If you know and can tell me more about any of these miscellaneous sketches from Roy's travels during World War II, please let me know by email to: eric@satsig.net
Brief introduction: He had very long training as pilot, air gunner, bomb aimer and navigator in Canada. Then posted to Oban, Scotland and Loch Erne, Northern Ireland.
Anti-ship and anti-submarine patrols in North Sea and Atlantic. Then several one-way Sunderland delivery trips via Portsmouth, Gibralter, Malta, Cairo to Kisumu
in Africa and via Irak to Redhills Lake, Madras and to Singapore. Then multiple local shuttle transport trips in Madras - Singapore area.
For the sketches below, there are some good opportunities for better titles, stories or descriptions. Please help if you can.
pk1 Fishing boat in Oban harbour 1944
Roy's initial posting was to Oban, Scotland.
This is Oban Harbour view in 1944, as seen from Roy Carnon's digs opposite. Oban museum and local people have
provided additional information.
It is known that Roy Carnon, as a married RAF Officer, brought his wife with him to
Oban for a period and the Temperance Hotel was where such couples were billeted.
This was not a permanent arrangement and he moved to another billet when she returned home (possibly to Yorkshire).
The boat, marked O 36, is on fishing boat lines and could be a general service craft for the RN (colour looks wrong) or civilian craft used generally about
the port serving the flying boats.
pk2 Oban Harbour view 1944
pk3 Oban Luxury Hotel accommodation 1944. Which hotel was it and how does the room look today ?
Without being able to inspect the various rooms in what was the Temperance Hotel (now no more,) it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly which was the Carnon's.
pk4 Killadias "RAF St Angelo" Northern Ireland 1944.
pk5 Killadias, Northern Ireland 1944. The Sunderlands flew from nearby Loch Erne.
pk5a Looking down. What is he doing ? Any ideas please?
The box on the floor may be a drift viewer. Is this inside a real aircraft ? Is it a training room for navigators or bomb aimers ?. The windows do not correspond to a Sunderland a/c.
pk5b Possibly Charles Victor Brown as pilot and Roy
navigator?. Controls on wall might be oxygen controls? How is it that the artist can picture the pilot from the front?.
pk5c Sunderland over the fleet.
pk6 House at Kisumu with Lake Victoria, Africa, in the background
pk7 Roy's batman, seconded from the King's Royal Rifles, who went AWOL after being given a tip.
pk8 Storm over Kisumu, Lake Victoria. This was the end of Roy's ferry (delivery) flight. The Sunderland was left with 209 Squadron for patrols over the Indian
ocean.
pk9 The Sunderland skipper, Charles Victor Brown, having a rest after arrival at RedHills Lake
pk9a Cleaned up
pk10 Flying Officer Charles Victor Brown at Red Hills Lake. Pilot and skipper of Roy's Sunderland flying boat.
pk11 Crew transport vehicle at Red Hills Lake - called "Garry"
pk12 View from the hut window, where Roy Carnon was billeted.
pk13 Temple in Madras
pk14 Building Nissan Huts at Red Hill Lake, Madras.
pk15 Redhills 7 Sept 1945
pk16 Jug in Madras
pk17 Nissan huts at RHL 8 Sept 1945
pk18 Accommodation at Redhills Lake
pk19 Grass Huts under the trees at Redhills Lake, Madras 1945
pk20 230 Squadron RAF at Redhills 1945
pk21 Old Catalina flying boat in the butts at Redhills Lake, Madras 1945
pk22 Arab tents on stopover on the way east
pk23 Watchtower at RAF Seletar, Singapore
pk24 Japanese Prisoners Of War (POWs), Singapore
pk25 The Nunnery, Seletar, Singapore
If you can help with improved comments below these Roy Carnon sketches images above, please submit the image reference number, for example "pk15" and your suggested text by email to me
eric@satsig.net
Also welcome are suggestions for inclusion of additional images, or links to web sites where these events and pictures are featured in more detail.