Interview with Trevor Mullinder

Interview with Trevor Mullinder, born Taihape, 13 March 1919. Recalls he was at Teachers College when war was declared and applied to join the Air Force as soon as he was 20. Refers to flying Tiger Moths at New Plymouth, training at Ohakea and then being sent to the Empire Training School in Canada. Recalls being posted to the west coast of Canada as a navigator for coastal and maritime surveillance. Talks about being sent to officer training, commissioned and sent to England. Refers to training in Mosquito bombers, being posted to 487 NZ Squadron and flying missions over France. Mentions night-time Intruder raids on enemy airfields to keep fighters on the ground. Explains that the squadron became part of Second Tactical Air Force in preparation for the D-Day invasion. Refers to training for low level night time runs over rail tracks in Northern England. Talks about the night bombing raids to support the D-Day invasion. Refers to seeing the invasion glider trains and massed ships in the sea below on the flight back across the Channel, and realising the size of the operation. Mentions nightly bombing runs for the next six nights targeting bridges and airfields. Refers to being shot down, captured, and interrogated at Oberusel. Talks about being transported to Stalag Luft I in open cattle wagons. Comments on conditions in the camp. Recalls seeing a column of Jewish women prisoners nearby. Comments on how his family heard that he was still alive. Mentions the prisoners organised shock brigades inside the camp once the Germans were fleeing, because they did not trust the Russians. Refers to being assigned to clear and protect a nearby airfield for Allied use. Talks about being flown out by Americans. Discusses flashbacks and nightmares he suffered after the War. Interviewer(s) - Alison Parr Accompanying material - photocopy of prison camp paper Barth hard times, vol 1, no 1, last 1, Saturday May 5th 1945, with headline 'Russky come!'. Includes account of how the prisoners took over Stalag Luft I when the Germans left on April 30 1945, including meetings between the Kommandant and senior Allied officers. Also describes conditions prisoners found in the the town of Barth. Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-014859 - OHC-014863 Quantity: 1 printed abstract(s). 5 C60 cassette(s). 2 Electronic document(s) (abstract, partial transcript). 1 interview(s). 5.31 Hours and minutes Duration. Physical Description: Textual files - Microsoft word Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-5377, OHDL-001192 Abstract Available - transcript(s) available. BW colour photograph (2004); photocopies of censored letter and envelope addressed to him at Stalag Luft III Search dates: 1919 - 1939 - 2004 - 1945