519260 Sgt Thomas Aldwyn Lewis, RAF HQ, Singapore, POW, post-war SB surveillance subject

This could explain why the StB had a file for the Lewises.

There is a story in the Bradford Observer newspaper on 19/12/1950 article in the British Newspaper Archive (BNA) that refers to:

From: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive...w&RetrieveCountryCounts=False&SortOrder=score

A second report from the Daily Mirror 19/12/1950 states:

From same link

There are several other reports. One refers to:Two British diplomats, Mr. Roland Hazel (Second Secretary in Warsaw) and Mr. Ernest Gilbert (vice-consul in Gdynia) were declared persona non grata (expelled from Poland)....IN WARSAW Alleged Attempt to Smuggle Girl Out her out in the freighter Baltavia ( 2592 tons ) GROUP Captain Claude Henry Turner , charged with inciting a Polish girl to leave the country , told a Warsaw Court yesterday ho hoped the girl...would marry him (Turner) and Upperton and Nelmes were British Merchant Navy officers on the Baltavia.

If Lewis was serving with the UK Embassy at the time or visiting Poland afterwards I expect the StB would regard him and his wife as "likely suspects" for what was revealed. Even more so if he had served in Warsaw alongside former Group Captain Turner.

The reporting suggests two possibilities: the woman being smuggled was a "femme fatale" or "honey pot" and the smuggling plot was a ploy by the StB to "catch out" the Brits involved. Secondly, that Turner when interviewed confessed to other activities, RAF overflights being cited.

The Poles published a book in 1951: 'How Foreign Intelligence Operates in Poland: (The Turner Trial)' by Turner!

Many years later another book refers to the incident, partly available on: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edit...laude+Henry+TURNER&pg=PA7&printsec=frontcover

A February 1951 official answer to a question in the House of Commons; note it refers to Hazell as Colonel. See: BRITISH OFFICIALS, WARSAW (WITHDRAWAL) (Hansard, 21 February 1951)

Turner was promoted in December 1941 to Wing Commander, Service Number 26020. From: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35010/page/6982/data.pdf

RAFWeb has an entry (behind a registration wall)

Turner was appointed to Warsaw in August 1949 (No entry for Lewis). From: Full text of "The Foreign Office List And Diplomatic And Consular Year Book For 1949"

 

Rather than scatter gun google links and proviso with ifs and buts in the hope that future me could say "there I had it" the reality is

"I would like to know where he served before the war and what he did after it, what he did at HQ Singapore, what he was doing in Poland and when he retired from the RAF."

He was trained as a General Duties Clerk and served pre war at initially various Headquarters associated with Coastal Area then to RAF Stations Southampton and Harwell before School of Air Navigation at Manston.

Far East April 1939 to RAF Station Kia Tak, Hongkong.

He was a Cpl General Duties Clerk at Air Headquarters, Singapore. ( not Special Duties eg Confidential Documents until 1952)

Air Ministry London from Nov 1946 to May 1949 as Substansive Sgt promoted to Substansive F/Sgt Aug 1948.

During this period he had an undated period at AA Warsaw (but if SB is correct for rank then narrows date range to between Nov 1946 and Aug 1948)

Permitted to serve beyond 55 years of age and retired 6 April 1966.

Death Certificate


Ross

 

He returned to the UK and was treated at No.106 Personnel Reception Centre, RAF Cosford

This gives an overview of the hospital, No.106 PRC and local aerodromes used for air ferry
RAF Hospital Cosford - Wikipedia

17th Dec 1945 he was paper transferred to No.108 Personnel Rehabilitation Centre when No.106 PRC finally disbanded and remaining patients at Cosford continued as usual under the new designation .

Finally August 1946 he returned to duty at RAF Fairwood Common - a sensitive posting by the RAF as it put him in the locality of his family (and 25 miles from the hospital his death was registered in 1985)

Ross

 

Similar Air Ministry Unit posting 13 May 1954 to 30 Nov 1956 before posting to No.32 Maintenance Unit, St Athan.

Looks like accompanied posting to British Embassy, USA - returned with wife and children (Debra and Penelope) 26th Nov 1956 on Franconia.



Ross

 

That's interesting. I have not been able to find out what he did at HQ in Singapore or elsewhere. He did stay in the RAF and was promoted to WO. I also found a retirement notice from the DoD for a man of his name who was working as a maintenance assistant. (Post-retirement employment?) So what did your friends do there? Did they work under the Air Attaché of the given embassy? Would any of your friends know where I could find out if he was indeed posted to the UK Embassy in Warsaw?

 

Singapore - Corporal - Clerk, General Duties

Sgt - Clerk, General Duties posted to Air Ministry Unit detached service Air Attaché Warsaw between Nov 1946 and August 1948

Ross

 

See Ross's message above (RAFCommands ) Mine was a calculated guess (trade wise) Ross has nailed exactly his trade and what he did.

Cheers.
John

 

What does the F stamp indicate?

You just about had me there - his wife is actually Muriel, listed above Debra and Penelope. Now I know he had kids and maybe they are still around. (Though probably married.)

 

F Class Reserve

All service detail is from his Service Record which I advised you to get.

Copy attached

Ross Out

 

You are all amazing and thank you very, very much for your help - Thomas Aldwyn Lewis is starting to be more than a ghost in the machine. (Joining this forum is probably the best two bucks I ever spent!) (And if anyone finds anything else, please do post it.

 

Oh wow, I hadn't even had enough time yet to get a request in. (I did request his medical records but was refused and needed the death certificate to get this.) This is amazing.

 

Pg.7 of his record shows a posting 23/8/1963 to RAF Gatow (West Berlin), two entries 27/4/1964 to 140 S.U. Signals Unit @ Lburg (West Germany), and RAF Gatow. Then 9/7/1964 to 140 S.U.and 27/8/195 to HQ Transport Command

Some hints as to what 140 SU did: List of communications units and formations of the Royal Air Force - Wikipedia this shows them @ RAF Butzweilerhof - Wikipedia 1953-1966.

 

Now look at Page 2 where it says WARSAW.

 

My eyes are dim and the line is very feint! Between 1946-7/5/1949 too and would not have crossed over with Group Captain Turner (as per Post 21)? Noted.

 

Probably lucky for him that he missed Group Captain Turner! Might have got into some hot water there.

 

I have a couple questions from the service record. On p.1 it says "Not to be posted without prior reference to 6D2 Section." Does anyone know what this section did/does? Intelligence or ?? The only thing I could find was under squadron codes:
D2 No. 1606 Flight RAF 1606 Fl.

Also there is a fair bit redacted - personal data of course but would the rest likely be 'confidential' and not declassified yet? (Ex. 5 lines covered up at bottom of p. 1, as well as positions of service in 1940/41). Also interesting is that the character and proficiency columns in his pre-war service are blacked out.

On p.7 under conduct and trade assessments - what do the abbreviations stand for?

 

Another question (my eyes are getting blurred from looking at all the open tabs on the comp...) I had contact with a FEPOW archivist in a UK church. He gave me different dates that he got from Kew for his POW liberation and I quote: "However, you may like to know that the sources I refer to are the National Archives War Office file 392/23/24/25 [which] lists these details: WO392 record No 20424 519260 Sgt. LEWIS Thomas Aldwyn RAF Captured 8/3 1942 Liberated 2/9/1945 from Japanese Military area Java." From a FEPOW site I have him being liberated 27.10.1945, whereas from his service record, he seems to be in the hospital in UK from 28/9/45. (His whole POW time is not recorded on the SR.) And what is WEAD Uxbridge written above the 106 PRC on the SR (p.2)? It's very faint and has no date.

 

WCAD - War Casualty Account Deposit

Form 543 is the record of date when responsibility was transferred - not when the airman/airwoman arrived.

6D2 is RAF Intelligence, Section 6, Department D2 - just a file reference to a restraint on where he could be posted after a particular exposure to documents and change of trade to Clerk, Special Duties.

Nothing on this F543 was redacted because of "not declassified yet" all redaction are because of personal information.

The redactions on Postings are most likely periods of hospital admissions in Singapore. The redactions on Page 1 are relating to identification of other possibly living persons (five lines are redaction of name and role of who he was ADC for in USA). The redactions in Char/Prof are personal information to the record subject - should not really apply as the subject is deceased but it was part of the blanket agreement that MoD had with the Information Commissioners on Publication in that MoD was to assume subject was alive.

Form 6442 was a RAF Form for reporting assessment in a standardised matrix format

Ross

 

Another question (my eyes are getting blurred from looking at all the open tabs on the comp...) I had contact with a FEPOW archivist in a UK church. He gave me different dates that he got from Kew for his POW liberation and I quote: "However, you may like to know that the sources I refer to are the National Archives War Office file 392/23/24/25 lists these details: WO392 record No 20424 519260 Sgt. LEWIS Thomas Aldwyn RAF Captured 8/3 1942 Liberated 2/9/1945 from Japanese Military area Java." From a FEPOW site I have him being liberated 27.10.1945