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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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Fighter Command Crest
12.10.1044 No. 122 Wing Tempest V EJ710 JF-L W/Cdr. Beamont

Operation: Armed Recce

Date: 12th October 1944 (Thursday)

Unit: No. 122 Wing

Type: Tempest V

Serial: EJ710

Code: JF-L

Base: Volkel, Netherlands

Location: Near Bocholt, Germany

Pilot: W/Cdr. 'Bee' Roland Prosper Beamont MiD. DSO Bar. DFC Bar. 41819 RAF Age 24. PoW Stalag IIIa Luckenwalde

REASON FOR LOSS:

Shortly before he was leaving on the operation, 23 year old, Sq/Ldr. Harvey Nelson Sweetman NZ/40992 RNZAF (commanding officer of 3 Squadron) was approached by 'Bee' to take over as wing leader for this sortie. Which he did.

The section attacked a train and then broke away. The rule that W/Cdr. Beamont had strictly enforced with his pilots was that they only make one attack before breaking away. So the others were surprised to see 'Bee' go in for another strafing attack and then a third! It was during this third run that the radiator was hit by small-arms fire from the ground.

With his engine damaged and at very low level he had no choice but to attempt a forced landing, which he did without injury, south east of Bocholt, only to be quickly captured.

For further details of his outstanding life we encourage you to read the article reprinted in our obituary section. He was awarded later with the OBE. CBE. DFC (USA). DL. FRAes. C de G (posthumously) in addition to the awards won during the war.


Burial details:

None - survived the war. Passed away on the 19th November 2001 age 81.

Now out of print a wonderful book has been published "The RAF WWII Logbooks of Wing Commander R. P. Beamont". Published by Tally Ho Publications. ISBN 10: 0955310105 / ISBN 13: 9780955310102.

Hardback format over 320 pages and including a wealth of photographs to illustrate the entries in his flying logbook, this is a document of great importance to historians and researchers of the RAF in World War 2. W/Cdr. Beamont was later to become Great Britain's foremost test pilot flying the three greatest postwar aircraft produced by this country - Lightning, Canberra and TSR-2.

This book will be our gift to you in return for your donation to our site: see Donate page for details.



For further details our thanks to the following sources shown below.

KTY 03.08.2019

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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