Yvonne Baseden’s remarkable wartime experience began with her service in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). While working at the Directorate of Allied Air Cooperation and Foreign Liaison, she met Pearl Witherington, who—unknown to Yvonne—was an agent for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). It was this connection that Yvonne believes led to her being recruited by the SOE.  Due to the SOE’s covert nature, Yvonne was officially attached to the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), a common practice for female agents during World War II. Bilingual in English and French, she was considered a natural fit for operations in occupied France. Her first mission involved parachuting into France as a wireless operator to assist the French Resistance. However, after successfully completing Operation Cadillac—a major arms drop supporting liberation efforts—her location was compromised. Captured and transferred to Dijon prison, she was interrogated and faced threats of being sent to Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Despite this, Yvonne never revealed her true identity as an English agent, maintaining her cover as a French Resistance fighter.  Instead of being sent to Paris, Yvonne was transferred to Ravensbrück, the largest female-only concentration camp. She recalls the pressure of concealing her SOE status, aware that other female English agents in the camp had been executed. Fortunately, Yvonne was rescued by the Swedish Red Cross in the final days of the war and taken to Malmö, Sweden for recovery before safely returning home. 

Dick joined the RAF in 1942, aged 19, and flew allied transport aircraft in the Far East, supplying Allied troops in the jungle. After the war he was in Transport Command, operating in Germany and Poland. He was due to go on leave, but the Soviets had just blockaded Berlin, and instead he began flying Dakota transports into Berlin from western Germany. Initially only two transports were involved but this built up rapidly despite the ‘organised chaos’ of the early days. Soon the pilots were working 18-hour days, flying three to four return flights to Berlin daily. During the winter the weather was bad, although not as severe as Dick had experienced during the war. A wide variety of cargoes were carried, from coal to disassembled bulldozers and hay for the Berlin Zoo. On the return flights light export goods and unwell German children were carried. Later he flew the Avro York, a larger aircraft with greater capacity than the Dakota. On at least two occasions there was a mix-up, and a Dakota was loaded with a York’s cargo. They managed to get to Berlin but only with the engines running at maximum power. The Soviet air force harassed the Allied aircraft, sometimes firing their guns over the planes, other times buzzing them as close as twenty feet. On one occasion Dick got tired of this behaviour, turned his plane around and flew directly at the Soviet aircraft, which took evasive action. He thinks that the Airlift prevented another war.

Called up for National Service, Ron Andrews was delighted to join the Royal Air Force and trained as an Instrument Fitter. His first postings took him to RAF Honington and then RAF Oakington, where he worked on Avro York aircraft. He had completed his service and was ready to leave when the Russians blockaded Berlin and Operation Plainfare began. With little warning, Ron was retained and sent to Germany — scraping together kit and equipment on the way.

In his interview, Ron describes the vital role of ground crews in the Berlin Airlift: inspecting and maintaining the aircraft that kept the city supplied. He recalls one flight that could have ended in disaster, and how he filled his downtime fruit picking to the delight of local families.

Although he knew his work was essential, Ron speaks frankly about the personal cost of having his demob stopped. His memories reveal the dedication, frustration and unexpected human connections that kept the Airlift flying.

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