F/Sgt Lloyd Chamberlain

[Dave Homewood]

F/Sgt Lloyd Montgomerie Chamberlain was a Cambridge resident before WWII.

I am a bit puzzled over some of his history, which I got from official sources and placed on his page here:
www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Lloyd%20Chamberlain.htm

First of all he trained as an Air Observer. It said in his records that he served with No. 2 (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF from September 1940 through till the 30th of July 1941. However history of that squadron shows that it re-equipped from Lysanders to P-40 Tomahawks after the fall of France. So why would an Air Observer have been on a squadron that flew single seat fighter aeroplanes? Would he have been on staff in a ground role?

Also later he went to an OTU and crewed up, becoming a rear gunner on Wellingtons with No. 75 (NZ) Squadron, where he was killed. Was it common or unusual to place an Air Observer into the roll of rear gunner in a bomber crew? Even if he was a highly skilled gunner surely the extra training in navigation and bomb aiming and wireless operation might have meant he didn't have to be a tail end charlie?

Any thought? anyone?

[errolmartyn]

Jul 30, 2013 1:15:05 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

F/Sgt Lloyd Montgomerie Chamberlain was a Cambridge resident before WWII.

I am a bit puzzled over some of his history, which I got from official sources and placed on his page here:
www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Lloyd%20Chamberlain.htm

First of all he trained as an Air Observer. It said in his records that he served with No. 2 (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF from September 1940 through till the 30th of July 1941. However history of that squadron shows that it re-equipped from Lysanders to P-40 Tomahawks after the fall of France. So why would an Air Observer have been on a squadron that flew single seat fighter aeroplanes? Would he have been on staff in a ground role?

Also later he went to an OTU and crewed up, becoming a rear gunner on Wellingtons with No. 75 (NZ) Squadron, where he was killed. Was it common or unusual to place an Air Observer into the roll of rear gunner in a bomber crew? Even if he was a highly skilled gunner surely the extra training in navigation and bomb aiming and wireless operation might have meant he didn't have to be a tail end charlie?

Any thought? anyone?

Dave,

He trained as an air gunner with No 1 Observers School, which at the time trained both air gunners and air observers.
No 2 Sqn, RAF, operated Lysanders from July 38 right through to July 42 and did not receive Tomahawks until August 1941, thus operating both types together for a time.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Errol, this makes a lot more sense now. I had forgotten that the school was actually No. 1 Air Gunners and Air Observers School. Cheers.

[Dave Homewood]

So did the Lysanders in Army Co-Op squadrons have Air Gunners facing backward? I've never really thought about it. Would the squadron have kept just to Britain or would their Lysanders have ventured across the Channel after September 1940 when he joined?

I'm also curious about the dates of his graduation at Ohakea and his embarkation for England, both listed as the 7th of June 1940. Was there that much of a rush on that they graduated in the morning and got on the train to Auckland or Wellington that day and onto a ship? or is one of the dates wrong? That puzzles me a bit.

[errolmartyn]

Jul 30, 2013 14:16:07 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

So did the Lysanders in Army Co-Op squadrons have Air Gunners facing backward? I've never really thought about it. Would the squadron have kept just to Britain or would their Lysanders have ventured across the Channel after September 1940 when he joined?

I'm also curious about the dates of his graduation at Ohakea and his embarkation for England, both listed as the 7th of June 1940. Was there that much of a rush on that they graduated in the morning and got on the train to Auckland or Wellington that day and onto a ship? or is one of the dates wrong? That puzzles me a bit.

Dave,

Para 1: yes, no.

Para 2: see Vol 3 of For Your Tomorrow - his entry on p125 and notes on p24.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Sadly I do not have Volume 3, only Volumes 1 and 2.