Tracing a Squadron's activities

My late great uncle appears in the DVD below, and knowing only that he was a radio operator on a Lancaster Crew (im unable to get his war records at this time), Im assuming he must have been in No1 Group Bomber command as this is the group the film was made with. So is there a way be it via the net or published books or even accessing records of telling what missions he or his group would have been on.....I apologise if its the proverbial needle in a haystack request.....

 

May I suggest joining this in-depth forum and asking question(s)

Lancaster-Archive Forum • Index page

 

'Night Bombers' was made ( unofficially ) by Air Commodore H I Cozens at RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire during 1944. Two Lancaster squadrons were operational from there at that time ; 150 and 170 Squadrons.

( Ignore the photo on the DVD cover - that's a photo of Guy Gibson's 'Admiral Prune' 106 Squadron Lancaster at Syerston......)

 

Thats great thanks guys......from what I have googled i have found the following

Is there any publications or info that tracks the crews of 150 and 170 squadrons

Thanks again for your assistance

 

AFAIK there isn't. Patrick Otter produced three books back in the 1980s ( 'Maximum Effort' Vols I/III ) which reproduced many rare photos of 1 Group but obviously, there are no crew listings etc. However, the photos ( being mainly unofficial 'snapshots' ) are wonderful and give a vivid idea of life on the 1 Group Stations.

Sadly - and this is going to sound very boring - probably your best option is a visit to the PRO at Kew in London and a riffle through the Operational Record Books ( ORBs ) of the two squadrons. It's hard graft, but very exciting. Once you've located your relative and 'his' crew, it then becomes fairly easy to track every operation and every aircraft which they flew......

 

Thanks again, much appreciated....

 

Try these websites:

150 RAF Squadron

Royal Air Force 150 Squadron This looks like quite a detailed site and is dedicated to those who served in the 150th RAF Squadron in WWII.

No. 150 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War

RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary
RAF - 150 Squadron "In the early months of the Second World War No. 150 served with the Advanced Air Striking Force in France and in May 1940, was one of the Battle squadrons which attacked the Meuse bridges in an attempt to stem the German advance. It was withdrawn to England in June 1940, and by the end of the year was flying Wellingtons and playing its part in the strategic night-bombing offensive. In December 1942, after having flown 1,717 sorties from the United Kingdom with Battles and Wellingtons, the squadron moved to North Africa and subsequently took part in the Tunisian, Sicilian and Italian campaigns.

No. 150 was disbanded (in Italy) early in October 1944, but re-formed in England a few weeks later as a Lancaster heavy-bomber squadron, and between 11th November 1944 and 25th April 1945, flew 827 operational sorties, and dropped more than 3,827 tons of bombs on enemy targets. In so doing it lost 8 aircraft and 40 aircrew. After finishing bombing operations the squadron was employed on dropping food supplies to the starving Dutch people, transporting ex-P0W's from Belgium to England, and also ferrying personnel from Italy to this country.

It carried out attacks on Germany for the rest of the war and disbanded on 7 November 1945.

Lancaster-Archive Forum • View topic - RAF 150 Squadron Helmswell

World War 2 - No. 150 RAF Squadron, May/June 1940

WThe Wartime Memories Project - RAF Snaith

Yorkshire. RAF Snaith. Apparently 150 shared with 15 squadron. These are photos taken in modern times.

170 RAF Squadron

RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary

RAF-lincolnshire.info :: 170 Squadron

BBC - WW2 People's War - My Father 170 Squadron RAF Hemswell

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR...CD91C4010/0/RAFSquadronsOperationLogBooks.pdf

No. 170 Squadron RAF | Facebook

This site may assist you in how to search for information on planes and crew Researching planes & Crew of WWII - PD275 and flight crew 12sqn

No.170 Squadron RAF

Research Addresses

Hope these help or give you further leads.

 

Thats GREAT, lots to go at there....Thanks very much, I have also ordered the Maximum effort books....Thanks again