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A veteran interview with

Stuart Holmes

Stuart Holmes flew Sunderland Flying boats with 205 Squadron during the Korean war. He provides a lot of interesting detail about his life at Iwakuni.

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About Stuart Holmes

Stuart Holmes joined the RAF as soon as he was 17 ½ years old in 1949 and was soon sent to Southern Rhodesia for pilot training, travelling there in some style aboard RMV Stirling Castle. After 18 months he returned to the UK as a sergeant pilot and converted to Sunderland flying boats. In 1951 he was posted to Singapore, which was a permanent RAF base from which detachments of three or four Sunderlands were forward-based in Japan to support operations in Korea. He completed two detachments over Korea and was commissioned during his time there.

He describes in some detail the operations he flew: patrolled the coast to spot any Chinese or Russian ships interfering; prevent the Chinese from inserting agents by sea; bombing designated patches of jungle before ethe army moved in; gathering accurate weather information for allied forces as the Chinese had stopped weather reporting. He highlights the challenges and excitement of learning to fly Sunderlands, including weapon training and adapting to different flying conditions.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Andy Voase
Transcribed by:
Mary Makinde

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

If you would like a version of the transcript that has been transcribed manually by Mary Makinde, please complete this form or email info@legasee.org.uk.

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Home | Veterans | Stuart Holmes

A veteran interview with

Stuart Holmes

Stuart-HolmesFrame

Stuart Holmes flew Sunderland Flying boats with 205 Squadron during the Korean war. He provides a lot of interesting detail about his life at Iwakuni.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Holmes, Stuart. A Veteran Interview with Stuart Holmes. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 24 Oct. 2017 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/stuart-holmes/. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
APA Style:
Holmes, S. (2017, October 24). A Veteran Interview with Stuart Holmes [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved July 15, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/stuart-holmes/
Chicago Style:
Holmes, Stuart. 2017. A Veteran Interview with Stuart Holmes. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, October 24. Accessed July 15, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/stuart-holmes/
Harvard Style:
Holmes, S. (2017). A Veteran Interview with Stuart Holmes. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 24 October. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/stuart-holmes/ (Accessed: 15 July 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Holmes, S. A Veteran Interview with Stuart Holmes [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2017 Oct 24 [cited 2025 Jul 15]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/stuart-holmes/
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