The Airmen's Stories - P/O L B R Way

Lewis Benjamin Roger Way of Denham, Buckinghamshire was born in Eton on 10th April 1917 and joined the University of London Air Squadron on 30th June 1939.

He then went into the RAF with a direct-entry commission on 15th January 1940, one of the few offered each year to university graduates.

He completed his training at FTS Cranwell (below) and arrived at 5 OTU Aston Down on 17th August 1940. Way crashed on Aston Down aerodrome on the 21st in Hurricane N2428 but was unhurt.

After converting to Hurricanes he joined No. 1 Squadron at Northolt on 31st August. He made his first flight with the squadron on 2nd September and flew his first patrol on 4th September. His last flight with No. 1 was on 27th September.

On the 28th he joined 229 Squadron, also at Northolt, and flew his first sortie on the 29th. During a squadron patrol on the 30th Way baled out of Hurricane P3037, possibly shot down. He was probably injured, because he flew no sorties with 229 between 1st October and 30th November 1940.

His subsequent service is currently undocumented until early 1943 when Way was a Flight Commander with 157 Squadron at Castle Camps, operating Mosquitos.

He had some success damaging locomotives on Ranger sorties over France.

Way was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Squadron Leader. He married Caroline Goode in Westminster in early 1946.

He died on 13th October 1972 in Stoke Poges.