The Raid on Cologne (Part 3 of 3)

Heroes Remember

The Raid on Cologne (Part 3 of 3)

Transcript

I hitched a ride back to our own squadron, me and the crew the next day and a couple days after my adjutant calls me up and he said, "Sellen, would you come up to the room please?" And so I went up to his room and I thought, "Well, what have I done wrong now, you know, I haven't had an air plane for a week." anyway. So I didn't see why he was calling me in but anyway I went in there and he said, "I got something here for you Sellen," he said and he pulled open a drawer and he pulls out this incendiary bomb that the crew where we landed, the ground crew, they had found this incendiary bomb in my big gas tank and they sent it up to me for a souvenir and, you know, I got that thing yet.

Description

After landing the aircraft, to his dismay, Mr. Sellen is called into the adjutant’s office.

Richard Sellen

Richard Sellen was born in Oak Bank, Manitoba on September 19, 1920. His hometown has been Oak Bank for his entire life. He enlisted approximately a year and a half after the war started. He was in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 426 Squadron. His rank at the end of the war was flying officer. He returned to Oak Bank after the war and started a building construction company with his brother. They built all types of buildings throughout the province of Manitoba. His parents were both originally from England but they actually met in Winnipeg. They settled on a small acreage near Oak Bank and it is there on that very site that Mr. Sellen grew up and still lives today. He and his wife Mary have five children, 15 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He has belonged to the Canadian Veterans Association since the war. After retirement, Mr. Sellen purchased a small plane which he enjoyed flying out of a grass strip near Oak Bank. He built and flew a home built airplane with two of his sons. Mr. Sellen holds great pride and recognition for being part of Bomber Command.

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