Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Death notice from The Chronicle (Toowoomba) - DAVIES, Robert Lindsay (Bob) - 29 April 2004 - Aged 83

On the 26th of August 1920, Robert Lindsay Davies was born, son to Robert Harold Davies. Robert grew up in Adelaide- his exact address being 6 Leslie Avenue, St Peters. SA. He attended St Peters College, Adelaide. His religious denomination was the Church of England and his occupation was a student engineer. It was recorded on his Attestation Paper that he had a medium/fresh complexion with brown hair and blue eyes. His adult height was five feet and eight and a half inches. He was also not married before or after his service. Later, on the 29th of April 1940- when he was only 20 years old- at the No. 5 Recruiting Centre in Adelaide, Robert Lindsay Davies was enlisted for the war, there was no turning back for Davies now. Robert was now about to serve as an Air Force Pilot in World War 11. His service number was 407018.

From enlistment, Robert began training. The national archives show that the day he enlisted he began the initial training course on the 30th of April 1940. He finished this first course on the 23rd of June 1940 before moving on to the Elementary Flying Training School and was training there for around 8 weeks. He then did his intermediate training on the 30th of September. Robert was promoted to the Leading Aircraftman in the months he was training. In the first year of Roberts’s embarkation to the Royal Air Force, he was promoted as Technical Sergeant on the 10th of December and qualified for a Pilot Flying Badge on the 15th of December. On page 42 of 43 on the National Archives Australia website, it displays the many planes Robert qualified to be able to fly. Examples of these were Hurricane, Thunderbolt, and Tiger Moth. He undertook many courses learning to fly these aircraft and did a total of 226.05 hours.

From 1941 Robert was involved with multiple units. The first was the 24th Squadron on the 17th of February 1941. The 249th Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron, active in the sea patrol, fighter, and bomber roles during its existence, and was one of the top-scoring fighter squadrons of the RAAF. The next unit was the number 30th Squadron on the 2 of October 1941. This squadron was a long-range fighter unit, serving in the Southwest Pacific area against the Japanese. Robert was again involved with the 30th Squadron on the 22 of February, the 31st of October, and the 23rd of December 1942. Gathering information on this 3oth Squadron it is likely Robert was serving in New Guinea and Indonesia. The last squadron that Robert was involved in that is recorded is the 135th Squadron on the 16th of June 1944. This unit again was a fighter unit in WW11.
He was promoted several times. First as a Technical Officer on the 1st of March 1942, a Pilot Officer on the 16th of August 1943, and a Flight Officer 16th of February 1944, and. There is little information about what Robert was exactly doing between 1944 and 1945. Surprisingly on the 6th of September 1945 Robert requested to join the Naval Volunteer Reserve, was accepted and appointment on 17.6.1945. He was put on the permanent list 16.8.1948 and resigned 15.10.1953.

In Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia on the 29th of April 2004, Robert Lindsay Davies passed away due to natural causes. He was buried in the Toowoomba Garden of Remembrance, Cemetery & Crematorium, Australia. He lays to rest with great honour having proudly served his country for over five years.