The International Bomber Command Digital Archive (IBCCDA or Digital Archive) was set up in early 2015 to capture eyewitness accounts of the bombing war, 1939-45. It constitutes the core heritage collection of the International Bomber Command Centre Project, whose aim is to build a permanent memorial to those who lost their lives in Bomber Command and to present the stories of all those who served and suffered in the bombing war.
The Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Trust is the lead organisation in this initiative and among other funding awards is the recipient of some £2.9m granted by the Heritage Lottery Fund to preserve and share the heritage of Bomber Command. The University of Lincoln is a partner in the realisation of this project; it hosts the Digital Archive and is responsible for the creation of content for the exhibition, which will be housed in the Chadwick Centre at the IBCC site on Canwick Hill. Much of the exhibition content is derived from the holdings of the Digital Archive.
The IBCCDA is a repository of primary source material on the bombing war. It collects digital materials in the form of audio interviews and videographies with survivors; and scanned or photographed letters, photographs, log books, diaries, paintings and other ephemera. It does not hold any original documents – rather, it digitises these so that the originals remain lodged with owners. The Digital Archive also generates metadata associated with all its holdings.
The Digital Archive includes civilian as well as military stories from both sides of the conflict. Its oral history project has embarked upon a programme of recording as many eyewitness accounts as possible; this means recording the memories of informants who are now well into their 90s and some even over 100.
| The Bomber Command Digital Archive is an initiative of the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC). The Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Trust (Registered Charity No. 1144182) and the University of Lincoln are partners in bringing the IBCC to life. |