Ground crew were the men and women who provided the necessary support to keep Bomber Command flying. The operational success of a squadron and the safety of the aircrew rested on the shoulders of the ground crew. Each aircraft had a dedicated maintenance team of skilled and highly trained tradesmen who serviced and repaired their assigned aircraft.

Ground crew underwent a lengthy and rigorous training program, the primary Canadian school being at St. Thomas, Ontario. Some of the training, especially when dealing with electronics, was top secret. As Bomber Command grew, so did the demand for trained ground crew personnel.

Working conditions were challenging. Ground crew worked in all types of weather, generally at exposed aircraft dispersal points that were located around the perimeter of the airfield. Some erected crude, temporary shelters at their aircraft's dispersal. Occasionally, work was done in draughty hangars. It was not uncommon to work through the night under black-out conditions.

"You had to understand groundcrew, as so many senior officers failed to do. They would literally do anything for you, accept any task, if they knew and understood why it was important, and if they knew you understood their problems. Each of the squadron's twenty bombers was serviced by its own groundcrew. Each crew was headed by a sergeant, although often a corporal was given the responsibility. A flight sergeant or 'chiefy' was in charge of each flight of ten bombers. Each small group of fitters and riggers, supported by instrument bashers, radio techs, armourers, and gas crews, owned the bomber. While the aircrew might think the bomber belonged to them, and painted witty sayings, pictures, and bombs on the nose of the bomber, the groundcrew knew differently. It was their aircraft and they had a fierce pride of ownership. They wanted their bomber to work to perfection, and this was apparent to any interested aircrew. . . If, as aircrew, you understood that the bomber belonged to them, and that you only borrowed it for flying purposes, the trust between the ground and air sides developed beautifully.

"It was the groundcrew who wept for the missing aircrew as they waited through the long, cold nights for their bomber to return. For the groundcrew it was a sad time when most of the bombers had returned and their dispersal stood empty. . . Some groundcrew lost ten or more bombers and each had its effect on their behaviour. A pilot gets to love a particular aircraft, for, like a car, it has its own idiosyncrasies; but a ground technician gets to revere it and to give it human qualities.