The Tangmere

Logbook

Magazine of the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum

Summer 2009

Tangmere in 1929-1930, Conclusion Lancaster SR-U • A Dead-Stick Landing Escape to Switzerland

Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Trust Company

Patron: The Duke of Richmond and Gordon Hon. President: Duncan Simpson, OBE

Council of Trustees Chairman: Group Captain David Baron, OBE Peter Allison Keith Arnold Alan Bower Terry Bryant Bill Toozs-Hobson Phil Isaac Ken Shepherd Joyce Warren

Officers of the Company Hon. Treasurer: Ken Shepherd Hon. Secretary: Joyce Warren

Management Team Director: Alan Bower Curator: David Coxon Works Manager: Keith Arnold Marketing Manager: Peter Allison

Shop Manager: Sheila Shepherd

Registered in England and Wales as a Charity Charity Commission Registration Number 299327

Registered Office: Tangmere, near Chichester, West Sussex PO20 2ES, England Telephone: 01243 790090 Fax: 01243 789490 Website: www.tangmere-museum.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]

2 The Tangmere Logbook The Tangmere Logbook Magazine of the Tangmere Military AviationMuseum

Summer 2009

Notes from My Logbook 4 Part 4 of an autobiographical memoir, Royal Air Force Tangmere, 1929-1930 Air Marshal Sir Anthony Selway, KCB DFC

Our Brother’s Lancaster 11 The historical and personal story behind the Museum’s model of Lancaster SR-U David and Colin Burleigh

RAF Smash Tank Lair in France 15 A Lancaster makes a dead-stick landing at Tangmere Bob Wingrove

Too Late on Target 20 A crashed Lancaster and a 200-mile walk to Switzerland Raymond Barlow

Letters, Notes, and Queries 26 Bombs and scissors, The Far East by Dakota, Running for the RAF, Up a mountain, Geoffrey Page’s embarrassing prang, and Photo Quiz

Published by the Society of Friends of the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Tangmere, near Chichester, West Sussex PO20 2ES, England Edited by Dr Reginald Byron, who may be contacted care of the Museum at the postal address given opposite, or by e-mail at [email protected] Copyright © 2009 by the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Trust Company All rights reserved. ISSN 1756-0039

Notes from My Logbook

Part 4 of an autobiographical memoir, Royal Air Force Tangmere, 1929-1930

Air Marshal Sir Anthony Selway, KCB DFC

Social climber Well in those days a tail suit was de And now I see the entry for July 17th is rigeur for all officers. We wore the that I did a Battle Flight Climb to 20,000 boiled shirt and stand-up collar with feet in 18 minutes. That of course by our mess kit and the dinner jacket was modern standards is very slow, only as yet hardly the thing. So I replied, slightly better than l,000 feet a minute. “Yes. Why?” And he answered, “You One got very cold and bored doing this are to dine with Lord Russell of Liver- and as soon as the required height was pool on Thursday next; he will send his reached, down went the nose and away Rolls to collect you.” you went to a warmer level. If you At last! Recognition at last! My went down too fast you got a headache climb up the social ladder had com- or, at least, I did. menced. Obviously his Lordship had Then during that week a minor so- found out who and where I was and cial event occured which gave me some had insisted that I should go and dine amusement. As I entered the mess one with him. Perhaps quite soon I should day the Mess Secretary was lying in be appearing in the Tatler, photo- wait for me. “Ah, Selway,” he said, graphed with beautiful young ladies “have you got a tail suit with you?” and holding a glass of champagne.

4 The Tangmere Logbook

This was quite agreeable to me and I not to know, or at least, not to know made further enquiries. I was dashed very well. to find that Lord Russell of Liverpool The dinner turned out to be for four; really hadn’t the faintest idea who I was His Lordship and his Lady, myself and and had merely got his secretary to a very pretty girl. We sat down at din- phone up the mess and order one offi- ner to make rather stilted conversation. cer for dinner. Rather like getting a taxi I was not yet 20 and inexperienced with from the rank. I don’t know whether it it. My summing up was that for some is still done today but at the time of reason they wanted me to get along which I write it was the custom in the with the pretty girl so I made a rather country to use Army and RAF messes ham beginning which seemed to attract as pools of dining manpower. They some fierce looks from Lord R. And as also came in handy for tennis parties. we left for the ball, which was at Pet- Local hostesses, finding themselves worth, it dawned on me that it was the short of a man or two, would place an pretty girl who was for His Lordship order with the local Mess Secretary who and Lady R. was for me. I didn’t mind would send the cleanest and most intel- as she was herself beautiful and charm- ligent ones he could find. If lucky, they ing. But it became obvious to me dur- got handsome charming young part- ing the dancing — all of which I did ners for their countless daughters; if with Lady Russell — that she was unlucky, they got irresponsible but bored with me but kindly, and also that cheerful young men who spent all their she was in the depths of some secret time at the bar talking to each other sorrow which she could not share with about flying. As far as the men were me. As time wore on it was plain that concerned it was, one would have there was trouble here and that my role thought, an opportunity to meet rich, was just to go on dancing (and I was a beautiful, single young ladies with poor dancer) and comforting this whom they could start a liaison possi- charming lady. bly leading to a brilliant marriage (for I must say that when the evening him) and a life of ease thereafter. But it drew to an end, I found myself wishing didn’t seem to quite work out like this. fervently that I was just a bit older, five Hostesses were very careful to keep the years would do, so that I could have rich and pretty ones out of sight and carried the whole thing off with a bit one found one’s self inevitably directed more style. And what was worse, from towards the plain Janes sitting round the looks Lord R. was giving me from the walls. After about an hour of this it time to time, it appeared that he too was not surprising that the young men would have wished for someone a little were inclined to cheer themselves up at older to fit in with the whole affair. It is the bar and as the refreshment was bet- a sad thing to find yourself “too old” to ter than our usual fare and, moreover, it be able to do what you like to do, but to was free, it was even less than surpris- be “too young” for a situation like this, ing that over patronage of the bar led to which brings a particular embarrassed occasional complications. agony that only the young can under- But this was different. An invitation stand. Luckily being “too young” to dine first and then I gathered we doesn’t last very long. Being “too old” were going on to a ball. I began to look lasts forever! forward to this evening and when it Later on in the week I went round to came I was seen off in the chauffeur- the Russells’ house and, as was the cus- driven Rolls 40/50 by a window-full of tom, dropped my card. I had hoped to rather ribald friends whom I affected see my pretty friend again but, alas, she

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was out. Perhaps just as well. Many lot of these volunteers in later days and years later I found in a reference book some of them became my greatest that Lord R. had been married four friends. times. My diagnosis of the event per- haps hadn’t been too wrong. “Hit on the head with tools”

Auxiliaries come to visit A mystery entry in my logbook tells me that I was “hit on the head with tools” On the second of August, No. 600 during a Siskin flight. For a moment I Squadron arrived for their annual have a vision of an ill-wisher concealing camp. No. 600 Squadron was one of the himself somewhere behind my seat and Auxiliary squadrons stationed at popping out later to hit me over the Tangmere. These squadrons were head with a spanner. Now my memory known to the press as the “weekend returns and I recall doing aerobatics airmen” for they were volunteers who and during a slow roll a couple of had jobs in the City and who preferred spanners which had been left in the gun to spend their spare time, which in- trough by my fitter floated away and cluded the weekends, being taught to got themselves caught in the slipstream. fly by the Royal Air Force. As soon as They flew along the top of the fuselage they had qualified they became part of and hit me quite a painful wallop on the squadron and led a squadron life the head which made me suspend what which included using up their summer I was doing for a few moments. If I had holiday time under canvas at one of the been knocked out properly I should regular stations in the UK. We always have eventually dived into the ground welcomed them as they brought a new and would have finished up in one of angle to our lives and there was a mu- those unsatisfactory “mystery crashes: tual esteem between the Regulars and cause unknown”. Being thick-headed the Auxiliaries. They were equipped and also encased in leather I survived with Westland Wapitis which were sin- the blow and there was no mystery, gle-engined day bombers, rather slow only a pretty sharp rebuke to the of- and unwieldy and which had up till fending fitter. this time been largely used on the

North West Frontier of India. Naturally “Dangerous Dan” we took them in hand and there was a nightly exodus to our favourite evening The next day I went off with Leech to pull-ups where we introduced our new Ford aerodrome to see a Mr Dan Watt. colleagues to the various barmaids and This was D. A. W. Watt, known to all others who helped us to pass the eve- and sundry as “Dangerous Dan”. He nings. In the not too distant future these was a sort of barnstorming pilot who squadrons were to be given fighter air- made his living out of flying and we craft and the pilots were trained as were to see an aeroplane which he had fighter pilots. It was these squadrons, made himself and which he called the 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607 and DAW II. This aeroplane was a sort of later others which were to give such a Moth Avian type with a Gypsy engine, good account of themselves in the not very ugly and underpowered. It was too far off days which would be upon very slow and clumsy to handle but as us with such dramatic suddenness. a result it was very safe to fly and we The fortnight finished in a blaze of found it so when we took it in turns to excitement at the farewell guest night fly this unremarkable aircraft. but although they all went away the Just as we were about to leave he following day, I was destined to see a said that he would just go up and give

6 The Tangmere Logbook

it a test and we watched with interest as carried on its sides the Royal Colours. he started it up and sat on the lower The Prince used it quite a lot to get wing (it was a biplane) with one hand, about the country but on this occasion the right hand, inside the cockpit hold- Fielden was picking up Prince George ing the stick and the other clutching a (soon to become the Duke of Kent when wing strut. In this position he started it he married Princess Marina of Greece) up and taxied it out to the take off posi- who had been weekending nearby. tion. His legs were dangling just over In fact this week turned out to be the wheels. When he turned into wind rather a Royal one for me. My father we thought now he will get into the had the task, an agreeable one, of or- cockpit but no, he just opened the throt- ganising all the Royal journeys by train tle and, managing somehow to correct throughout the eastern side of the UK. the take off swing, away he went. And Thus he frequently went to Balmoral after a minute or two he appeared back and Sandringham and any other places over the clubhouse and began to shoot the King wanted to visit in this direc- it up. Each time he pulled up from the tion. On my way to Bircham Newton to dive he kicked his legs up in the air. fly away in my Siskin, I stopped at We watched in some astonishment and Sandringham (the Royal railway station at the end of his little display he came was called Wolferton, I believe) to see in to land passing beneath the telephone my father get his Royal charge off to wires on the roadside before doing so. London and as the proceedings were We went away rather impressed with nothing to do with me I made myself his skill and wondering how we, too, scarce. I stood at the end of the plat- could work up a show of this sort. In- form in order to see my Sovereign for evitably we came to the conclusion that the first time as he drew out of the sta- there was bound to be a number of tion. I got a bit more than I had bar- clauses in King’s Regulations and Air gained for. The King, when he went by Council Instructions for the Royal Air in the train, was standing at the win- Force which were especially framed so dow raising his hat in farewell. Now as to prevent junior officers from trying these Royal visits to Sandringham were these sort of tricks in His Majesty’s air- always informal and strictly non- craft. military. There were never, by Royal request, any uniformed men about. The King’s displeasure Unfortunately, as the train slid past, I On August 22nd I took a Siskin and came face to face with him, about two flew up to the airfield at Bircham New- feet away. Being in uniform I came to ton for a week’s leave. One was al- the salute and, as was the regulation, lowed to take one’s aeroplane away like looked my Sovereign full in the face. this if it was not required by anyone He looked me in the face too. And the else. Bircham Newton was in Norfolk, look he gave me was a meaningful one. not far from Sandringham, and I was I never, of course, found out exactly going to visit my people who were what the meaning was, but it seemed to staying nearby. Just after I had landed me that it contained elements of doubt, a Puss Moth came in also and the pilot irritation and anger. I just caught a of this was “Mouse” Fielden, a pilot glimpse of him turning to speak to who had just left the RAF and had been someone beside him as he faded from appointed to the Prince of Wales as his my view. It seemed to me that he must flying instructor and personal equerry. have been saying “Find out who that The Puss Moth was the first aircraft was and have him court-martialled”! ever owned by the Royal Family and Perhaps I should add to this little in-

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cident by saying that it was quite well him to a low place at table. On enquiry known at that time that the King did it turned out that he had flown to not care for the Royal Air Force. He Tangmere in his aeroplane, and indeed, didn’t like flying and in fact he never some of us remembered hearing the did fly. He did not know anyone in the sound of an engine in the darkness. He RAF as well as he knew people in the scorned any such fripperies as lights or Navy and his own Regiments of flare-paths and had just left it on the Guards. He didn’t like wearing the uni- tarmac and found his own way to the form either. Perhaps the only man for mess. After dinner he said “What are whom he had some regard was Lord we going to do?” and as usual we sug- Trenchard and this was fortunate for us gested billiards or some sort of rough as Trenchard managed to do a lot of game which was the custom at that useful lobbying with the King in order time and had been the custom in to get the Royal Air Force established in messes for very many years. the teeth of strong opposition from both “Oh, no.” he said “Don’t let’s do the sister services who each wanted to that. How about flying the aeroplane?” appropriate pieces of it for themselves. We hardly liked to tell this buccaneer- So the sight of a Royal Air Force uni- ing, bulldozing, unconventional man form in this very private part of his that there were regulations which for- world seemed to cause him some puz- bade flying unless there was a fire ten- zlement. der and an ambulance present and that Headquarters ADGB should be notified Dangerous Dan comes to dinner that night flying would take place and Shortly after I got back to Tangmere so on, so rather weakly we all trooped from my holiday it was decided to ask down to the hangars and there we Dangerous Dan Watt to come over to a found the DAW II sitting in the dark Guest Night. These were held each against the hedge on the far side of the month as far as I remember and all the field. “Come along,” he said briskly, married officers turned up to join us. “Who’s coming with me?” After a bit We were all required to be in our mess of mumbling, Roddy Barrett stepped kit with boiled shirts, decorations and forward, buttoning his mess jacket so on. On arrival in the anteroom one round his boiled shirt and stiff collar. walked up to the President of the Mess “It’ll take two,” said Watt and when Committee or to the Commanding Offi- we demurred he said, “If you cram in a cer, bowed and gave him a “Good eve- bit and leave your arms hanging out, I ning, sir”. On this particular evening can take two in the front seat.” Char- we assembled and waited for Watt to nock obligingly stepped forward, rather arrive outside the mess front door in his the worse for drink, and these two car, on which occurrence he would be clambered in and away they went in a brought in and introduced to the com- climbing turn into the darkness. pany. Shortly after this, the Station Com- Nothing happened and time was mander’s car appeared in the distance slipping away when he arrived through and we made ourselves scarce for a bit. the door looking rather disheveled, He had heard the noise of the take-off wearing, we were relieved to see, a we supposed but we waited for him to dinner jacket. But the effect was some- go and then resumed our vigil. About what spoiled by a pair of dirty brown half an hour later, Watt came in and shoes for which he mumbled an apol- made a perfect landing, as far as we ogy. We saw the Station Commander could see in the darkness, and taxied in giving him a long look as we hustled to decant his two passengers.

8 The Tangmere Logbook

He then waved at us and shouted the back. The sides of the car were very “Thank you for the dinner!” and van- low and it was rather like sitting in a tin ished over the hedge towards Ford. Up bath. Just after leaving Arundel and in the mess, Barrett, who had been sit- surmounting the hill there is a bend to ting on Charnock’s lap all the time and the left and, as we analysed later, we had had his arm hanging over the ex- were doing about 55 m.p.h as we ap- haust found that half of the sleeve of his proached it. However, instead of turn- mess kit jacket had been burned away ing to the left we went straight on up which didn’t please him very much. the bank on the right, through some “Where have you been all this time?” I small saplings, slow rolling as we went, asked them. “Oh,” said Charnock, “We down again onto the road upside down flew along the beach to Bognor and and then finishing on our side with the shot up the pubs, and then we went on headlights shining straight down the down to West Wittering to shoot up a road. My only recollection is of holding friend of his, and after that we set out on very tight and watching the trees in over the sea until we reached the Nab the headlights turn from upright to Tower on which we kept diving until sideways, then inverted and round to the gunners (or what we thought were the upright again. After a crash there is gunners) started running about and always a short silence to allow for the seemed to be uncovering a gun so Watt shock to wear off before voices can be thought we ought to come home.” found usable. This was no exception. Leech was a bit hurt and moaned a lot What Girlie Leech did to the Vauxhall and so was Simonds who got a bang or two on the way round. I seemed to be Now it was getting on into September comparatively unhurt. What was re- and the fates which had allowed me markable was that the uprights of the two air crashes and two smaller occur- windscreen were smashed flat down rences on airfield and road decreed that against the bodywork indicating that I should take part in a slightly more we must have been upside down in the severe car crash. Girlie Leech up till road for a moment. Why on earth none this time had owned a Vauxhall 14 h.p. of us were decapitated remained a mys- open coupe, vintage about 1926. It tery. It wasn’t long before a police mo- went very well but it had literally no torcycle and sidecar arrived and we brakes and could only be brought to a were given lifts back to Tangmere halt by successively changing down where Girlie Leech and Simonds were through the gears and finishing up by admitted to sick quarters. I was al- rubbing the front wheels along the lowed to go to my room to sleep. For kerbs. So he got rid of it and had ac- the next day or two I had a pain in my quired another Vauxhall, a 30/98 h.p. side which was supposed to be cracked, which had an open tourer body. This bruised or broken ribs but as this was was also vintage but at the same time much like the sort of thing you got after was a much better car than the rest of a game of rugger I was allowed to go us owned. Girlie was keen to show off free and thus also to fly, which I did his pride and joy and so we set off for rather gingerly. Arundel where we intended to sample the beer in the Norfolk Arms. The eve- The others emerged from the hospi- ning passed smoothly and we dined in tal after a few days and I found that the hotel and at closing time we set off Girlie was in a state of anger and worry back to Tangmere. There were three of as he was being accused of crashing us us, Leech at the wheel of course, with all in his car because he had had too Simonds beside him and I was sitting in much to drink. He prided himself on

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his flying and driving, whether sober or borough but as an ex-member of 43 he not, and as soon as he got out he de- had managed to borrow a little wooden manded that I should accompany him monoplane called a Desoutter. This to the garage where the Vauxhall lay so was able to take a pilot and two pas- that he could inspect it to find why, as sengers in a cabin and he asked his ex- he kept saying “it leaped forward when CO, who was Squadron Leader Jimmy he took his foot off the accelerator to Lowe (C..N. Lowe of rugger fame) if he take the turn”. Happily he found the could go over with the team. Lowe had cause of the trouble which was that a said yes, but asked him if he would nut had become unscrewed from a con- take Mrs Lowe, his wife, with him. necting arm to the carburetor thus al- Rather reluctantly, Girlie agreed but lowing the butterfly throttle to open said he would take me too. fully. He searched for, and actually found, the offending nut lying in the road at the scene of the accident. So, in spite of wrecking his car and nearly killing us all, his honour was satisfied that it wasn’t actually his fault.

The Desoutter to Belgium On the twenty-first of September we had rather a nice little outing. No. 43 Squadron had for some time been working on a spectacular aerobatic So on the appointed day this ill- show with their Siskins. The trick was assorted trio set off for clearance at to tie long rubber ropes festooned with Croydon and then crossed the channel pennants between the lower wing tips and landed at Brussels where Lowe of three Siskins and after taking the reclaimed his wife and myself and flight off the ground and doing various Girlie joined the rest of the party. aerobatics such as loops and half rolls, to bring the flight down to land and Sir Anthony Selway’s story, written in 1978, ends with these words. Following his posting at taxi in without having broken the Tangmere, “Mark” Selway (as he was known to ropes. They had a special flight of five his friends) was selected as an instructor and, which was invited to perform at the after qualifying, was posted to the Central Fly- RAF Display and on this occasion they ing School. By 1938, he was Officer Command- had been invited by the Belgian Gov- ing No. 14 Squadron and saw action in the ernment to go over to Evere airport at Middle East and North Africa, during which he was awarded the DFC (1940) and was men- Brussels to take part in a show there tioned in despatches (1941). After the war, he which was part of the celebrations to held a series of increasingly senior commands commemorate Belgian independence. until his retirement in 1965. Invested as Com- As this was described as being a “cen- panion of the Bath in 1952 and Knight Com- tenary celebration” I suppose some- mander of the Bath in 1960, Sir Anthony held appointments as Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet thing of great significance must have Rod (1964-68), and Registrar and Secretary of happened in 1830. At a guess I would the Order of the Bath (1968-79). He died in say it was the Low Countries, dear to 1984. Marlborough’s heart, that had to be We are grateful to Mr David Selway, Sir split up into Holland and Belgium. At Anthony Selway’s son, for making a gift to all events there was to be an air show the Museum of his father’s previously un- and 43 Squadron were to go. Girlie published memoir and the accompanying Leech was by now a test pilot at Farn- photographs from his albums. —Ed.

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Our Brother’s Lancaster

David and Colin Burleigh

When a partly built, large-scale model of a Lancaster was donated to the Museum recently, David, a Museum volunteer, offered to complete it as a 101 Squadron Special Operations aircraft. Thus it would be a memorial not only to the 55,000 Bomber Com- mand aircrew who lost their lives during the Second World War but also a tribute to one particular RAFVR sergeant, Terence, the eldest of the four Burleigh brothers. David’s elder brother Colin tells the story of Terence’s youth and training. Together with David’s account of 101 Squadron’s early use of radio counter-measures, the authors explain the historical – and personal — significance of the model of Lancaster SR-U now displayed in the Merston Hall.

Colin Burleigh writes: Our eldest brother Terence Burleigh was born in January 1924 at Dereham, Norfolk, a town that was by 1943 to be surrounded in every direction by airfields: Swanton Mor- ley, Wendling, Shipdham, Sculthorpe, Foulsham and many others. At school he ex- celled particularly as a sportsman and as a linguist in Spanish, French and German; these things were, although unknown at the time, to have a profound effect on his fu- ture. As he was completing his schooling in Swaffham the squadron with which he was later to serve was operating Blenheims only 12 miles distant at West Raynham. On leaving school at 16, he joined Richard Costain, the contractors, as a wages clerk. Costain’s were at that time laying landing strips for the many airfields that were spring- ing up like mushrooms in East Anglia during the early part of World War Two, and he worked at the airfield at Rowley Mile (Newmarket Heath) which was to be home to amongst other squadrons No. 138 (Special Duties) from where Lysanders were flown to France in great secrecy.

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Although his job was regarded as though he did hint that something he being of national importance and he had achieved well in at school might would have been exempt from military have some bearing on what they might service, his main ambition was to join be. His next letter came from RAF the RAF and he enlisted on his 18th Hemswell where he continued Morse birthday. Most of the information on training and whatever else he was do- his service career and his training was ing. He reported flying night exercises gleaned from letters he wrote home. in Lancasters and the letter informed Several of these were discovered in a his family that he had finished training small attaché case in our mother’s home and was ready for “the off”. He was after her death. Terence enrolled at Re- sent to join 101 Squadron at Ludford gent’s Park in northwest London where Magna in north Lincolnshire. His first he was given his service number of letter from there is dated April 1944. 1874533 and was kitted out. His first He asked to have his bicycle sent to letter details the items of clothing and him, informed us that he had made a equipment he received and the usual will and reassured his family that God dental examination, vaccination and would take care of him. His letters innoculation, and records that on three were full of his anticipation of getting occasions on the first night he and his on operations and gave details of some colleagues had to take shelter from training flights. Then, at last, we re- German air raids. ceived the letter which told us of his He was posted to RAF Yatesbury in thrill of having, on 20th April, success- Wiltshire for wireless training and fly- fully completed his first operation. Ac- ing duties. In the early stages he wore cording to his letter it was “a piece of an air gunner’s brevet and signaller’s cake”. flash on his arm (the two trades were at that time combined); later he arrived home bearing a brevet with the initial “S” for signaller which surprised the family. He was thrilled with flying and did well in his training as a wireless operator, reporting in his letter dated 27th December 1941 that he had reached a speed of 20 words per minute in his Morse test and an overall mark of 71.2 in his whole exam. He enjoyed his time at Yatesbury, was a keen member of the choir which gave many concerts over the Christmas period in local hos- pitals and churches and attended com- munion services regularly when he acted as server to Canon John Collins. His career then took what was at the time a rather mysterious turn. He was posted to Lindholme near Doncaster and told that he would be on “special Two nights later, on the night of duties”. With the security arrange- 22nd-23rd April, he flew his second ments that were then in place, he was operation. Düsseldorf was the target. unable to tell his parents exactly what Over Krefeld, Terence’s Lancaster was these “special duties” involved al- hit by flak and crashed at Lank-Latum.

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News got back to the family that four wireless operator who, having com- airmen had parachuted to safety and pleted his usual wireless operator train- were taken prisoner, but four had per- ing, was selected for initial ABC train- ished, our brother being one of them. ing which was undertaken at RAF He was buried in the churchyard at Lindholme with subsequent training at Lank-Latum before being moved to RAF Hemswell, which was also at that Rheinberg War Cemetery near Duis- time home of No. 1 Lancaster Finishing burg. He rests alongside the other three School. On completion of training, on- members of his crew. I visited Rhein- ward posting was to Ludford Magna. berg in early June 1994, some 50 years In early 1944 Terence and nine other after his death, to pay respects to a volunteer special operators in his brother who, like so many other broth- course passed out at Hemswell and ers and sons, gave their lives. joined 101 on April 6th. Here they final- ised their training in searching a re- David Burleigh writes: ceiver’s waveband for German R/T and tuning the transmitters to the identified When war broke out, 101 Squadron was frequency to jam it. Once they could stationed at West Raynham, just a few search, identify and jam within 30 sec- miles from where Terence was complet- onds they were ready for “the off”. ing his schooling. Equipped with Blen- heims, it made its first raid on Germany Whilst voice transmissions were in July 1940. 101 converted to Welling- made in the early months of ABC, the main transmitted signal was from mi- tons in mid-1941, raided Turin in Sep- crophones located adjacent to the Lan- tember and in mid-1942 took part in the caster’s Merlin engines. The jamming three Thousand Bomber Raids on Co- would be for relatively few seconds at a logne, Essen and Bremen; each without time since as long as the transmitters loss. In late 1942 it converted to Lan- were switched on they acted as homing casters and in June 1943 moved to Lud- beacons for enemy night fighters. The ford Magna in Lincolnshire, where it weight of the ABC equipment and spe- operated Lancasters until the war’s end. cial operator necessitated the reduction In late 1943 secrecy surrounded the of the bomb load by about 1,000 squadron. Its aircraft were fitted with pounds. The ABC equipment required new equipment: Airborne Cigar (ABC) three seven-foot aerials: one centrally that required an eighth crew member, beneath the nose and two on the upper German-speaking, known as a “special fuselage offset to port. These were operator”. For those with a technical rarely visible in the few wartime pho- interest, Airborne Cigar equipment con- tographs of the “secret” 101 Lancasters sisted of a receiver and three 50-watt as the censor ensured in almost every transmitters sending FM signals cover- case that these were airbrushed out (the ing narrow frequency bands within the photo of the Lancaster on p. 11, with 38.3 to 42.5 Mc/s range to jam German the dorsal aerials clearly visible, is one ground controllers’ transmissions to that the censor seems to have missed). night fighters. The three transmitters With ABC having an effective range could either all be tuned to the fre- of about 50 miles, the Lancasters were quency to be jammed if that signal was spread out along the length of the very strong or tuned to three separate bomber stream in order to give ECM frequencies within the waveband. It protection to the entire stream. 101 was was first used operationally on 22nd the only main force ABC squadron in September 1943 and used continuously Bomber Command and flew on more until the war’s end. The eighth crew operations and sorties than any other member was the German-speaking squadron as it was tasked with jam-

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ming for the main force even when the chuted to safety, Young, Mowatt and other 1 Group squadrons were stood Leverett were held in Stalag Kopernicus down. It also suffered higher than av- and Speers was sent to Stalag Luft erage losses. 101 Squadron continued Sagen and Baleria. with its ECM task to the end of the war Peter Kaye, writing of Special Op- even after the formation of the special- erators in the 101 Squadron Newsletter, ist counter-measures 100 Group. said: “I do not know how effective our Just two weeks after his arrival at jamming of the German night fighter Ludford Magna, Terence’s first opera- radio was. Bomber Command contin- tion was in DV292 (SR-Y) piloted by ued to suffer heavy casualties and there Pilot Officer Rippon when Cologne was was a price to pay amongst our small attacked by a force of 357 Lancasters group who had joined the squadron on and 22 Mosquitoes. On the night of April 6th. Of the ten only three, myself, Terence’s second operation, 22nd-23rd Cliff Papayanni and Ralph Laurie April, Bomber Command put up three completed a tour; Terry Burleigh, Jock operations: Düsseldorf, Brunswick, and Frazer, Charlie Graves, Charlie Beaure- Laon, involving a total of 1,042 aircraft. gard and Sam Silver were all shot down Terence flew on the Düsseldorf op- and died, Frank Sheard was shot down eration that night, and on this raid he and taken prisoner . . . . I hope our and three other crew members were to work did save lives but for those who lose their lives in ME619, a Metropoli- did not return their memory will al- tan-Vickers-built Mk 1 coded SR-U, the ways be preserved by the memorial at aircraft represented by the model. This Ludford Magna”. Lancaster had a short but eventful his- tory; having arrived on the squadron in February, she visited Berlin twice, Leip- zig and Stuttgart and had even sur- vived the infamous raid on Nuremburg when 96 of 779 bombers were lost. At 22.40 SR-U took off from Ludford Magna. On that night, the crew were P/O I. H. McDowell (pilot), Sgt L. A. K. Young (flight engineer), Flt Sgt C. Leverett (navigator), F/O G. A. Speers RCAF (bomb aimer), Sgt E .S. Mowatt (wireless operator), Sgt T. J. Burleigh (special operator), Sgt R. H. Hall (mid- upper gunner), and Sgt W. G. Ault (rear gunner). The aircraft was tasked with ABC duties but was also loaded with one 4,000 lb bomb and 1,070 4 lb incen- diaries. They were hit by flak when at I finished the model Lancaster to 20,000 ft in the Krefeld area and crashed represent ME619 SR-U and now, at between Krefeld and the Rhine at Lank- Tangmere, there is another tribute to Latum. McDowell, Hall, Ault and Bur- Sgt Terence Burleigh, the special opera- leigh were killed, and were originally tors of 101 Squadron and all those other buried close to the churchyard wall in young men who so bravely went to war the village of Lank-Latum, but were to preserve our peace but sadly failed to reburied after the war in the Rheinburg return. War Cemetery. Of the four who para-

14 The Tangmere Logbook

RAF Smash Tank Lair target area. The stage was set and, from just before 22.00 hours, 346 Lancasters in France began taking off from their various air- fields. Each carried a 4,000 lb “Block- Bob Wingrove buster” and fifteen or sixteen 500 lb high explosive bombs. The weather This headline greeted the readers of a was fine with clear visibility and all the national newspaper on the morning of aircraft got airborne with no take-off May 5th, 1944, reporting a raid by accidents. Bomber Command on a depot of Ger- Among those aircraft climbing away man tanks and vehicles at Mailly, south from Kirmington as part of the second of Rheims, in France. You may ask, wave was K-King, ND857, of 166 “What is the connection between a Squadron, whose crew members were Bomber Command operation and on their eighth “op” together. Tangmere, a Fighter Command air- field?” The story begins at RAF Kirmington, now Humberside International Airport, where 166 Squadron’s Lancasters were detailed to take part in what became known as the Mailly-le-Camp raid. Mailly is a small village located 80 miles southeast of Paris, between Troyes and Chalons-sur-Maire. At one end of the village was a former French army camp with barracks, workshops and large armoured vehicle exercise area. In May 1944 it was occupied by some 10,000 German troops and used — Collection of Peter Cameron for the training and reinforcement of The crew of K-King, summer 1944. Front row, front-line Panzer units. With the build left to right: Sgt Vic Zamiatin, RAAF, bomb up to D-Day, it was a prime target and aimer; Sgt Ron Moisey, wireless operator; Sgt Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris, C-in- Sidney Lipman, flight engineer. Back row: P/O Alan Gibson DFM, RNZAF, pilot; P/O Charles C of Bomber Command, decided that, Martin, navigator; P/O Alfred Bowden DFM, with suitable weather conditions, an rear gunner. Not pictured: Sgt Peter Cameron, attack by Nos. 1 and 5 Group Lan- mid-upper gunner. casters would be carried out on the night of 3rd/4th May. They continued their climb, flying It was essential that target markers SE to Beachy Head, crossing the French be placed extremely accurately to avoid coast near Dieppe at 12,000 ft, then los- bombs hitting the village; also the at- ing altitude to arrive at the target at tack had to develop quickly before the 5,000 ft. They were blissfully unaware Germans could take cover and night of what was developing ahead of them fighters appear. Target marking at low at Mailly. The first interceptions by level would be the responsibility of four night fighters had taken place near Mosquito aircraft led by Wing Com- Compiègne with no bombers reported mander Leonard Cheshire, then com- lost. Just before midnight Cheshire ar- manding 617 Squadron, backed up by rived in the target area and dropped his Pathfinders from Nos. 83 and 97 Squad- markers; however, they fell slightly NE rons dropping flares to illuminate the of the target and he refused permission

Summer 2009 15

to bomb, calling up Sqd Ldr Dave German night fighters and Lancasters Shannon, one of the original “Dam- began to go down in flames. Frustrated busters”, to drop new markers. These crews began making remarks over the were in the right place and Wng Cdr R/T; one call, directed at Cheshire, Deane, the Main Force Controller, or- amounted to a request to “Pull your dered the first wave, which had been finger out!” orbiting fifteen miles north of Mailly at Suddenly the Main Force heard their 5,000 ft, to bomb. first clear order, “Don’t bomb. Wait.” Only a few bombers responded to This was from the Deputy Controller, this order. The transmission from Sdn Ldr Sparkes, who, finding a clear Deane’s aircraft was drowned by a radio channel, had decided to take much stronger American news broad- charge. However, this did little to calm cast! He tried an alternative method the panic among the crews. Lancasters using Morse through his 1154/1155 were still going down all around them, radio which also proved useless. Next the R/T indiscipline making it all the day when the set was checked it was more terrifying. found to be 30 kcs off frequency! Some Finally, at 00.24 hrs, following the of the first wave, hearing the garbled dropping of more marker flares, re- message, started to bomb, but the ma- markably only five minutes behind jority were still orbiting and getting schedule for the second wave to bomb, more and more frustrated. The target the order was given to “Go in and markers began to be obscured by smoke bomb”. Even so, some aircraft did not and Cheshire wanted the second wave hear this order and the last aircraft did to bomb immediately, but this trans- not bomb until 00.44 hrs, nineteen min- mission, via Wng Cdr Deane, went un- utes after the attack was planned to heard. Cheshire tried to communicate close. directly, urging them to come in and K-King, being in the second wave, bomb and even tried the extreme had missed most of this frustration and measure of ordering the raid to be confusion, and, according to Peter abandoned, but the Main Force never Cameron, mid-upper gunner, had heard him. bombed and although there seemed to

be a lot of activity, they turned for home without interference from fight- ers. It was some minutes into the re- turn trip when their troubles began. Flying at 8,000 ft about 40 miles east of Troyes, a Me110 appeared and attacked with cannon fire. The rear gunner, Alf Bowden, returned fire and reported hits on the enemy aircraft’s nose, at the same time ordering a diving corkscrew to port. Meanwhile there were serious prob- The Me110 continued to follow them lems over the orbiting point. Many air- for some eight minutes while Alan Gib- craft had not heard the order to bomb son weaved and lost height. The en- and continued flying in circles above emy then made another determined the ground marker. The second wave attack, again low and on the port quar- now joined the confusion and had to ter. Alf opened fire with a long burst wait. The presence of this large number and tracer was seen to enter the cockpit of bombers attracted the attention of of the fighter. A huge explosion fol-

16 The Tangmere Logbook

lowed and the fighter hit the ground in and, approaching from the west, Alan a ball of flame. “I’ve got the bastard!” elected to make a glide landing. Sid whooped Alf. Peter Cameron believes said, “Incredibly, the landing, with 30 that the Me110 was using upward- degree flap and no engine assistance, firing schragemusik cannon due to his was one of the best we ever made!” method of attack from the underside of The Lancaster was on the grass at the Lancaster, and while losing height, Tangmere, finally pulling up just short and being beneath them, the fire from of a line of Spitfires, not before causing Alf’s turret may have forced the fighter some consternation in the control tower into the ground. Either way, it was off as they appeared to be heading straight their back, and they could now relax to for it! some extent. None of the crew required medical Taking stock of their situation, they attention and were billeted overnight at realised that they were still in serious Tangmere, returning to Kirmington by trouble. Cannon fire from the Me110 train, leaving a badly damaged K-King had damaged control surfaces, fuel and for the attention of 15MU where she coolant systems. The starboard wing was subsequently repaired and finally had received hits and the starboard scrapped in August 1947. outer engine was damaged. Impor- tantly, the hydraulic lines to the mid- upper turret had been severed, render- ing the turret unserviceable and Peter Cameron a spectator unable to defend the aircraft from any further attacks. To add to their problems, Vic Zamiatin’s parachute had billowed out inside the Lancaster, which ruled out any sugges- tions of bailing out of the aircraft. Fol- lowing their evasive manoeuvring, they were now down to 2,000 ft and Alan Gibson set about getting up to 14,000 ft and back on track for home. Sidney Lipman, the flight engineer, feathered the damaged starboard outer, and could see that the fuel state was getting low; fuel was probably being lost through a ruptured pipe. They crossed the French coast and with the three good engines at maximum power set course for home, desperate to reach Blighty before the fuel ran out. No one — Collection of Alan Gibson fancied ditching in the Channel! With relief they crossed the coast at Out of the 346 Lancasters that set Selsey Bill, but with the fuel warning out from their airfields, 42 failed to re- lights now glowing in the darkened turn, among them three from 166 cockpit Alan lowered the undercarriage Squadron, with a total of 301 aircrew and ordered the crew to crash positions. being lost. Of these, 254 were killed, 17 “Sandra” lights, three searchlights became prisoners of war with another around an airfield aligned to shine in a 30 evading capture following bailing cone, were seen just as the engines died out. Approximately 1,500 tons of

Summer 2009 17

bombs were dropped, destroying 114 films, including The Great Escape. buildings, 47 transport sheds with am- During their operational tour of munition dumps and stores were also nearly four months, 30 Lancasters from hit. The enemy casualties were 218 166 Squadron were lost on operations, killed or missing and 156 wounded; the which gives an indication of the damage to vehicles amounted to 102 chances of survival for any one crew. destroyed which included 37 tanks. Luckily, the crew of K-King all came The only casualties among the French through this, and subsequent flying, civilian population were caused when a without a scratch. Charles Martin Lancaster crashed on a house. moved on as a navigator with an air- One rear gunner, Sgt Jack Worsfold line. Ron Moisey subsequently ran a of 101 Squadron, had a miraculous es- shop in Croydon. Sid Lipman went on cape when his aircraft was hit over to Canada flying B-17s and Liberators Mailly. The rear turret broke away and with Ferry Command; as they did not fell with him trapped inside, but its fall carry a flight engineer he doubled up as was broken by some electricity cables a co-pilot, and his widow and daugh- and he was able to walk away, dazed ters now live in Israel. Victor Zamiatin, but unhurt. It was some time before the a member of the Royal Australian Air Germans believed his story and ac- Force, had been born in Russia and had cepted him as an ordinary airman; they lived in China until emigrating to Aus- had thought he was an agent dropped tralia in 1939 where he volunteered for to report on the raid. aircrew; after the war he became an air What of the crew of K-King? On re- traffic controller until his retirement in turning to Kirmington, they were soon 1976. The mid-upper, Peter Cameron, back on “ops”, immediate Distin- after a spell on instructing, returned to guished Flying Medals were awarded complete a further six operations with to Flt Sgt Alan Gibson and Sgt Alfred 100 Squadron in Liberators and B-17s Bowden and, a month later, both were on electronic countermeasures. He re- commissioned as Pilot Officers. The cently renewed his acquaintance with crew completed their operational tour Tangmere, visiting the Museum in May on 20th July 1944, bombing a “P Plane” 2008, some 64 years after his unex- site, or Pilotless Plane which we now pected arrival in May 1944. Peter now know as a V1, at St Omer. Their luck enjoys his retirement, living in Crawley. nearly ran out on that occasion. After After leaving 166 Squadron, the pi- successfully attacking the target they lot, Alan Gibson, became an instructor were on course for home when they at Feltwell with No. 3 Lancaster Finish- over-flew flak positions on the French ing School, followed by further instruct- coast. They opened fire on the lone air- ing at 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit at craft, a replacement K-King, NE112, Winthorpe. After six months as an in- causing the damaged Lancaster to make structor, the RAF decided that he an emergency landing at Manston in should do an instructor’s course! He Kent. The crew eventually arrived back then went back at Winthorpe as a QFI at Kirmington the next day on board a and during this time managed a couple squadron Lancaster sent to collect them. of Cook’s Tours which gave ground Following repair, NE112 was soon back crews the opportunity to see something in action but was shot down on 31st of the damage wrought on Germany by August. One crew member taken pris- Bomber Command. His last Lancaster oner was the wireless operator, F/O flights were ferrying aircraft to mainte- Donald Pleasance, who later became a nance units to be broken up. He was well known actor appearing in many demobbed and returned to New Zea-

18 The Tangmere Logbook

land where he completed his inter- Unit at Wittering as a Trials Officer. Of rupted apprenticeship. course he knew most of the Valiant air- Two years later, answering an ad- crew from the two resident squadrons, vertisement for aircrew to re-join, Alan flying whenever a spare pilot; or an applied and was accepted, this time Instrument Rating renewal, for which joining the RAF, not the RNZAF. As he was a qualified examiner, was re- there was a bottleneck of refresher quired. He completed his RAF career courses for pilots, he first qualified as a with staff postings within Bomber, Meteorological Air Observer flying in Maintenance and Training Commands, Halifax aircraft from Gibraltar. Even- leaving the service in January 1972, tually he was posted to Finningley for a having added an Air Force Cross to his pilot refresher course on Wellingtons. previous DFM. He now lives back His next move was to the Telecommu- home in New Zealand. nications Flying Unit at Defford, in what he described as the most interest- ing job in flying. Whilst there he flew more than 20 different types of aircraft: single, twin and multi-engined, both piston and jet, ranging from Lincolns, Lancasters, Hastings, Vallettas, Canber- ras, Meteors, Vampires to Devons, Ox- fords, and Ansons. One unusual air- craft was the Avro Ashton, a Tudor- derived research aircraft powered by four Rolls-Royce Nene jet engines. His conversion to this aircraft occurred when it was flown down to Defford from Avro’s at Woodford by one of their test pilots who flew with Alan on two dual circuits before they returned to Woodford. After lunch Alan brought the Ashton back to Defford — solo! All good things come to an end and, after — Collection of Alan Gibson four years, it was back to the “real” air Alan Gibson at the controls of Avro Ashton force, which immediately decided that WB492 at 35,000 ft, ca. 1952. he should learn how to fly a Meteor, in spite of having over 200 hours on the This has been the story of a bomber type in his log book! crew, fortunate to have survived an operational tour, whereas over 55,000 A Canberra conversion course fol- members of Bomber Command did not. lowed, after which he found himself a Perhaps one of our readers remembers member of 617 Squadron flying the K-King silently arriving that night at Canberra B2 from Binbrook. His four- Tangmere, or maybe met up with Alan jet experience with the Ashton proved or other members of his crew during useful to the RAF who next posted him their RAF service. If so, the Editor to Gaydon where the first Valiant OCU would be pleased to hear from you. was forming. He clocked up 500 hours on the type and had a big part in pro- I am grateful to Peter Cameron and to Alan ducing the Pilot’s Notes. By now a Gibson AFC DFM for their assistance in the Squadron Leader, his next move was to preparation of this article, and for providing the Bomber Command Development photographs from their collections. — RJW

Summer 2009 19

Too Late on Target

A crashed Lancaster and a 200-mile walk to Switzerland

Raymond Barlow

It was 5 pm on October 7th, 1943. After a routine kind of day, our crew as well as the rest of 49 Squadron were assembled in the briefing room at RAF Fiskerton, Lincolnshire. Now, at last, we know where we're going: Stuttgart, the industrial centre in the south of Germany. The Briefing Officer told us the take-off time was 9.00 pm from RAF Scamp- ton and there were to be 500 bombers taking part in the raid. An hour before take-off we arrived at RAF Scampton, along with the other aircrews dressed in flying gear and carrying parachutes. As the wireless operator and an air gunner of my crew, I also had a box of spare valves and parts for repairing the radio equipment in case of a fault or breakdown. Each of us had an escape kit, if there was a need to bail out over enemy-occupied territory. We were elated and thought it was our lucky night when the CO told us we were going to fly a brand new Lancaster. We set about doing flight checks only to find that the new aeroplane was developing engine trouble at take-off. The ground mechanics worked hard on the bomber trying to get the engines running properly, but to no avail. The CO told us we would have to take the station’s spare Lanc, ED426, which had been used for many months by every Tom, Dick and Harry for practising circuits and bumps and was badly in need of a complete overhaul. He justified this order by saying that the Air Ministry wanted 500 planes on the mission: not 499 but 500. The ground crew transferred the armaments from the new to the old aeroplane and fuelled up. By this time we were getting impatient; we had been hanging around for an hour after watching the others fly off. The main stream were now well on their way to Germany.

20 The Tangmere Logbook

Eventually, we were on our way, built as the shells seemed to be coming and with its heavy load of fuel and up very slowly towards us and then bombs, our tired old Lancaster strug- they would flash by our aeroplane at gled to get airborne and, in fact, just lightning speed. We seemed to be in managed it at the very end of the run- the middle of a firework display. We way and had clawed its way inch by were ringed all around and being the inch to 18,000 ft by the time we got over only one over the target area we were the Channel. given the full treatment and felt very Over Holland we started “window- vulnerable. Just like clay pigeons. ing”. This involved throwing out bun- As we looked down at the ground dles of strips of silver foil about 10” below it was a mass of fire stretching long and 1” wide, which gently floated for what seemed miles and miles. The downwards to confuse enemy radar damage looked considerable and was and anti-aircraft guns. It was a moonlit spread over a very wide area. Now it night and looking out the side window I was time to make our contribution and could see the main stream of our bomb- Don Wares (our pilot), Tim O’Leary ers homeward bound for England, re- (navigator) and Elmer Hepburn (bomb turning safely from their mission. For aimer, RCAF) worked together to line them, a luscious breakfast of bacon and up our bomber on a course for our eggs awaited, while we struggled on bomb run. toward Stuttgart. Tension was high as Elmer lay full length in the nose of the Lancaster ready to make the drop. I heard him shout “Bombs away!” Then he took photos of the inferno below. What seemed like hours were in fact minutes and we couldn’t wait to make a quick exit. One old Lancaster bomber dron- ing around those alien skies against the spitting anger and venom of dozens of anti-aircraft guns aiming flak at us. With great relief we turned towards My thoughts were very mixed. We home and we all thought we’d got were an hour late going over enemy away with it and could breathe more territory, which had by now been fore- easily. warned and were on the alert. We were Just as we thought we were safely sitting ducks but we wanted to keep away, I heard a hell of a thump on the going, determined to get it over with starboard side; the aeroplane reverber- and claim our breakfast. As we ap- ated and shook and my stomach proached the German city to drop our turned. A shell had hit us and the star- bombs, six or seven enemy night fight- board outer engine was on fire. Don ers attacked us. Our rear and upper shut it down and feathered it. gunners opened up with their Browning We were still at 18,000 ft and Don machine guns; you could hear the rat- changed course, intending to return tat-tat-tat reverberating around the home on three engines. In ten minutes aeroplane. The Messerschmidt fighters the fire had spread from the outer en- inflicted no damage on us, and they gine to the starboard inner engine, so eventually decided to leave us alone. he had to shut down and feather that The nearer we got to the target, the one too. We all knew how serious this heavier the flak became and the tension was but nobody voiced their fears; we

Summer 2009 21

knew we had our work cut out to get cockpit, choking on the smoke and back: with two engines gone, we were roasting in the heat of the flames; I was in serious trouble. terrified but I had to find the others. I Miraculously, no one — as yet — could not see anything of Tim the navi- had got hurt. Don was struggling to gator or Archie Fitzgerald the engineer; keep control of the aeroplane, wrestling nothing at all of the others; they must the control column and forcing it into have got out. When I reached the cock- very strange positions. He told us to pit, Don was slumped in his seat un- jettison everything we could, but still conscious. I shook him, shouted at him we were gradually losing height and and slapped his face and, after what speed. As the tense minutes passed, my seemed an age, he came round to be thoughts were of Peggy, my lovely wife confronted by our burning coffin, and of ten days, and whether I would ever of course the instinctive urge to escape get back to see her smile and hear her from it. laughter again. I was snapped out of On Don’s left was the slide window, my day-dream by Tim, our navigator, mainly used for shouting “chocks whose voice came over the intercom away” to the ground crew. After a saying we were over northern France struggle we managed to prise it open. about 100 miles from Dover and at 2,000 Not losing any time, Don was the first ft. I could almost smell the eggs and one out with me following hard on his bacon waiting for us at base. heels. We landed slap-bang in the mid- At that moment there was a tremen- dle of burning undergrowth which had dous, sickening crash and everything been ignited by fuel from the Lancaster. went black. Later on, we realised that We were still not free from the extreme we had been flying over the forest of heat engulfing the aeroplane and the Commercy at tree-top height in the undergrowth. Bullets from the ma- pitch dark and had struck the trees on chine guns were whizzing around our Bezimont Hill, which tore the wings off heads. This, together with the still- our Lancaster while the fuselage, en- exploding oxygen bottles, all combined gines and other wreckage continued to to create a nightmare straight from hurtle through the trees. I could hear a Dante’s Inferno. We had to get away cacophony of sounds — a continued and quick. shushing — explosions — rat-tat-tat-tat We could see no other members of of gunfire. What the hell was happen- the crew so we thought that they had ing, and where was I? As the fuselage managed to get away safely from this came to rest, I regained consciousness hell; it was imperative that we followed and I could feel the heat, smell burning suit. Don and I stumbled away from in the acrid air. The fuselage was a burning wreckage and walked about a blazing inferno, alight from nose to tail mile or so to hide from the Germans but still more-or-less upright, the ex- whom we felt sure had, from their ob- treme heat setting off the machine-gun servation post, spotted the flames and ammunition, added to the deafening smoke coming from the woodland. blasts as the oxygen bottles exploded We had to scramble into hiding (whoomph), and the noise of loose de- when we saw a German kubelwagen bris still crashing round everywhere just with soldiers on board and just man- behind me. I knew I had to get out and aged to get into the undergrowth as fast if I was going to survive. they passed us, heading as we thought Just above my head was the escape to the crash site. After making a dis- hatch. I tried to open it, but it wouldn’t tance between ourselves and the site of budge. I staggered forward towards the the crash we were exhausted. The

22 The Tangmere Logbook

night was chilly so we covered our- us. By this time, Don’s feet were play- selves over with the boughs of fir trees ing up and we were both suffering and slept back-to-back to keep warm. from upset stomachs. The following day we walked for a We managed to get the engine while; there was an autumn chill and started and were feeling pretty good. we were feeling hungry and very We travelled all of ten yards when it thirsty. Hiding in a quarry about 10 stopped. We tried to start it but miles from the crash, we got rid of our couldn’t and then found out it was run- flying gear, tearing off the lapels and ning on charcoal. It was the long walk badges from our uniforms. Using the for us again and we had to make a knife, which had been hidden in them, quick exit before the Germans came we cut away the tops of our boots. back for their lorry. Then we had to decide which direction At one point we reached a canal. to go in: whether to head for the Span- We struggled to get over in cover of ish border or the Swiss. On the toss of a darkness. The lock-keeper gave us coin it was Switzerland, much to my food and drink after which we trudged relief (I wasn’t sure about the Franco through the biggest woods ever and regime). So, equipped with the com- after five hours lay down at the foot of pass from our escape kit, we struck out a massive tree and slept for a couple of for the Swiss border 200 miles away. hours. By this time Don was having We skirted the towns and villages serious trouble with his feet, so we and kept to the woods as much as pos- made for a little village and stopped for sible, stealing apples and drinking from food and rest. The local blacksmith the rivers. We came across fields occu- gave us food and the luxury of a bed pied by farmers and decided to hide in but we had to be away by 4 am before the woods until dark, then make our- daylight because the people of the vil- selves known. They were surprised to lage were very frightened of the Ger- see us but let us sleep the night in a mans. Slightly refreshed, we walked shepherd’s hut and we were given food about 30 miles. The grass was damp and drink. We were away again before and it was too wet to sleep. daylight. We learned that two of our My thoughts as ever strayed and crew members were alive, with their were with my wife Peggy. How was legs and arms broken, and had been she coping with the news she would captured by the Germans. receive about me? At times I was We went on our way again, through pulled away from our uncomfortable the woods and fields, stealing food as situation by pleasing memories of our we went along. The conditions were times together, remembering the funny very cold and damp, but we were free episodes when we laughed and our and heading towards the border. We such tender moments, only to be jerked averaged about 25 miles per day. back into reality and the need to be on Dodging the Germans, we made steady the alert. Keeping to the fields, we progress whenever possible getting walked most of the day stealing apples food from isolated farms. Once we as we went along. We bought beer heard a lorry coming in the distance. from a shop in a remote village. At We wondered whether it would stop. It dusk we came across another village did, near the woods, and as it was where we asked for food and had a getting daylight we could see many feast of bread, cheese and wine. We Germans jumping out and running into tried to sleep in a mangle pit at the side the woods. We ducked and dived and of the road but were kept awake by a then decided to borrow the lorry to help howling dog.

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We made our way again; it was a Germans had stripped the château of wet and very miserable day. We were all the furniture and paintings and the spotted by a German patrol and after a walls had been used for target practice. harrowing time of hide and seek we The Baron gave us food and drink and managed to get away in the long grass. provided us with money — counterfeit Exhausted, we reached a farm at 5 pm money, which he was printing in the and stopped to beg for food. We were basement! These marvellous people invited in and given food and warm made us very welcome and we spent hospitality. I had my first shave in 10 the night in the château. We were no days, also a soft warm bed to sleep in longer on our own. (bliss). In the warm comfort of the bed, We met Claude, a member of the re- my thoughts once again turned to my sistance, the next day at the château wife and in those pleasant thoughts I and a celebration was held at the local drifted into a fitful sleep. butcher’s; everybody was invited to the After a lovely breakfast and with party. That evening we slept at a house kind generosity we were given coats, in the village. After three days we which served more than one purpose: were still hiding at the village getting disguise as well as warmth. It rained rest and plenty to eat but we were anx- continually for two days and we got ious to get on our way. We were vis- very wet; the sheepskin in our boots got ited by a French Gendarme and given quite soggy but we carried on. We identity cards etc. The Resistance was managed to find carrots, apples and very active in this area and had blown other things. It was the time of year up two bridges and killed three of the when farmers were storing the vegeta- enemy. bles for winter so we made use of the The plans for getting us away went straw they were using for warmth. At awry somehow; we were taken in a one point we came across a ditch full of lorry to Vesoul to hide but the mayor snakes. I jumped away with a shudder was very scared. We stayed with mar- — I’d never seen so many. We kept an vellous people in Vesoul. We had eye out for them from then on. plenty of food, drink, and rest. We We reached a village called Vanne played chess and went for walks in the and managed to find shelter in the loft daytime; we saw a German camp and of a barn. After leaving Vanne we RDF post. We stayed in the house and crossed a bridge which had been blown were visited by a Resistance chief who up at the beginning of the war. It was promised to get news to my wife that I early dawn and we came across German was safe and well. I was very worried patrol cars, so we made a hasty dive about Peggy and could not get her out into the ditch just in time and breathed of my thoughts; otherwise everything with relief when they passed by without else going well. stopping. Walking all day, we came Things progressed. We managed to upon fields being tended by uniformed hire a lorry and get clothes to cover our people so decided to hole up until dark. dirty uniforms ready to travel to the Under the cover of the night we reached Swiss border on the following morning. a village and got a bed for the night, The French had managed to forge Ger- next door to some German people! man authorisation papers and we were It was now twelve days since the given chemin-de-fer armbands. The crash, and we were taken by some peo- lorry was slow but better than walking. ple to a château to hide until the resis- On the way we passed many Germans, tance could be contacted. The Baron but thankfully nobody took any notice was living in the basement because the of us. We saw a bombed factory at

24 The Tangmere Logbook

Montbéliard and waited at the post of- On October 4th, 1944, I departed fice for the night for the guides who Lausanne at 3.30 and arrived at St Al- were going to take us over the border. bans at 11 pm on October 6th. Peggy We kept out of sight of prying eyes was waiting for me at the station. I was during the daytime. We were joined by home! Some weeks later I was very a French diplomat who was going over proud to receive a Silver Boot given to the border at the same time, and we evadees from the RAF Escaping Soci- whiled away the time waiting until 8 ety. My demob came in June 1945. pm, the hour we were to set out. What happened to the crew of our On the hour we set out for Switzer- crashed Lancaster? Three were killed land, walked over fields and crept in the crash: F/O Elmer Hepburn, the through German frontier posts. A dog RCAF bomb aimer; Sgt Tim O’Leary, barking on the German side alerted the the navigator; and the flight engineer, guards that there was something going Sgt Archie Brownlie. Two of the crew on, so we had to run for our lives over — Sgt Gill Attwood and RAAF Flt Sgt the fields and in so doing lost our way. Archie Fitzgerald, both gunners — At last we regained the right path and were taken prisoner and sent to a POW stealthily crept on our hands and knees camp in Poland. At the war’s end, P/O into Switzerland where we offered up a Don Wares came home to Liverpool prayer of thanks. We stayed at a Swiss from his internment in Switzerland, Sgt farm until 4 pm where I tried to per- Gill Attwood returned to Birmingham, suade Don to carry on to the British Le- and Archie Fitzgerald went home to gation, but he decided to give himself Perth, Australia; Gill went to live there up to the Swiss civil authorities. The too, later on. police were contacted and we were put The four us who survived never met on a train for a hotel at Porrentruy up again. However, in June 1993 Gill where we stayed, relaxed in the sure Attwood came to England and we met thought of being safe for the first time near the date of the 50th anniversary of since we crashed. the crash and talked about our ex- Once in Switzerland and having penences. In September 1993 Gill and I rested and completed the formalities of travelled to Commercy cemetery, in interrogation, Don was sent to Lugano France, where we found three head- where he was interned with other es- stones joined to make one. We stood capees, while I went on to the British above the graves of our friends and Embassy in Berne. At last I could get paid our last respects. Later we visited into contact with my wife Peggy and the site of the wreckage of Lancaster receive letters from her; we were apart EA-P ED426, and met with French but we were safe in the knowledge that newspaper reporters who covered our we would see each other again. I story in the local papers. We also met worked at the embassy a few hours a the policeman who went to the crash day handing out clothes to refugees, site all those years ago. We returned to escapers and evaders entering Switzer- England on 9th September, with land, on one occasion meeting a chap memories of nearly 50 years ago. from Nottingham, my home county, and we had lots to talk about. We lis- Raymond Barlow died three days later, on 12th September 1993. We thank Mrs Peggy tened to the BBC on the radio to see Barlow for allowing us to print her late how the war was progressing and we husband’s memoir, reproduced here in kept in contact and then news came that edited form. The photos are from the 49 the American and British troops had Squadron Association’s website. — Ed. invaded southern France.

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Letters, Notes, had to give my mother ten shillings. How different from today. and Queries For the most part we were a happy crowd. Occasionally someone would The Editor welcomes your artwork, photo- start to sing and it wouldn’t be long graphs, letters, and contributions (long or before all the “floor” would join in. We short) on any subject of interest to our read- listened to the wireless, I think mostly ers. Original materials are preferred. Please to “Workers’ Playtime” with the musi- note that material (including photographs) cal stars of the day, such as Harry Roy previously published in newsletters, maga- zines and books, as well as some materials and Victor Sylvester. This carried on posted on the Internet, are normally subject for a year or so and I learned my trade to copyright and cannot for legal reasons be well. reproduced in The Tangmere Logbook without Then the necessities of war started the permission of the copyright owner and, to filter through and the demand for possibly, the payment of royalties. uniforms for the armed forces became If you have a question about a military greater and my factory stopped making aviation topic that you think another reader or one of our volunteers might be able to dresses and turned over to the produc- answer, please send it to the Editor. Your tion of clothing for the military. We queries will be published at our discretion. mostly made uniforms for the Army The answer, or answers, will appear in the and the Air Force. By this time I had following issue, giving all our readers a become an accomplished machinist and chance to respond. Test-your-knowledge had a good knowledge of material questions and photo quizzes are also wel- come! The Editor’s addresses (postal and e- quality (I saw some of the type used by mail) are given on Page 3. the Americans and it was far superior to ours). I was very quickly transferred to the making of uniforms for the offi- Bombs and scissors cers. In 1939, I was a thirteen-year-old It is interesting to note that although schoolgirl. World War Two was de- we were only teenagers some of the clared in September of that year and I girls put slips of paper, on which was recall that Christmas was a bit of a written their name and address, in the gloomy affair. No one knew exactly pockets of the trousers in hope that what was going to happen, least of all some soldier or airman might write us children who really didn’t under- home to them. They couldn’t put a stand. phone number as might be the case The festive season came and went today, since none of us had a tele- and in January of 1940 I became four- phone! teen and in those days one left school It is sad to also recall after a long and went to work at that age. Children night of bombings we would arrive at in those far-off times usually followed a work and look round to see if any of parent into their work and I was no ex- our friends were missing; sometimes ception. I became a machinist, like my this happened. On one particular occa- mother, in a dressmaking factory. We sion there was bombing raid and the worked from eight in the morning to six local people ran to the underground at night. We had a ten-minute break station and in the panic the wife of one morning and afternoon and three- of our cutters was killed. What could quarters of an hour for lunch. Saturday we do? We just had to get on with our mornings too saw us at our benches. lives. When we left work at the end of All this, I seem to remember, for twelve the day, especially on dark winter eve- shillings and sixpence a week of which I nings, the sky could be aglow from the

26 The Tangmere Logbook

fires burning in the City of London. By February 1945, I only had a year Our factory in Tottenham was not im- left of overseas service but still had mune either; it was struck and we had plenty of adventure in me. Despite the to be re-located in another building. advice “never volunteer”, I just could- Happily no one was injured, since it n’t help myself — especially when a happened at night when the factory was great opportunity for more travel came closed. my way. I had heard that the Dakota Memories of the air siren would squadron, based the other side of the make us all rush for the shelter and we airfield, were making a move to the Far would think not of our handbags — East so I promptly took myself to their they didn’t contain much — but of our orderly room. I was told to report for scissors. They were our most precious take off 18.00 hrs the following day. So items. If they got lost we were in trou- after a quick goodbye to the lads, at ble. They were hard to replace; in those 18.00 hrs I reported to 267 Squadron times all available metal was going to and was allocated to an aircraft. It was the war effort and we most probably an overloaded plane with just enough couldn’t afford them anyway. room for us to squeeze behind the We had cheerful times too. The cockpit; most of the crew were already Queen (the present Queen’s mother) on board and so we were soon taxied came to visit our factory and was puz- ready for take-off. We headed south zled as to why one of the sewing ma- out of Bari, over the quarry where all chines was decorated in white. We had the debris from aircraft crashes was to explain that this was our usual cus- hidden; luckily it was very dark so we tom when one of the girls got married. were spared the sight. We were surprised a little while later After a short stop in Malta, we when this particular girl received a little landed at RAF El-Adem, Libya, for a gift from Her Majesty! welcome breakfast. This was almost Now at age eighty-two I still go back like a homecoming after spending to those days and can still remember nearly three years in the Middle East. happy moments that are always tinged We were quickly back in the sky, flying with the sadness of a lost youth taken towards the east to our destination: from us by war. Kilo 26 Cairo West. What a view with — Joan E. Coker the pyramids visible in the distance. Our aircraft was to stay in Cairo for My journey to the Far East several days but we were kept busy It was at Bari, Italy, that my adventure with servicing the odd aircraft that to the Far East began. In October 1944, I passed through. My old unit happened had already transferred from No. 2 Air- to be up the road so I thought a trip craft Delivery Unit, Egypt, to 127 Stag- there to say hello was in order. So on ing Post, Italy, and what a change that the third day I hitched a lift to see had been from desert sand and incredi- them. We spent the time having a ble heat to a damp, cold and muddy chinwag. I was made very welcome so environment. It was also a typical I decided to stay till the morning, catch- American airfield, full of hustle and ing the ration wagon back and hoping bustle with chaotic living and working they had not gone with out me. I ar- conditions. There was a large mixture rived back to hear the news that we of aircraft passing through the airfield were moving on that evening so we making every day different and inter- spent the day doing jobs on various esting and plenty of problems to set our aircraft. Just after our dinner we were minds and hands to. called to a plane which was about to

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take off, but appeared to have a faulty one in Burma, hence the battledress. vacuum pump. The vacuum gauge was The sergeant sighed and then went on not showing any suction. So what was I to mention that as I was a corporal I to do? Should I ask the fitter to remove should be sitting at a different table. the engine cowling or check the relief This resulted in a coughing fit from the valve tucked high up in the engine na- lads when I mentioned that such a lux- celle? I decided to check the relief valve ury was not usual in our circumstances. myself: just as well, because when I got The sergeant and officer turned quickly up there I found it was covered in mud and marched away, both with a look of bought all the way from Italy! After a disgust, leaving us to enjoy our break- good clean up I put the valve back. To fast. After that meal we went back to get the correct vacuum was fairly tricky: our plane for take-off to the east. From it involved jumping up and down on Habbanya we flew east to Bahrain, the wheel with the engine running mak- landing in late afternoon. After a meal ing sure I didn’t hit the propeller at the with several other aircraft crews we same time! Another job well done. noticed some American C-46 Curtiss Meanwhile our plane was getting Commandos (two-engined transports, ready for the off so I grabbed my tools similar to our Dakotas) coming into and boarded. Another two airmen had land. It was then announced that a been added so we had a little less room show would be given at 20.00 hrs by than before, and we were even more none other than the Glenn Miller Or- cramped. It wasn’t long before we left. chestra. The concert was held on the We had an enjoyable journey. Cairo sand under the stars and moonlight. It was all lit up which was certainly a was, in RAF parlance, a truly wizard sight. Towards dawn I headed up to show. It lasted for two hours and the cockpit and we spotted a large plane many years later I can still visualise the about 500 ft away heading in our direc- scene on hearing any Glenn Miller mu- tion. It was a Sunderland, and it passed sic. us so close we were able to wave to each Our aircraft needed nothing doing other. It looked rather incongruous fly- to it so we were back on our journey ing over the desert. Soon RAF Hab- again by mid-morning the next day. banya (Iraq) was on the horizon and we We covered more desert territory and landed in time for a welcome breakfast. soon landed in Karachi. This was wel- On looking around we were all struck come to most of us: the warmth and the by the apparent peace-time atmosphere. thought of discarding battledress and The whole area was clean and tidy, with donning khaki drill. This was only an- all personnel spick and span in neatly other overnight stop and we were on pressed khaki drill. Our arrival was our way to RAF Bilaspur in no time. greeted with stares we were still wear- Bilaspur was not far from Calcutta. It ing our shabby khaki battledress. Dur- was a melting pot of old and new ing our breakfast the orderly officer and ground crew. It was also the place for sergeant, extremely neatly dressed, the forming-up of the squadron. It was came along to ask us the usual “any a week of intense activity and hard complaints?” We had to say who we work. The instrument section now had were and give an explanation as to why a couple of sergeants, straight from we were not as neatly dressed as they technical school, three corporals and were. Being the only corporal, all eyes eight airmen. The sergeants, having fell on me so I answered that we were not worked on aircraft before, couldn’t RAF and we had just come from a war contribute much so it was down to the zone and were on our way to another three corporals to head up the repair

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and maintenance work. The actual went to a nearby cafe and had a cup of camp was fairly comfortable with ac- tea and a cake. When the others came commodation in bashas (huts) complete back and found out what I had been up with charpoys (beds). It seemed to be a to, they were envious. The next week new drome that had possibly been built there were several people who wished in case the Japanese had moved west- to run. Most of them were athletes but ward. Whilst at Bilaspur we were in- then the word got around and later the undated every day with Indian school- number went up to fifty or more. I was children on trips with their teachers as made an acting corporal for the occa- they had never seen an aircraft close up. sion. Many of them brought their fags They had never seen Englishmen close and matches and dropped out when up either. We learned that some of the we got to Daddy Hole Plain and disap- children had walked up to 40 miles to peared through the bushes for a smoke, visit us. a snooze and a lie in the sun. On the After a week the squadron started to way back we stopped and picked them move on to Imphal, Assam, and so once up and I implored them to look tired again we were on an overloaded aircraft and sweaty when we all came back to- flying east. This time we were to start gether. our real work. We were to drop sup- Another bit of fun was an athletic plies and fly out the wounded but that contest organised by the Army on the is another story. Torquay football pitch. On the day, I

— Derrick Hull was to run the 100-yard sprint. We got ready for the event and were told “Get Memories of No. 3 Initial Training to your marks.” We all crouched down Wing, Torquay, 1942 but then the starter, who was an Army In many ways the ITW was something staff sergeant, told us to stand up. like being back at school as we attended Looking at me he said “What have you classes in classrooms in addition to the got on your feet?” A bit nonplussed, I outdoor activities like shooting as well said “Running shoes.” “But they have as going to church. On Wednesday and got spikes in them.” “Yes, of course. Saturday afternoons we had energetic Running shoes have spikes just as soc- sports to do to keep fit. On the first cer boots have studs and so do rugby Wednesday we were told that those boots but of a different shape and even who wanted to play soccer were to cricket boots have studs.” Blank look. stand in one place, those for rugby in “But the others haven't got them”, he another, cricket in a third and so on. In said. “Not my fault!” “I will get the the end I was the only one left. “And officer” so off he went and came back what do you want to do, son?” “Cross- with a major in the Royal West Kents country running, sir.” A short pause, (the Buffs) who when he saw me said then “Very well, but you are on your “I might have known that if there was own.” The others all went off and I did trouble, there would be a Vanhegan to my run, past Babbacombe, so I was blame” and with a big grin and an out- away for over an hour, wearing my own stretched hand said “Hello, Van; how running shoes, not RAF plimsolls. are you?” and we had a few moments When I came back, the place was de- relaxed chat and a laugh. The staff ser- serted. I went to our billet and found geant's eyes came out on stalks and he there was hot water in the system so I went white and his mouth dropped ran a bath and lay in it for a long time open to see his senior officer chatting — absolute luxury. I put on my uni- amiably with an AC plonk. The major form after polishing the buttons, and was Geoffrey Cranmer Willis who had

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been my school captain a year or so be- I saw another part of the world that not fore I left school. He then asked what too many people have seen, and I met the problem was and, as usual, made the lady I’ve spent a good life with and the wrong decision and upheld the staff had children, all because of that speck sergeant, so we had to remove our of land far away. spikes and run in RAF plimsolls. As it — Mike Wieland turned out, I won the race and the other two RAF competitors were second and Answer to Photo Quiz, Autumn 2008 third, so justice — and the Army — was Our congratulations to Harry Bennett well and truly done. and David Rowland who, in collabora- — Dan Vanhegan tion, correctly identified the pilot as

Alan Geoffrey Page, the date as July Climbing Shamshan 1939, the aircraft as a Hawker Hind One of the fables of being in Aden was belonging to the University of London that if you climbed Mount Shamshan it Air Squadron, and the place as Honey- was said that you would not return on suckle Hill, Rottingdean, near Brighton. another posting. A very good reason to A year later, in August 1940, Geof- go up!!! I seem to remember that it was frey Page was serving with No. 56 reputed to be about 2,000 feet high. A Squadron when during aerial combat group of us with absolutely no idea of with a formation of Dornier bombers what it entailed decided to make the over Kent the fuel tank just forward of climb on a weekend. There were two his Hurricane’s cockpit was hit. He ways of climbing up to the top, an easy was forced to bail out through a sheet way and a difficult one. Naturally we of flame. He endured a long and pain- chose the hard way. Equipped with ful series of skin grafts to treat his face minimum food and drink and wearing and hands, carried out by Sir Archibald shorts and vests, off we went. We McIndoe at the Queen Victoria Hospi- started in the early morning and made tal, East Grinstead. Page insisted on good progress. Realising the sun was returning to general duties in 1943. In coming up pretty fast we climbed on to June, he and James MacLachlan (who get as far up as possible before it got too had lost an arm), flying borrowed Mus- hot. I am ashamed to say that the rule tang Mk Is, shot down six enemy air- of looking after one another evaporated craft in 10 minutes. By the war’s end, as fast as our body fluids. Eventually, Page had destroyed a total of 13 enemy thanks to a corporal who met us half- aircraft, plus other probables, and had way up, we arrived at the top only to been awarded the DFC and Bar and a find that most of us had bought lemon- DSO. He was the was the first chair- ade in glass bottles and the shaking man of the Guinea Pig Club and the around had burst the bottles. Those moving force behind the creation, in that had been more sensible had bought 1993, of the Battle of Britain Memorial non-fizzy drink did get a little slurp be- near Folkestone. He was awarded the fore we made our way down. Needless OBE in 1995, and died in 2000. to say we went down the easier way! I Curiously, Page did not refer to the don’t know that the fable worked be- incident depicted in our photograph in cause a few years later I was back, al- his autobiography, Tale of a Guinea Pig though not for long; just staging (later republished as Shot Down in through. Flames). Embarrassment, perhaps? We All in all, I look back on the time I thank Brian Bridges for supplying the spent in Aden and can say it was an photograph. adventure that I wouldn’t have missed. — Ed.

30 The Tangmere Logbook

— Museum Collection Photo Quiz

Name the aircraft, the squadron, the place, and the approximate date.

Visit the Museum’s website for up-to-the-minute news at www.tangmere-museum.org.uk

Cover illustrations Front cover: Our cover illustration of Lancaster AS-K is from a painting by Edmund Miller, GAvA, which appeared on the cover of the 1997 “Reach for the Sky” calendar published by Brunel Promotions. Reproduced with the kind permission of the artist and of the publisher. Back cover: Untitled, artist unknown, in the collections of the National Archives; reproduced under Crown Copyright licence.

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