Extra pilot
Was talking with my father just now. On his last 12 ops as a Lanc pilot (the final 8 of which were to Berlin) he took a total of 10 extra crew - 8 pilots and 2 navigators - to experience their first op before doing it for themselves. He says, though, that he can't remember where the extra pilot sat/stood for take-off - can anyone throw light on this? He also remembers that one of the rookie pilots was seen to be fast asleep as they approached their bombing run over Berlin. He was soon rudely awoken by the crew! In discussion next morning Dad's crew decided there was no way this chap would survive the war. In fact he did.
This same pilot also managed to fall asleep in the officers mess some weeks later - which apparently was seen as a serious crime by all other officers. Therefore whilst asleep his feet were surreptitiously tied to the legs of his chair - once this was done someone rushed over to him to tell him there was a phone call for him, to an obvious resultant comic effect!