Lancasters at Waterbeach: Some of the Story of No. 514 Squadron RAF

Harry Dison completed a tour of operations as a Flight Engineer in Lancasters, flying with 514 Squadron from RAF Waterbeach, near Cambridge. Four decades after the war was won, Harry contacted many of his fellow veterans from the squadron, determined to collect as many recollections as possible so that the memory of the unit and its members might be preserved for posterity. Now, seventy years after the squadron was disbanded, the words of the veterans still speak loudly about the experiences of this incredibly brave group of men and women. The power of recall of the contributors provides a wealth of detail about life in one of the many bomber squadrons that carried the war to Germany. It includes harrowing stories of the loss of friends, and the bravery and resilience of those who, shot down, tried to evade and escape from the German forces. But, as Harry points out, there were so many who were unable to tell their story as they did not survive. For that reason, this can only ever be ‘some of the story’. This book is the authentic voice of those who served and survived and, in one case, who wrote an account of his first raid before failing to return from a subsequent operation. It also remembers and honours their comrades, 437 from 514 Squadron amongst the 55573 aircrew lost from Bomber Command as a whole. For our tomorrow they gave their today.