Stories & Dedications

Submitted by Nick Heap

My late father was flying (on what he thought was the last ‘op’ of his Tour) to Stuttgart on 28/29 July 1944. Although the aircraft had a minor fault and they could have turned back, the crew decided to ‘press on’. Around three hours later, they were attacked by a night-fighter, over eastern (occupied) France,…

Submitted by Vicky Lyth

My late father, Thomas Collin was a navigator in 630 and 617 squadron. He flew on his first op to Bourg Leopold on 15 May 1944 and later told me that he was so terrified that he went to the medical Officer to try to get off ops even if it meant being termed “lacking…

Submitted by Jane Folkard

My father Walter Kenneth Bryant (Ken Bryant) was born in 1918, died age 80; against the odds he survived 49 operational missions. He was a rear gunner and flew with 115 Squadron in Wellingtons, his pilot was Canadian, P/O Bill Berry, and with 214 Squadron, piloted by Squadron Leader Bray and also with Flight Officer…

My father John Davis flew with 61 as a flight engineer. His Lancaster was the destroyed in February 1943 . Three years ago my family were invited to a memorial ceremony in Holland where I met people who actually saw the plane destroyed. Evidently a bomb detonated on board setting off the whole bomb load.…

On several visits to East Kirkby during 2015/2016, my friend and I had various strange co-incidences happen. These led me on the trail of a young wireless operator named Dennis Gordon Holyoak from 630 squadron. Sadly during my research, I discovered that he had lost his life at the age of 21, when the entire…

Our lovely Dad, P/O Rupert T.W. Harwood, was killed with all Crew on his 31st sortie on 18/19th July 1944. Dad was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner with 619 Squadron. It was so lovely when he came home on leave, sometimes for 24 hrs, or 48 hrs, and occasionally for 7 days. Sometimes he would come…

Alexander Ross Sutherland served in the RAF through World War 2. He joined Bomber Command in 1944. He was a Wireless Operator and once had to take over from an injured Rear Gunner . Alex lived to attend the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in June 2013.In 2013 Alex received his Bomber Command Clasp…

My Great uncle Gordon Easley was an observer navigater with 207 Lancaster Bomber Squadron based at raf bottesford Linconshire. The crew were laying mines around Denmark and while on there return home they were attacked by a German fighter aircraft who shot them down. All crew lost (Lancaster numer R5499) 11th August 1942 age 21.…

Our father was a Captain Navigator in 115 Squadron, flying Wellingtons – and Lancasters. He died aged 95 – but never forgot his lost comrades and crew. Submitted by Jeannie Mackie

Uncle Ronnie Oscar R GOODALL, painter, was a rear gunner (due to his small stature) on Lancaster bombers during the war – he was called up as soon as he left school. He thought he would be doing good for humanity as he was a pacifist but soon discovered the horror of what they were…

My father, Mervyn Thomas, loved flying ever since as a ten year old boy he won a competition and flew with the famous Sir Alan Cobham. He enlisted into the R.A.F on his 18th birthday which is 18th of August, incidentally, the same date that 355 sq. was formed. He says he enjoyed every flight…

Ron Vine was 1st Wireless Operator/Gunner with 355 Squadron. My father, flt/Sgt Mervyn Thomas was 2nd Wireless Operator with the same crew. Unfortunately, Ron passed away in 1997 but my dad is still living at the ripe old age of 96 Submitted by Lester Thomas

My uncle Joe (Charles Joseph Buckle) was shot down over Anterp returning from a raid on Oberhausen. He was a mid upper gunner/wireless operator. The German night fighter pilot that shot him down was Rudolph Frank. My siblings and I are going to his war grave in Antwerp to lay flowers in September this year.…

F/Lt Cameron, from Perthshire, completed four tours of operations, totalling 122 flights over enemy territory, as a rear gunner. He had the distinction of baling out of two aircraft whose pilots were both awarded the Victoria Cross (F/Sgt. R.H. Middleton, Royal Australian Air Force, in 149 Squadron based at Lakenheath; and Sqn Ldr I. Bazalgette,…

My Dad was a wireless operator with 630 Squadron and then later chosen for 617 Squadron.He survived 30 missions and subsequently the War itself.He died tragically aged 51 (during his retirement week from the RAF ). Last posting Linton on Ouse in Yorkshire. He is buried at Newton on Ouse in a military grave.He came…

Queenslander (Australia) 20 yrs old known as a jovial person who said “flying was fun”. Submitted by Jeanette McClelland

My father was a happy man with a great sense of humour, he always said that the War was the best time of his life, it was the feeling of being part of a group of men all making the best of a very bad situation that was completely out of their control. He died…

This project is evolving a lot of memories for me, and my late Dad… My Dad, 1112152 Sgt Fred Cooper, volunteered for Bomber Command on 24th July 1940. He trained at RAF Lossiemouth, and was finally based at RAF Marham where he served with 115 Squadron as a Wireless Op. Dad was shot down twice,…

Johnny RAAF 415706. wireless operator on Lancaster ME 685 in 207 Squadron Spilsby. On a night mission on the 6th April 1944 to bomb German Aircraft works in France his aircraft received a direct hit killing all 7 crewman. They are all buried together in Toulouse France. Submitted by Deveney Halliday

My late Father-in-Law, Bill Currie, completed 28 Operations, including 8 to Berlin, as part of the crew of Freddy Secker, with 619 Squadron. Unfortunately he died in 1973 at the young age of only 52 and spoke very little of his Wartime experiences. They were all very brave men and thank you for helping to…

My late Father-in-Law, Bill Currie, completed 28 Operations, including 8 to Berlin, as part of the crew of Freddy Secker, with 619 Squadron. Unfortunately he died in 1973 at the young age of only 52 and spoke very little of his Wartime experiences. They were all very brave men and thank you for helping to…

A 20 year old wireless operator, Jack flew a full tour of operations with his 10 Sqn Halifax crew, from RAF Melbourne in North Yorkshire, at the height of the Battles of the Ruhr, Hamburg and Berlin. Jack survived the war but was never able to speak of his experiences. Jack was my great uncle.…

Submitted by Chris Burke

My grandad, Alan Carter, was a wireless operator in an Avro Lancaster during the war. He sadly passed away in Feburary 2019. This is a dedication for him and the rest of his crew. Submitted by Fiona Carter

John Robertson was my paternal grandfather and was the Navigator on board a Halifax that was shot down on the 23rd of November 1943, after a night raid on Berlin. He was 30 years of age and was from Grangemouth. He was in a reserved occupation but chose to join the RAF Volunteer Reserve. My…

My father (95) flew as wireless operator in a Halifax Bomber during WWII. Towards the end of the war he took part in a number of sorties over Germany including the bombing of Hamburg. He knows what it was like to be caught in the searchlights and to have to duck and dive to avoid…

Myer was a close relative of my wife, Emma’s and her Mum, Sheila’s side of the family. He was a wireless operator in 49 Squadron, RAF. He and the rest of his crew were killed on 23 May 1944 over Germany. He was just 22 years old – a similar age to our children, Joel…

My father – flew in Halifax as gunner and navigator Submitted by Sally McBrien

David was my uncle, my mother’s youngest brother who was killed in action aged 21. Bomber Command lost only two aircraft on the night of 22nd January 1945, both from 153 Squadron, and NG 185 (P4-A) being the one carrying my uncle. In his last letter home dated 3rd January, he wrote to my mother…

John Boyd said ‘Uncle Laurie was a very private man so it’s for family only’ but is now allowing us to use what he has written, for which we are extremely grateful. Six years ago, late in the night, Uncle Laurie died of an aortic aneurism. When I was little, I held Uncle Laurie in…