In what might appear an uncharacteristic initiative, Harris, as Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, asked for contributions from bomber crews to help French families who had suffered through Allied bombing – either after helping RAF airmen or after being hit. The collection raised £12,765 – gratefully received by the French Health Minister, but slightly less than the cost of a single Lancaster bomber.
© Crown Copyright. Courtesy The National Archives, AIR37.1021.