 1941 however we do know he completed various training flights and courses in Air Observer Navigation, Astro Navigation and Air Observer Armament and was posted to 101 Squadron, based at Bourn in the new year of 1942.
His first combat operational flight flying Wellingtons took place on the 6th of January 1942 quickly followed by raids on Essen, Cologne, Bremen, Kiel & Hamburg, these missions marked the start of his first operational tour completing 30 missions by June 1942, culminating with taking part in the first 1000 bomber raids on Cologne, Essen and Bremen, a new strategy for the time.
Left to right – Alan Castle, Dan Attwood, Bill Matheson, unknown, Bill Murray, Jeff Jaggers; taken before the raid on Essen; April 12th 1942.
During this period flying Wellingtons, Alan was both Navigator and Bomb Aimer on each sortie and often dropped flares for target marking as well as bombs or incendiaries. The raid on Warnemunde in May 1942 almost ended in disaster for him coming in off the sea at just 50ft for a low-level attack on a Heinkel factory! Apart from nearly hitting a church spire having been blinded by defensive searchlights they inadvertently hit a barrage ballon cable over the target. But instead of tearing the plane to pieces, luckily the port prop took the brunt of the strike destroying the boss and taking 4 to 6 inches from each propeller tip, the nerve-racking 3-hour return leg was dominated by intense vibrations from the port wing.
101 Squadron – Borne 1942 Back row left to right – P/O Waterkeyn, Davidson, Spencer, P/O Alan Castle Front row left to right – P/O Bill Doig, F/O Beer, W/C Nicholls, F/L Pilkington, F/O Osbon
With the completion of his first tour, he soon found himself with No 2 School of Air Navigation at Cranage in July 1942 then moving to 28th Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Wymeswold by late 1942, we think as an instructor training new recruits.
May 1943 saw Alan take the opportunity in the lull of operations to marry his sweetheart, Joyce Hately.
By 1944, Alan was again posted back to 101 Squadron having been recently converted to ‘Heavies’ flying Lancasters and transferred to the newly built RAF Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire.
March 1944 marked the start of his second tour of Operations as Squadron Navigation Leader starting with an operation over Cologne on the 20th of April 1944. Completing 15 missions in total including the infamous mission on Mailly-le-Camp which resulted in serious losses for the squadron. On several missions Alan remembers being ‘coned’ by searchlights often returning home peppered with holes when it seemed like every flak gun in the area aimed at our plane, recounting on one occasion being illuminated by a master ‘blue’ searchlight over Essen followed by others all homing in on them. For 9 minutes they weaved and dived to avoid the flak. Unfortunately, one mission ended with the death of a crew member when a well-placed flak shell exploded near to the nose section killing the bomb aimer. Alan’s second tour concluded with his final sortie revisiting Cologne on the 28th of October 1944 as part of an 800 strong bomber raid.
101 Squadron – Ludford Magna – June 1944
Alan Castle completed 2 tours totalling 45 Combat Operations (545 flying hours) and being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on the 23rd of March 1945. With his service in the RAF coming to an end in 1946 with a spell in Transport Command, Alan soon found himself busy with civilian life in the post war years having two daughters (Janet & Linda) with Joyce and several successful businesses. Finally finding time in retirement to take up his passion of gardening as well as regularly attending 101 Squadron reunions.
Alan on receiving his long overdue Bomber Command Clasp in 2013.
Jim and Christine Shortland were stalwarts of Lincolnshire aviation societies. They were founder members of the Sleaford and District Legionnaires Aviation Society (named after its meeting place). Original committee members from its founding in 1985, Christine served as Secretary. Both were committee members of the Royal Aeronautical Society, RAF Cranwell Branch; latterly the two societies collaborated on many activities. Unfortunately, RAES Cranwell did not survive Covid lockdown. SDLAS has been fortunate to hold its members together and revive programmes.
Over the years many distinguished speakers addressed the SDLAS. Thanks to Jim’s efforts SDLAS was privileged to have two visits from Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, the famous WWII test pilot; Eric and his wife also shared a dinner event with core Society members. Indeed, SDLAS programmes are a litany of local and national aero-enthusiasts sharing their knowledge and experience.
As Christine was an efficient organiser and ‘fixer’, she and Jim made a good team. Jim pursued his interest in the history of 617 Squadron. How this came about is debated, but maybe from a chance gift of 617 photographs given by a former RAF neighbour who was moving house. He became obsessed with the history, which led him to organise coach trips to the Dams sites. These were immensely popular and established a community of attendees who met every three months for a lunch, initially at the Petwood Hotel and at the former Officers’ Mess, RAF Hemswell. In 2014/15, trips were also made to the V-bomb sites in Northern France, to the WW1 cemeteries of France and Belgium and to the Menin Gate. Those involved in these visits were not just Lincolnians. Many came from as far afield as the south coast and County Durham as well as what might be called Middle England; a great many friendships and contacts were forged in this community.
Jim became an in-demand lecturer and speaker on 617 Squadron history. His work was characterised by three praise-worthy features. He visited the places and met the people involved in the story: in this respect, his knowledge was without parallel. He was passionate about accuracy and cross-checked his information. He saw his work as a pursuit of truth, and that truth as something worth preserving for future generations. Having had only a rudimentary education, Jim was not a man of the written word; the aeronautics world has missed out because of that. While not the official historian of 617 Squadron, he was, to many, an unofficial guru. The Lincoln events which he and Christine organised were attended by many who were members of 617 Squadron and had taken part in the events. But Jim’s interest did not stop there: he had many contacts abroad who were able to take him to local sites from WW2 and provide detailed information on the ground.
Jim had an unsurpassed collection of 617 Squadron memorabilia from WW2, which included logbooks and facsimiles, hundreds of posters, scores of paintings, realia such as gunsights and pieces of uniform, and many rare books (the collection was broken up and auctioned in the last years of his life). This collection alone was an archive of immense value to history, and its dispersal is a tragedy.
In 2016, Jim was rewarded by the Royal Aeronautical Society (of which he was an Affiliate) with a Branches Award for his services to aviation. Part of the citation read:
“Examples of Jim’s local activity and standing include the following. He has held office in the nearby Sleaford and District Legionnaires Aviation Society (currently Deputy Chairman); and he works to provide joint activities between RAES & SDLAS groups to increase participation and cut costs. He is a life member of Grantham Aviation Society and a member of Lincolnshire’s Lancaster Association. He is a historian of issues concerned with 617 Squadron, and an author and lecturer about its history: his knowledge is encyclopaedic…His vast collection of artefacts includes a number on loan to such organizations as museums and St Vincents, war-time HQ for the Dams raid. He has raised significant sums for local memorials to the RAF in Lincolnshire.”
Jim lived for aviation and for the history of 617 Squadron. He was at home in the informal surroundings of the Legionnaires Club, home of SDLAS. He got immense pleasure from meetings at the RAF Cranwell Daedalus Mess, which housed the RAES Branch. His legacy is a quiet one, of enthusing others and provoking them to discover more. Like he once said of the history: ‘believe nothing and no-one; check everything.’
Ken joined the RAF at the age of 18 in 1942 and spent 26 years in the force before coming a victim of the government defence cuts in 1968, he was sad to leave the RAF had been all his adult life.
He carried out his training flying Mosquito aircraft at the bomber and gunner school in Fingal, Ontario, Canada between 1944 – 1947 he was enlisted into the 540 Squadron and was awarded his navigator flying badge in May 1948
On his return to the UK can spent three years RAF Benson, Oxfordshire still operating on Mosquitoes in the recently reformed 540 Squadron, the squadron had been assigned to coastal commands photographic reconnaissance unit
This began Ken’s long association with the Coastal Command; he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and received a posting in 1951 to RAF Seletar in Singapore. Ken was assigned to the 209 Squadron, a long-range maritime reconnaissance unit operating in the Sunderland flying boat aircraft. He spent three years here with his wife and young family but unfortunately became embroidered in the Korean War 1950 – 1953.
While stationed in Singapore Ken completed 30 sorties and it was on one of these that he sustained A gunshot wound to the knee when helping to evacuate British soldiers from a beach (unfortunately we are not sure of the exact location).
In February 1954 he learned that he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, in the dispatches his actions were described as “showing outstanding courage confidence and ability in the conditions where the slightest error would have been disastrous for aircraft and crew”
Returning once more to the UK Ken had been promoted to the Flight Sergeant and was posted to RAF Shawbury in Shropshire. In November 1954 he made the trip to London and was presented with his Distinguished Flying Medal by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
In all, over the years, he was the recipient of eight medals including along with his Distinguished Flying Medal, two World War 2 medals and medals for services in Korea, Malaya and Borneo.
Over the subsequent years Ken remained mostly in the Coastal Commands stationed RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall (twice) and RAF Ballykelly in Northern Ireland, during this time he flew to Shackleton aircraft and rose to the rank of Master Navigator, he turned down a Commission, happy to continue as Warrant Officer until his retirement in 1968.
In the early 60s he was posted to RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire as a member of the 97 Squadron (Strategic Missiles) it was here that his youngest daughter Wendy was born and his two older daughters Jean and Gwen put down roots for the future.
Flight Sergeant Archie Phillips was 20 years old when his bomber was shot down in Austria, five weeks before the war ended. He had joined the RAF aged 17, having been in the Air Cadets. A Radio Operator/Air Gunner, he was stationed in Egypt and attached to the South African Air Force, where they lived in tents.
Archie wrote to his sister, Eileen, regularly, and talked about his pals using Afrikaans language, and how he was learning some. A letter from Archie in March 1944 said he had “flown his 13th mission and should be OK now”.
His final mission was a bombing raid on Villach, Austria. This was a critical strategic transportation hub for the German Reichsbahn, connecting Austria with Italy and Southeastern Europe. Due to its importance for troop movements, munitions and other resources, it became a major target for Allied bombing raids. The bodies in the burnt out crashed plane could only be identified by the pilot’s dog-tags. Archie is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Archie and his twin brother, Richard (Dicky), were the youngest of nine children, born in the post-war austerity of 1923. His twin was outgoing, strong and charming, whereas Archie was quiet and reserved. His home broke up when he was very young and with brothers Dicky, Ronald and sister Olga, lived in a home for a while. Dicky was sad that he was separated from Archie when leaving the children’s home. While Archie went to his oldest brother Arthur, while Dicky went to live with his oldest sister. Arthur was wounded during the retreat at Dunkirk and died in hospital in Portsmouth. He is buried in the War Grave at Caversham, Reading.
Archie’s eldest sister, Eileen, “mothered” her brothers and sisters and her house was a Mecca for all her siblings. Her eldest son, Bob Young, was only eight when he last saw Archie, he remembers him well. He was well liked, with a ready smile. Bob recalls the telegram arriving with the sad news. Eileen had gone to the cinema to see ‘Shine on Harvest Moon’. The telegram had to be opened before the telegraph boy would leave (in some cases he had to take a return telegram details). Eldest sister Pat opened it. How should they tell Mum? Make her a cup of tea, which was good for someone receiving bad news. Eileen returned and talked incessantly about the film she had seen. They all waited. When she stopped to take breath, Audrey quickly said: “Drink your tea Mum, it will get cold.” As Eileen sipped her tea, Pat said “Mum, we have some very bad news for you concerning Archie.”
Dicky told his children about Archie, and daughter Carol Sissons recalls how he was learning how to play the piano accordion. This went to Dicky who learned how to play it well, along with Archie’s mandolin. Several of Dicky’s grandsons are very interested in Archie’s war history and hope to arrange a family visit to Bomber Command when he is added to The Wall of Names.
It was a delightful surprise for Bob to find Archie’s name in the Losses Database at the International Bomber Command Centre, Lincoln in September 2025, 80 years later. There is now a stone in the Ribbon of Remembrance for him.
In loving memory, gratitude and respect for F/Lt Emrys Davies who was stationed at Ludford Magna with 101 Squadron from early 1945 until the end of the war.
Emrys (born Porth, June 1923) joined the Air Training Corps aged 17 before transferring to the RAF and trained as a bomb aimer at RCAF Station Rivers in Manitoba, Canada. He also spent a short period in America helping to sell war bonds.
Emrys (initially serving as P/O) joined F/Lt Ken Weightman’s crew at Ludford and flew a total of 21 operations between March and May 1945. His first operation was to Chemnitz on March 5/6 and further trips included Dessau, Potsdam, Kiel and Dortmund. His last bombing raid was to Heligoland on April 18.
There followed five Operation Manna drops around Rotterdam with the last being on May 7 and his active war ended with three Operation Exodus trips to collect POWs from Brussels and return them to Dunsfold, the final of which was on May 11.
101 Squadron soon moved up to Binbrook and Emrys switched from bomb aimer to navigator and was promoted to F/Lt before being demobbed in November 1946.
He married Nancy Evans while stationed at Binbrook and the couple had two children, Marisse and Elizabeth.
Emrys flew with the same six crew on each of his sorties: Pilot – F/Lt W.K. Weightman, Flight Engineer – P/O David Bond, Navigator – P/O J.D. Browne, Wireless Operator – Sgt R. Burtoft, Mid-Upper Gunner – Sgt A.P. Ainley and Rear Gunner – Sgt C. Amory.
Flight Sgt Wilfred Leyland Coops 30th July 1924 to 23 September 2011
Dad, known as Ley to family, friends and crew members, was in a reserved occupation and did not have to go to war. He showed his intentions early though by joining the Air Training Corps as a teenager. He never talked about his time in the RAF, his only comment being that it was terrifying and they had a tot of whiskey to help them get on board. I remember once asking him as a child how he lost the end of his finger, the look on his face told me that he couldn’t say, couldn’t explain. His medals and log book were hidden away, a potent reminder of what he had experienced, kept safe by my mum who was so proud of what he did. It is hard to believe that this quietly spoken man had endured so much. He had left the war behind, coming home with schrapnel and a shortened finger but alive. He suffered the very real after-effects in silence.
After researching his war history I now know so much more. Initially all I had was a single photo of him in uniform. Over time I managed to contact members of the crew’s families along other interested parties. All have all been gracious and helpful. One such person is Keith Vincent. He had found a photo of the crew years before and wanted to know who they were and why his parents had it. Between us we managed to identify each crew member and realised that his parents had arranged dances for the airmen and by doing that they had met some of the crew. He then sent me the restored crew photo I am sharing today.
We now know that dad signed up at the age of seventeen and started training as an air gunner after serving the six months waiting period for reserved occupations. In December 1944 he joined 218 Squadron as part of the Connell Crew. 218 Squadron was one of the elite squadrons, often leading missions. RAF Chedburgh was well equipped and comfortable by RAF standards so it is nice to think that between missions they could relax in comfort. The squadron was sponsored by the Gold Coast who ensured that the crews had little luxuries that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
Dad took part in many missions over Europe as a mid upper then rear gunner. One mission was nearly fatal though. After losing two engines and losing altitude quickly, they managed to jettison the bombs over enemy territory and land safely at Juvincourt. They insisted on taking the next available flight home to continue to fly missions instead of having two weeks off while their Lancaster was repaired. Such brave men, ready to risk their lives as soon as possible instead of taking time off. They did manage to have an evening out in the town before they left where they thought they could meet some French girls. Much to their surprise, they were spat at because the allies had recently recaptured the Juvincourt airfield and the girls did not appreciate that their German boyfriends were now prisoners of war!
Dad also took part in Exodus, bringing home prisoners of war. It must have felt good to end his flying service bringing men home who cheered at the sight of the White Cliffs of Dover.
Most of the crew did manage to keep in touch after the war and their families are still in touch to this day, united by the pride they have in the crew and and a deeper understanding of what they went through. We all know though, that we can never truly understand what it was like for them, risking their lives day after day, enduring the long cold hours and knowing that each mission could be their last, knowing how many of their fellow crews had already been lost.
Just one of the many brave crews of Bomber Command, they stayed friends for the rest of their lives, sharing their memories and going to each other’s funerals until there was no-one left. To this day their experience has trickled down through the generations and still resonates, creating friendships with people who would otherwise have been strangers.
Thank you dad, for all that you did, for all that you endured when you could have stayed safely at home.
Written by Beverley Hovell with Simon Coops and Susan Thomas
Miles Richard “Dickie” Dent 2/11/1920 -16/6/2002 (father of Elizabeth Gibbon)
Royal Air Force, 99 Squadron (Bomber Command)
Rank: Flight Sergeant, Service no. 1006733
Not yet 20 years old, Miles volunteered for the RAF at Padgate in early 1940 and later that year completed training as a wireless operator/air gunner.
In April 1941, he joined 99 Squadron at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire. His first sortie was a raid on Boulogne on the night of 12-13 August when he flew in Wellington X9761.
A few days later, on 16-17 August, as part of the Wellington crew “J for Johnny” he was severely injured on a night bombing raid over Duisburg, when his Wellington Bomber (R1293) was caught in search lights and attacked by a German night fighter. The whole fuselage was ripped open and the undercarriage shot away. Miles’ crewmate, John Bubb was also badly injured in the fighter attack. At this point, the plane went into a steep dive and Dickie thought all the crew had been killed and the end was nigh. The dive, however, was the pilot’s evasive action to escape the searchlights. The Wimpey headed for home. The intense cold at altitude stemmed the blood flow and stopped Dickie from bleeding to death. Miraculously, without wireless or proper navigational aids, the plane crossed the white cliffs to England. The pilot (Sgt Coleman) nursed the badly damaged plane home, crash landing at Ford aerodrome near Southampton. The four un-injured crewmen (Sgts Coleman, Clark, Paxton and Derbyshire) were all killed on their next sortie.
They were cut out of the fuselage by ground crew and, as he waited for medical help on the ground, Dickie recalled how sweet the airfield grass smelled. As he drifted into unconsciousness they thought he was dead until a doctor detected a pulse then they fought to keep him alive and he was taken to Goodwood House which had been equipped as a military hospital. From that point it was an uphill battle for Dickie against appalling abdominal wounds and he was in hospital for over a year. During that time, he was moved to Midhurst sanitorium (also equipped for injured servicemen) first to battle peritonitis and then for more abdominal surgery. There were dark lesions appearing on his skin. The surgeon found that these were pieces of material from his aircrew uniform which had been blasted into his abdominal cavity and were making their way to the surface. More incredibly, the surgeon also found pieces of metal which turned out to be parts of a pair of pliers which Dickie had in his pocket during the attack. The surgeon told him the pliers had protected his abdomen from even more damage and had shielded his major organs from serious injury which undoubtedly helped his survival. The surgeon henceforth referred to him as his miraculous “pliers” case.
In 1942, after medical discharge, Dickie returned to Waterbeach and discovered his old squadron was on overseas service. He also learned that many of his old squadron had been lost on missions. He was unable to return to active service owing to his still precarious medical condition as a result of his grievous injuries. He returned home to Preston in Lancashire and went into local government working for Preston Corporation then Preston Borough Council. Fittingly, he maintained his link with the RAF by helping Air Training Corps Cadets, teaching them wireless procedure and Morse code.
The happy conclusion to this story is that Dickie met his wife, Dorothy, in the local government offices and they were married in October 1947. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, (me!) in March 1953. In early 1978, by chance, Dickie heard on the radio that there was to be a reunion of Squadron 99 at Newmarket racecourse. Dickie contacted the organiser, Norman Didwell, (ex squadron 99) and was put in touch with his injured crewmate, John Bubb, then living in Bristol. Airmen came from as far away as Canada and New Zealand to attend. For Dickie and John it was an emotional but joyful reunion. It was a wonderful day. Norman also arranged for Dickie to receive the medals he was due – the 1939-45 Star, the 39-45 War Medal and his much-cherished Aircrew Europe Medal.
These airmen were modest, dutiful people. For me they were courageous heroes. I am immensely proud of my dad and all those like him who served their country with honour. Thank you.
Wireless Operator SL (Laurie) Davis 1852537 619 Squadron RAF Strubby
On 17th May 1943, Laurie Davis was at Lords Cricket Ground at 10.00 to join up and receive a medical check. After an A1 pass, they were given a mug of tea and a “wad” and sat and listened to accounts filtering through from the 617 Squadron Dambusters raid from the night before.
From Lords, he went to morse code training near Bridlington for a few weeks.
From there he was on to Hereford, RAF Madley for radio and flying training. Laurie recalls being there on the morning of D Day, June 6th. He then went to Llandwrog to train on Domini’s.
The Bomber crews were allocated at Silverstone circuit in August 1944.
Dad’s crew were:
John Taylor. – Pilot.
Jack Bache.- Navigator
Norman Shires. – Bomb Aimer
Laurie (Red) Davis. -Wireless Operator
Joe Crossland- Mid upper Gunner
Tommy Clynes – Rear Gunner
RH. Wright. – Engineer
The crew trained near Silverstone on Wellingtons for 2 weeks. Laurie remembers that they were very thin skinned, and it felt like you could push your hand through them.
At Syreston they flew Stirling’s and were allocated their Engineer, surname Wright, Forename not recalled sadly.
On 10/02/1945 the crew arrived at RAF Strubby in Lincolnshire, Lancasters.
John Taylor and Laurie were allocated to another crew on 13/03/45 as they had chaps sick, and they flew a raid on Dresden.
Reunited with their regular crew, Laurie and John Taylor flew 10 night and 2-day raids on various keys targets including Essen, Yarburg, Dresden.
He recalls that the local’s community near RAF Strubby were very friendly, and they could relax, when possible, on non-flying days at the local pub for games/ skittles etc.
Laurie mentions the briefings and the routine of the padre addressing the men before raids, asking them to write letters home, for if the worst should happen. It was a humbling sight, seeing a crew’s lockers at bedside being cleared after not returning.
After one night raid, Laurie remembers placing his hand on the desk at a debriefing and feeling it thumping uncontrollably on the table. He didn’t even realise it was happening. At these times they were encouraged to have a nip of something strong to add to their mug of tea.
Later his crew were transferred to RAF Waddington to 617 Squadron.
Still on Lancasters, they flew on operations Dodge and Exodus to and from Bari in Italy. This was to aid repatriation of POW’s. 24 at a time were squeezed into the bombers. They were fascinated by the plane’s interior. They had no parachutes available for the POW’s and they flew low, Laurie recalls. They repatriated all nationalities to UK.
In 11/01/1946 they were seconded to Tiger Force. 617 and 9 Squadron Tobruk, Cairo and Calcutta.
On 13/04/1946, Laurie flew to St Mawgans in Cornwell where they left the aircraft. They were given 4 days to travel home.
Laurie was posted to Framlingham in Suffolk where a unit of Polish servicemen were awaiting repatriation. He formed a good relationship with them in his time there.
He had a short time in Bad Elson in Germany on a country estate and recalls that being a relaxed posting. While there, he toured with RAF cricket and football teams. He was in the winning football team of the British Forces Inter-Services at Cologne.
After leaving the RAF, Laurie joined City of Portsmouth Police as a Constable, later progressing to Sergeant, and then Inspector. After a full service, he worked for 10 years in the County Courts admin department.
Right up to his death in July 2024, Laurie kept in contact with several groups and individuals who he had grown to know over the years. Remarkably, he had completed six marches to the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday, representing Bomber Command. He attended the annual lunch of 619 Squadron Association each October to 2022 which was his last attendance.
This stone is a lasting memorial to the loving memory of SL (Laurie) Davis, devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and a good friend and colleague to so many.
My mother enlisted in the WRAF as soon as she was old enough, seeing it as a big adventure then spending most of the war in Lincolnshire as a driver, and told me many stories about that time when I was a child. She was shown how to shoot with a rifle in basic training, and quite seriously told me one day that if she had come across a German and it was either him or her, she would have shot him.
Her time was spent in two main areas of work.
One was driving lorries loaded with bombs around Lincolnshire. She told me once how she got completely lost driving around at night as all the signposts were removed during the war. She stopped to ask an old man the way but, even though she had her unform on and was in an RAF lorry, he would not tell her the way to the airbase in case she was a German spy! One day one of the bombs fell off the back of her lorry. She waited for bomb disposal and an officer, a really large man, turned up with the attitude of ‘What was all the fuss about?’ and just lifted the bomb up in his arms and pulled out the fuse – much to the astonishment of everyone watching.
She also drove aircrew, mainly Polish airmen, to their planes and had to wait for them to return. Obviously, some did not, and I can’t help thinking how difficult that was for her as a young woman. One pilot tried to get her to go along with them one night as a stowaway on the raid. As a child I asked “Why didn’t you go”? It would have been a great story if she had!
On night duty she found a way to keep warm by wearing her dad’s combinations under her uniform. She said the other girls all laughed at her at first then they all did the same thing. After night duty she would return to her hut really hungry to cook herself breakfast. One morning she caught a mouse stealing her only rasher of bacon so she killed it to get her bacon back!
She always saw her years in the WRAF as an important, interesting part of her life. After the war, like a lot of women, she became a wife and mother; but with plenty of interesting stories to tell.
Henry Lisle Christian was born in Owhango, central North Island, New Zealand on 18 May 1916, the only child of Henry Christian, a native of the Isle of Man, and his wife Hilda (née Jacobsen).
His father, Henry senior, was working in the Owhango sawmills when he joined the 1st Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment and saw service with the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in France during WW1. When he returned from the war he moved his family to Waimauku, a farming and fruit growing area north-west of the city of Auckland.
Prior to the second outbreak of war in Europe, young Henry worked as a farmhand with his father on their family farm.
Henry Lisle Christian
During WW2, more than 100,000 New Zealanders served overseas and Henry was one of 7,000 air crew who joined the ranks of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).
He was a graduate of the BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan), a multinational aircrew training programme created to ensure a link with the nations of the British Commonwealth and one of the single largest aviation training programmes in history.
After graduating from BCATP as a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner, Henry was posted to RAF Kirknewton near Edinburgh in Scotland, which was home to a variety of units during this period.
289 Squadron was formed here in November 1941 as an Anti-Aircraft Co-operation unit and Henry joined the squadron, being promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
289 Squadron operated a number of different aircraft including Lysanders, Blenheims, Hurricanes, Hudsons and Defiants and their job was to provide practice for the anti-aircraft defences in Scotland by towing targets and conducting simulated attacks.
289 Squadron moved to RAF bases at Turnhouse (now Edinburgh Airport) in May 1942 and also to West Freugh, Dumfries and Galloway, both of which had expanded with concrete runways to accommodate heavier aircraft.
It was while stationed at RAF Turnhouse that Henry was the victim of a tragic accident which cost him his life. On 19th June 1942, he and his pilot were flying a Defiant Mark 1, a two seater turret fighter aircraft, taking part in an Army co-operation exercise.
Flying over the Moray Firth, 180 miles from their base in Edinburgh, the plane developed engine failure and ditched into the waters below. Although the pilot survived, Henry drowned before he could be rescued.
He was just 26 years old and was buried at Tomnahurich Cemetery, west of Inverness city centre. His grave is one of 169 Commonwealth War Graves in the cemetery, 80 from WW2, and one of only 2 New Zealander graves.
His grave can be found at Section H.14, Class 7, Grave 18 and commemorates a brave young man who made the ultimate sacrifice, and grieving parents who lost their only child half a world away.
Henry was my first cousin once removed and, although I have no photos of him in my personal collection, I was fortunate to find a photograph kindly provided by ‘Aircrew Remembered’.
Ken (from Holmfirth in Yorkshire) was an RAF Fireman and Sheila (from Wymondham in Norfolk) was an RAF Stewardess/Batwoman. They met at RAF Swinderby, Ken having completed his training at Cardington and then Sutton upon Hull. He remained in the Royal Air Force after completing his National Service. Sheila did her initial training at RAF Spitalgate, now the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks Grantham.
RAF Hospital Nocton Hall cared for Sheila during her pregnancy, they went on to have four Scale E (Scaly) Brats, Susan, Stephen, Ian and Debra. Being married and pregnant, Sheila had to leave the WRAF in those days!
Ken and Sheila
The family had many postings, several were overseas to Malta and Germany whilst Ken also served unaccompanied in Borneo, Changi and Car Nicobar. Ken and Sheila’s final posting was to RAF Cottesmore. After 24 years of service, Ken and Sheila finally left the RAF from Cottesmore in 1976 and settled in Peterborough; they did maintain the service link via their son Stephen who also joined up as an RAF Firefighter. Considering their ties to the local area it was only fitting the family wanted to place a memorial stone at the IBCC.
Corporal Lin Price was born in Wales and joined the WAAF in November 1941. After completing her training at No. 1 Women’s Auxiliary Air Force Depot in Bridgnorth, she spent time with No 2 MT Company from January 1942 until March 1942 when she was posted to RAF Waddington.
While based at RAF Waddington, Lin was assigned to RCAF 420 “Snowy Owl” Squadron as a Driver with the Motor Transport Section. RCAF 420 Squadron left RAF Waddington in August 1942 moving to RAF Skipton on Swale and then onto RAF Middleton St George in October 1942. Lin remained with the squadron until June 1943 when they were deployed overseas to North Africa.
For the remainder of 1943 Lin was assigned to 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit based at RAF Croft before moving to RAF Dishforth in 1944. Lin remained at RAF Dishforth until the base was disbanded in September 1945.
Lin remained at RAF Topcliffe until November 1945 before transferring to RAF 5 Squadron based at RAF Barnwood Gloucester. It was here she met her future husband who had also served in the Royal Air Force for the duration of the War. Lin was discharged in March 1946 and awarded the Defence Medal and War Medal for her service.
Sergeant Douglas Charles Box
19. 10. 1922. RAFVR 1578987.
Mid Upper Gunner, Stirling, EE-878 AS-P
75 (New Zealand) Squadron based at Mepal Cambridgeshire
Flight details: Shot down in Berlin raid 31.8.1943. Hit by anti aircraft fire and then attacked by a JU88. Crashed in Ahlberg, Germany with the loss of three of his fellow crew, all New Zealanders.
Pilot: Pilot Officer Douglas Charles Henley (23)
Air Bomber: Flight Sergeant Ian Hector Ross Smith (34)
Navigator: Flying Officer Clifford Arnold Watson (33)
Douglas later named his son Ian Douglas after two of these best friends.
Douglas Box, along with remaining crew, were all taken prisoner and ended up in Stalag 4B in Muhlberg on Elbe.
Flight details: Shot down 29.12.43 during raid on Berlin. Combination of anti aircraft fire and night fighters. Loss of crew member Flight Sergeant Terence Patrick O’Hare. (Air Gunner) whose parachute did not open. He was Noel’s best friend and Noel later named his son Terence after him.
Noel was on the run for three nights before being captured. It turned out when he was hiding by a bridge one of the nights and heard what he thought were Germans, only to find out later, when he was taken into the prison that it had been one of his crew members on the other side of the bridge. They too had thought the noise to be Germans and therefore both had gone in different directions. They only realised this when talking together as captives.
This was Noel’s third crew. His first flew without him when he got Peritonitis and was hospitalised and were all killed. His second air crew once again flew without him when there was a tragic accident involving a lorry on base. Noel was in hospital dangerously ill when the second crew went out never to return.
After capture by the Germans and being transferred to Stalag 4B, Noel and Douglas met in the hospital in the beds next to each other and became firm friends. They shared the same hut for the next 18 months. Finally released from the POW camp when the Russians arrived at 7 am on 23.4.1945, releasing them on 6.5.1945. They were returned to England on 18th of May.
Both were rehabilitated at a Centre in Newbold Revel in Warwickshire until early 1946. Both then went their separate ways with Douglas returning to his home in Herefordshire and Noel to Nottingham before joining the Control Commission in Germany. They remained close friends.
Joyce Pearce, 5.4.1924, was in the Land Army during the War later joining the Control Commission out in Germany. She met Noel briefly the first day she arrived although it was a year later before they met again. They finally returned home to England to marry in 1948 and lived in Nottingham. In 1955 they moved down to Wembley to work for Joyce’s parents who owned a shop in Kilburn.
Barbara Ellis, 5.10.1929, worked in the War Office in Worcestershire. It was during this time that she met Doug who was also working at the War Office in 1947. After a whirlwind romance, they married a year later, living initially in Malvern.
From left to right: Noel, Joyce, Doug and Barbara
Noel and Joyce had a son, Terrence in Moorgreen, Nottingham in 1950. They moved to Nuthall, Nottingham where daughter, Lorraine (1954) before moving to Wembley, Middlesex in 1955.
Doug and Barbara had a daughter Sandra (1951 ) a son Ian (1954) in Cradley, Herefordshire before moving to Wolverhampton where daughter Elizabeth was born (1957).
Over the years they all attended the POW reunions each year in Edinburgh.
Doug’s football team, Wolverhampton Wanderers, appeared at Wembley in a Cup Final and his son, Ian, and Noel’s daughter, Lorraine, met briefly at Noel’s house. A couple of years later they met again when Ian came to stay with Lorraine‘s family whilst attending an interview in London. They dated for a year before splitting for four years, reuniting in 1980, Lorraine moved from Wembley to Wolverhampton where they eventually married in 1983 and moved back to Nottingham.
Ian and Lorraine had a daughter, Jordan in 1986 followed by a son Luke in 1990. These were the grandchildren of Douglas and Barbara and Noel and Joyce.
Whoever would have thought that when they met in those hospital beds in a POW Stalag 4B in 1943 that they would attend the wedding of their children Ian and Lorraine? Later becoming Grandparents to their children’s children- some 40 years later. ❤️
Ernest Onions was born on 19 December 1915 at The Ferry, a farm in Shrawardine, Shropshire. He was the ninth child and fifth son of William and Susan Onions. He attended Oxon CE School and Oxon CE Church. Ernest left school aged fourteen and completed a five-year apprenticeship in carpentry. He later worked for London Midland and Scottish Railway in Shrewsbury as a joiner.
Ernest married his childhood sweetheart, Edith Margaret (Peggy) Evans in 1940 and together they had four children, John, Susan, Robin and Rosalyn.
In 1940 when walking through Shrewsbury Ernest passed a recruitment office by chance and enlisted in the RAF. He began his training with Bomber Command at RAF Yatesbury, then RAF Pershore. The photograph below shows Ernest, back row, second from right standing in front of a Wellington Bomber. His nickname was ‘Spring’.
Ernest with his Crew
Ernest qualified as an Air Gunner and a Wireless Operator. He joined 9 Squadron and began active duty on 9 August 1941 with an operation to Hamm, the first of 50 operations he was to complete. He was fortunate to survive his first tour as he was involved in 2 serious crashes. In October 1941 following an operation to Rotterdam and later in February 1942 his plane crashed in Clacton during training and only he and the second pilot survived.
In 1944 Ernest joined the new 578 Squadron and was stationed at RAF Burn flying Halifax Bombers. On the night before D Day Onions was one of seven crew of Halifax Mark III MZ513. Led by Squadron Leader W. G. Watson DFC with an experienced crew, all on their second tour of operations. They took off at 2.31am for Mont Fleury and dropped their bombs on the markers at 4.37am. As they were leaving the bombing area the plane was hit, probably by flak and badly damaged, the mid upper gunner was wounded. Watson gave the order to bale out, the Navigator was first to go, followed by the Air Bomber.
Ernest Onions remained at his post sending out distress signals until the pilot again instructed all crew to bale out saying “I can’t hold it much longer.”
Onions hit his head leaving the aircraft and remembered seeing the sea and hitting the water. He was unable to rid himself of his parachute. He was towed along under and above the surface and became unconscious. He woke up on an American minesweeper, and was told he had been travelling through the water at 8 knots and the ship could only do 10 knots! Flying Officer Onions, Flying Officer Heffernan and Flight Sergeant Middleton
survived.
Squadron Leader Watson DFC, Flying Officer Hall DFC, Flight Sergeant Goode and Flying Officer Turner died.
There were sightings of Halifax MZ513 as it crashed into the sea.
Corporal Victor Jones, RAMC, a witness said “The plane dropped down between our ship and the one next to us, obviously avoiding us, to crash into the sea behind. I can still see the rear gunner looking at us but no one survived the crash, that is my most poignant memory of D Day”.
Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, commanding the US First Army, was aboard the USS Augusta off the coast of Normandy at the time and his diary records the loss of Ernest’s plane. ‘the stricken bomber plunged towards the Augusta. It levelled off, banked around our stern and exploded into the channel.’
Ernest’s wife received the telegram all families dread. It read ‘Deeply regret to inform you that your husband Flying Officer Ernest Onions failed to return from an operational flight this morning. Letter following.’
It was two days later when Peggy heard her husband was alive and well. Ernest Onions was awarded the DFC for his actions that night.
After the war he set up as a builder and contractor. He served his community as a Parish and as a County Councillor and enjoyed gardening and holidays in Europe. Ernest’s final years were dogged by ill health, he died in May 1972 as he lived, a brave man.
Ernest never forgot the lost crew of Halifax MZ513 and requested his ashes be scattered at the site where the aircraft and crew perished in 1944. The RAF honoured him in death as in life. His ashes were committed to the sea off the coast of Normandy from an Andover of 46 Squadron, RAF Thorney Island on 3rd. October 1973
Alec Cousins was born in 1923 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, only son of Frederick and Bertha Cousins.
He was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Flight Sergeant, Service No. 1321669 as an Air Bomber (or bomb aimer) in Bomber Command’s 35 Squadron, part of the Pathfinder Force, based at RAF Graveley, Cambridgeshire.
On the afternoon of 24 December 1944, he was one of seven crew members on board Lancaster PB 366, one of 10 aircraft of 35 Squadron bound for Germany, to attack the Nippes Marshalling Yard in Cologne.
The squadron’s Operations Record Book recorded “Lancaster PB366 crashed on take-off at Low Farm, Paxton, about 1/2 mile south of the aerodrome at RAF Graveley. All members of the crew were killed. Pilot lost control on take-off while in fog conditions due to faulty instrument flying; aircraft caught fire on impact with trees”.
Alec was 21 years old when he tragically lost his life.
He is buried in Maidenhead; his Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone is placed within his parents’ grave, and alongside his Grandmother’s grave.
Y4168961 SGT JOHN ‘JOHNNIE’ PATRICK WALKER – RAF FIREFIGHTER
Y4168961 Sgt John ‘Johnnie’ Patrick Walker was a member of the Royal Air Force, serving as a Firefighter in Malaya, Aden, Cyprus and the UK. Also serving in the RAF Aircrew Selection Centre, at RAF Cranwell and Careers Office, in London.
In 1983 he transferred as a Motor Vehicle Technician, at RAF Odiham. John retired from RAF with 29 years service leaving with the rank of Sgt, in 1985.
He was a very happy person who would go above and beyond to help anyone and everyone. He served his country well, took great pride in his service and his work, gaining his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, on the 11th May 1973.
He sadly passed away on the 17th February 2020, at King’s Lynn Hospital, Norfolk. We are very proud of him, he was well loved and now greatly missed.
May he Rest In Peace.
YEAR
LOCATION
REMARKS
11 MAY 1955
–
ENLISTMENT + BASIC TRAINING
12 MAY 1955
WEST KIRBY
TRADE TRAINING
12 MAY 1955
RAF SUTTON ON HULL
13 DEC 1955
RAF WEETON
DRIVER TRAINING – PROMOTED TO LAC
28 JAN 1956
RAF BUTTERWORTH
POSTED – MALAYA
(VENOMS, VAMPIRES + CANBERRAS)
01 JUN 1957
–
PROMOTED TO SAC
12 FEB 1958
1125 MARINE CRAFT UNIT
GLUGOR PENANG ISLAND –
MALAYA – DETATCHMENT
15 SEP 1958
RAF MARTLESHAM
POSTED – 11 GROUP HQ AND COMMS FLIGHT
(BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL FLIGHT)
JUNE 1959
RAF SUTTON ON HULL
DETACHEMENT
16 NOV 1960
RAF BUTTERWORTH
POSTED + PROMOTED TO CPL (CANBERRAS SABRES RAAF)
19 APR 1963
RAF BASSINGBORNE
POSTED (PR CANBERRAS)
08 NOV 1963
RAF MAMBY
POSTED
27 APR 1964
RAF DIGBY – 591 SIGNALS UNIT
DETATCHMENT
10 DEC 1964
RAF NOCTON HALL
POSTED (NORTHERN AREA OF HOSPITAL ONE ANGUS FIRE TRUCK)
Peter served in 622 Squadron as a Navigator operating from Mildenhall, Suffolk, with an operations tour on Lancaster bombers from March to July 1944. He married Pauline Clark on 10th February 1945.
Peter Allison Atkinson was born 7th February 1923 in Wimbledon, and from 2 years old lived in Selsdon, Surrey. He gained work in Westminster Bank after leaving Middle Whitgift School, Croydon. He and Pauline met at a dance in Selsdon in October 1941. He had joined the Local Defence Volunteers and the RAF Volunteer Reserves. On 2nd March 1942, he was called up to join the RAF for basic training at St John’s Wood then to Stratford-on-Avon for pilot training. However, selection at Heaton Park then Hastings led to training as a Navigator, his own preference, for which he was based in Harrogate.
Pauline was working in the typing pool in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Soho Square, travelling to London from her parent’s home in Selsdon by train.
Peter was sent by sea from Clyde in The Queen Elizabeth liner for training at the Central Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba in Canada from November 1942 to March 1943. Here he had intensive training on Anson aircraft. He learned to use navigation equipment and to navigate by the stars. He built up experience of navigating during day and night flights in all weathers. He completed 68 hours of daytime and 37 hours of night-time flying. Passing his exams as an Air Navigator and Flight Sergeant was celebrated by a dinner and Wings Parade on 4th March 1943. He returned after a five-day journey on a scarily overcrowded Queen Elizabeth carrying American and Canadian soldiers. The liner had to dodge a flotilla of enemy submarines before arriving on 3rd April. A rather shaken Peter was back in barracks at Harrogate the next day. He had a welcome fortnight’s leave from 9th April for visiting his and Pauline’s grannies and their families and friends.
He spent 5 weeks in Witney Bay with instruction on De Gaulle’s resistance ‘French Forces of the Interior’, lectures, drills, physical training and sport; rifle, Sten and Lewis gun firing and bayonet work with unarmed combat, fieldcraft, assault courses and taking down barbed wire, even experience of going through a gas chamber.
On 7th June he was based in Carlisle and started flying on De Haviland ‘Rapides’ for transferring skills to navigating in European flying conditions where he also learned Compass Swinging. During July he moved to Penrhos in North Wales flying in Anson planes. Here he met Flight Sergeant Walker, trainee pilot, with whom he later flew on wartime operations. In mid-August he was at Wing near Leighton Buzzard flying 4+ hour longer distance flights around Britain in Wellington aircraft and preparing for bombing operations with 26 Operational Training Unit. Here he was crewed up under pilot Jock Walker.
During a short leave, Peter proposed to Pauline Clark and they were engaged on 7th September 1943.
In December, Peter joined the 1651 Conversion Unit for training on Stirling aircraft at Feltwell, Norfolk for intense work on circuits and landings. By the end of this, Peter had clocked up 150 daytime and 96 night-time flying hours. However, Squadrons like 622 were converting to the larger, long distance Lancaster Bombers so Peter was sent back to Feltwell on 16th January 1944 for a Lancaster Finishing School.
On 2nd February 1944, Peter joined 622 Bomber Squadron at Mildenhall airfield in Suffolk for a month of crew flight tests on Lancaster bombers. By March, the US Airforce joined attacks on Nazi positions with daytime raids, whilst the RAF mostly undertook night-time raids. At this time, RAF Bomber Command switched much bombing to more southern cities in Germany associated with aircraft building.
Peter’s first combat night operation was to Stuttgart on 2nd March with the crew of Fl/Sgt’s “Jock” Walker: pilot (later Flying Officer), Peter Atkinson: Navigator, Bert Hodgson: bomb aimer, Peter “Tommy” Pearce: mid-upper gunner, and Sgt’s Bill “Andy” Anderton: wireless operator, Eric Brown: rear gunner and Mickey Herbert: flight engineer.
The crew were mostly together through 30 operations and one aborted one. More often than not, they flew the same Lancaster aircraft that they first air tested on 14th April, ED474 nicknamed ‘Bat Out of Hell’.
The crew’s next early operations were challenging ones to Frankfurt on 18th and 22nd March and to Berlin 24th March. Following heavy losses on similar raids in January and February, a new route to Berlin was chosen across Denmark north of most fighter bases, avoiding the heavily defended Ruhr to the south. However, previously unrecorded high altitude wind speeds that night threw out navigation calculations radioed from HQ. Devastatingly, this caused many flights to veer too far south. Peter stuck with the higher windspeeds in his calculations and stayed on the planned track and they returned safely to Mildenhall. Leave for the crew meant they escaped other huge losses of the Nuremberg raid on 31st March. On their return from leave, they were sent to bomb Aachen on 11th April.
Letter writing between Peter and Pauline provided great support though they were also fortunate in opportunities to meet up on his leave and in some gaps caused by non-operational episodes when time off base was allowed. Then, they enjoyed walks, meals out and visiting the cinema.
From this time, many operations were targeted away from long-distance attacks into Nazi Germany. Instead, they were diverted to support Eisenhower’s ‘Transportation Plan’. The idea was to bomb road and rail links in France to hinder routes Nazis were likely to use to fend off the Allies intended ‘Overlord’ invasion. 276 Lancasters including Peter’s crew were sent to Rouen on 19th April to target railyards. Sadly, poor accuracy led to many civilian casualties and damage to historic sites. For Peter’s crew now flying ED474, this proved a short diversion from longer distance flights: they had to journey through heavy flak and risk of fighter plane attack to Cologne on 20th, Dusseldorf on 22nd, Karlshuhe on 24th, to large armament factories in Essen on 26th and to a tank gear making factory at Freidrichshafen on 27th.
In May, the focus was changed to preparations for ‘D-Day’, starting for Peter in an attack on gun batteries at Cap Gris Nez on 8th May, though the reinforced targets were not destroyed. On 11th May the target was marshalling yards in Louvain in Belgium. After some leave, the next action was on 24th to Aachen, close to the border with France on the Nazi defensive Siegfried Line with important rail links into France, followed on 28th by more marshalling yards at Angers in western France. On the next raid on 31st, rail installations at Trappes, SW of Paris, were badly damaged, which dealt a big blow to the Nazis.
Interestingly, on 2nd June Peter records a coastal map reference near Calais as the destination for a two-hour flight, probably under ‘Operation Cover’ to deceive the enemy over the location of invasion force landings. They returned to the Calais area the next night. On D-Day night 6th June, Peter’s crew were sent to Lisieux in Normandy where the city was severely damaged with loss of many civilian lives. The justification was the presence of the brutal 12th Panzer division of SS troops and tanks though these were not strongly affected. The next day, the crew were sent to Massy-Palaiseau to target more infrastructure, returning safely despite significant aircraft losses from night fighters. On 10th, June they participated in a highly successful attack on the railway at Dreux, west of Paris.
On 12th June, GelsenKirchen, close to Essen in W Germany, was the first in a new campaign to destroy Nazi oil plants whose damage had a highly significant effect on their war effort. A new target again on 14th June was the U-boat pens in the harbour at Le Havre where severe damage was inflicted by accompanying 617 Squadron dropping Tallboy bombs on the massive pens. On 15th June, the more familiar target was of rail yards at Valenciennes.
Pauline wrote in her diary that the first V1 doodlebug was dropped in London on 13th June and it was on 24th June that Peter’s operation was to one of these flying bomb sites at Rimeaux. The even more deadly V2 rocket was about to be deployed by Hitler and Peter’s raid on 5th July to Wizernes was to the vast concrete dome being prepared to house the V2. This may have helped to delay the first V2 to fall on London that happened on 8th September 1944. Their plane was attacked by a Ju88 fighter as they returned over the Channel but they managed to return to base. On 9th July, the crew had their first daytime raid on a V1 construction site at Linzeux, followed by their second on the 12th to rail yards at Vaires, though this was abandoned by the Master Bomber because of total cloud cover. 18th July saw a large dawn raid on five fortified villages by nearly a thousand planes in the Caen area, through which the British Second army troops were about to make an armoured attack, ‘Operation Goodwood’. This greatly damaged Luftwaffe and Panzer divisions and helped the Allies advance. On the same night bombers were sent out and Peter’s crew attacked railyards in Aulnoye. Peter’s final operation was to a synthetic oil plant at Homberg on 20th July. This mission successfully curtailed oil production although 20 of 147 Lancasters were lost in the attack.
By the end of his tour, Peter had flown 235 hours on operations at night as well as 184 hours of daylight flying on testing and similar exercises and the two operations.
Peter and Pauline married on 10th February 1945 at St John’s Church Selsdon, friends rallying with rations, a cardboard cake, a borrowed dress, a red carnation bouquet and a black cat charm, with Peter looking stunning in his RAF uniform.
Peter Atkinson and his wife, Pauline
Peter continued in the RAF as a navigator trainer and was expecting a second tour to SE Asia that did not materialise due to the end of war with Japan. Peter transferred to Transport Command, mainly flying to northern India, now Pakistan, to repatriate troops. He was demobbed on 20th September 1946.
In 1947, Peter and Pauline purchased a plot of land in Sanderstead where her father, William Clark built them a bungalow: ‘Sandbanks’ (their honeymoon destination) 48 Church Way. Peter returned to his career in the bank. Tony Peter Atkinson was born on 12th September 1948 and Susan Pauline Atkinson on 18th July 1951. Peter and Pauline continued to enjoy ballroom dancing. Peter was a keen gardener and Pauline made clothes, knitted and was a competent cook. They were generous hosts and often had parties in their home for the wider family. They ran a church homegroup and church bookstall at All Saints, Sanderstead. They were avid supporters of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and won a national award for their work in the Croydon Group on sales of goods and informative slideshows. Veteran Peter and Pauline regularly attended the annual Mildenhall Register reunion and kept in contact with others from 622 Squadron. Peter and Pauline represented the Register on 17th May 2003 at the inauguration of the Lachalade Memorial in L’Argonne in France where 622 Squadron’s Stirling EF128 was lost on 18th November 1943, with only one survivor. Peter and Pauline made many more friends from holidays, especially from many years visiting Scotland.
Peter died on 8th January 2005, aged 81, and many tributes were received to celebrate his life. Pauline continued life stalwartly and a 90th birthday party at St John’s Church Selsdon was arranged in 2012 to celebrate her birthday of 15th August, allowing her to hear tributes of a well-lived life. She lived close to 70 years at 48 Church Way, moving to be close to family to Tonbridge House Care Home three years before her death on 26th January 2022, aged 99.
For a fuller account of Peter and Pauline’s wartime experience contact [email protected]
Christophe, known as Chris, joined the RAF in 1973 as an apprentice dental technician. He reached the rank of Ch Tech and did tours in the UK, as well as RAF(H) Wegberg, during the Cold War. He was attached to the Royal Navy twice, during his time as a dental technician. Chris was part of the implementation team setting up Tactical Medical Wing (TMW) at RAF Lyneham.
He was commissioned in 1999 at the ripe old age of 42, but still managed to keep up with the younger cadets on his squadron; as a Medical Support branch officer. Chris did operational tours in Iraq (Op Telic) and Afghanistan at Nato International Security Assistance Force HQ (ISAF HQ CMED). He did a tour as the adjutant at 612 auxiliary squadron in RAF Leuchars and enjoyed this tour with fond memories.
Chris’s final tour before retiring was at Whittington Barracks tri-service HQ. His father was also a Sqn Ldr and served in bomber command during the Second World War.
He met his wife Fiona, who was also in the RAF. She was a dental nurse. They married in October 1983 and were blessed with a son, Alistair and a daughter, Gemma.
He was a published author and an artist. Some of his paintings can be found hanging in Sergeants/Officers messes around the country.
Flt. Lt. George William Milson DFC 18 & 84 Squadrons RAF
George Milson was born in Lincoln and lived in Coningsby from the age of 7 years old. His father was the founder in 1923 of H H Milson’s bus company. George was educated at Coningsby CE School and Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Horncastle.
In September 1939, he enlisted in the RAF – training as pilot and going on to fly Blenheim Mark 1 Bombers. He was stationed in Norfolk with 18 Squadron and took part in raids and shipping sweeps over Europe before flying to the Middle East to join 84 Squadron in The Western Desert.
George at home in Coningsby
In 1941, he was sent with 84 Squadron to The Far East; ending up in Java where he was captured by the Japanese. When Kalijati airfield came under attack, George escaped and walked 50 miles across Java to regroup with his squadron in Tjilatjap. From there an escape to Australia was attempted but it was not to be. George and many others were stranded on a beach at Nusa Kambangan in Java for over a month.
Western Desert – George seated first left.Mosul July 1941
It was from here that George was captured as a Far East Prisoner of War (FEPOW). He endured solitary confinement and spent time in several POW camps in Java until he was sent on the “hell ship” Macassa Maru to Singapore. He was interned in Changi POW Camp and spent the last 6 months in Kranji POW Camp. In all he spent three and a half years as a FEPOW. After liberation in August 1945 he was repatriated back to the UK on the MV Tegelberg in October 1945. He then took up his pre-war life in the family bus business in Coningsby.
Unfortunately his pilot’s log book was destroyed by the Japanese but we know from a signed document of 26th October 1945 that he flew a total of 63 operational sorties – 54 daylight sorties and 9 night operational sorties, flying 191.05 hours. His total flying hours on service being a huge 549.40 hours.
To mark the 82nd Anniversary of his capture on 8th April 2024, George’s family have published his memoirs which include many documents, diaries and letters relating to his experiences of life in POW camps
George joined the Royal Air Force in 1947 with the aim of becoming a pilot, and his training took him to various countries. When George received his ‘wings’ and Commission, he was posted to RAF Hemswell; the home of Bomber Command. There, George was to fly Lincoln bombers of 83 Sqn. He flew to Hong Kong, Singapore, Cocos Islands and Norway. Returning to Hemswell, George was stationed with Bomber Command.
In 1951 it was discovered that flying was giving George leg cramps and was advised to give up flying. Keen to keep a connection with the aircraft he so loved, he retrained to work in Air Traffic Control. In 1955 George went to RAF Shawbury to complete is training and remained with ATC until his retirement in 1976.
George’s love of the Lincoln/Lancaster bomber, and pride of serving in the RAF, was to remain strong until his death in 2003. His family are very proud of him.
PS. His claim to fame was that he was an ‘extra’ in the film The Dambusters; playing the part of a crew member. Every time we watch the film, we think of him.
Y4168961 Sgt John ‘Johnnie’ Patrick Walker was a member of the Royal Air Force, serving as a Firefighter in Malaya, Aden, Cyprus and the UK. Also serving in the RAF Aircrew Selection Centre, at RAF Cranwell and Careers Office, in London. 
