Richard Hamblin
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore Richard Kaye Hamblin (16 December 1906 - 30 August 1988) was a Royal Air Force
pilot and as one of The Few
was part of No. 17 Squadron RAF flying the Hawker Hurricane
during the Battle of Britain
.
Hamblin joined the Royal Air Force in 1926 as a flight cadet. On 30 July 1926 he was posted to No. 56 Squadron RAF
as a pilot. In 1930 he attended the Electrical and Wireless School to train as a signals officer. In October 1932 he was posted to No. 31 Squadron RAF
in India eventually becoming a flight commander with No. 5 Squadron RAF
and was promoted to Squadron Leader before leaving India.
In 1938 he was appointed commanding officer of No. 142 Squadron RAF
operating the Fairey Battle
, this was followed by a staff appointment in the Deputy Directorate of War Organisation. During the Battle of Britain
he flew operations with No. 17 Squadron RAF.
In November 1941 he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 85 Squadron RAF
operating the Douglas Havoc. On 12 November 1942 Hamblin married a Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF) Elizabeth Bond at Durham Cathedral. Hamblin was mentioned in dispatched four times during the war and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in 1946.
After the war he was back to staff duties including officer commanding AHQ West Africa, AOA at No. 2 Group
and Director of Personnel from 1954 until he retired in 1956 as an Air Commodore.
Hamblin died on 30 August 1988 in Hampshire.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot and as one of The Few
The Few
The Few is a term used to describe the Allied airmen of the Royal Air Force who fought the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. It comes from Winston Churchill's phrase "Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few"....
was part of No. 17 Squadron RAF flying the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
.
History
Hamblin was born in on the 16 December 1906 at Fyzabad in India. By the time of the 1910 Census of Lymington in Hampshire he was a four-year old living with his grandfather a retired Indian civil servant.Hamblin joined the Royal Air Force in 1926 as a flight cadet. On 30 July 1926 he was posted to No. 56 Squadron RAF
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
as a pilot. In 1930 he attended the Electrical and Wireless School to train as a signals officer. In October 1932 he was posted to No. 31 Squadron RAF
No. 31 Squadron RAF
No. 31 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, known as the 'Goldstars', currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Marham, Norfolk.-History:The squadron was formed at Farnborough on October 11, 1915. Its first deployment was to Risulpur, India with its BE2Cs and Farmans, and during this time it took...
in India eventually becoming a flight commander with No. 5 Squadron RAF
No. 5 Squadron RAF
No. 5 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the operator of the new Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar aircraft and is based at RAF Waddington.-History:As No...
and was promoted to Squadron Leader before leaving India.
In 1938 he was appointed commanding officer of No. 142 Squadron RAF
No. 142 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 142 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at RFC Ismailia, Egypt in 1918, flying a mixed bag of reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. On the formation of the Royal Air Force, on 1 April 1918, 142 Squadron was at RFC Julis in Palestine, becoming No. 142 Squadron RAF...
operating the Fairey Battle
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...
, this was followed by a staff appointment in the Deputy Directorate of War Organisation. During the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
he flew operations with No. 17 Squadron RAF.
In November 1941 he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 85 Squadron RAF
No. 85 Squadron RAF
No. 85 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently served as No. 85 Squadron based at RAF Church Fenton.-In World War I:...
operating the Douglas Havoc. On 12 November 1942 Hamblin married a Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF) Elizabeth Bond at Durham Cathedral. Hamblin was mentioned in dispatched four times during the war and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1946.
After the war he was back to staff duties including officer commanding AHQ West Africa, AOA at No. 2 Group
No. 2 Group RAF
Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command....
and Director of Personnel from 1954 until he retired in 1956 as an Air Commodore.
Hamblin died on 30 August 1988 in Hampshire.