Roland's War

- Contributor's father (Roland Prosper Beamont) went straight from school to train as a pilot in Scotland.
- Posted straight away into the war, where he flew Spitfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons and the Tempest
- He test flew Typhoons and Tempest when resting from operations.
- He won lots of medals
- He was initially posted to what is now Cardiff airport
- He was shot down twice in WWII, once in Kent when the fuel tank was hit but he managed to get over the ocean to Kent.
- He was the first pilot to break the sound barrier
- 1944 he was shot down over France, captured, and taken to a P.O.W camp.
- He was in Squadron 609 (commander of the squadron), they had the mascot of a goat.
- He taught his pilots aero acrobatics
- Roland's wife was taken into hospital 3 days after he was shot down. She died before he managed to get home.
- Roland's name is on the memorial to 'the few' next to Westminster Bridge and in Capel y Ferne in Kent.
- Roland was in the procession of the memorial of the Battle of Britain 3 times
- His actual medals (miniature ones as photographed here) are in the RAF club
- His squadron shot down more bombs than anyone else
- He was known as 'Bee' throughout the aviation world