The National Archives

Data and Information Obtained from The National Archives (UK)

Many of the interactive reports on the 625 Squadron Website are supported by data tables that contain data and text from the RAF Summary and Detailed ORB Reports for 625 Squadron. In order to make use the data and text from the ORB reports, permission was sought and received from The National Archives (TNA). In order to obtain permission, the 625 Squadron Webmaster (Philip Townsend) sent an email to TNA explaining the usage and making the request for permission.

A licensing fee will be paid (process and arrangements are being awaited from TNA as of November 21, 2025) by the Webmaster to TNA on behalf of the 625 Squadron Website in order to obtain permission to reproduce the images of the ORB reports on the 625 Squadron Website via a link to the Google Pinpoint tool that is being used to create the digitized, searchable versions of the ORB reports.

The license is a one-time fee that provides the 625 Squadron Website with the permission to display the ORB report images, in perpetuity.

The email sent by the Webmaster to TNA is provided below as is the response from TNA granting permission to transcribe the data and text from the ORB Reports.

Email Sent By The 625 Squadron Website Webmaster To The National Archives

From: Philip Townsend, 625 Squadron Website Webmaster <625squadron@gmail.com>
Sent: 21 November 2025 15:16
To: Image-Library <image-library@nationalarchives.gov.uk>
Subject: Usage of RAF ORB Reports (Detailed and Summary) for 625 Squadron

You don't often get email from 625squadron@gmail.com. Learn why this is important

EXTERNAL: This email originates from outside of The National Archives.

To Whom It May Concern,

I would first like to thank The National Archives (TNA) for making digitized copies of the RAF ORB Reports available. The access to these reports has been a critical resource for researchers such as myself.

For context, I am the nephew of Flying Officer William Parmenas Cameron, Pilot, RCAF who was attached to 625 Squadron during WW II. He and his entire crew were killed on October 20, 1943 while on a sortie to Leipzig, Germany. They were the first operational loss for 625 Squadron. I have been researching my uncle and his crew for over 50 years.

It was always my intent to create and curate a website devoted exclusively to 625 Squadron as a way to provide a permanent digital platform to remember all those who served with 625 Squadron. I launched the website in December 2023 and have been continuing to work on its development and enhancements ever since.

I have committed to and have stated as such on the website and the various Facebook sites that are related to 625 Squadron that the 625 Squadron Website will:

never be commercialized,
never have a Paywall to gain access,
never have advertisements, and
only be intended to provide information and data for family members of 625 Squadron personnel and other interested parties who want to learn more about 625 Squadron.

In conjunction with the development of the website, I would like to deploy a relatively new tool from Google which is called Pinpoint. The Pinpoint tool is currently only available to the journalist community, but I have convinced Google to grant me access to Pinpoint for the 625 Squadron Website on the basis that Google sees merit in the objectives of the website. My objective is to use the Pinpoint tool to create searchable versions of the ORB reports so that users of the website can use the tool to view and search the ORB reports for research and to understand, more easily, the operations of the Squadron. Data and text from the ORB reports is also used to support the many interactive reports that are available on the website and which are generated by the Google Looker Studio tool. An example of one of these reports can be viewed by clicking here.

I have read carefully TNA Copyright rules and protocols for the ORB Reports and I believe that the usage of the reports via the 625 Squadron Website would be in compliance with the copyright provisions. I would also commit to acknowledging TNA for the use of the reports and provide a link to TNA Copyright provisions on the 625 Website.

I believe this approach would provide a tremendous resource for researchers, educators and the general public who are interested in learning more about 625 Squadron while serving as a way to remember the service men and women that were part of 625 Squadron.

With all of the above as context, I am requesting permission from The National Archives to be able to use the Summary and Detailed Reports for 625 Squadron for the purposes as described above.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate contact me.

Thank you.

Yours respectfully,

Philip E. Townsend

Webmaster

625 Squadron Website

Email: 625squadron@gmail.com

Website: www.625squadron.com

Website X (Twitter): @625squadron

Personal X (Twitter): @philipetownsend

Email Response from The National Archives

Paul Johnson <Paul.Johnson@nationalarchives.gov.uk>

10:35 AM (1 hour ago) to me

Dear Philip

Thank you for your e-mail.

I confirm that you may transcribe and publish the text of written material from documents in The National Archives on an open website, without charge and without infringement.

The reproduction of images of the documents themselves costs a one-off fee of £40.00 + £8.00 VAT. Should you require it, this fee covers the upload of between one and twenty document images, with rights in perpetuity.

Yours sincerely

Paul Johnson | Image Library Manager

W: nationalarchives.gov.uk
The National Archives, Kew, Surrey TW9 4DU

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