Acknowledgements

Under construction.

Guys and Girls,

I have been researching this story now for many years and my first acknowledgement and thanks have to go to Hans Nauta, for introducing me to this very touching story and making it an obsession – Thanks for that Hans!!!!! Just think of all the weekends, evenings, l could have been enjoying myself rather than chasing this story around. Seriously Hans, thank you.

Because this story has been built up over many years, up until very recently as a personal family record for my three boys, Adam, Sean and Patrick, and the rest of the family, l have not always kept a record of those that have helped me or from where the information has come from so l will start off with an apology, seriously meant, that if your contribution is not acknowledged here or you feel l have got something up here without a source or even incorrect source, then please let me know. I certainly do not mean to offend and would wish others to do the same. Equally, if anyone wants to use this information for non-commercial purposes, then please acknowledge my web site. The pictures, poems, personal photographs taken from my Fathers log are, however, very personal so please do not use them for any reason without my very specific permission.

Many people have told me that l have a book in the making and maybe they are right but l want this information available for everyone, for them to add to my web pages, put up their own/relatives/friends stories for everyone to enjoy and benefit from. This is our history after all.

What l would love however is for the film makers to take part of this story, that of Sgt George Grimson, Dixie Deans and Ron Mogg or maybe the Blenheim Boys or the Last March to Freedom of the POW’s and tell those particular stories, especially that of George Grimson. Would that not be a great film? Better than any acts of bravery or endurance shown in many a blockbuster nowadays and reality after all. I’m sure anyone reading this will have their own special story or memories, they should not be forgotten.

So to acknowledgements and thanks, heartfelt but in no particular order:-

Fellow researchers.

Hans Nauta, Joss Leclercq, Chris McCairns (Son of Sgt James McCairns), Pat Jackson (inspirational), Pete Tres (For helping put this web site together), Linzee for really encouraging me and guiding me

Excellent reference books:-

John Nichol and Tony Rennell – The Last Escape

The Sergeant Escapers – John Dominy

Bill Chorley extensive volumes on ‘Bomber Command Losses’, including OTU’s, Conversion units, etc. A valuable reference guide for any Bomber Command budding historian.

Theo Boiten – Blenheim Strike.

Greame Warner – Blenheim

Tony Overill – Crash Boats of Gorleston.

Hugh Verity – We Landed by Moonlight.

Ken Delve – The Source of the RAF.

Ross McNeill – RAF Coastal Command Losses: Aircraft and Crew Losses 1939-1941, Volume 1.

Oliver Clutton-Brook – Footprints on the Sands of Time, RAF Bomber Command Prisoners of War in Germany 1939 to 1045

The National Archives – Escape from Germany, True Stories of POW escapes in WWII.

Stephen P. L Johnson – A Kriegie’s Log, the lighter side of Prison Life, including his growing up and Eton.

The Family of Ken Lister who passed on his diary to the RAF Museum, Hendon.

Anthony Partridge – That Spilt Eternal second.

Derek Thrower – The Lonely Path to Freedom.

Alex Kerr – Shot down – A secret Diary of one POW’s long march to freedom

Reference web sites:-

Comparison of the armament of the RAF and German equivalents https://www.quarryhs.co.uk/BoB.htm

Royal Air Force acronyms and abbreviations http://www.associations.rafinfo.org.uk/acronyms.htm

Lancaster Night Bomber experience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-cVw7Xb6Nk

and http://ww2talk.com/forums/uploads/monthly_04_2014/post-24943-0-79208600-1397995941_thumb.jpg

Fantastic web sites, including forums:-

Imperial War Museum Collections:-

The Royal Air Force Forum; http://rafforum.activeboard.com

WW 2 Talk

RAF Command, including a list of RAF POW’s; http://www.rafcommands.com

ASRMCS

The Goldfish Club, official web site; http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=vv;id=1;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwebspace%2Ewebring%2Ecom%2Fpeople%2Fvb%2Fb24gunr1%2FGoldfish_Club%2Ehtml

German Aircraft capabilities – Data from William Green’s Warplanes of the Third Reich.

RAF Squadron Associations; http://www.associations.rafinfo.org.uk/squadron.htm

Duty of any captured airmen http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/RAF/POW-RAF/

Lees excellent web sites on MI9 http://arcre.com/arc…/mi9/mi9history

and http://arcre.com/archive/mi9/is9

 

Linked web sites:-

http://aircrewremembered.com/davenport-les.html

http://www.archieraf.co.uk/

Teunis Schuurman or PATS web site, Volunteer WWII researcher, from Vollenhove area, Netherlands http://www.teunispats.net/sglo.htm

1941 RAF Training film – The First Thing Parade ground exercises for Royal Air Force personnel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuhLexhVbUo

The RAF at War – Re-Arming the Bomber http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44rK70MK488

The RAF at War – In the Drink http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my8hzHGMIe4

The RAF at War – Air Sense http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp1ROrtxKWY

RAF at War – Fly Away Peter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZUoXB0X2RI

RAF Nought Feet – Low Flying Navigation PART 1/2 1943 – 1944 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQWZEVaoFKQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6oGa1bqe1U

An incomplete RAF training / information video from 1940 describing the drill for air gunners and operation of the turrets in the Hudson and Defiant aircraft http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcPTnsAP9wU  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcPTnsAP9wU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5OMhR-Lm6s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIIqY81T67E

WW 2 USAAF Flak Training for Pilots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIYVwqHM488