The Airmen's Stories - P/O G L Campbell

Gillian Lorne Campbell was born in Surabaya, Java on 22nd July 1920, the son of Sir Edward Taswell Campbell (1879-1945) and Lady Campbell (nee Edith Jane Warren 1880-1951) of Bromley in Kent.

Sir Edward was MP for Bromley when he died unexpectedly on 17th July 1945 aged 66.

Harold Macmillan had lost his seat at Stockton in the landslide Labour victory of 1945, but was able to return to Parliament by winning the resulting by-election in Bromley.

Sir Edward's brother was Vice-Admiral Gordon Campbell, VC DSO & Two Bars (1886–1953).

He was recommended for the Victoria Cross whilst Commander of HMS Q5 or Farnborough, ‘for conspicuous gallantry, consummate coolness, and skill in command’ shown during the sinking of the German submarine U.83 on 17th February 1917.

Having deliberately steered his vessel into the path of a U-Boat torpedo, and having then drawn in the enemy submarine through the ruse of a ‘panic party’ as she slowly sank, after half an hour the guns of Q5 finally opened fire at close quarters and sank the enemy vessel in ‘what may be regarded as the supreme test of naval discipline.’

Gordon Campbell later subsequently declined the potential award of a bar to his Victoria Cross (following nomination by his fellow officers) whilst Captain of HMS Pargust, having successfully deployed the same tactics and sinking UC.29 on 7th June 1917,

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GL Campbell was educated at Charterhouse School and Peterhouse College, Cambridge, where he was also a member of the University Air Squadron.

He was awarded Aero Certificate 18849 at the University Aero Club on 26th June 1939, his ID photo below. He joined the RAFVR as an Airman u/t Pilot and was called up on 1st September 1939.

On completion of training he was commissioned and joined 236 Squadron on 5th August 1940.

On the 20th his Blenheim was damaged by anti-aircraft fire over Pembroke Dock but he returned safely to St Eval.

On 19th November 1940 Campbell was posted with his flight to Aldergrove, where it combined with a flight from 235 Squadron to reform 272 Squadron. He flew his first operational sortie with 272 Squadron on the 21st.

In May 1941 272 Squadron was posted to the Middle East The first six Beaufighters flew out from RAF Chivenor on the 24th, reaching Abu Sueir, Egypt on the 28th.

The squadron was operational the next day, providing fighter cover for the evacuation of Crete.

Campbell damaged a Ju88 on 1st June south of Crete. On 24th July he claimed two Ju87s destroyed over a convoy east of Malta and on the 30th he damaged a four-engined transport between Sardinia and Malta and also damaged three SM79s on the ground at Elmas airfield, Sardinia.

On 19th November 1941 Campbell destroyed a Ju87 on the ground at Timini airfield, Libya, on the 23rd shared in the destruction of four SM79s on the ground at Barce airfield and on the 26th he shared in destroying a Caproni 311 and damaging a Fiat CR42 on Jedaby airfield.

On 6th December 1941, again strafing Timini airfield, Campbell’s aircraft was hit by flak and he had to make a forced-landing 40 miles south of the airfield. A fellow pilot, F/O DH Hammond, landed alongside, picked up Campbell and his navigator and took off again. Before leaving, Hammond destroyed Campbell’s aircraft with cannon fire.

He was awarded the DFC (gazetted 30th January 1942), the citation stating "This officer has completed many hours' operational flying, involving patrols over Norway, France, the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. He has destroyed at least two hostile aircraft in the air and probably destroyed others on the ground in low-level attacks on enemy bases. Throughout, Flight Lieutenant Campbell has set an excellent example".

He received the DFC from the King at Buckingham Palace. At the same investiture his sister Jean received the British Empire Medal for her command of the LCC ambulance station in Bermondsey during air raids.

He was still serving with 272 Squadron in Malta in March 1942 but at some point subsequently was posted to Boscombe Down for flight testing.

He was killed on December 23rd 1942 when flying Spitfire Mk. 9 BS139 on trials with a 30 gallon overload tank to determine performance at high altitude. The accident report said:

44 minutes after take-off the aircraft was heard descending to the south-west. It impacted at Cadbury Farm, Mottisfont, Hampshire in dense fog.

Campbell was 22 and is buried in Durrington Cemetery, Wiltshire.