In Memory Flt/Lt Robert Oliver Belton, Pilot, 223 (BS) Squadron 1924 – 2015
I am sure all members who met Bob Belton at our annual Reunions will be very sorry to learn that he passed away on 11 January after a short illness. He was a regular attendee at our May gatherings, but sadly we knew him for a comparatively short time as he only became aware of our existence four to five years ago. He was a gentleman, and it was a pleasure to spend time in his company. He had a nice sense of humour and I always looked forward to seeing him at the Reunions.
I have interviewed and spoken with many wartime aircrew, but I am pretty sure Bob is the first I met who joined the RAF through the Short University Course entry system. Bob’s successful selection occurred in 1942, and his six month course was spent studying science subjects at King’s College, Cambridge which he commenced in October. One and half days each week were spent on subjects from the standard RAF Initial Training Wing (ITW) course. After successful completion in April 1943, he was given the rank of SAC moving across the City to Marshall’s airfield to attend the RAF Grading School. The Grading School system was set up to reduce wastage in Pilot training experienced earlier in the war, weeding out potential failures before they started formal flying training. At Grading School, the embryo Pilots would complete some twelve flying hours in Tiger Moths to assess their potential flying skills. Unsuccessful candidates would be offered training in other aircrew specialisations, or re-mustering to other branches.
Bob successfully cleared the Grading School hurdle, and like many thousands of other would-be Pilots and Navigators entered the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and, in his case, sailed for Canada aboard the Queen Elizabeth to train in both Canada and the USA. After the award of his wings he moved to Pensacola in Florida to convert to the Consolidated Catalina, destined for Coastal Command in May 1944. However, he found himself in the same position as founder members of the reformed 223 Squadron who
trained in Nassau for Coastal Command, but were redirected to Bomber Command because of a surplus of aircrew in the former. He therefore returned to Britain on a posting to 84 O.T.U, RAF Desborough in January 1945 to train on Wellingtons; and it was here that he formed the nucleus of his crew for bomber operations. Bob and his crew successfully completed their course in April 1945 and were sent on leave prior to a move to Lancaster Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) and the final stage in their preparation for a posting to an operational Squadron. A telegram changed all this and the crew were diverted to 1699 Flight at Oulton where they would convert to the B17 Fortress. At Oulton they were joined by additional aircrew to make complete operational crews, and Bob was finally given the Commission that should have been his when he completed his Pensacola course in May 1944 under the terms of his Short University Course entry scheme. After a short conversion to the B17, Pilot Officer Robert Oliver Belton and crew moved across the airfield to join 223 Squadron on 21 April.
Frustratingly, it was to be too late for ops, but perhaps with some consolation that they would survive. However, Bob did manage a ‘Cook’s Tour’ over the Reich, viewing the devastating damage meted out to German cities. The crew were able to experience a taste of 223’s wartime ops by taking part in Exercise Post Mortem. This involved German personnel and a large number of RAF Observers and was held to try and establish the effectiveness of Bomber Command tactics and radio counter-measures against the German air defence system. The exercise was held in northern Germany and scheduled to begin on 25 June, continuing to 5 July, involving aircraft from 1, 3, 8 and 100 Groups. The first sorties were flown without 100 Group participation, presumably for comparison purposes. As the exercise progressed, the succeeding tests introduced various elements of 100 Group, starting with the effectiveness of the Mandrel screen and continuing with the other capabilities including Window, Jostle, Carpet and Piperack, not forgetting the Window Force.
With the rundown of 223 completed, Bob’s next move in September was to 512 Squadron at RAF Home on Spalding Moor equipped with Dakotas. In October, having converted to the new type, he moved with the Squadron to its new operational base at Qastina in Palestine. Its role in the Middle East was to provide a freight and mail service covering Naples to Aden and Jask in Iran. The troubles in Palestine prompted a move of the Squadron in November to a less vulnerable location at Gianaclis in Egypt, closely followed by a further move to Bari in Italy the following month.
Typical of post-war turbulence in the RAF, Bob was back in the UK in March 1946 in time to get married in April, just before a new posting to 511 Squadron based at RAF Lyneham operating Avro Yorks. He would have certainly clocked up his flying hours, travelling as far as Calcutta on his longest route. Again, his time on 511 was short lived and on 1 January 1947 he was selected to attend the Central Flying School (CFS) at RAF Little Rissington to be trained as a Flying Instructor. Older members will remember the terrible
winter of 1946/47 and, unsurprisingly, completion of his 12-week course was severely delayed. He eventually qualified as a ‘C’ category QFI with a posting to 7 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey on 1 July. Again, this was a relatively short tour and in June 1948 he was posted back to CFS as a Staff Instructor. This was obviously recognition of both his qualities as a Pilot and Instructor. He stayed at CFS until May 1951, qualifying on all types at Little Rissington, including Tiger Moth, Mosquito
TIII, Spitfire 16, Lancaster VII, Auster V, Balliol, Meteor T7; and it was no surprise that he qualified with the highest A1 rating for a QFI and a Green Instrument Rating Card.
In a change of career he left the RAF in May 1951, but joined 22 Reserve Flying School at RAF Filton at Bristol where reserve Pilots came to maintain their flying currency on Tiger Moths and Chipmunks. Incredibly, whilst at Filton he was given the opportunity to fly in and briefly (20 minutes) take the controls of the giant Bristol Brabazon. Bob thus joined the privileged few who could add this doomed prototype to their Flying Log Books.
The remainder of his working life was spent in the aviation world with BOAC, and later with British Airways after the merger with BEA. Initially as a Flight Simulator Instructor he started with the Comet 1 and continued with later types including the Boeing Stratocruiser, Britannia 102 and 312 and finally the Comet 4. At BOAC he encountered Squadron Leader Bellingham who had been OC 1699 Training Flight at Oulton, and a former 223 Squadron Flight Commander who was flying Comets. He was then appointed
the Flight Safety Officer under Sir Charles Guest, who was Air Safety Adviser to the Chairman of the airline. Bob continued in the role following the merger of BEA and BOAC, and continued to hold senior positions in the international field of Flight Safety representing British Airways on the IATA Safety Advisory Committee (Chairman 1976-77), the Flight Safety Foundation (USA) and the UK Flight Safety Committee (Chairman in 1974). He finally entered a well-earned retirement in 1982.
A most modest man despite his achievements. I count myself extremely fortunate to have known albeit for all too short a time.
R. M. Forder
This article is from the Summer 2015 issue of Confound and Destroy
