ⓘWhat do the D1–D5 confidence tiers mean?›
- D1A single attributed public source (museum, council, Historic England, CWGC, mapping data).
- D2Two or more independent public sources corroborate the same facts.
- D3A named coordinator or local reviewer has confirmed the public-source account.
- D4A named observer has personally visited and documented the site — photographs, inscriptions, condition.
- D5An archive or institution has provided written documentation supporting the entry.
A higher tier means more corroborating evidence, not automatic historical certainty. The Discovery layer does not replace archival verification.
No. 617 Squadron is an RAF bomber squadron whose wartime Operations Record Book is held at The National Archives at Kew under the reference AIR 27/2128, described in the catalogue as No 617 Squadron: Operations Record Book and covering April 1943 to May 1945. The volume is described at item level, month by month, beginning with AIR 27/2128/1 for April and May 1943.
This page exists so that the people this archive holds who served in the squadron can be found together, and so that each of those connections can be traced to the record that states it. The squadron is commemorated at the Dambusters memorial at Woodhall Spa, which is a separate record here.
What this page does not claim
- This page does not claim a complete roster of the squadron. It lists only the people this archive holds, and the squadron's own strength was far larger.
- It does not claim that any individual named here appears in AIR 27/2128. The reference establishes that the squadron's wartime record exists and what period it covers, not that a particular person is written in it.
- The catalogue entry was captured from the archive's public interface, not from the document itself. Nothing on this page is quoted from the Operations Record Book.
- No operational history is asserted here beyond the dates the catalogue gives.
ⓘHow is each connection known?›
- FROM THE RECORDA record on this platform states this connection, quoted here in its own words.
- CITED SOURCEAn external cited source states this connection.
- SEVERAL SOURCESNo single source states this connection; it follows from several independent pieces of evidence, named here.
- OUR CONCLUSIONThe platform's own editorial judgement, not a statement by a source.
This describes one connection, not the page as a whole: the D1-D5 tier at the top of the page says what the record itself rests on. A connection can rest on a direct statement by a source even where the record around it is weakly supported, and the other way round.
Commemorated at
- Dambusters 617 Squadron Memorial — Woodhall Spa
FROM THE RECORD“In Royal Square at Woodhall Spa, on the site of a hotel destroyed by bombing in 1943, a memorial in the form of a breached dam honours the 204 men of No. 617 Squadron RAF — the Dam Busters — who died in the Second World War.”
Personnel
- Thomas Edward Wright
FROM THE RECORD“Flight Lieutenant Thomas Edward Wright served with the legendary 617 Squadron (the Dambusters) from 1943.”
- William Hargreaves
FROM THE RECORD“Flight Lieutenant William Hargreaves flew with the famous No. 617 Squadron RAF — the "Dambusters." Although he joined the squadron after the famous dams raid of 1943, he participated in numerous precision bombing missions, including attacks on V-weapon sites and the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz in November 1944.”
- Freddie Marsh
FROM THE RECORD“Flight Sergeant Freddie Marsh flew as a rear gunner in Lancaster bombers with 617 Squadron.”
- Jack Whitworth
FROM THE RECORD“Jack Whitworth was a rear gunner with 617 Squadron — the famous Dambusters.”
- Eric Barnes
FROM THE RECORD“Warrant Officer Eric Barnes was a rear gunner with the famous 617 Squadron, the Dambusters.”
- Reginald Harwood
FROM THE RECORD“Wing Commander Reginald Harwood flew with the legendary 617 Squadron — the "Dambusters".”
- Arthur Jenkins
FROM THE RECORD“Flight Sergeant Arthur Jenkins served as a rear gunner with 617 Squadron — the famous "Dambusters." He joined the squadron after the initial dams raid and flew on precision bombing operations against V-weapon sites, the Tirpitz, and strategic targets.”
- Frank Bottrill
FROM THE RECORD“Frank Bottrill from West Bridgford was a rear gunner with No. 617 Squadron — the famous Dam Busters.”
Sources
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