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New photograph of William “Ginger” Long
Blog reader Tony Penman has kindly sent me a wartime formal picture of Sgt William Long which I have never seen before. Long was the front gunner in Lew Burpee’s crew in AJ-S on the Dams Raid. He had...
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On the record: Barnes Wallis memorial service
William Wallis is a great nephew of Barnes Wallis, and was 16 when he died in 1979. He attended both his funeral in his local church and the later memorial service, which was held in St Paul’s...
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William Long’s Eastleigh birthplace
Pics: Eastleigh and District Local History Society Lyndon Harper has kindly sent me two historic photos showing the house in Eastleigh in which William Long, front gunner in Lewis Burpee’s crew in...
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Two crash site tributes on anniversary of Dams Raid
The AJ-E memorial near Haldern, Germany. (Pic: Volker Schürmann) The AJ-Z memorial near Emmerich am Rhein, Germany. (Pic: Curt Fredriksson) The tributes shown above at the crash site memorials for...
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New photographs of Neville Whitaker
Pic: Boothman family. Lynn Boothman has kindly sent me a photograph of the wedding of her parents Bill and Janet Boothman, at which the best man was her mother’s friend, Neville Whitaker. The wedding...
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Sqn Ldr “Benny” Goodman
Pic: 617 Squadron Association I am sorry to have to report the death earlier today at the age of 100 of Sqn Ldr Lawrence Seymour (“Benny”) Goodman, the last surviving British wartime pilot in 617...
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Benny Goodman: What The Papers Say
Benny Goodman at the RAF Museum in Hendon, September 2020. [Pic: RAF Museum] Benny Goodman’s death earlier this week has been covered on a number of news websites, amongst whom are the following:...
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Goodman to feature on R4 Last Words this week
To mark what has been a sad few days for the friends and families of RAF 617 Squadron, a tribute to the late Benny Goodman will be broadcast on Radio 4’s Last Word programme on Friday 23 July. In it,...
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Early birthday airborne tributes for Johnny’s century
Pic: © Claire Hartley Sqn Ldr George ‘Johnny’ Johnson MBE DFM will reach his 100th birthday in November, but in anticipation of this great event on Sunday 28 July a charity from Penarth organised an...
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The final flight of David Maltby and his crew, 14 September 1943
This photograph shows a detail from the official minutes of a meeting of the Air Officials Administration Conference which took place in the Air Ministry in London on the afternoon of 15 September...
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Built from bricks: the Bombs Raid in Lego form
All the way from Australia comes news of the work of a group of amateur Lego enthusiasts, Nathan Leech, Leigh McGowen, Robb McGowen and Mark Parker. With time on their hands, they took on the...
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Playing an ace: the RAF’s wartime publishing success
All pics: © Ray Hepner Even before the war started, the RAF’s Public Relations Directorate had run a sophisticated programme of promotion of the country’s youngest service. To put it in context,...
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Johnny hits one hundred!
Pic: RAFBF Sqn Ldr George Leonard ‘Johnny’ Johnson MBE DFM turns 100 this week, on Thursday 25 November 2021. Although he is best known to the public for his role in the Dams Raid in May 1943, he has...
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Special badge for Johnny’s centenary to benefit RAFBF
Guest post by Josh Rowles Today is a very special day for my dear friend Johnny. He has turned 100 years old! He is living his best life and has insisted that for triple figures, he didn’t want a big...
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Season’s greetings as we say goodbye to all that
Pic: Charles Foster The sun sets at its earliest time as the old year draws to a close. Things have been quiet for a while but there will be plenty more to write about in the New Year, so check the...
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Blue plaque on Marriott family house in Chinley
Middleton House, New Smithy: the family home of the Marriott family in the Peak District. [Pic: Frank Pleszak.] [Pic: Frank Pleszak.] I am much looking forward to seeing Frank Pleszak’s new biography...
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Benny Goodman’s memorial service in St Clement Danes
Sqn Ldr Lawrence “Benny” Goodman was the last British wartime 617 Squadron pilot when he died last July at the ripe old age of 100. He was honoured yesterday with a memorial service at the RAF church,...
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Goodman medals, logbook and other material to go to RAF Museum
Benny Goodman’s medal group. [Pic: Dix Noonan Webb] Good news in this article from the Antiques Trade Gazette. The Goodman family and the RAF Museum have agreed that Sqn Ldr Lawrence “Benny” Goodman’s...
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Allsebrook crew memorial to be unveiled in June
Ralph Allsebrook and his crew were the first to join 617 Squadron after the Dams Raid. They were all present when the famous squadron photograph was taken at Scampton on 9 July 1943, and are shown...
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Willie Tait and his double-navigator Tirpitz crew
L-R: Flg Off Arthur J Ward (wireless operator), Flt Lt Jim Chapman (mid-upper gunner), Flg Off W A (“Danny”) Daniel (bomb aimer), Wrt Off Mike Vaughan (rear gunner), Wg Cdr J B (“Willie”) Tait...
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