Bill Morris

Bill Morris was a rear air gunner in the 460 Squadron based at RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire. He was born in Monmouth in 1924 and lived in Llandogo in the Lower Wye Valley. He left school at 15 and joined the RAF at 16 as an apprentice in admin and accounts. At 18 he volunteered to join aircrew, and became an air gunner.

He trained in South Wales in an Anson aircraft, and after 6 weeks he qualified, then went on to his operational training unit, where he joined up with a squadron of Australians. He trained on Wellingtons and Halifaxes for about 8 weeks, and then went to RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire. He did 32 operational trips in Lancaster bombers, mainly over Germany.

After the war he stayed in the Air Force, then became a security officer on a diamond mine in Tangenika, now Tanzania, in East Africa, eventually ending up in Hereford where he worked at the City Council.

He was founding secretary of the Hereford and The Marches Branch of the Aircrew Association, and is still in contact with many of his squadron based in Australia.

In these extracts from his interview, Bill discusses why he joined up, why he was stationed in the east of England, his raids over Europe, and how he celebrated VE day.