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Friday, 16 May 2014

Carefree times in RAF Bomber Command - USA 1942 - Arnold Scheme 42G

I was very touched by Danny's comments received this week (re:- previous blog 'many thanks anonymous emailer')

As I said in reply to Danny just now -  We ought to know what happened to all these young men. They deserve it that we know what they looked like and that they were real people.

This is the photograph which, for me, best describes them. They are acting their ages. I can name three of them, each of whom died flying operations with the RAF in 1944. Cousin Jim Ives is far right, next-but-one to him is Robbie Jones and behind him, (also in uniform) is, I believe, John Thould.

Had Jim and John just come off duty and joined other members of their training flight? Whereabouts in the south-east of the USA were they? Is it a lido or the beach?  Florida (possibly), Georgia (more probably) or Alabama (probably not)?

Does anybody recognise any of them, please?

I wonder which of them survived the war?