Jim
Thanks for the comments.
It is interesting to read accounts directly from the time rather
than accounts written later. It gives a different perspective.
I had always wondered about my uncle and after talking about
internet searches for information my mother remembered she had the
diary.
It is handwritten in a 2 ring binder and as he wrote it regularly I
wonder whether parts about active service were removed by the
censors before being returned to the family, or whether he did not
have time to keep the diary going once in active service. I have
censored a few pages myself about his time at home with family and
girlfriend, as they are a bit more personal to others.
The bit about the ditching was on 3 typed pages he was requested to
write for the RAF. He was in hospital in Bristol with frostbite
after the ditching.

I don't have a copy of the Whitley File, just the Bomber Command
Losses 1941, so I hadn't seen the "undershot" before. I heard from
family that they had been landing in fog after being recalled and
clipped trees, crashed and burst into flames. The rear gunner was
the only survivor but his luck was tragically short, being killed in
Z6506 on 30 Nov 1941.

I visited the site recently. The Acklington airfield is now a prison
and the ground rises up towards the east to the farm and trees where
the crash happened. I had thought they were coming in from the west
and hit the trees on the high ground on the approach, but don't know
for sure. I've read about the state of navigation at the time. At
least they had found the diversion airfield. I wondered about the
altimeter being innacurate if the atmospheric pressure changed
between take off and landing. In fog this could be critical.

I have his uniform and we recently applied, and got, the 3 medals he
was entitled to. It was an odd feeling to see these brand new medals
for someone who had died so long ago.

Colin Findlay


--- In Whitley_project@..., Jim Jamieson
<jimmy2steam@y...> wrote:
> Hi Colin.
>
> Thanks for taking the time and trouble to upload your Uncle's
Diary for everyone's benefit. It is both a fascinating historical
document revealing the mind set of the time and a poignant personal
record of a life cut off at far too early an age. At about the time
your Uncle was flying with 58 Squadron, my Dad was Tail Gunner with
51 Squadron flying out of Dishforth. They may well have flown on the
same raids. My Dad was four years younger than your Uncle and
thankfully completed his tour and raised a family after the War.
>
> When my Dad died in 1990, I inherited his "Whitley File". I
don't know if you have a copy or have already seen the information
in it, but just in case you haven't here are a couple of entries
that might be of interest to you.
>
> "Z6869 58 Undershot Acklington and crashed at Turnbull Farm,
Northumberland, 4/9/41"
>
> "T4266 58 Ditched in North Sea at 5355N:0147E returning from
Berlin 18/4/41"
>
> I was interested to see a mention of RAF Meir in Stoke on Trent.
I grew up near that city and remember watching the gliders over Meir
Aerodrome with my Dad in the 1960s. It was a flying club by then and
you would see the occasional Gypsy Moth amongst the dayglo pink
gliders. (That always got my dad going!) The base was built on in
the 80s and is now a housing estate. The roads are named after
aircraft. Nice touch, but the local authority were short sighted not
to see the value of a regional city airport (that could have been).
The local town would be "Longton" one of the Potteries towns about
two miles away. Meir would have been little more than a big village
in the 1940s. The place is a complete dump now - known locally
as "neck-end". Lovely!
>
> Hope this was of interest.
>
> Jim Jamieson
>
>
>
> thornton271 <cfindlay@w...> wrote:
> I have uploaded the diary to the Whitley group files folder. It
is
> in PDF format.
> Colin
>
> >
******************************************************************
> --- In Whitley_project@..., "steven_e007"
> <steven.reynolds@t...> wrote:
>
> > Yes please, I'm certainly interested and there is plenty of
space
> in
> > the files section!
> >
> > Steve
> > ******************************
> > --- In Whitley_project@..., "thornton271"
> > <cfindlay@w...> wrote:
> > > Hi
> > > Good to find a group on the Whitley.
> > >
> > > My uncle P/O Andrew Law was a Whitley pilot. He was killed in
a
> > > crash (in Z6869 GE-T) in fog when diverted to Acklington on
3/4
> > Sept
> > > 1941.
> > >
> > > I have a copy of a diary he kept from joining up in Sept 1939,
> > > through training to his first mission in January 1941, after
> which
> > > it appears to have been censored. I also have a 3 page write
up
> of
> > a
> > > ditching in the North Sea (in T4266 GE-O) on 17-18 Apr 1941,
> where
> > > the crew were rescued after 3 days. I have scanned/typed
copies
> of
> > > the diary and ditching if anyone is interested.
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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