The Delap Collection
Jack Delap completed a combat tour as bombardier with the original Kinsinger crew of the 711th Squadron from December 1943, and then returned to Rattlesden for a second tour of duty. The following photographs, kindly provided by Delap’s sons, give a special insight into life at Rattlesden, and were taken sometime after August, 1944. The photographs were recently discovered as three rolls of negatives.
Many of the personnel and locations shown in this collection remain unidentified. E-mail webmaster@447bg.com with any additional information you might be able to provide.
For more on Rattlesden, see Rattlesden – Then and Now, and the Bigelow Collection
Jack Delap’s bunk
Headquarters
Post Office – Communal Site No. 1
Officers’ Combat Mess
Officers’ Combat Mess
Inside Officer’s Mess
Officers’ Dry Cleaning
Major (or Lt. Col.?) Francis Bonham at Cambridge
Third Roll: These photos also include unidentified personnel, as well as some scenes from unknown locations off the base. The final photographs of aircraft clearly show the addition of squadron and aircraft call letters to the underside of the left-hand wing — known to have taken place throughout the Eight Air Force in mid-May, 1945.
IR-P or IR-R, as yet unidentified, possibly 43-39244. Carries the nose art script “We’ve Had It!” believed to be a post-war annotation.
IJ-Q: 710th Sqdn, 43-38622 making a landing at Rattlesden
IJ-L: 710th Sqdn, 43-39189 landing at Rattlesden
Two unidentified aircraft landing at Rattlesden
Photos provided by Chris and Chip Delap