Aldridge, John Richard (Oral history)

British officer trained with RAF in Canada, 1943; served as bomb aimer with 49 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 1944-1945

REEL 1 Background in Pulham St Mary, Norfolk, 1922-1939: family and education. Reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Recollections of period as youth in Norfolk 1939-1942: evacuee children from Gray's Essex sharing school in Bungay; German bombs which fell in Pulham St Mary area; sight of German Dornier Do 17 shot down by Hurricanes, 8/1940. Volunteering for RAF, 1941 and call up 7/1942. Recollections of German Baedeiker Raids on Norwich, 4/1942. Recollections of training with RAF in GB, 1942: move from St John's Wood to Ludlow; Initial Training Wing, Straford-upon-Avon, 1942; flying training in Anstey, Coventry; engines course with RAF St Athan. Voyage from GB to Canada aboard Queen Elizabeth, 1943. Recollections of period training with Empire Training Scheme in Canada, 1943: flying training with RCAF Moosejaw; remustering as air bomber; air bomber training in RCAF Dauphin, Manitoba; leave in Canada; navigation and photography with RCAF Port Albert, 8/1943-10/1943; ease of navigation in Canada. REEL 2 Continues: Voyage from Canada to GB aboard Aquitania, 10/1943. Recollections of operational training in GB, 1943-1944: question of lack of urgency to get crews into action, 12/1943; move to AFU, RAF Millom, 2/1944-3/1944; difficulty with navigation over GB; crewing up process with Operation Training Unit, RAF Bruntingthorpe, 3/1944; Composition of bomber crew; conversion to Stirling bombers, RAF Winthorpe, 6/1944; introduction to H2S, summer 1944; move to Lancaster Finishing School, RAF Syserston, 7/1944-8/1944. Recollections of operations as bomb aimer with 49 Sqdn, 9/1944-4/1945: use of radar scanner, raid on Karlsruhe, 26/9/1944 and need for second run; raid on Kaiserslautern, 27/9/1944; ban on use of H2S; role of bomb aimer during operations; use of Window; move to RAF Fulbeck, 14/10/1944; problems with fog during raid on raid on Bergen, 28/10/1944; crash of his Lancaster with bomb load on board, RAF Marston Moor, 29/10/1944. REEL 3 Continues: raid on Dortmund-Ems Canal, 4/11/1944; heavy losses during attack on Ems Weser Canal, 6/11/1944; return to RAF Horsham St Faith, 7/11/1944; nickname for 5 Group; raid on Harburg, 11/11/1944; rumour of German use of 'scarecrows'; raid on Ems-Weser Canal, 21/11/1944; raid on Heimbach Dam, 10/12/1944; nature of raid on Munich, 17/12/1944; crossing Sweden during raid on Gdynia, 18/12/1944; weather conditions, late 12/1944; celebration of Christmas at RAF Fulbeck and cancellation of raid to support US forces in Ardennes, 28/12/1944; raid on Oslo Fjord which damaged German U 682; reunion between U 682 and 49 Sqdn veterans after Second World War; raid on Houffalise in Ardennes, 30/12/1944; raid on Gravenhorst 1/4/1945; raid on Royan to eliminate German army pocket in which French civilians killed, 4/1/1945; further raid on Houffalise, 5/1/1945; raid on Munich when aircraft was damaged by flak and landing on two engines at RAF Manston. REEL 4 Continues: return by train from RAF Manston, 9/1/1945; disruption to RAF training by weather, 1/1945; raid on Siegen, 1/2/1945; raid on Politz oil refinery, 8/2/1945; raid on Dresden and issue of Union Jacks for benefit of Russian troops should crew bale out, 13/2/1945; raid on Rositz oil refinery and scattered nature of bombing, 14/2/1945; raid on Gravenhorst, 18/2/1945; raid on Bohlen oil refinery, 21/2/1945; raid on Horton, Norway, 21/2/1945; raidon Lutzendorf oil refinery, 14/3/1945; raid on Wurzburg, 16/3/1945; results of raid on Bohlen oil refinery, 20/3/1945; raid on Hamburg oil refinery, 21/3/1945; raid on Wesel in support british crossing of River Rhine, 23/3/1945; raid on Nordhausen V weapons factory, 4/4/1945; raid on Molbis, 7/4/1945; superstition over four-leafed clovers, 4/1945; reaction to finishing operational tours; suspected low-morale case. Attitude to having served in Bomber Command