Above Us, The Stars , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - Gulliford Lowes Jane

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95 pages

English

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"A tremendous read, interweaving military, social and family history...beautifully written and unbearably moving."Over 55,000 young Bomber Command airmen made the ultimate sacrifice; thousands more of their comrades survived one of the bloodiest and most controversial campaigns of the Second World War, but never spoke about their experiences after the end of hostilities.Above Us The Stars tells the story of one of those men, 20-year-old wireless operator Jack Clyde. Through contemporary documents, Jack's own notes, Squadron records, family testimony, interviews with Bomber Command veterans and German civilians, the author pieces together not only the story of Jack and his 10 Squadron Halifax crew, but also that of the family he left behind in the Durham mining town of Seaham Harbour.Why did so many men like Jack remain silent? Why were they unwilling or unable to tell their stories? How did the families of the "Bomber Boys" cope? How did these young men deal with the death and destruction they wrought upon German civilians, and the loss of so many of their comrades?The author explores the answers to these questions and more, and casts a new perspective on the RAF bombing campaign, in this vivid account of wartime in North East England, and of the experiences of the "Silent Heroes" of Bomber Command.

Sujets

Lettres et linguistique

World War II

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	04 septembre 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781800467514
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	7 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0150€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Copyright © 2020 Jane Gulliford Lowes

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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ISBN 978 1800467 514

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Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

In memory of Lydia, Jim, Jack and George
&
“Penny’s Prangers” and the men of “Shiny Ten”
Acknowledgements
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to so many people who have assisted me with my research for this book. I am especially indebted to those professional historians whose published works became my “bibles” whilst I was attempting to piece together Jack’s story – Martin Middlebrook, Chris Everitt, Max Hastings, James Holland, Alan Cooper, Jonathan Falconer and Kevin Wilson. Particular thanks go to Jonathan Falconer and Stephen Bungay who assisted me at the outset, and to Alan Cooper, for permission to quote from his work.
There would have been no book at all if it weren’t for the wonderful people at 10 Squadron Association, especially Ian McMillan, whose history of the squadron, From Brooklands to Brize , provided so much material. Ian, Phil Marter and Dick King at the association (of which I am now a proud member) have been so helpful and have patiently dealt with my never-ending questions.
I knew at the outset that I needed to interview veterans, and I am most grateful to Graham Cowie and the organisers of Project Propeller for inviting me along to their annual aircrew reunion, where I was able to speak to so many men who were contemporaries of Jack and the Pennicott crew. The gentlemen who so kindly shared their precious time with me, some of whom have now passed away, are listed at the back of this book. Special thanks also go to my friend Jill Rose for the introduction to Tom Davidson, and to Tom himself who provided so much information.
There’s only one way to visualise the inside of a Halifax bomber, and that’s to actually climb aboard one. I’m very grateful to Ian Richardson and Barry Fisher at the Yorkshire Air Museum who allowed me to scramble around their Halifax, Friday 13 th , and particularly to Barry for answering all my technical questions. It’s a wonderful museum, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who has any interest in the Second World War or in aviation generally. The staff at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln were so helpful, especially Dr Dan Ellin.
For their assistance with information on the members of the Pennicott crew, I would like to thank Anthony Pennicott and Maureen Cowles-Curtis. An extra special mention goes to Angela Gill, whose contribution will become evident. Tobin Roberts kindly gave permission to reproduce the words of his late father’s poem, To the Men of My Squadron . Paul Mitchell helped with information on “lack of moral fibre.”
For the Seaham part of this book, I am indebted to my family, especially my mother, Moira Gulliford, for all her memories, family stories and her description of 7 Caroline Street. George Clyde, who passed away in 2016, had also provided a lot of details about his family home. Special thanks also go to all those who kindly provided me with their wartime reminiscences of Seaham, in particular Con Vickers, Cecily Guy, Ron Toft, Harry Sayer, Alan Lowes, Greta Meek (who also provided a copy of the Reverend Duncan’s pamphlet) and George Meek. Sadly, George passed away in 2019, before the book was completed. Kathleen Anderson provided lots of help on Seaham casualties, and Brian Slee helped with photographs. Louize Cross provided information regarding her later father, Jimmy Thornton. I am also grateful to the many others who provided information which could not be included due to lack of space.
In Germany, Ian McNee and Heilgard Hacker have been very generous with assistance regarding the Wuppertal raid, and I am especially grateful to Heilgard for allowing me to use her family’s story.
Paul Hewitt at Battlefield Design created the stunning book cover and drew up the map of the Pennicott crew’s raids. Colourisation of the crew photo and Jack’s portrait is by the very talented Marina Amaral. I thoroughly recommend her books The Colour of Time and World on Fire.
There are more photographs on the Gallery page of my website, www.justcuriousjane.com . You will also find articles on Seaham’s history there. You can read more about Edith Threadkell, Jack’s neighbour, in my first book, The Horsekeeper’s Daughter (Matador, 2017).
I’d like to thank my family (and Merry the Spaniel) and close friends (you all know who you are) for their input, suggestions and never-ending support. Finally, I want to mention four very special people who were the inspiration for this book but who are no longer with us: Lydia and Jim Groark (my grandparents), Jack and George Clyde (my great-uncles).
Forever grateful. Never forgotten.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction

1
Roses in December
2
A Breed To Be Proud Of
3
A Call To Arms
4
The Means Of Victory
5
Silver Wings
6
American Friends
7
Unnecessary Railings
8
Airborne
9
Penny’s Prangers
10
Home Fires Burning
11
The Gathering Storm
12
The Shape of Fear
13
Wings Over Wuppertal
14
Innocence Lost
15
The Gates of Hell
16
Wizard Prang
17
Purgatory
18
A Ticklish Business
19
Finest of Mortal Friends
20
Paper Daddy
21
Mephistopheles
22
The Navigator
23
The Big One
24
Lady Luck
25
Permission to Land
26
Absent Friends
27
“For Gallantry”
28
Return to Happy Valley
29
At Ease

Postscript
Bibliography
Notes

Introduction
The Second World War ended twenty-five years before I was born, and yet it shaped me. The emotions experienced by those who endured those six long years – the hardships, the fear, the pain of separation, the emptiness of uncertainty, grief, love, disappointment and ultimately joy and relief – lived on, diminished but never entirely extinguished. Some dealt with those emotions by burying them, never revealing their stories and memories to their loved ones; others, like my grandparents, talked about their experiences constantly.
As I grew older, I began to understand concepts of catharsis and of “collective family memory.” They talked because it helped them process the things they had seen, the things they had lived through, and in some cases the things they had had to do.
Their history became my history.
We cannot comprehend the enormity of the threat that generation faced, the social chaos and upheaval which ensued, nor the bravery of the millions of men and women who served. It is very easy to lapse into the clichés of “keeping a stiff upper lip” and “doing your bit.” In reality in every city, town and village, ordinary life went on, just in a different way, and in extraordinary circumstances. It had to. People still went out to work and to the cinema, children went to school and played in the streets, babies were born, lovers were married and the dead were buried.
What follows is a narrative I’ve wanted to know, understand, and ultimately tell, since childhood. This book tells the stories of Jack Clyde, a young RAF Bomber Command wireless operator, of his crewmates in 10 Squadron, and of the family he left behind in the small Durham mining town of Seaham Harbour. Jack was my great-uncle, and one of the many of thousands of men who never spoke about his experiences after