GILBERT, Colin Leslie
| Service Number: | 39458 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 January 1935 |
| Last Rank: | Squadron Leader |
| Last Unit: | No. 460 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Maitland, Yorke Peninsula - South Australia, Australia, 14 January 1918 |
| Home Town: | Maitland, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Maitland High School, Prince Alfred College Adelaide SA |
| Occupation: | Professional RAAF Officer |
| Died: | Night Bombing Raid, Mannheim, Germany, 7 May 1942, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany 2. G. 4., Durnbach War Cemetery, Bavaria, Germany |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
Non Warlike Service
| 7 Jan 1935: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Air Cadet, 39458, No. 1 Service Flying Training School | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Dec 1936: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, Posted to the UK for specialist pilot training |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 39458, No. 214 Squadron (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1940: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 39458, Air War NW Europe 1939-45, 99 Squadron RAF Mildenhall | |
| 7 May 1942: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Squadron Leader, 39458, No. 460 Squadron (RAAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Steve Larkins
Colin Leslie GILBERT (1918-42)
Son of Elisabeth and Les Gilbert of Maitland, York Peninsular, South Australia, Colin attended Maitland High School. Aged 15 in 1933 he enrolled at Prince Alfred College Adelaide.
In 1935 he was awarded a flying scholarship and was selected for training at No1 FTS at Point Cook.
Colin attended Maitland High School. Aged 15 in 1933 he enrolled at Prince Alfred College Adelaide.
In 1935 he was awarded a flying scholarship and was selected for training at No1 FTS at Point Cook. He trained in a DeHavilland Gypsy Moth and and a Westland Wapiti light bomber. On 7 December 1936 he was awarded his wings and given the rank of Pilot Officer, aged only 18 years old.
On 7 January 1937 Colin was selected for Special Training with the British Royal Air Force. He sailed to England on the Royal Mail ship "Orford", arriving in Britain in February 1937.
Colin was granted a "short service" commisson as a Pilot Officer on 6 March 1937 and was posted to No3 FTS at RAF Spitalgate for assessment on the Avro Tutor.
Two weeks later on 20 March 1937 he was posted to No9 FTS at RAF Thornaby where he progressed to the Hawker Hart and the Hawker Audax.
On 30 June 1937 he was posted to 214 Squadron at Feltwell flying in a Handley Page Harrow, the largest land-based aircraft in RAF service at the time. During that time, while captaining a Harrow he had to order abandon ship at 11,000 feet, at night, over Pontefract
Colin was promoted to Flying Officer on 19 September 1938 and to Acting Flight Lieutenant on 7 July 1939.
On 27 August 1939 214 Squadron, equipped with Wellington bombers, moved to Methwold. Whilst there he had to belly-land a Wellington with damaged under-carriage. This and the Harrow incident were two of the four crashes he survived.
Colin’s engagement to Daphne Corbett, the daughter of Captain Noel Corbett RN, was announced in the Adelaide Advertiser on 17th January 1940. Daphne’s father was a Naval Officer of some standing. He was Officer Commanding ‘A’ Turret in H.M.S. ‘Indomitable’ at the Battle of Jutland in the First World War, and had been called back from retirement to serve in the Second World War as senior Royal Naval officer on the Faroe Islands (27 Nov 1941 to 25 Feb 1945).
Colin and Daphne were married in the Parish Church at Newmarket, Suffolk, on 20th April 1940.
On 13 February 1940 Colin was posted to Flying Duties with 99 Squadron at Mildenhall.
On 17 May 1940 Colin was posted to RAF Station Harwell for ‘Flying Duties’.
No.15 OTU had been formed a month earlier, on April 8th, from No.3 Bomber Group Pool. Its function was to train night bomber crews using Wellington bombers. It would seem that Colin’s experience and competence was to be employed in training bomber crews in the skills required for effective night bombing of enemy targets. Although a training unit, as part of their training crews carried out nickeling missions over France, and later even bombing raids over Germany.
On 21 September 1940 Colin was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and posted to 75 (NZ) Squadron for flying duties.
Colin's Service Record records that from 14 February 1941 he was again posted to No.15 OUT for "Flying Duties."
13 June 1941 Colin was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Acting Squadron Leader, thought to have been the youngest Squadron Leader in the Commonwealth forces at the time. Colin and Daphne’s son, David, was born on this day.
On November 21 1941 Acting Squadron Leader C.L.Gilbert (Colin) was reportd having arrived at Molesworth from No.15 O.T.U. to be Flight Commander of ‘A’ Flight 460 Squadron R.A.A.F.
1942 December 4th-6th 460 Squadron moved to RAF Breighton. Colin’s family moved to be nearby at 14 Tranby Avenue (official correspondence says Cranby Avenue in error), on the outskirts of York.
The official casualty records contain this information:
Date of Death : 7 May 1942
Aircraft Type: Wellington
Serial number: Z 1254
Radio call sign: UV L
Unit: 460 Sqn RAAF
from 214 Squadron Association website - http://www.214squadron.org.uk/Personnel_G.htm