A Tribute to RAF Bomber Command
A Story of Courage, Sacrifice and Survival
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
- Winston Churchill -
Night after night aircrews of RAF Bomber Command flew in darkness and in fear over hundred of miles of enemy-occupied territory facing anti-aircraft fire, mid-air collisions and enemy fighter pilots.
The casualty rate was 44.4 percent for this military unit, while thousands more were seriously injured or captured. Despite the dismal odds of survival, Bomber Command was able to provide a continuous flow of aircrew from many nations throughout the war. Incredibly, their average age was only 21 years and all were volunteers.
The memory of their unmatched courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty must never be forgotten.
More than eighty of Robert Toomey's fellow prisoners at Stalag Luft VII from several allied nations are mentioned here.
They include bomber aircrew, fighter and glider pilots from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Poland, South Africa, Ireland, United States, Rhodesia, the Netherlands, Malta, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
Robert Toomey's diary and scrapbook contain photographs of fellow Allied Air Force prisoners along with handwritten details of their capture, home addresses and signatures that he obtained from them while a prisoner of war between August 1944 and April 1945.
Toomey's scrapbook also holds drawings of various air force insignia and "name cards" that were signed by prisoners at Stalag Luft 7 and Stalag 3A.
See Photos of Fellow Prisoners of War, Pages from the Diary and Scrapbook.
Search a name using the magnifing glass icon at top of page.
WW2 Audio Recordings
RAF bomber crew on a raid over Berlin, 1943.
Canadian bomber crew on a mission, 1943.
Allied prisoners of war are free at last. CBC radio broadcast, April 20, 1945. RCAF reporter Warren Wilkes.
Prisoners of Time - a video tribute to the survivors of Bomber Command, by The Bomber Boys