Man's mission to find owner of WW2 RAF notebook

26 October 2025

Katy Prickett

News image — Written in neat block capitals across the top of the book is the name AC1 Harding and what appears to be his service number: 1435985

Ben Schofield/BBC Outside front cover of buff-coloured WW2 RAF notebook. Along its top edge is handwriting printing out the name, ID number and rank of the airman. Below is Royal Air Force written in block capitals. Beneath that it says rough notebook for use in laboratories and Workshops. It is resting on a table. — Written in neat block capitals across the top of the book is the name AC1 Harding and what appears to be his service number: 1435985

A man who discovered an RAF notebook dating back to World War Two is appealing for help in tracing the owner or his family.

Mike Richardson discovered the buff-coloured book while cleaning out an aircraft hangar at Sibson aerodrome, at Wansford, near Peterborough, in 2002.

It belonged to AC1 Harding and is packed with handwritten notes and the odd doodle. The aircraftman appeared to be learning how to fly.

Mr Richardson, chief executive of DSM Group, said his attempts to find out more since then had failed, but revealed: "It's my mission to reunite the book with the owner or his family".

"Over the years, we've shown it to a fair few 'anoraks', but again without much success," he said.

Ben Schofield/BBC Yellowing and torn pages from inside a notebook. There are neatly written notes and diagrams on the right. On the left a torn page shows diagrams and also three noughts and crosses doodles — As well as neat handwriting and diagrams, there are doodles of noughts and crosses suggesting AC1 Harding may have zoned out at times

Mr Richardson bought the type T1 hangar in 2002 as a base for his company.

"It was dusty, cobwebby, but the structure was pretty sound so we set to clean it out using a high pressure power wash.

"That's when I came across the notebook: it shot out and hit the floor."

Ben Schofield/BBC Mike Richardson, who has white stubble and is wearing glasses and a bright blue polo shirt saying DSM in white letters. He is standing outside in front of a pond, with a fountain, behind his aircraft hangar. — Mike Richardson is the founder, owner and chief executive of DSM, which includes a data centre based in the former aircraft hangar

The book, which is similar to a school exercise book, had been hidden in one of the hangar's ribs and was stamped Royal Air Force.

Mr Richardson suspects it might have been intended to be submitted as part of AC1 Harding's coursework while he learnt to fly.

"I'm a pilot myself, for leisure, and I can see stuff in there as regards engines - I'm pretty sure there's a sketch of a wing explaining how lift is generated and that is a key bit of learning how to fly," he said.

Ben Schofield/BBC A World War Two aircraft hangar at Sibson airfield. It is large black-painted building with windows and an entry under the windows. There are planters with plants in front and a paved carpark in front of that. — He acquired the hangar in 2002 and the company moved into it in 2005

The hangar was built in 1942 when the site was RAF Sibson, which appears to have been a satellite station for RAF Peterborough at Westwood Airfield.

Mr Richardson said attempts to find out what Sibson was used for during the war have so far proved fruitless.

"There seems to be a veil of secrecy around it - whether it's true or not, we've been told it was use for dropping agents into France," he said.

So as well as wanting to reunite the logbook with the man who wrote it or his family, he would love to find out more about the airfield's wartime history.

"That notebook belongs to somebody and it's rightful place is with that person and if we can do that and perhaps fill in a little bit of the mystery behind Sibson airfield, I think that would be wonderful," he said.