Lewis, William John (Flying Officer, b.1908)

Places	Oceania: Australia Oceania: Australia, Victoria, Melbourne, Laverton Oceania: Australia, Victoria, Melbourne, Point Cook Oceania: Australia, Western Australia, Kalgoorlie Oceania: Australia, Western Australia, Perth, Maylands Oceania: Australia, Western Australia, Perth, Pearce
Accession Number	PR06376
Collection type	Private Record
Record type	Collection
Measurement	Extent: 1.5 cm; Wallet/s: 1
Object type	Log book
Maker	Lewis, William John Royal Australian Air Force
Place made	Australia
Date made	1936-1947
Access	Open
Conflict	Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright	Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain This item is in the Public Domain
Copying Provisions	Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required.

Description

Collection relating to the Second World War service of 2028 Flying Officer William John Lewis, Royal Australian Air Force, Australia, 1936-1947.

Wallet 1 of 1 - Collection consists of three folders of documents relating to Flying Officer Lewis.

Folder 1 consists of one Flying Log Book of Flying Officer Lewis, with formal entries dated between December 1936 and January 1940. This log book also notes private flying that Flying Officer Lewis did before his enlistment, between 1930 and 1936. The formal entries record flights he made as part of his Air Gunners and Navigators courses at Point Cook and Laverton, Victoria. The entries include details such as dates and times of flights, pilots, types of aircraft, and purposes of the flights. Purposes of flights include navigation exercises, bombing practice, and gunnery practice.

Folder 2 consists of one Navigators Log Book of Flying Officer Lewis, with entries dated between 30 August 1938 and 1 May 1940, while serving as a navigator in Western Australia. This log book records dates of flights, pilots, squadrons, aircraft types and numbers, and orders for the flights, as well as detailed records of specific times and positions of the aircraft as it travelled. Many pages of this log book are loose. The log book also contains a loose document titled “Weather Report at 11 a.m. from Maylands”, dated 14 June 1939, and an Aviation Meteorological Report for the air route from Kalgoorlie to Perth, dated 15 June 1939.

Folder 3 consists of:
1x Programme of Parades issued by 2nd Division Signals, Australian Military Forces, belonging to Flying Officer Lewis, dated 30 June 1927.
1x Royal Australian Air Force identity card of Flying Officer Lewis, with stamps dated between August 1943 and November 1944.
1x Royal Australian Air Force Interim Certificate of Discharge of Flying Officer Lewis, dated 14 February 1947.

History / Summary

Flying Officer Lewis enlisted to the Royal Australian Air Force on 4 March 1936. During the Second World War, he served as a navigator with 21 Squadron. He was not discharged until 14 February 1947.