Seymour-Cooke, Thomas Charles (Oral history)

British NCO served as pilot with Nos 78 and 104 Sqdns, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 10/1940-5/1941; officer served as pilot with 15 and 214 Sqdns, No 3 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 11/1942-3/1943; served with 138 (Special Duties) Sqdn, No 3 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 9/1943-2/1944; evaded capture in France and escaped to GB via Switzerland and Spain, 2/1944-5/1944

REEL 1 Recollections of period as pilot with 78, 104, 15 and 214 Sqdns, Nos 4 and 3 Groups, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 10/1940-3/1943: background to enlistment in Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), 8/1939; reaction to declaration of war, 9/1939; problems mixing between Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) and Royal Air Force regulars; characteristics of Armstrong Whitworth Whitley; discomforts of flying British bombers; bombing raids on Berlin, Germany, 10/1940; psychological tactics in bombing raids; opinion of First World War navigation and bomb-aiming equipment on Armstrong Whitworth Whitley; opinion of instruction to bring bombs back; crash landing in Short Stirling, 1943; preference for shorter missions, opinion of raids over Germany or Italy; words of pilots song about discomfort of long raids; fears of bomber crews; stories illustrating problems with rear gunner and navigators; strict discipline with crew members; working with Canadian rear gunner 'Slim' Beatty; tactic of tuning into German nightfighter frequency; story of mistaken identity battle with own aircraft. REEL 2 Continues: being caught in anti-aircraft box barrage; escaping from coning by searchlights; techniques and tactics of pilots including locating targets; locating target on estuary; equipment advances; impact of arrival of Air Marshal Arthur Harris on Bomber Command; opinion of historians' assessments of Bomber Command; opinion of bombing of Dresden, 2/1945; opinion of bombing of civilians; visual impressions of thousand bomber raids; question of safety in thousand bomber raids; role during Battle of Hamburg, Germany, 1943; incident in which petrol pipe shot away; story illustrating problems facing squadron leaders. REEL 3 Continues: posting to Air Ministry in London, 1944; physical demands of flying heavy bombers. Aspects of evading capture in France and escape to GB via Switzerland and Spain after being shot down with 138 (Special Duties) Sqdn, No 3 Group, Bomber Command, RAF, 2/1944-5/1944: shooting down in Handley Page Halifax during mission to drop Special Operations Executive agents including Francis Cammaerts, 7/2/1944-8/2/1944; decision to make for Switzerland; response of French population to requests for help; story of making original offer to fly Francis Cammaerts into France; contact with Communist resistance group; crossing France towards Spanish border; help from British consulate in Barcelona, Spain; memories of Francis Cammaerts; making way from Barcelona, Spain to GB.