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A veteran interview with

Ken Weaden

On the Berlin Airlift, Ken Weadon flew 290 return trips to Gatow based on a shift system which could have started any time of day.

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About Ken Weaden

Before his involvement in the Berlin Airlift, Ken Weaden grew up in the small village of Easton-in-Gordano in Somerset, where he witnessed the devastating aftermath of the Bristol Blitz.

As part of the RAF, Ken went first to Manchester, then to Canada to complete his training, before taking on the position of Navigator during the war, in which he helped with the transport of supplies across Europe.

After being demobbed, Ken struggled to adjust to the monotonous routine of his old job and soon returned to the RAF. In this interview, he recalls being stationed in Wunstorf, Germany, then Lübeck, dealing with the fast-paced nature of the job and the frequent flights to Gatow, where new aircrafts would arrive every two minutes.

Due to the shift system used, one downside of the role was its noticeable lack of downtime. On his only proper night out, Ken remembers being invited to a dance at a hospital club in Hamburg, which was surprisingly full of English medics. 

In total, Ken spent 11 months on the Airlift. Despite the workload, he retains humorous anecdotes from his time in service, like one occasion shortly after the war when his crew were forced to land in a Japanese airfield, and attempted their first meal using chopsticks, with little success.

Looking back at his work, Ken considers it a job well done, and affirms that the crews did what they were supposed to do. After two extra years in the RAF, he decided it was the right time to leave.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Toby Boddy

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

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Home | Veterans | Ken Weaden

A veteran interview with

Ken Weaden

KenWheadon

On the Berlin Airlift, Ken Weadon flew 290 return trips to Gatow based on a shift system which could have started any time of day.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Weaden, Ken. A Veteran Interview with Ken Weaden. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 24 May. 2013 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ken-weaden/. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
APA Style:
Weaden, K. (2013, May 24). A Veteran Interview with Ken Weaden [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ken-weaden/
Chicago Style:
Weaden, Ken. 2013. A Veteran Interview with Ken Weaden. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, May 24. Accessed June 14, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ken-weaden/
Harvard Style:
Weaden, K. (2013). A Veteran Interview with Ken Weaden. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 24 May. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ken-weaden/ (Accessed: 14 June 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Weaden, K. A Veteran Interview with Ken Weaden [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2013 May 24 [cited 2025 Jun 14]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ken-weaden/
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