Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

Hello Andy

Just before our Public Record Office at Kew changed its name to The National Archives about 10 years ago, the Public Record Office photocopied for me sheets from AIR 24/527 (on OPEN access) and this thick volume for August 1940 was split into alphabetical Appendix sections and the Controllers Report must have been at "K", as they are marked "K".

The sheets I have for 14/15th August 1940 and 15th August 1940 up to 1300 hrs are the Fighter Command OL Watch [I presume OL means Observer Liaison] at HQFC.

The same volume held the Fighter Command "Controllers Report" for the previous month, so also check the reverse of the sheets in all the later volumes as some of the previous months (except August 1940) are on the reverse, as though the paper was being re-used / recycled.

The mid August 1940 copies I had copied, gives "Time", "Raid" number (and if an X raid), an "Identification" column, "Remarks" such as place and information about whom was intercepting and sometimes information about when the raid number faded.

As the MLS HQFC was responsible for identifying friendly bombers at the coast, the report should have friendly bombers noted, but Wilcox for the 15th August 1940 only states:-
"Apart from above there are no reports of E/A anywhere on our coasts. The only activity being our returning bombers. S/L Willcox OL Watch."

Unless there were two persons of Willcox doing the same job on the same watch, then I suspect that at least one copy I have for 15th August 1940 was rewritten as the two Willcox signatures are definitely different.

If you ask the TNA to scan them, you must make sure you ask them to write the corresponding dates, as the date is hidden by the tight binding.

After the PRO photocopied them for me, I had the volume back and handwrote the corresponding night and day dates on each photocopy.

Mark