Page 35 - Donald Bernard Graham

Fifteenth Operation

th
11 May 1945 Take off: 11.25am. Return: 19.59pm.

Brussels (Operation ‘Exodus’) Lancaster ME 801 N – Nan2

Donald flew from Brussels to RAF Ford in East Sussex were the RAF had set up a
reception centre for the repatriated servicemen. The crew then flew back to
Fiskerton.

Bomber Command Lancasters now started flying to Brussels, and later to other
airfields, to collect British prisoners of war recently liberated from their
camps. 469 flights were made by aircraft of No. 1, 5, 6 and 8 Groups before the
war ended and approximately 75,000 men were brought back to England by the
fastest possible means (unlike the end of the First World War when some British
ex-prisoners were still not home by Christmas, although the Armistice was signed
on 11 November 1918). There were no accidents during that part of Operation
‘Exodus’ which was carried out before the war ended.