The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. R T Llewellyn

Reginald Thomas Llewellyn was born in Bristol on 25th March 1914 and enlisted in the RAF on 13th January 1930 as an Aircraft Apprentice, passing out in December 1933.

He served as ground crew at RAF Habbiniya, Iraq from 1934 to 1937 and after completing a gunnery course was promoted to Sergeant and posted in 1938 as an Air Gunner to 27 Squadron, operating the Westland Wapiti at Mianwali on the NW Frontier of India.

Llewellyn remustered as a Sergeant Pilot and returned to the UK in December 1938 for training. After gaining his wings he joined 263 Squadron when it was reformed at Filton with Gladiators on 2nd October 1939.

Above image courtesy of and © S/Ldr. (Ret) A W Robertson CSM RFD JP RAAF.

He went to 41 Squadron at Catterick but on his first solo flight, in K9839, he made a heavy landing, bursting a tyre and damaging the wingtips.

After two more slight accidents he was posted on 31st December to 12 Group Fighter Pool at Aston Down to gain more monoplane experience.

He then went on to 213 Squadron at Wittering on 26th January 1940.

Over Dunkirk on 29th May he claimed two Me109s destroyed and probably a He111.

On 11th August Llewellyn claimed a Ju88 destroyed, another shared and another damaged, on the 14th a Do17 damaged, on the 15th three Me110s destroyed, on the 19th and 20th Ju88s destroyed, on the 25th a Me110 destroyed and a Me109 shared and on 11th September two Me110s destroyed.

On the 15th Llewellyn destroyed a Do17 but was himself shot down in Hurricane P3113 by Me110s over Hawkhurst. He baled out, severely wounded in the right arm, and was admitted to the casualty clearing station at Beneden.

He was awarded the DFM (gazetted 22nd October 1940).

He was not passed fit until August 1941 and was unable to fly operationally again. Commissioned in November 1941, Llewellyn became a Specialist Weapons Officer and served in this capacity until June 1945 when he joined 74 Squadron, operating the Meteor F3 at Colerne, as a Flight Commander, taking command in September.

In January 1946 Llewellyn was posted to Palestine as OC 208 Squadron, operating the Spitfire XVIII at Tel Aviv.

He took command of 87 Squadron at Treviso, Italy in August 1946.

Llewellyn held a series of staff appointments and commands prior to retiring from the RAF on 24th March 1957 as a Flight Lieutenant. He took up an appointment as a safety officer with the USAF for the next three years.

He emigrated to Claremont, Tasmania, Australia in 1984 and died there on 6th August 2000.

Additional research courtesy of 'Blood, Sweat and Courage; 41 Squadron RAF 1939-42'
(Steve Brew 2001, Fonthill Media).