KITS 11/2023

JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Bradwell Bay,

Great Britain, April 1944

Roland Prosper Beamont was born on August 10,

1920, in Enfield, Middlesex County, and had been

fascinated by airplanes since childhood. In 1939,

he underwent pilot training and was assigned to

No. 87 Squadron, flying Hurricanes. From May 1942,

he served with No. 79 Squadron, and in December

of the same year, after completing his tour of

duty, he joined the Hawker factory as a test pilot.

In June 1942, he joined the 56th Squadron, flying

Typhoons, and later he was transferred to No. 609

Squadron, which flew the same type of aircraft.

In January 1943, he assumed command of the unit.

In mid-May 1943, he returned to Hawker, where

he participated in testing Typhoon and Tempest

aircraft. In February 1944, he was appointed

as the commander of the newly established

No. 150 Wing, consisting of No. 3, No. 56, and

No. 486 Squadrons, which exclusively operated

the new Hawker Tempest aircraft. One of the

privileges of being the wing commander was

the ability to mark the aircraft with one's initials.

W/Cdr Beamont took advantage of this opportunity,

and his personal Tempest was painted with the

letters R B. Beneath the front emblem, on the

right side of the fuselage, Beamont's aircraft

carried the designation of Wing Commander.

JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Newchurch, Great Britain, June 1944

In May 1944, No. 150 Wing was declared

operational, although only No. 3 and No. 486

Squadrons were equipped with Tempests, while

No. 56 Squadron had to wait until June 1944 and

temporarily used Spitfire Mk. IX aircraft. During

the invasion, the Tempests of No. 150 Wing were

November 2023

tasked with ground attacks against enemy

forces, and from mid-June, they also provided

protection for southern England against V-1 flying

bombs. Beamont’s aircraft had its camouflage

enhanced on the eve of the European invasion

with distinctive markings in the form of white

and black stripes on the rear fuselage, applied by

ground personnel by hand. In this newly marked

Tempest, Beamont scored a victory over a Bf 109G

on D+2.

INFO Eduard

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