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Guest: William Albert “Bill” Hilder, a.k.a. ‘Sandy’, 150046, Acting Sergeant, Royal Air Force
(27 January 1923 to 14th of September 2011)
Host: Dave Homewood
Recorded: 3rd of December 2009
Released: 20th of October 2017
Duration: 33 minutes 59 seconds
Bill Hilder joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and trained as an Armourer. Following his training he was posted to a Bristol Blenheim squadron at Hook in Hampshire. Then he was posted to Iceland to join No. 120 Squadron RAF, arming the Coastal Command Lockheed Hudsons and Consolidated Liberators that were patrolling the North Atlantic.
In 1943 Bill was posted to No. 617 Squadron working with the Tallboy 12,000lb bombs. He was involved in the attacks on the Tirpitz.
Then he was posted onto the special duties list and taken to Teignmouth in Devon to work on a top secret project with Barnes Wallis.
Bill also gives a small insight into life as an armourer on a bomber squadron in WWII.
WHAT a wonderful doc. I was Duty Officer that night and was in the tower when one of the 617 boys landed after the raid. What a great relief. We were continually threatened with a mass raid on Tromso and a cold swim home.
Memories, Jack.
Thanks very much for your comment Jack, wow it’s so neat to have someone who was there listening and commenting. Thank you for your service.