Details are amazing and include, aircraft type, serial no, Crew names and Rank, bomb load both weight and armament type, times of take off and return, transit heights and also height of bombing run, aircraft snags if any, weather...etc. Some of these trips were well over 8 hours in duration in sub zero temperatures and all the attendant risk of hostilities it must have been horrendous.
As an example, on the 14th October 1944, he took of in Halifax VII NP746 'E' at 0647hrs with 10,000 lbs of bombs for an comparatively unusual daylight raid to Duisberg in Germany returning back to base at 1204hrs.
That same evening they were tasked to bomb the same target taking off at 2235 but at 0051hrs at 19,000ft they had icing problems in the carburettor and a runaway prop that wouldn't feather so were aborted and returned to base at 0304hrs on the morning of 15th October effectively totalling over 10 hours flying in the one day.
The crew were rested but rest was very short lived as that same afternoon at 1718hrs, they were off again in Halifax VII NP769 'D' with another 10,000lbs of bombs for Duisberg once more not getting home until 2212hrs. This is just a snapshot of how intense the operations were and how little rest they all had at times....cannot imagine the strain they were all under as these were not simple everyday flights of course, it was under at times considerable hostile enemy fire there and back so not a picnic by any means.
He always said that he did a lot of operational flying but to read that they have ascertained from the ORB's that he had completed 49 ops has made me very proud of him. I remember one Sunday afternoon watching the film 'Memphis Belle' on TV....as we know, the story line is all about achieving 25 missions with all the resulting fanfare. I clearly remember seeing Dad sitting there watching the film and quietly give a smile and nod, nothing more...now I can understand why.!
