A chest Parachute attachment hook of which two were fitted to the front straps of a parachute harness for quick attachment of chutes, when collected in an emergency from the chute stowage areas on aircraft and a belt buckle from an R.C.A.F. airmen’s tunic.

Part of a large collection of artefacts, documents and photos relating to this crew and aircraft in our Buckinghamshire related Heritage Collection.

Joseph Watson was killed along the other six members of his crew when the Avro Lancaster he was flying, Lancaster I, serial RF150 coded QB-W from No. 424 (Tiger Squadron) R.C.A.F., crashed at Widdenton Park Woods at Lane End, near High Wycombe Bucks, returning from a raid on the Leuna synthetic oil refinery, Merseburg, Germany 6th March 1945.

Gallery photos 1 to 4: (Left) Chest Parachute attachment hook & (Right) Belt buckle from an R.A.F. airmen’s tunic.

Gallery photo 5: Example of chest parachute.

Gallery photo 6: Example of the hook attachment to a parachute harness shown here being worn by Sgt.M.Hayes, a rear gunner of a Wellington crew, Sept 1943.

Gallery photo 7: Avro Lancaster parachute stowage positions.