Personnel Index - Detail
At RAF Wittering.......flight and groundcrew of XD823.
(a larger version is in Gallery 20)
Cpl Graham photographed during the time of 'Op Grapple'.
Information received from his son Robert Graham.
Dad joined at RAF Cranwell as a 16 year old apprentice in August 1945.....I think it was No 1 Radio School.
He went on to serve at various RAF Stations including Middleton St George, Co Durham, St Athen, South Wales and Merryfield, near Ilminster in Somerset.
I'm not exactly certain when he joined 49 Squadron, but my family moved to RAF Cottesmore, which was being upgraded. He was a radio "valves and wires" man and in the late 50's early 60's he retrained to work on "V Bomber" radar.
After Wittering he moved to Cottesmore where we were living and No's 10 & 15 Squadrons and Victors. In the mid 60's the Victors left but we stayed at Cottesmore.
He went on to both 9 & 35 Squadrons equipped with the Vulcan.
He was killed in an accident in January 1969 just 2 months before his 40th birthday and 22 years service.
He was then a Chief Technician.
'Bill" Graham with his line aircraft during Op Grapple.
The journey to the Pacific was via New York, San Francisco and Honolulu. Images from this period are in Gallery 20.