Roland Beamont
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Roland Prosper "Bee" Beamont CBE
, DSO
& Bar
, DFC
& Bar
(August 10, 1920 — November 19, 2001) was a British fighter pilot
and test pilot
for the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War, and the years that followed. Born in Chichester
, Sussex
, he was educated at Eastbourne College
.
s with No. 87 Squadron RAF
stationed at Lille
in France with the air contingent of the British Expeditionary Force
, scoring 3 'kills' against German
aircraft. With the withdrawal of British forces from the continent following the fall of France
he took part in the Battle of Britain
, claiming 3 more 'kills', after which he was involved with nightfighting
trials with the Hurricane. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross
in June 1941, and was posted to No. 79 Squadron RAF
, although he was court-martialled for transporting a WAAF
to a dance at another RAF station in his single-seat Hurricane, and was severely admonished.
In December 1941 he was attached to Hawker's at Langley
as a Production and Experimental Test Pilot
. In July 1942 he was back on operational flying, joining No. 609 Squadron RAF
flying Hawker Typhoon
s and subsequently promoted to Squadron Commander. As Commanding Officer of one of the first Squadrons to operate the new and technically troublesome Typhoon, Beamont was instrumental in arguing for keeping the aircraft in RAF service against increasing establishment resistance while he assisted Hawker's in resolving the type's airframe and engine problems. His confidence in the Typhoon was vindicated as the aircraft eventually became the RAF's most successful ground-attack aircraft during 1944-5.
In 1943 he returned to Hawker's as a test pilot, performing experimental testing of the Hawker Tempest
alongside the Hawker's test pilot, Bill Humble
. In 1944, prior to D-Day
, he again resumed operational flying, this time forming the first Tempest Wing
(No. 150) with the rank of Acting-Wing Commander, the Wing accounting for three Me 109
s over the invasion beaches shortly after D-Day without loss, two credited to Beamont. At this time the Wing were switched to intercepting V-1
s over Kent
, shooting down 638, Beamont accounting for 32 of the unpiloted-flying bombs himself. On October 2, 1944, now based on the continent at Volkel
, Holland
, he achieved his ninth and final kill of the war when he shot down a Fw 190 near Nijmegen. On October 12, while attacking a heavily defended troop-train near Bocholt
on his 492nd operational mission he was shot down, becoming a Prisoner of War
. Confined firstly to Stalag-III
at Sagan, near Breslau, then to Stalag III-A
at Luckenwalde
, near Potsdam
, he remained a PoW until the end of the war in Europe, being finally repatriated in late May 1945 after being further detained with the other former POWs by the Russians
.
With the end of hostilities his planned transfer to the Far East
in command of a Wing of Tempest IIs was cancelled and he applied for a permanent commission. The eventual offer of a permanent commission coincided with his being offered a position as a test pilot; he resumed his career as a test pilot, performing the initial test flying of many notable aircraft, including the Canberra
and Lightning
(see radio interview details below), as well as the later-cancelled BAC TSR-2
. In 1948, while visiting the US to fly the North American B-45 Tornado bomber, he was able to persuade the US authorities to give him permission to fly one of the only two XP-86 Sabres then built, based at Muroc Field
. Briefed by test pilot George Welch, Beamont flew the XP-86 in May of that year, breaking the sound barrier
(exceeding Mach 1
) on his one and only flight in the aircraft, the third person to do so in the XP-86. He subsequently went on to become a director of the Warton
division of BAC
, later BAe
, as a Director of Flight Operations. From 1970 he was responsible for the international testing of the Tornado MRCA
. In 1979 he retired, devoting himself to writing and contributing to various aeronautical publications. He died on 19 November 2001 at the age of 81.
Beamont has the distinction of being the first pilot to make a double-atlantic crossing
by jet
, when on 26 August 1952, flying Canberra
B.5 VX185
, he flew from Aldergrove
to Gander and then back again to Aldergove, in 10 hours 3 minutes. In 2002 was posthumously awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre
.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Roland Prosper "Bee" Beamont CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(August 10, 1920 — November 19, 2001) was a British fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
and test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during the Second World War, and the years that followed. Born in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, he was educated at Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, situated on the south coast of England, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The College's current headmaster is Simon Davies. The College was founded by the Duke of Devonshire...
.
RAF career
Beamont's operational career began in 1939, flying Hawker HurricaneHawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s with No. 87 Squadron RAF
No. 87 Squadron RAF
No. 87 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during the First World War and Second World War.-World War I:87 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was first formed on 1 September 1917 at Upavon from elements of the Central Flying School...
stationed at Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
in France with the air contingent of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
, scoring 3 'kills' against German
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
aircraft. With the withdrawal of British forces from the continent following the fall of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
he took part in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, claiming 3 more 'kills', after which he was involved with nightfighting
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
trials with the Hurricane. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
in June 1941, and was posted to No. 79 Squadron RAF
No. 79 Squadron RAF
-World War I:It was first formed at Gosport on 1 August 1917 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. It was equipped with Sopwith Dolphin fighter aircraft in December that year, moving to France in February 1918. It specialised in low-level ground-attack operations, mainly in support of the...
, although he was court-martialled for transporting a WAAF
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
to a dance at another RAF station in his single-seat Hurricane, and was severely admonished.
In December 1941 he was attached to Hawker's at Langley
Langley
Langley is often used as a metonym in U.S. government and military parlance to refer to the Central Intelligence Agency, whose headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia.Langley may also refer to:-Persons:...
as a Production and Experimental Test Pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
. In July 1942 he was back on operational flying, joining No. 609 Squadron RAF
No. 609 Squadron RAF
No. 609 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, originally formed as a bomber squadron and in World War II active as fighter squadron, nowadays provides personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air Force. The squadron is no longer a flying Squadron, but instead has the role...
flying Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...
s and subsequently promoted to Squadron Commander. As Commanding Officer of one of the first Squadrons to operate the new and technically troublesome Typhoon, Beamont was instrumental in arguing for keeping the aircraft in RAF service against increasing establishment resistance while he assisted Hawker's in resolving the type's airframe and engine problems. His confidence in the Typhoon was vindicated as the aircraft eventually became the RAF's most successful ground-attack aircraft during 1944-5.
In 1943 he returned to Hawker's as a test pilot, performing experimental testing of the Hawker Tempest
Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
alongside the Hawker's test pilot, Bill Humble
Bill Humble
William Humble MBE was a well-known pre-Second World War aviator, known as an air racer and for his aerobatic displays, he was also an officer in the Royal Air Force Special Reserve, and the Auxiliary Air Force. Although he qualified as a mining engineer the lure of flying proved too strong, and...
. In 1944, prior to D-Day
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, he again resumed operational flying, this time forming the first Tempest Wing
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
(No. 150) with the rank of Acting-Wing Commander, the Wing accounting for three Me 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
s over the invasion beaches shortly after D-Day without loss, two credited to Beamont. At this time the Wing were switched to intercepting V-1
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
s over Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, shooting down 638, Beamont accounting for 32 of the unpiloted-flying bombs himself. On October 2, 1944, now based on the continent at Volkel
Volkel Air Base
Volkel Air Base is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force - Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtmacht , and is located near the town of Uden, Noord-Brabant, in the Netherlands. It is home to three F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons, 311, 312 and 313...
, Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, he achieved his ninth and final kill of the war when he shot down a Fw 190 near Nijmegen. On October 12, while attacking a heavily defended troop-train near Bocholt
Bocholt, Germany
Bocholt is a city in the north-west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, part of the district Borken. It is situated 4 km south of the border with the Netherlands.-Geography:...
on his 492nd operational mission he was shot down, becoming a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. Confined firstly to Stalag-III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
at Sagan, near Breslau, then to Stalag III-A
Stalag III-A
Stalag III-A was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp at Luckenwalde, Brandenburg, south of Berlin.-Camp history:Planning for the camp commenced before the invasion of Poland...
at Luckenwalde
Luckenwalde
Luckenwalde is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the German state of Brandenburg. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park, about south of Berlin...
, near Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, he remained a PoW until the end of the war in Europe, being finally repatriated in late May 1945 after being further detained with the other former POWs by the Russians
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
With the end of hostilities his planned transfer to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
in command of a Wing of Tempest IIs was cancelled and he applied for a permanent commission. The eventual offer of a permanent commission coincided with his being offered a position as a test pilot; he resumed his career as a test pilot, performing the initial test flying of many notable aircraft, including the Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
and Lightning
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
(see radio interview details below), as well as the later-cancelled BAC TSR-2
BAC TSR-2
The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 was a cancelled Cold War strike and reconnaissance aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation for the Royal Air Force in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
. In 1948, while visiting the US to fly the North American B-45 Tornado bomber, he was able to persuade the US authorities to give him permission to fly one of the only two XP-86 Sabres then built, based at Muroc Field
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
. Briefed by test pilot George Welch, Beamont flew the XP-86 in May of that year, breaking the sound barrier
Sound barrier
The sound barrier, in aerodynamics, is the point at which an aircraft moves from transonic to supersonic speed. The term, which occasionally has other meanings, came into use during World War II, when a number of aircraft started to encounter the effects of compressibility, a collection of several...
(exceeding Mach 1
Speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This is , or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds....
) on his one and only flight in the aircraft, the third person to do so in the XP-86. He subsequently went on to become a director of the Warton
Warton Aerodrome
Warton Aerodrome is located near to Warton village on the Fylde in Lancashire, England. The aerodrome is west of Preston, Lancashire, UK.Today the airfield is a major assembly and testing facility of BAE Systems Military Air Solutions....
division of BAC
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
, later BAe
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
, as a Director of Flight Operations. From 1970 he was responsible for the international testing of the Tornado MRCA
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
. In 1979 he retired, devoting himself to writing and contributing to various aeronautical publications. He died on 19 November 2001 at the age of 81.
Beamont has the distinction of being the first pilot to make a double-atlantic crossing
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
by jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, when on 26 August 1952, flying Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
B.5 VX185
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
, he flew from Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove was a Royal Air Force station situated northwest of Belfast. It adjoined Belfast International Airport, sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of the surrounding area...
to Gander and then back again to Aldergove, in 10 hours 3 minutes. In 2002 was posthumously awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
.
Books
- Phoenix into Ashes - Roland Beamont - William Kimber - 1968 - ISBN 0718301218
- Typhoon and Tempest at War - Arthur Reed & Roland Beamont - Ian Allan - 1977 - ISBN 0-7110-0542-7
- Testing Years - Roland Beamont - Ian Allan - 1980 - ISBN 0-7110-1072-2
- English Electric Canberra - Roland Beamont & Arthur Reed - Ian Allan - 1984 - ISBN 0-7110-1343-8
- English Electric P1 Lightning - Roland Beamont - Ian Allan - 1985 - ISBN 0-7110-1471-X
- Fighter Test Pilot: From Hurricane to Tornado - Roland Beamont - HarperCollins - 1986 - ISBN 0-85059-850-8
- My Part of the Sky - Roland Beamont - Patrick Stephens - 1989 - ISBN 1-85260-079-9
- Testing Early Jets - Roland Beamont - Airlife - 1990 - ISBN 1-85310-158-3
- Tempests over Europe - Roland Beamont - Airlife - 1994 - ISBN 1-85310-452-3
- Flying to the Limit: Reminiscences of Air Combat, Test Flying and the Aircraft Industry - Roland Beamont - Patrick Stephens - 1996 - ISBN 1-85260-553-7
- The Years Flew Past: 40 Years at the Leading Edge of Aviation - Roland "Bee" Beamont - Crowood Press - 2001 - ISBN 1-84037-299-0
External links
- Roland Beamont articles and publications – Indexed list of publications and magazine articles by Roland Beamont
- Pencil portrait of Roland Beamont by aviation artist Geoff NutkinsGeoff NutkinsGeoff Nutkins is a British aviation artist, working in gouache and pencil. He has been painting for over 20 years.Geoff's works focus on World War II, and in particular the Battle of Britain period. A number of his works feature the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Me109, but they...
- `Life with the Lightning` – 1988 radio interview with Roly Beamont by BBC journalist Mike Curtis. Find it at the Lightning Preservation Group website - based Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire.
- The Beamont Files – interview with Roland Beamont
