Brian Carbury
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| Brian John George Carbury | |
|---|---|
| 1918–1962 | |
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Place of death | England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1937–1945 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Britain |
| Awards | DFC and Bar |
Flight Lieutenant Brian John George Carbury, DFC and Bar (February 27, 1918 – 1962) was a New Zealand fighter ace of the Royal Air Force during World War II.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
The 6 ft 4 in (1.9 m) son of a Wellington, New Zealand vet, Brian John George Carbury was raised in Auckland where he attended King’s College independent secondary school from 1932 to 1934. He joined Farmers’ Trading Co. on leaving school, but sick of the job as a shoe salesman,[2] he headed to the United Kingdom in 1937 to join the Royal Navy. Being told he was too old, he joined the Royal Air Force on a short service commission as an Acting Pilot Officer.[3]
[edit] June 1938 - July 1940
Carbury joined No. 41 Squadron RAF in June 1938, his rank was confirmed on 27 September 1938,[4] flying the Hawker Fury. In August 1939 he was posted to RAF Turnhouse near Edinburgh, Scotland with No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron as training officer, flying Spitfires. As an Auxiliary Air Force squadron, No. 603 were only part-time airmen doing other jobs during the day. But as war approached, the squadron was put on a full time footing, and Carbury was permanently attached from the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939. During the Phoney War, No. 603 gained pilots P.O Richard Hillary—later the author of The Last Enemy; and B. G. 'Stapme' Stapleton who shot down Franz von Werra, the only German PoW to escape and return to the Third Reich.
Scotland was far away from any "easy" targets in the south of England, but none the less was in range for Nazi Germany's long rang Luftwaffe bombers and reconnoissance sorties. On 16 October a section of 603 was scrambled and shot down a Junkers Ju-88 bomber into the North Sea east of Dalkeith, the first German aircraft to be shot down over British territory since 1918. Carbury probably destroyed an Heinkel He 111 on 7 December, and claimed a third share in the destruction of another He 111 during January 1940. Carbury was promoted to Flying Officer on 27 April 1940.[5]
[edit] August 1940 - October 1940
In light of Fighter Command's dire need for pilots in the south England, during August 1940 No. 603 redeployed to RAF Hornchurch, becoming active in the Battle of Britain from 27 August 1940.
Carbury claimed his first victory on August 29, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. He claimed another on the 30th, and three more on the 31st together with two He 111's[6] - taking his total to 8 and 1/3, and making him a fighter ace. Hillary was shot down on 3 September in combat with Bf 109's of Jagdgeschwader 26 off Margate at 10:04hrs - rescued by the Margate lifeboat, he was severely burned and spent the next three years in hospital.[7] In September Carbury claimed three more Bf 109's, and after sustaining wounds to his feet during actions of the 31 September, his tally was recognised by being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). The award was gazetted on 24 September 1940:[8]
| “ | Air Ministry, 24th September, 1940.
ROYAL AIR FORCE The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the undermentioned appointment and awards in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy : — [...] Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Flying Officer Brian John George CARBURY (40288). During operations on the North East coast Flying Officer Carbury led his section in an attack on two enemy aircraft. Both were destroyed. From 28th August, 1940, to 2nd September, 1940, he has, with his squadron, been almost continuously engaged against large enemy raids over Kent, and has destroyed eight enemy aircraft. Five of these were shot down during three successive engagements in one day. |
” |
Carbury continued his toll of victories in October, as the German's intensified their attacks on London—this meant due to distance that the Luftwaffe bombers had less fighter cover, while their fighters were given less manoeuvrability to protect the bomber formations. His first two victories were hence a Bf109 over the Thames Estuary on the 2nd, and another in southeast London on 7 October. Based at RAF Manston on the 10th, Carbury noticed three Bf 109's returning to northern France—leading the attack of three Spitfires, he shot the first in to the English Channel, and a second on to the beach at Dunkirk. On 14 October, he damaged a Junkers Ju 88.
The official end of the Battle of Britain came at the end of October, when Carbury was awarded a Bar to the DFC—one of fewer than five pilots given the double award for victories claimed during the period of the Battle of Britain. With destruction of fifteen enemy aircraft and another victory shared, Carbury was among the five top-scoring pilots in RAF Fighter Command. The award of the bar to his DFC was gazetted on 25 October 1940:[9]
| “ | Air Ministry, 25th October, 1940.
ROYAL AIR FORCE. The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following appointment and awards in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:— [...] Awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross. [...] Flying Officer Brian John George CARBURY, D.F.C. (40288). Flying Officer Carbury has displayed outstanding gallantry and skill in engagements against the enemy. Previous to 8th September, 1940, this officer shot down eight enemy aircraft, and shared in the destruction of two others. Since that date he has destroyed two Messerschmitt 109-5 and two Heinkel 113's, and, in company with other pilots of his squadron, also assisted in the destruction of yet another two enemy aircraft. His cool courage in the face of the enemy has been a splendid example to other pilots of his squadron. |
” |
[edit] December 1940 onwards
No. 603 Squadron and Carbury returned to Scotland on scheduled rotation in December 1940. On Christmas Day Carbury was scrambled to intercept a Junker Ju 88 reported off St Abb's Head, inflicting damage before the German aircraft turned for home.
Early in 1941 Carbury was posted to be an instructor at the Central Flying School, and did not fly operationally in combat again.
[edit] Post war
After leaving the RAF, he lived in England until his death in July 1962. In 1949, he along with three others, in a trial at Princes Risborough Magistrates' Court, was found guilty of two offences relating to the illegal export of Bristol Beaufighters to Palestine.[10] Each man was fined a total of £100.[10] The defence solicitor described the four as "stooges" of a fifth man who had remained in Palestine.[10]
[edit] Hillary on Carbury
In his book The Last Enemy, Richard Hillary said of Carbury:[2]
| “ | I thought of the men I had known, of the men who were living and the men who were dead; and I came to this conclusion. It was to the Carburys and the Berrys of this war that Britain must look, to the tough practical men who had come up the hard way, who were not fighting this war for any philosophical principles or economic ideals; who, unlike the average Oxford undergraduate, were not flying for aesthetic reasons, but because of an instinctive knowledge that this was the job for which they were most suited. These were the men who had blasted and would continue to blast the Luftwaffe out of the sky while their more intellectual comrades would, alas, in the main be killed. They might answer, if asked why they fought, 'To smash Hitler!' But instinctively, inarticulately, they too were fighting for the things that Peter had died to preserve. | ” |
[edit] Combat Record
| Date | Service | Flying | Kills | Probables | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 7, 1939 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Heinkel He 111 | flying from RAF Turnhouse | |
| January, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1/2 * Heinkel He 111 | ||
| August 29, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | flying from RAF Manston | |
| August 30, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | Fw. Ernst Arnold of 3/JG27[11] | |
| August 31, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Heinkel He 111 3 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 |
||
| September, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 3 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | awarded DFC | |
| October 2, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | ||
| October 7, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | ||
| October 10, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | ||
| October 14, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | Damaged Junkers Ju 88 | ||
| October, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | awarded DFC Bar | ||
| December 25, 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | Damaged Junkers Ju 88 | flying from RAF Turnhouse | |
| TOTALS | 15 1/2 kills | 0 probable |
[edit] References
- ^ Aces of New Zealand Aces of WW2
- ^ a b Richard Hillary (December 2005). The Last Enemy - A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook. gutenberg.net.au. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 34463, page 7856, 14 December 1937. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 34558, page 6201, 4 October 1938. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 34849, pages 2895–2896, 14 May 1940. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ Birain Carbury - Combat Report. spitfireperformance.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ Bio of Richard Hillary the-battle-of-britain.co.uk
- ^ London Gazette: no. 34951, pages 5653–5654, 24 September 1940. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 34978, pages 6192–6193, 25 October 1940. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ a b c "Aeroplanes flown to Palestine — Four pilots fined — Refuelled in Yugoslavia" (pdf, subscription required), The Times digital archive, Infotrac, Gale Group, 26 April 1949, p. Issue 51365, Page 2, Column B. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ Posart.com - The Aviation Art of Mark Postlethwaite GAvA
