大象传媒

1812020 SGT. / 186140 F/O JACK A RUSSELL D.F.M.

1.Bombed Out

Two incidents during WW2 stand out in my mind.

On the day of the Battle of Britain, my family were bombed out of our home in Penge. We were instructed to gather up what we could, and were then directed to a rest centre. On the way there we were told, that that too was bombed. We eventually managed to get a couple of beds, and my father found a friend with transport and we finished up in Chislehurst Caves where we stayed for a short while. Our three younger brothers and my sisters were then evacuated, and our local Council (Beckenham) requisitioned a house, from where we saw out the blitz unharmed.

Friendly Fire!

Two years later I joined the RAF and eventually joined a crew, which flew after much training on Lancaster Bombers. It was an excellent crew, and our first tour of operations was over the most heavily defended German cities, and the Luftwaffe was probably at its peak efficiency, and our losses were very heavy.

On this particular operation we were about to commence our bombing run, when we heard a shout from our bomb aimer 鈥淏loody Hell鈥�. What was that? Sid we queried. A Cookie (4000lb) bomb has just missed our nose was his reply. A couple of minutes later, Ken our wireless operator, standing in the astra-dome, a cupola just behind the cockpit, called to the skipper, Alan, there are flames coming from the starboard wing, he then observed flames coming from the port wing, at this stage we continued our bombing run and had just reached the aiming point, when I noticed, first sparks, and then flames passing me in my turret. Fortunately the Bomber Aimer was able to release the bombs. The Skipper then very calmly called prepare to abandon, and prepare we did. I probably had the easiest exit. However as the skipper later said, rightly or wrongly he put the plane into a steep dive, as we all prayed the flames would go out. In the meantime Bob the mid upper Gunner called out Jack there鈥檚 a Focke Wolf 190 coming after us, and the flames were still streaming out. We surmised the fighter thought we were doomed and broke away. We dropped down from 20,000 ft to 10,000 ft and the flames thankfully went out. And the skipper got us home, where we found the aircraft which dropped the cookie, had also dropped its incendiary bombs into our wings where they ignited. Our aircraft was a complete write off, and the skipper, then a flight sergeant, was immediately commissioned and deservedly awarded the D.F.C. It was never done to query one another whether we were scared, but 50 years later I asked the skipper what his feelings were at the time. He replied, I was terrified.

I should like to add after all this that I am a member of the Biggin Hill wing of the Aircrew Association, which during its existence has founded a band of singers. We are from all categories of aircrew and served in many areas of combat. We have D.F.Cs and D.F.Ms, even an O.B.E. and also a member of the caterpillar club. We perform 2 or 3 times a month and are much in demand. As the enclosed copy of a letter will show we entertained at the Bromley Civic Centre on VE/VJ celebration to much acclaim. All but one served in WW2. We have an excellent accompanist on the piano, a lady whose husband served in WW2 with the Royal Navy, and a guitarist who was with the Royal Artillery anti aircraft section. He never shot at us he says.

Obviously most of our songs are of wartime origin, though not entirely and we feel that in any of the 大象传媒鈥檚 VE/VJ we could contribute something. We could do it well. Why not give us a look. WE must be unique.

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