Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 16, 2013 19:24:13 GMT 12
I have been corresponding by email with Beverley Miller the past day or so. She's a kiwi living in Memphis, Tennessee. Bev's father was the late RNZAF pilot Lloyd Sidney Johns, who flew in WWII.
She mentioned that her father had said he'd flown with the Flying Tigers, and had known Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. Also Lloyd had flown with General Wingate's famous Chindits, and was a test pilot.
Bev is keen to learn more, and on hearing this information, so am I. So I enquired further and Bev kindly sent me Lloyd's Record of Service page from the back inside cover of his Flying Logbook. It makes exceedingly interesting reading indeed.
I doubt he was an actual 'member' of the Flying Tigers (the American Volunteer Group), as in posted to one of that unit's squadrons, but it is more likely he flew alongside them in an RAF squadron, and knew them on the same station in Burma. The AVG trained with the RAF in Burma I believe, from what I have read.
Bev says she's also very keen to track down a copy of a book called Wings over Imphal.
Anyway, here is a run down of Lloyd's Record of Service:
The Yellow text is added by me
The logbook page states Lloyd Johns flew the following number of operational sorties:
Blenheim I-IV = 12 Sorties
Vengeance = 43 Sorties
I'd guess he must have flown more on top of that with No. 18 Squadron too.
She mentioned that her father had said he'd flown with the Flying Tigers, and had known Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. Also Lloyd had flown with General Wingate's famous Chindits, and was a test pilot.
Bev is keen to learn more, and on hearing this information, so am I. So I enquired further and Bev kindly sent me Lloyd's Record of Service page from the back inside cover of his Flying Logbook. It makes exceedingly interesting reading indeed.
I doubt he was an actual 'member' of the Flying Tigers (the American Volunteer Group), as in posted to one of that unit's squadrons, but it is more likely he flew alongside them in an RAF squadron, and knew them on the same station in Burma. The AVG trained with the RAF in Burma I believe, from what I have read.
Bev says she's also very keen to track down a copy of a book called Wings over Imphal.
Anyway, here is a run down of Lloyd's Record of Service:
The Yellow text is added by me
Unit | Aircraft Type | Date From | Date Till |
Ground Training School, Levin | Nil | 1 Sep 1940 | 1 Oct 1940 |
No. 1 EFTS, Taiere | Tiger Moth | 1 Oct 1940 | 22 Dec 1940 |
No. 1 FTS, B Flight, Wigram | Fairey Gordon | 22 Dec 1940 | 28 Feb 1941 |
No. 1 ATS, B Flight, Wigram | Fairey Gordon | 4 Feb 1941 | 22 Mar 1941 |
No. 21 Squadron RAAF, Sembawang | CAC Wirraway | 28 May 1941 | 12 Jun 1941 |
No. 243 Squadron, Kalland | Brewster Buffalo | 12 Jun 1941 | 20 June 1941 |
No. 34 Squadron, Attached, Tengah | Bristol Blenheim | 20 Jun 1941 | 21 Nov 1941 |
No. 62 Squadron, Posted, Alor Star | Bristol Blenheim | ||
No. 1 FTU, Malaya, Kahbang, Kluang | 21 Nov 1941 | 11 Dec 1941 | |
Blenheim Wing, Tengah | Bristol Blenheim | 11 Dec 1941 | 22 Dec 1941 |
No. 60 Squadron, Tengah | Bristol Blenheim | 22 Dec 1941 | 27 Feb 1942 |
No. 60 Squadron, Mingaladon | Bristol Blenheim | 27 Dec 1941 | 31 Dec 1941 |
Attached (i)No. 1 Messing Unit Mingaladon Golf Course | 31 Dec 1941 | 12 Feb 1942 | |
Attached (ii) No. 267 Fighter Wing | 12 Feb 1942 | 25 Feb 1942 | |
Air Staff Duties (iii) No. 113 Bomber Squadron | 4 Feb 1942 | 12 Feb 1942 | |
No. 60 Squadron, Dum Dum, India | Bristol Blenheim | 26 Feb 1942 | 27 Feb 1942 |
RAF Station Allahabad | } | 1 Mar 1942 | |
No. 302 Maintenance unit | } | ||
No. 308 Maintenance Unit | } | 12 Nov 1942 | |
No. 4 Hill Depot, Chakrata [Attached] | 24 Aug 1942 | 5 Nov 1942 | |
No. 110 Hyderabad Squadron | Vultee Vengeance | 12 Nov 1942 | 27th Dec 1942 |
No. 84 Squadron, Vizagaptam | Vultee Vengeance | 30 Dec 1942 | 1 Jan 1943 |
Cholavaram, Ceylon | 1 Jan 1943 | 28 Apr 1943 | |
Ratmalana, Ceylon | 28 Apr 1943 | 28 Aug 1943 | |
Ranchi, India | 28 Aug 1943 | 6 Dec 1943 | |
Maharajpur, India | 6 Dec 1943 | 16 Dec 1943 | |
33 Indian Corps, Kumishirgram, Assam | 16 Feb 1943 | 28 Apr 1943 | |
33 Indian Corps, Dinapur, Assam | 28 Apr 1943 | 3 May 1943 | |
33 Indian Corps, Kohima, Assam | 3 May 1944 | ||
33 Indian Corps, Imphal, Assam | 15 May 1944 | ||
Wingate's Exped 3 Indian Div, Kawab | 29 May 1944 | ||
7 Division Attached | |||
Posted to New Zealand | 14 Oct 1944 | ||
No. 2 Fighter Operational Training Unit, Ohakea | Harvard, Kittyhawk | 6 Feb 1945 | 26 Mar 1945 |
Corsair Conversion, Whenuapai | Corsair | 28 Mar 1945 | 28 Mar 1945 |
No. 18 Squadron, RNZAF, Ardmore | Corsair | 19 May 1945 | |
No. 18 Squadron, Piva, Bougainville | Corsair | 10 of Jun 1945 | |
The logbook page states Lloyd Johns flew the following number of operational sorties:
Blenheim I-IV = 12 Sorties
Vengeance = 43 Sorties
I'd guess he must have flown more on top of that with No. 18 Squadron too.