Blog No. 309 – Cliff in Bomber Command, 1944, Part 1 – 18 July 2025

My purpose is to give hope to those who have lost hope. Without hope, we remain lost in the Shadow Lands.

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This photo is courtesy of the Imperial War Museum.  I do not know the name of the men in this photo.  Like Cliff, they were so very young.

The official description says “Armourers of No 75 (New Zealand) Squadron pose with a pair of 500-pounders and give the 'thumbs up' in front of the 'Wellington Devil', a suitably decorated Wellington IC, Feltwell, 10 May 1941.”

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections 

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The official description says “Lockheed Ventura Mark IIs of No. 464 Squadron RAAF running up their engines at Feltwell, Norfolk, before a flight.”

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections 

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In the 5th year of WW 2, on the 23rd of February 1944, Cliff turned 23.  He was still stationed at Mildenhall (designated 32 Base).

The Service Record does not show what particular tasks he performed after taking part in Big Week as an Official Observer.

Although Cliff’s brother Eric told me in 2019 that Cliff flew three missions as a member of Bomber Command aircrew, Eric did not know the dates of the three missions flown by Cliff.  

I do know for certain that Cliff flew as a member of the aircrew during the bombing raids on Dresden in February 1945.  

I am also certain that he took part in Big Week.  

When did Cliff fly his other mission as an aircrew member?  

A pointer to when the third mission did NOT take place can be gleaned from the Service Record.

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The Service Record says that after serving at Mildenhall (32 Base) after returning from Feltwell on 20th of February 1944, Cliff was again posted to Feltwell on 15th of May 1944.  This posting lasted from 15 May 1944 to 1 August 1944 until – a period of about 10 weeks.

Understanding this posting and the earlier posting to Feltwell in February 1944 can be enhanced by digging out the history of Feltwell.  This information comes from http://www.feltwell.net/raffeltwell/articles/raf_feltwell.htm  

No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School started forming at Feltwell in November 1943. They had the job of adapting crews, who had done their operational training on Wellington, to working in Lancaster aircraft with which the operational squadrons of No. 3 Group were by this time equipped. They commenced training in mid-December and continued until the impending end of the war in Europe reduced the demand for crews. The Unit disbanded in January 1945.

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If Feltwell was a training institution to help aircrew adapt from aircraft that had been superseded by the Lancaster Bomber, it is obvious that during the period of 15th of May to the 1st of August 1944, Cliff was providing training at Feltwell to potential Lancaster Bomber aircrew.  Cliff was able to credibly provide this training because he had himself flown on Lancaster Bombers.

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It is inevitable that developments in the war were the dominant reason for the posting to Feltwell.  D Day happened on the 6th of June 1944.  Wiki says 

Operation Overlord commences when more than 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day. And the first Allied troops land in Normandy; paratroopers are scattered from Caen southward.

Cliff was posted to Feltwell because a massive bombing raid was scheduled to coincide with D Day.  Cliff was needed to help give airmen the skills they needed to carry out their missions on D Day.

IF Cliff was training aircrew at Feltwell, it is unlikely he saw active service as a member of aircrew in this period.

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The website https://hauntedrafbases.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/raf-feltwell gives a more human perspective on Feltwell.  

Feltwell still has plenty of resident ghosts.

There are many ghost stories circulating around from the base, the most famous being that of a piston bomber landing in the dark and of an airmen wandering a barrack block nicknamed ‘Herbie’ The Bomber is said to be a Lancaster that crashed during World War II after a raid on Germany. Thus said, the base was home to many types and many Wellington bombers crashed around the airfield. A report from one witness reported seeing the ‘Lancaster’ land on the field and taxi to the hangars, he then reported seeing airmen running around the bomber. I am fortunate enough to work on the base and know of strange goings on in the Old Sgts Mess (Where incidentally in 1941 a Wellington bomber crashed into it above the ante room on the East side. I hope to get a picture on here!) American Users of the building have consistently reported hearing an air raid siren and hearing people running up and down the corridors but when they look out in the corridors there is no-one to be seen! The legend of ‘Herbie’ is of an airmen who resided in barrack block in room 110, I have tried for ages to find out which barrack block so I can investigate but sadly cannot (can anyone help?). He is reported to have moved varying items around rooms, adjusted clocks so people were early/late for work and played general tricks on airmen. In another barrack block near the entrance, which is now used as a school there are reports of strange goings on, items moving and alarms going off for no reason. Security forces have reported seeing glowing red eyes staring at them and dogs refusing to go in there at times. The building does have an eerie feeling, one morning whilst in there on my own I had a horrible sicky feeling and felt like someone was with me.

I wonder if Cliff met any of the ghosts.  If he did, I wonder if he actually knew them from before they died.

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By helping others to heal We help ourselves heal Remember those who preceded us. Give abundant Love Always

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Money cannot buy the important things needed to live.  It cannot buy courage or love.

Banish hatred from your heart. 

Bravery multiplies with use.  

We can always find courage; it is free but its value cannot be calculated.  Not one of Britain’s servicemen opposed Hitler because of a desire for money.

Those who fought Hitler while serving in the RAF were astonishingly brave – and so many of them never returned home.