Description
Object description
British cadet at Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, GB, 4/1939-3/1940; officer served as pilot with 63 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 3/1940-5/1940; served with 98 Sqdn, Advanced Air Striking Force, RAF in France, 5/1940-6/1940; served with 12 Sqdn, No 76 Wing, Advanced Air Striking Force, RAF in France, 6/1940; inmate in Meaux and Drancy Prisons, France, 6/1940-9/1940; prisoner of war in Oflag VII-F, Wahlstadt, Stalag Luft I, Barth, Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Stalag XXX-B, Schubin and Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Germany and Poland, 9/1940-5/1945; served with 201 and 230 Sqdns, RAF in GB and during Berlin Airlift, Germany, 1947-1950
Content description
REEL 1 Background in West Dulwich, GB, 1921-1939: family; education; father's military service in First World War; early interest in joining RAF. Recollections of period as cadet at Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, 4/1939-3/1940: background to acceptance into Royal Air Force; initial experiences of flying; character of Wakefield Scholarship system; passing out parade, 3/1940; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; anticipation of gas attack, 3/9/1939; incident of landing downwind and bouncing over a Hawker Hart at RAF Little Rissington, 11/1939; reprimand from Squadron Leader Dermot Boyle after landing downwind in Avro Tutor, 6/1939.
REEL 2 Continues: fellow cadet's flying accident; cadet who claimed to be able to foretell fellow cadets' futures; night flying training; training with advanced training squadron; flying up to armament camp at RAF West Freugh and contracting virus. Aspects of period as pilot with 63 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 3/1940-5/1940: posting to RAF Benson; attitude of cadets to posting to Fairey Battle training squadron; brother officers; tension between Royal Air Force College Cranwell trained and short service commissioned officers; crewing up; projected role of Fairey Battle force in France; low-level flying training in Devonshire, 3/1940-4/1940; problems landing at RAF Weston Zoyland airfield; desire to 'collect' airfields in his logbook. Aspects of operations as pilot with 98 Sqdn, Advanced Air Striking Force, RAF in France, 13/5/1940-7/6/1940: background to posting to reserve Fairey Battle squadron; reception on arrival in France, 13/5/1940; dive-bombing training; losses amongst Advanced Air Striking Force, RAF, 5/1940. Recollections of operations as pilot with 12 Sqdn, No 76 Wing, Advanced Air Striking Force, RAF in France, 8/6/1940-13/6/1940: transfer to unit; arrival at Souge, 8/6/1940.
REEL 3 Continues: atmosphere in unit on arrival; billeting arrangements; air testing bombed up aircraft with NCO on board, 10/6/1940; proposed operation to attack German armoured force heading towards Le Havre, 11/6/1940; reaction to carrying out first operation, 11/6/1940; use of experienced pilots for night operations; operation to attack German armoured column in the Sézanne and Montmirail areas, 13/6/1940; shooting down of his Fairey Battle Mk I (L5580) by German fighters; problems of getting out of blazing cockpit and crash landing, 13/6/1940; reception by French troops; reuniting with his crew in Troyes area, 13/6/1940.
REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Meaux and Drancy Prisons, France, 6/1940-9/1940: capture by Germans, 6/1940; his escape from captivity; recapture by Germans, 16/6/1940; treatment by German captors; sense of guilt about his crew; imprisonment in Meaux Prison; removal to Drancy Prison, Paris, 8/1940; reaction to his backing out of French officers' escape attempt; refusal to sign parole, 8/1940; problems with lice and dysentery. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Oflag VII-F, Wahlstadt, Stalag Luft I, Barth, Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Stalag XXX-B, Schubin and Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Germany and Poland, 9/1940-5/1945: removal to Oflag VII-F at Wahlstadt, Germany, 9/1940; interrogation at Dulag Luft Interrogation Centre, Oberursel, Germany, 10/1940; fellow prisoners of war in Dulag Luft Interrogation Centre, Oberursel, Germany; removal to Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany, 11/1940.
REEL 5 Continues: tunnelling activities from Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany, 1941; failure of escape attempt; punishment in solitary confinement; Flight Lieutenant Harry Burton's successful escape from solitary confinement; transfer to Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany, then Stalag XXX-B, Schubin, Poland; shooting of prisoner of war by guard at Stalag XXX-B, Schubin, Poland, 5/1943; reasons for not taking part in further tunnelling attempts; return to Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany; reasons for taking up academic studies; suspension of escape attempts after Great Escape, 3/1944; drinking activities, Christmas 25/12/1944; trek westwards towards Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde via Bad Muskau, Germany, 27/1/1945-31/1/1945. Aspects of liberation and return to RAF service in GB, 1945: period as hostage of Soviets in Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Germany, 4/1945-5/1945; reception on arrival in GB, 5/1945; hospitalisation and rehabilitation, autumn 1945; return to RAF service and sight of De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito at RAF Cosford; problems returning to flying duties and flying De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito.
REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with 201 and 230 Sqdns, RAF in GB and during Berlin Airlift, Germany, 1947-1950: background to transfer to unit at RAF Calshot, 6/1947; promotion to squadron leader; attending flying courses; transfer to 230 Sqdn in Germany; loads carried to Berlin during airlift; taking command of 201 Sqdn, 1949; accident at sea.
