Do you Recognise this Bomber Crew?

[David Layne]

Kyt wrote........50 Squadron ORBs for a period around Jan to June 1943 so as to ascertain if they flew together.

I understand Larry from

http://lancaster-archive.com/forum/search.php?search_id=egosearch

has 50 Squadron Orbs from April '43 on.

[kyt]

Thank you for the welcomes.

As for irk/erk, I have always read it written as "erk" which is defined as "an aircraftsman of the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force.", though often used for any groundcrew of below NCO level. 

K

[kyt]

Just to add to the possible names:

Peter Cliff Birch (85675), received a Bar to his DFC whilst with 50 Squadron, 7/12/1943

EDIT: If the E C J Wood that I have listed is the one in the photo then the picture must have been taken before Nov 1943, as he relinquished his commission due to ill health on 3/11/1943.

K

[Rabbit B]

Thank you for the welcomes.

As for irk/erk, I have always read it written as "erk" which is defined as "an aircraftsman of the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force.", though often used for any groundcrew of below NCO level. 

K

OK Kyt,

I only know what I have read during the war, and what I was told, so I will go along with that!

Great info again! 

Rabbit B  

[stockman fred]

The "sammy" photo is credited to P.C. Birch so he must have still been around in about 1970 when the book came out.
Here's the link to the Donkey Serenade. (Favourite lines with RAF connection:"Senorita, Donkeys' feet are not so fleet as a mosquita"- They don't write 'em like they used to )

http://pratie.blogspot.com/2008/05/mario-lanza-sings-donkey-serenade.html

Fred

[David Layne]

Thanks for your contribution Kyt.

[grandarog]

Hello All,
       What can I say ,a marvelous surprise when I logged on this morning.   Thanks for all your inputs .
        Hopefully now Larry will have the details of our Photo and Sids crew in his lists now we have names.
        I do appologise for the cardinal sin of assumption re ECJ Wood. I was completely wrong about the Pilot Officer E Wood Lost on Ops in 1944. Sorry if  I have misled any one further. 
      I still think the photo may well have been taken earlier than 1943 maybe when the crew was first formed. That would explain the rather thin line drawing (like its chalked on) of the donkey on my Photo
     Again I hope I am not assuming too much as the Signature below the Pilot on the photo looks far more like it ends in ey or ay than ch which rather eliminates Birch as the name. However I must agree the faces look similar in th Photos. Especially the Jaunty angle of the SD cap in both pics. Mnd you it was quite a common style  as seen in many photos of the period.
      Once again. Thankyou all ,it feels we are really getting somewhere now.
                            Great efforts by All concerned really appreciated,
                            Only wish I could sometimes be of such help to you and other Chatters.
                                           Please stay with us ,
                                                Best Regards to All ,
                                                                      Roger.
PS:- Kyt is absolutely correct about "erk" it is a term that was in use throughout my time in the RAF and is one of the terms used for years and probably still is. Likewise" Sprog " for a new recruit or "Rook" or "Rookie" for a junior entry Halton Aircraft Apprentice before the Apprenticeship system changed.

[grandarog]

Me Again,
               Tongue in cheek and trying not to assume to much after my previous major gaffe. It now looks to me ,after Kyts input, ref. Medal Awards, that my photo  predates 11/6/1943 when WTGray and ECJ Wood were awarded their
Distinguished Flying Crosses . None of the folk in my pic have more than one medal ribbon.
              Now even more requesting.!!
     Is it possible some one can look up somewhere about medal awards ,  ,maybe find out what opps the medals were awarded for also PC Birch's Bar to his DFC later that year.
               Once again, Thanks  to you all,
                                                                 Roger.

[Rabbit B]

Hi Rog,

Perhaps things were spelt differently in Canada, which is where I got the IRK from.

My book is about the school of Air Navigation and their training during the war.  It was printed in Canada.  That's where my Dad served for fours years. At the camp in Port Albert. He was in England after that until he was demobbed.

I am always happy to stand corrected, however have a look at this site.

http://uk.geocities.com/majorsnowdon/galmisc/slang.html

Thanks for the other information, most interesting! 

Rabbit B