Lewis, Neville Ballard (Flight Lieutenant, b.1915 - d.1987)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of 402370 Flight Lieutenant Neville Ballard Lewis, 49 Squadron and 25 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia, 1941-1945.

Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of two folders of material relating to Flight Lieutenant Lewis.

Folder 1 of 2- Consists of correspondence and documents relating to the award of Flight Lieutenant Lewis’s Distinguished Flying Medal.
This folder contains:
1x Telegram from the Air Board to Flight Lieutenant Lewis’s father, Mr Bertie Lewis, Melbourne, [c. February 1943].
1x Letter from the Air Vice Marshall of the Royal Australian Air Force to Flight Lieutenant Lewis, London, 8 February 1943.
1x Letter from the Department of Air to Flight Lieutenant Lewis’s father, Mr Bertie Lewis, Melbourne, 9 February 1943.
1x Telegram from Flight Lieutenant Lewis to his father, Mr Bertie Lewis, [United Kingdom], 9 February 1943.
1x Wireless message from Flight Lieutenant Lewis to his father, Mr Bertie Lewis, [United Kingdom], 14 February 1943
1x Citation of Distinguished Flying Medal of Flight Lieutenant Lewis, [includes envelope].

Folder 2 of 2- Consists of one log book of Flight Lieutenant Lewis, with entries dated between 27 April 1941 and 16 August 1945. The log book records details of flights that Flight Lieutenant Lewis took part in, such as dates and times of flights, types and numbers of aircraft, crewmembers, duties, and purposes of flights. Some of the purposes of the flights include general training exercises, specialist navigation training, photography, bombing and gunnery training, search and rescue operations, bombing operations over Germany and Axis-occupied Europe, the “1st Victory Loan” tour in Australia, and bombing operations over enemy aerodromes in Malaya. This log book also contains certificates of training courses completed and four commemorative postcards for specific bombing operations, signed by members of Flight Lieutenant Lewis’ crew.

Flight Lieutenant Lewis enlisted to the Royal Australian Air Force on 19 August 1940. He trained as a navigator in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, and went on to serve with 49 Squadron, based at Scampton, United Kingdom. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal in February 1943 for marked efficiencies on operational sorties. Flight Lieutenant later transferred to 25 Squadron, based at Cunderdin, Western Australia. He was discharged on 15 October 1945.