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The Story of RAF Hixon Dr Malcolm Garner

The Story of RAF Hixon By Dr Malcolm Garner

The Story of RAF Hixon by Dr Malcolm Garner


$62.99
Condition - Very Good
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Summary

The story of the Second World War Training Airbase built in 1941 near to the small Staffordshire village of Hixon.

The Story of RAF Hixon Summary

The Story of RAF Hixon: No 30 Operational Training Unit 1942-1945 by Dr Malcolm Garner

The Story of RAF Hixon tells the story of a Second World War Training Airbase. It was built in 1941 close to the small Staffordshire village of Hixon and operated from 1942-1945. During this period thousands of men, many from Commonwealth countries, came together to form crews and be trained to undertake night bombing raids on Germany and occupied countries. The book provides an insight into the experiences of these brave young airman, many of whom would later be killed in action. It also considers the short and long-term impact of the airbase development on the lives of villagers at the time, and the permanent changes that have resulted to the village of Hixon and the local district. Much of the story is based on personal interviews with those involved with the airbase in wartime, either as trainee aircrew, instructors, or ground staff and with others who lived in the village at the time. These first-hand accounts provide a unique understanding of the experiences of those most closely involved. The book also brings the story up to date, recalling previous commemorative celebrations of RAF Hixon and current moves to install a stained-glass memorial window in the local church as a permanent memorial. Two appendices are provided, the first being a chronology of wartime airbase development and activity, the second giving details of numerous accidents and incidents, all as recorded in the original Station Log Book, held at the Public Record Office in Kew.

About Dr Malcolm Garner

Dr Malcolm Garner, a headteacher in special education, lived in Hixon from 1987-2007 and was a founder member of the Hixon Local History Society. As a keen local historian, he undertook considerable research into the local wartime airbase, RAF Hixon, and the impact it had on the village at the time, and subsequently. He was fortunate in being able to meet and interview a large number of people who had been involved with the airbase in wartime as trainee aircrew, instructors, ground staff or local villagers, and record their first-hand memories. As Chairman of the Local History Society, he helped co-ordinate commemorative events in 1992 and 1995 for the 50th anniversaries of the airbase opening, and or its closure at the end of the war. Although now retired and living in Worcestershire he has maintained strong links with the village and is closely involved in current efforts to install a stained-glass window in the local church as a permanent memorial to RAF Hixon.

Table of Contents

Foreword; Chapter 1 Hixon and the Second World War; Chapter 2 RAF Hixon - No. 30 Operational Training Unit; Chapter 3 Living Alongside the RAF in Hixon - Villagers' Experiences; Chapter 4 RAF Hixon - Daily Life 'on the Ground' at the Airbase; Chapter 5 Accidents and Incidents at 30 OTU, RAF Hixon 1942-1945; Chapter 6 The End of the War and Closure of RAF Hixon - What Remains Today?; Chapter 7 Personal Stories of Two Brave Airmen; Sergeant Deryck Rowse, Air Gunner; Pilot Officer W.A. (Bill) Gourlay DFC; Chapter 8 Hixon Commemorates the Wartime Years - 1992 - 1995 - 2022; Appendix 1 Chronology of No. 30 OTU RAF Hixon - 1941 to 1962; Appendix 2 Details of Accidents and Incidents as Recorded in the Original Station Log Book; Acknowledgements ; References ; About the Author

Additional information

GOR013163541
9781789633115
1789633117
The Story of RAF Hixon: No 30 Operational Training Unit 1942-1945 by Dr Malcolm Garner
Used - Very Good
Paperback
The Choir Press
2022-09-01
98
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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