CHARLES Roy David

Councillor and Warrant Officer Roy David Charles SBStJ RAF and Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa

Roy David Charles

The Man Roy David Charles was born Saturday18th November 1919 in Devonport, Plymouth, son of David Lewis, a skilled Labourer and Esther nee Levi, he was one of three children Betty M born in 1915 and Dora Edith 24 Sep 22.

Following his education Roy achieved a City & Guilds Motor Mechanics Certificate, becoming a Motor Engineer and living at 111 Wellesely Avenue, Lisburn Road, Belfast.

In May 1939 aged 20, Roy enlisted into the Royal Air Force as an Aircrafthand with service number 647858 and at the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, re-mustered as Aircrew. He was promoted to Sergeant and trained as an Air Gunner, most likely overseas as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).

The BCATP, was a large-scale multinational military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during WWII and remains one of the single largest aviation training programmes in history and responsible for training nearly half the pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, air gunners, wireless operators and flight engineers who served with the RAF, Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the war.

Following training Roy was posted to 101 Squadron RAF, promoted to Warrant Officer and took part in several months of operational flying over Northwest Europe. On 30th May 1942 as a Rear Gunner, he was a part of the first Thousand Bomber Raid, ‘Operation Millennium’. A raid of 1047 aircraft against Cologne resulting in
868 bombers attacking the target with 1,455 tons of bombs, destroying over 3000 building and 9000 damaged.

Serving Brother of the Order of St John. 1939-45 Star 'Bomber Command'. Aircrew Europe Star. Defence Medal. War Medal 1939-45.

Losses however were high, the RAF lost 43 aircraft (German sources claimed 44) 3.9% of the 1,103 bombers sent on the raid; 22 aircraft were lost over or near Cologne, 16 shot down by flak, 4 by night fighters, 2 in a collision and 2 Bristol Blenheim light bombers lost in attacks on night fighter airfields. Roy’s aircraft was one of those lost, being shot down over Breda in Holland on 30th May, he, escaping from the aircraft and parachuting to safety, but eventually being captured and taken as a Prisoner of War.

Following his capture Roy was incarcerated at Dulag Luft, Frankfurt Am Main, a transit and interrogation camp from 4th - 5th June 1942. Here he was interrogated and kept in solitary confinement with little food. Then to Stalag Luft III at Sagan, (where the ‘Great Escape later took place on 25th March 1944) from 7th June – June 1943 followed by Stalag Luft VI, Heydekrug, East Prussia June 1943 - July 1944, whilst here Roy submitted ideas to the Escape Committee, but they were never implemented prior to their departure. He also described the billets as ‘unfit for human habitation’ and at one-point tables and benches were removed as reprisals by the Germans, although for what is not explained, maybe following the D-Day invasion.

He was then incarcerated in Stalag 357 Toruń, German Occupied Poland July – August 1944 and in Fallingbostel, Lower Saxony following its move from Toruń. Roy helped pass the time by teaching fellow PoWs the basics of the internal combustion engine. He was liberated on 22nd May 1945.

Roy was repatriated to the UK and awarded the 1939-45 Star, with retrospective ‘Bomber Command’ clasp, Aircrew Europe Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45, his time being trained outside of the UK entitling him to the Defence Medal.

Following the war Roy met Margaret Robson a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in Warwick and during the third quarter of 1946 they married in Durham. They had two children Margaret Elizabeth born in 1947 and David born in 1954.

Roy Charles Past Mayor Jewel

Roy became a driving instructor in 1946 and in 1950 joined the Ambulance Service in the North Riding of Yorkshire and lived at various locations, possibly different Ambulance Stations. In 1951 he was at 7 Farndale Avenue, Romanby, Northallerton, 1952 15 Station Road Sowerby, 1953 4 Inramgate, Thirsk, 1955 The Ambulance Station, Hill House Estate, Richmond and by 1956 The Ambulance Station, Panson Road, Richmond - all in North Yorkshire.

Upon promotion he was posted to Staffordshire then Northamptonshire and finally in 1962 Warwickshire as the Chief Officer of Warwickshire Ambulance Service and moving to Leamington Spa.

Roy became interested in local politics and in the local elections of 1970 was elected on to Leamington Borough Council as a Conservative Councillor. This was for four years until local government reorganisation in 1974 disbanded the Borough Council and Leamington was merged into the newly created Warwick District Council. Roy automatically becoming a Charter Trustee of the former Borough of Leamington Spa. He was elected onto WDC representing Willes Ward and later Crown Ward where he lived, 18 Newnham Road, Lillington.

During his career Roy was also an active member of the St John Ambulance Association having joined as a Cadet in 1939. From 1967 he was President of the South Warwickshire branch 1973 appointed Area President for Warwickshire. He took on the role of supporting nursing and cadet divisions and the acquisition of a Mobile First Aid Post. He was also involved with training and examination of volunteers and a judge for national competitions. He was also Vice-Chairman of the Leamington Spa, Warwick and Kenilworth Centres of the SJA Association and his involvement was for some 25 years. In the London Gazette of 26th April 1977, he was appointed as a Serving Brother of the Order of St John of Jerusalem for his work.

Reverse of Past Mayor's Jewel

By 1982 Roy had become Chairman of the Housing Committee on WDC and in May 1981, was elected as Deputy Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa, becoming the town’s first citizen and its Mayor on 22nd May 1982 at a Mayor Making ceremony held in Leamington’s Town Hall and being unanimously elected by the Charter Trustees.

Roy dedicated his year in office to raising the awareness of the magnificent work of the Emergency Services and among the many guests at Mayor Making, were visitors from Leamington’s twin town, Bruhl in Germany, which was noted by Cllr Stanley Birch as having been virtually flattened in 1942 following Operation Millennium during which Roy had been a part and shot down.

Roy retired from the Ambulance Service in 1983 aged 64, becoming vice-president of AMCARE UK, the national association of retired ambulance personnel and president of the local branch. He also continued his work with St John and was involved with the town’s twinning organisation and the twin towns of Sceaux in France, Bruhl in Germany and Heemstede in Holland.

Roy did not seek re-election at the elections of 1987 and in 1996 became a director of his son’s company DCC Consulting.

Roy was ill for some time in later life and passed away on 14th February 1997 aged 77 at Warwick Hospital of bronchopneumonia and his funeral held on 21st February.

The Story The Past Mayors jewel awarded to Roy David Charles was acquired from E-Bay on 8th June 2024, having previously been sold at Elite Auctions on 22nd May.

The jewel was of immediate interest and a ‘must have’ as a Past Mayor’s Jewel from Royal Leamington Spa had long been coveted and Roy Charles had been known personally before, during and after his term of office.

Ancestry revealed Roy had also been a Prisoner of War in World War II and shot down over Holland during the first 1000 Bomber Raid.

Ancestry, together with the MoD Medal Office, Newspaper Archives, St John Museum, London Gazette and extraction of his will enabled a detailed biography to be pieced together and his full medal entitlement, including the fact he had been awarded the Serving Brother of the Order of St John for his work with the Association, to be confirmed.

Pleasingly his medals include the hitherto not included in this collection, Aircrew Europe Star and Bomber Command clasp.

A superb addition to the collection, not only because of Roy’s many deeds in his life, but because he was known personally and remembered as a very kind and considerate gentleman. Requiescat in Pace Roy.