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When: 15 September 1940 , over Belgium Sergeant John Hannah VC (652918) Royal Air Force: 27 November 1921 – 9 June 1947 The Battle of Britain normally […]

Planning and preparation: 10 – 16 September 1944 On the narrow corridor that would carry the armoured drive, there were five major bridges to take. They had […]

This is the story of the Royal Air Force’s role in Operation Market Garden, the attempted capture of the bridge over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem. But […]

Lieutenant DH Thomas and his Troop of Sapper Engineers in 1944. Lieutenant DH Thomas is standing at the rear of the group. This blog tells the D-Day […]

Location: 12 August 1943, over Italy Who: Acting Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron VC DFM, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 5 March 1922 – 13 August 1943 As […]

Location: 12 August 1940, over Germany Who: Acting Flight Lieutenant Roderick Alastair Brook Learoyd (37860) VC RAF, 5 February 1913 – 24 January 1966 The Battle of […]

Location: 10 August 1918, over France Who: Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Ferdinand Maurice Felix West VC, MC, Royal Air Force, 29 January 1896 – 7 July 1988 After […]

Location: 11 August 1943, over North Atlantic, west of  The Gambia Who: Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg (N.Z.4I35I5) VC DFC Royal New Zealand Air Force, 5 June […]

Location: 4 August 1944, over France Who: Acting Squadron Leader Ian Willoughby Bazalgette (118131) VC, DFC, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 19 October 1918 – 4 August […]

Location: June-July 1918, over France Who: Captain (Acting Major) Edward Corringham (‘Mick’) Mannock VC DSO** MC* Royal Air Force 24 May 1897 – 26 July 1918 After […]

Location: 7 July 1941, over Germany and Holland Who: Sergeant James Allen Ward (NZ/401793) VC Royal New Zealand Air Force 14 June 1919 – 13 September 1941 […]

Location: 4 July 1941, over Germany Who: Wing Commander Hughie Idwal Edwards (39005) VC DFC Royal Air Force 1 August 1914 – 5 August 1982 On Sunday […]

Location: 24 June 1944, over  North Atlantic Who: Flight Lieutenant David Ernest Hornell (Can/J.7594) VC Royal Canadian Air Force 26 January 1910 – 24 June 1944 During […]

Johnny Smythe in military unform, image courtesy of Eddy Smythe. Jonny Smythe’s life story has all the makings of a movie script. One of the first black […]

Location: 12 June 1944, over France Who: Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski (Can./J.87544) VC Royal Canadian Air Force 14 October 1916 – 12 June 1944 Pilot Officer […]

Location: 31 May 1942, over Germany Who: Flying Officer Leslie Thomas Manser (66542) VC, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 11 May 1922 – 31 May 1942 On […]

Image: photograph by 210 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, of Flt Lt John Alexander Cruickshank (RAF Museum X004-7598/011; CH 137/44). Location: July 17 1943, over the Norwegian Sea […]

Location: 17 May 1943, over Germany Who: Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson (39438 ) VC, DSO*, DFC* , Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 12 August 1918 – […]

In our seventh Victoria Cross blog, we bring you the story of two men who both earnt the Victoria Cross whilst trying to destroy bridges using the Fairey […]

On 3 May 1943, Squadron Leader Leonard Trent was B Flight Commander, 487 (RNZAF) Squadron based at RAF Feltwell, Norfolk, equipped with Lockheed Ventura light bombers. That […]