Ernest Donald Carmichael – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 15 Squadron
Sergeant Ernest Donald Carmichael – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 15 Squadron Birth and Family Background Ernest Donald Carmichael was born in 1925 at Swansea , the son of Donald Howell Carmichael and Alice Mary May Houghton . He grew up in a city shaped by its maritime and industrial heritage, and like many young men of his generation, he entered adulthood during the most turbulent years of the Second World War. His family’s life in Swansea, still recovering from the devastation of the Blitz, would later be marked by the profound loss of a son serving in the air war over Europe. Military Service RAF Mildenhall , Suffolk Ernest served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve , attached to No. 15 Squadron , a long‑established bomber unit operating from RAF Mildenhall , Suffolk. By 1944 the squadron was flying Lancaster I and III aircraft , taking part in the sustained bombing campaign designed to weaken German infrastructure, disrupt troop movements, and support the Allied advan...
