Blues on the Run a collection of photographs, diaries, letters, telegrams and other ephemera that my grandfather had kept throughout his service in the Royal Air Force throughout the entirety of the Second World War.

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My grandfather, James "Jim" Smith, was born on 13 January 1921, in Billingham, a town in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. From June 1940 to December 1944, he served overseas, stationed in Johannesburg, the British Mandate of Palestine, and Cairo. As an armourer, his responsibilities included loading bombs and ammunition onto aircraft, recovering crashed planes, disarming live ordnance, and retrieving the bodies of fallen soldiers—both allied and enemy.

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Before the war, Jim had met Vera Turnbull, and they corresponded throughout his service. Among the documents he preserved were letters from only two people—his mother, Lilian, and his girlfriend Vera. Their letters, postcards, and diary entries provide an intimate glimpse into lives interrupted by war, revealing personal moments of hope, longing, and resilience.

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This collection is more than a record of one soldier’s experience. It is a window into a world that might have remained forgotten—a story told through the words, images, and objects left behind.