HISTORY
where the fight against Japan was still going
on. Not for long, however, and the request
was not granted. On August 15, the Empire
of the Rising Sun capitulated. That same
month, Daniel Le Roy du Vivier left No. 61
OTU and moved to the Belgian Inspectorate
in London. He was in charge of preparing the
constitution of the first Belgian wing and its
establishment on national territory.
At the beginning of 1946, Daniel Le Roy du
Vivier joined No. 135 Wing at Fassberg (Germany), which was under the command of
the famous Johnny Johnson. No. 349 and
350 (Belgian) Squadrons were brought together there to form No. 160 (Belgian) Wing
and Daniel Le Roy du Vivier was to take
effective command of it as soon as the unit
left the protective wing of the RAF. However,
he would not have the satisfaction of leading
the Wing on its return home. Indeed, the reborn Belgian military aviation needed experienced men in all fields. No sooner had he
brought No. 160 (Belgian) Wing to life that, on
June 10, 1946, he was appointed command
of the Belgian Training School at Bevingen,
a post he would take up in early July.
Daniel Le Roy du Vivier is 31 years old. He
spent five intense years in the RAF during
which there was little time to think about
tomorrow. Now there were many questions
about the future of Belgian military aviation.
He needed to take a step back. On September 1, he asked to be placed on leave of absence for a period of 12 months, which was
extended until December 1, 1947, when he
left active service for a civilian career with
Belgian Shell, and he was transferred to the
reserve.
The Auxiliary Squadron
On December 1, 1949, the Auxiliary Squadron
was created. Formed on the British model,
it was made up of reserve personnel - at
first mainly ex-RAF personnel wishing to
maintain contact with the Air Force - and
was soon completed by young pilots from
universities and colleges. These pilots were
trained during school holidays and through
their military service, after which they could
join the Auxiliary Squadron.
The General Staff of the Air Force naturally
thought of Daniel Le Roy du Vivier to take
command of the squadron, a proposal he
accepted with enthusiasm. A traineeship
at No. 601 (Auxiliary) “County of London”
Squadron at Tangmere to learn about the
operating procedures of this type of squadron within the RAF, prepared him for this
role. He assumed command of the Auxiliary
Squadron as a Reserve Lieutenant Colonel
and held it until 1952. He converted to the
Meteor F.4 in 1951 and, regularly until 1953,
especially during major exercises, he fulfilled operational command functions of the
1st Fighter Wing and the Operations Staff.
In July 1955, he left Belgium for the United
States, where he took up the position of Director for North America at SABENA.
He was promoted to reserve Colonel Aviator
on December 26, 1955. On April 1, 1971, having
reached the age limit, he left the reserve
cadre. Daniel Le Roy du Vivier was killed in
a traffic accident in the United States on
September 2, 1981.
Notes
1) The designation 4/II/2 is an abbreviation for 4th Squadron, 2nd Group, 2nd Aviation Regiment
2) Several Belgian pilots attached to other RAF squadrons also took part in the operation.
Honorary distinctions (Medals)
Photo: SABENA album via A. Bar
Commandeur de l’Ordre de Léopold (BE)
Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Couronne (BE)
Officier de l’Ordre de Léopold avec palme (BE)
Croix de Guerre 1940 avec 3 palmes et 3 lions en
bronze (BE)
Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar (UK)
Officier de la Légion d’Honneur française (FR)
Croix de Guerre française avec palme (FR)
Photo: via A. Bar
At SABENA, Chief Executive Officer for
North America.
The grave of Daniel and Joan Le Roy
du Vivier at St Andrew's Parish Church
Cemetery, Tangmere (UK).
June 2022
INFO Eduard
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