11/7/1944 to 21/3/1945
Wing Commander Paul Wade Arbon
Paul Wade Arbon was a South London Boy, born in Sydenham, on 8th February 1921. He attended Brockley County School; a Grammar School established in 1885. As soon as he was 18 Paul joined the RAF on a short service commission. His initial training was at 13 E&RFTS White Waltham, near Maidenhead, on 23rd January 1939. He subsequently went to 11 E&RFTS Scone and 6 FTS Little Rissington.
After a short course at Old Sarum he was posted to the pool of pilots at Andover in January 1940. On the 13th of January, he joined 16 Squadron. Operating Lysanders from Hawkinge, the squadron went to France on 8th April. In May 1940 it returned to England and conducted roving sea patrols searching for both downed aircrew and enemy forces.
Paul requested a transfer to Fighter Command, after converting to Hurricanes he was posted to 85 Squadron at Church Fenton on 26th September 1940. 85 Squadron operated in the night-fighting role and moved to Kirton-in-Lindsey on 23rd October 1940, Debden on 7th November 1940, Gravesend on 17th November 1940 and then back to Debden on 1st January 1941. About this time, it was re-equipped with the Douglas Havoc.
On 4th May 1941 85 Squadron moved to Hunsdon. While there the Squadron Intelligence Officer, F/Lt. Geldart, went up to observe a practice airborne interception and recorded:
‘… I persuaded a pilot called Arbon of 85 Squadron to take me up one afternoon when they were doing interception exercises.
I stood with legs apart behind the AI operator with my feet on a ledge on either side of the fuselage. Only too happy to have a ‘penguin’ on board, the pilot started fooling around like a porpoise. I became weightless and said so over the intercom, he then immediately went into a steep climbing turn and my leg gave way, slipped off the ledge and broke my ankle. Afterwards he was very contrite and made amends by giving me a whiff of oxygen and an orange…’.
Paul left 85 Squadron on 16th June 1942, A short posting to 605 Squadron at Ford followed, perhaps connected with their conversion to the Havoc at this time. On 25th June 1942 he went to 51 OTU Cranfield then on 29th to 54 OTU Charter Hall as an instructor.
He returned to operations on 31st January 1943 as a flight commander to 29 Squadron at West Malling. The squadron was converting from the Beaufighter to the Mosquito and operated from Bradwell Bay from 14th May, Ford from 2nd September and Drem from 1st March 1944. Paul was awarded the DFC (gazetted 14th April 1944) and took command of the squadron on 29th April 1944 as an Acting Wing Commander and took it back to West Malling until 20th June when it went once more to Hunsdon.
Now equipped with the Mosquito Mk.13 in the intruder role, the squadron provided air cover over the Normandy beachhead and supported the army’s advance inland. It also engaged incoming V1s.
With his tour completed, Arbon was posted to RAF Bradwell Bay as Station Commander on 11th July 1944.This posting may explain why a Czech medal, the Military Merit in Silver 1st Class, appears amongst his decorations. The medal, not awarded until 20th April 1948, was for ‘outstanding contribution to the Czech Military in War’ (not necessarily in combat). The Czech 134 Fighter Wing were stationed at Bradwell Bay when he was CO, and this is his only recorded connection with them.
He moved to RAF Hunsdon as Station Commander on 22nd March 1945 but a month later was appointed to a staff job at HQ Transport Command.He was at HQ Transport Command until 4th May 1945 then went to the School of Air Transport Netheravon from 5th to 25th May for a course retraining airman from combat commands in the logistics of air transport. He then returned to the HQ on 26th May before leaving for 216 Group at Heliopolis in Egypt on 11th June. It’s possible that he intended remaining in the RAF post-war and was being posted to appointments involving the repatriation of men and materials back to the UK, an operation that would continue after the war ended.
He took command of 249 Wing at Bari, Italy on 23rd June 1945, moving his office to 173 Staging Post at Bologna two days later. After two days there he moved to 61 Staging Post at Udine. His logbook entries end there but it is known that he returned to England at the end of the year and was released in 1946 as a Wing Commander.
He started an Auction and Estate Agency business in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire and in 1967 was elected as the first President of the National Association of Estate Agents. The Association’s HQ in Warwick is called Arbon House.
He died on 21st November 1968 after a car accident in France and is buried in Broxbourne.
Paul Wade Arbon being awarded by King George Vl