The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Doncaster: Shenstone and Longmoor Farm May - July 1943
RAF Sergeant Keith Doncaster relaxes on leave in a Derbyshire garden, a peaceful homecoming far removed from the terrors of nightly bombing raids.
From the collection of:
Overview
Ivan Keith Doncaster was the only son of Ray and Evelyn Doncaster. This relaxed family film captures him at home at Sandiacre in Derbyshire enjoying leave in the early summer of 1943. A rear gunner for 166 Squadron he was posted to RAF Kirmington in Lincolnshire. On the night of 22 October 1943 his Lancaster was shot down over Germany during a raid on the town of Kassel. There were no survivors. He was twenty years old. A poignant film that 'tells' a common story from this period.
The memory of Sergeant Ivan Keith Doncaster is commemorated with a stained glass window at St Giles Church in Sandiacre.
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