Brian Carbury

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Brian Carbury
Second World War
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross & Bar

Brian Carbury,

Second World War
. He was officially credited with destroying 15+1⁄2 German aircraft.

Born in Wellington, Carbury joined the RAF in 1937 after being rejected by the Royal Navy. After completion of his flight training, he was posted to No. 41 Squadron where he learnt to fly Supermarine Spitfire fighters. He was later sent to No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron to train its pilots how to handle the Spitfire. During the early stages of the Second World War, the squadron was based in Scotland and patrolled the North Sea during which time Carbury was credited with damaging at least three bombers. The squadron shifted south in August 1940 to join in the Battle of Britain. He shot down a number of German aircraft over the following weeks, including five on 31 August; he was one of three RAF pilots to achieve the feat of destroying five aircraft in one day during the Battle of Britain.

In late 1940, Carbury's squadron moved north and began operating from Scotland. At the end of the year, he was posted to No. 58 Operational Training Unit on instructing duties. In October 1941 he was courtmartialed for dishonesty offences and discharged from the RAF. However, he may have continued on instructing duties until 1944. After the war, he was involved in efforts to illegally export fighter aircraft to

leukaemia
.

Early life

Brian John George Carbury was born in

Farmers' Trading Company. Tiring of retail work, he headed to the United Kingdom in June 1937 to pursue a military career. He wanted to join the Royal Navy but on being told he was too old, he instead applied for the Royal Air Force (RAF) on a short service commission.[1]

Military career

Accepted for the RAF, Carbury began training in September 1937 and later in the year was appointed an acting

war with Germany in September 1939.[1][4]

Second World War

A Spitfire IIA restored in the colours of No. 603 Squadron as it appeared during the Battle of Britain

No. 603 Squadron's first encounter with the enemy was on 16 October 1939, when the Luftwaffe mounted its first raid of the war on Britain. A section of the squadron had taken off to intercept bombers targeting shipping in the Firth of Forth and shot down a Junkers Ju 88 east of Dalkeith. The destroyed German aircraft was the first to be shot down over Britain during the Second World War. Another Ju 88 was badly damaged in the encounter and crashed in Holland. Carbury, although flying that day, was not involved in the action.[5]

In early December, Carbury was part of a detachment of No. 603 Squadron sent to Montrose to provide fighter cover there. In this role, he and two other pilots attacked a group of seven Heinkel He 111 bombers on 7 December. He claimed a damaged He 111, observing smoke coming from both engines of the bomber as it turned away although he was unable to pursue it due to a lack of fuel.[6] On 18 January 1940, reunited with the main body of No. 603 Squadron which was now flying from the RAF station at Dyce, he claimed a third share in the destruction of another He 111.[4] The squadron carried out patrols and training over the spring and summer of 1940.[7] During this time, he was promoted to flying officer[8] and also shared in the destruction of two more German bombers, a He 111 in March and a Ju 88 in July.[7] By this stage, the pilots of No. 603 Squadron were eager to join in the fighting over southern England.[9] Among them was the Australian Richard Hillary, who on arrival at the squadron in early July, was greeted by Carbury and immediately invited to drinks in the mess.[9]

Battle of Britain

No. 603 Squadron became involved in the

fighter ace, but also one of only three pilots of the RAF to be credited with destroying five enemy aircraft in a day during the Battle of Britain.[13][14][Note 1]

On 2 September Carbury claimed a Bf 109 as destroyed. Now officially credited with at least eight German aircraft destroyed, his exploits were recognised by the award of the

London Gazette, No. 34951, 24 September 1940.[15]

On 7 September the Luftwaffe mounted its first large scale daylight bombing raid on London. No. 603 Squadron caught part of the bombing formation on its return flight to France and Carbury shot down an escorting Bf 109 and damaged two bombers.[4][16] He damaged a He 111 on 11 September[17] and destroyed a Bf 109 on 14 September, near London. Towards the end of the month, the pace of the aerial fighting began to slow down with the Luftwaffe changing its tactics by using Bf 109s in a fighter-bomber role for daylight attacks.[18] Carbury's next victory did not occur until 2 October, when he shot down a Bf 109 over the Thames Estuary. He destroyed another over southeast London on 7 October. Flying a patrol on 10 October as the leader of a section of three Spitfires, he spotted a group of 20 Bf 109s returning to northern France. Leading the section into attack, he shot down one of the Bf 109s into the English Channel and a second on to the beach at Dunkirk. On 14 October, he damaged a Ju 88.[4]

By the end of October 1940, Carbury was officially credited with 15+1⁄2 victories, the fifth highest scoring RAF pilot of the Battle of Britain. He was awarded a

London Gazette, No. 34978, 25 October 1940.[20]

Move to the North

At the start of December 1940, No. 603 Squadron moved to the RAF base at

Christmas Day, Carbury took off in pursuit of a Ju 88 flying off St Abb's Head. The German aircraft made for home after Carbury inflicted some damage. At the end of the year, he was posted to No. 58 Operational Training Unit, based at Grangemouth, as an instructor and did not fly operationally in combat again.[19] By this time, in addition to his 15+1⁄2 confirmed kills, he was also credited with two probables and five damaged enemy aircraft. He was the seventh highest scoring New Zealand fighter ace of the Second World War.[21]

In October 1941 Carbury was charged with fraud after being accused of passing false cheques. His wife had expensive tastes and incurred bills that he could not pay. It was also alleged that he had deserted and misrepresented his rank by wearing the markings of a

London Gazette on 21 October 1941.[19][22][23] According to aviation historian Kenneth Wynn, he continued on instructing duties until 1944.[4] He divorced his wife and later remarried.[19]

Later life

After leaving the RAF, Carbury continued to live in England. In 1949, he was involved with an effort to provide military equipment to

leukaemia on 31 July 1961 at Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, survived by his second wife and a son.[25][26]

Notes

Footnotes

  1. Antoni Glowacki, who later flew with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and Scotsman Archie McKellar, a Hurricane pilot killed in action shortly after the end of the Battle of Britain.[14]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e Lambert 2011, pp. 155–156.
  2. ^ "No. 34463". The London Gazette. 14 December 1937. p. 7856.
  3. ^ "No. 34558". The London Gazette. 4 October 1938. p. 6201.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wynn 1981, pp. 57–60.
  5. ^ Lambert 2011, pp. 156–157.
  6. ^ Lambert 2011, pp. 157–158.
  7. ^ a b Lambert 2011, p. 158.
  8. ^ "No. 34849". The London Gazette. 14 May 1940. pp. 2895–2896.
  9. ^ a b Lambert 2011, p. 159.
  10. ^ Lambert 2011, pp. 160–161.
  11. ^ Lambert 2011, p. 162.
  12. ^ Lambert 2011, p. 163.
  13. ^ a b Claasen 2012, p. 133.
  14. ^ a b Lambert 2011, p. 154.
  15. ^ "No. 34951". The London Gazette. 24 September 1940. p. 5654.
  16. ^ Thompson 1953, pp. 90–91.
  17. ^ Thompson 1953, p. 93.
  18. ^ Thompson 1953, p. 98.
  19. ^ a b c d Lambert 2011, pp. 154–155.
  20. ^ "No. 34978". The London Gazette. 25 October 1940. pp. 6192–6193.
  21. ^ Spick 1997, pp. 218–219.
  22. ^ "Dismissed From R.A.F." Evening Post. 25 November 1941. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  23. ^ "No. 35319". The London Gazette. 21 October 1941. p. 6112.
  24. ^ "New Zealander Flew Plane To Palestine". Northern Advocate. 26 April 1949. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  25. ^ Lambert 2011, p. 164.
  26. ^ "Cenotaph Record: Brian John George Carbury". Online Cenotaph. Auckland Museum. Retrieved 8 August 2020.

References

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