Page 4 - Eugene Patrick Collins

Jimmy (Paddy) Collins joined The RAF at No 3 Recruit Centre, RAF Cardington, Bedford on
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2 November 1943.

From this centre having been fitted out in a new RAF uniform, he was posted to No. 3 Air
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Crew Receiving Centre at Regents Park, London on 8 November 1943. A full medical and
intelligence examination would have followed. Having passed the exams Jimmy was posted
to No.14 Initial Training Wing Bridlington, North Yorkshire on 27 November 1943 for initial
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training. Having completed his basic RAF training he was posted on 19 February 1944 to
No.1 Empire Air Gunnery School RAF Pembrey, Carmarthenshire for training on the ·303
Browning machine gun fitted to Bomber Commands heavy bombers.

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Posted to No. 7 Air Gunnery School Stormy Down, Near Pyle, Bridgend on 29 April 1944,
Jimmy would have fired his weapons at the range at Margham near Port Talbort and flown in
the turret mounted Avro Anson, the RAF's standard airborne training platform
for air gunners. Jimmy was then posted onto to No. 10 Operational Training unit at RAF
Abingdon, Oxfordshire (now Dalton Barracks used by the Royal Logistical Corp), he crewed
up and the crew familiarized themselves with the units Vickers Wellington medium twin
engine bomber.

The crew were then posted to RAF Lindholme (71 Base). This unit, part of
No. 7 (training) Group was responsible for the conversion training of crew’s to the Handley
Page Halifax, and Avro Lancasters as they became available. It is highly probable that
Lindholme's resident Heavy Conversion unit (No 1656) was by this time equipped with the
Avro Lancaster.

It was at this point that the crew were joined by their flight engineer. He having undergone
separate training on the handling of the 4 Merlin engines that powered the Lancaster. Fighter
affiliation training for the air gunners would have also been completed at Lindholme. This
aspect of crew training consisted of fighter aircraft, possibly Hurricanes of 1481 (Bomber)
Gunnery Flight from RAF Ingham, (the airfield situated 1 mile North of RAF Scampton)
practicing engaging the crew’s Lancaster allowing for the air gunners to refine their
procedures for engaging enemy night fighter. Having been passed out by the H.C.U's
instructors, the crew were then ready for posting to any of No.1 Group’s operational
squadrons based in North Linconshire. The crew found themselves posted to 576 Squadron
at RAF Fiskerton operating the Avro Lancaster.

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The crew commenced operations on the evening of the 21 March in Lancaster BA 562
B-Baker 2 (squared) to the German city of Bremen, the target being the Duetsche Vacuum
Oil Refinery. This operation involved 133 Lancasters of No.1 Group taking part and 6
Mosquitos from No. 8 (Pathfinder) Group marking the target.

The Lancaster took off at 07-45am and landed safely at 12-30pm having delivered its bomb
load of 1x 4,000lb high capacity bomb (known as a Cookie) and an incendiary load
consisting of 1500 x 4lb and 120 x 60lb incendiaries.

The last operation Jimmy did with the squadron was the return to the UK of Far Eastern
Prisoners Of War. (Operation ʻDodgeʼ). These former POW's having been flown in from the
Far East by the Americans to Pomigliano, Italy were repatriated to the UK on the 24
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August, the 576 Squadron crew’s having flown out of Fiskerton at 07-33am on the morning
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of the 22 August to Pomigiano.