Casualty War Medal 1939-45 awarded to Probationary Lieutenant Midshipman Richard Theodore Chambers, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who was killed on 28th October 1940 who was killed in a Swordfish of 821 Squadron and is now buried in Lerwick New Cemetery.
War Medal 1939-45, housed in its card Director of Navy accounts box of issue addressed to the recipients next of kin (the address somewhat faded), and along with the handwritten casualty slip named to ‘Probationary Lieutenant Midshipman (N) Richard Theodore Chambers, R.N.V.R.’
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Richard Theodore Chambers is initially listed in the August 1940 Navy List as a Midshipman (Air) Probationary with seniority of 1st July 1940 serving on the books of Daedalus.
In the October 1940 edition he is shown as appointed to H.M.S. Condor, Royal Naval Air Service Arbroath on 1st September 1940 and serving in 767 Squadron.
In the December 1940 edition he is listed in the obituaries on page 1225 as being killed on 28th October 1940.
He is not shown as serving at Lee on Solent with the other batch who were attached to the Royal Air Force and this indicates that he was only borne on the books for pre-training and indoctrination. Pilots doing their elementary flying training were usually born on the books of ‘Pembroke’. Pilots then usually did about five months flying training at an RAF School, such as Peterborough before going on to Fighter School at Yeovilton. This chap has however appeared in a Torpedo training squadron equipped with Swordfish.
Chambers was killed in a Swordfish of 821 Squadron, crashed into Quendale Bay, Shetlands, he died alongside Sub Lieutenant P.B. Laycock and Naval Airman B.F.A. Brewster. Chambers is now buried in Lerwick New Cemetery, Zetland and is recorded as the son of Edward Theodore and Stella Chambers of Coventry.
