John Raymond Lloyd

A Warrant Officer with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, John died on 8th of June 1944 aged 22.

John was born at Wellington, New Zealand, on 8 October 1921, a son of Richard John and Minnie Lloyd. In 1939 his family lived at 36 Argentine Avenue, Wellington. As a young man John enjoyed football and cricket. He worked for Johnson and Company Limited, Wellington, as a warehouseman. Before joining the air force, he served in the Territorial Army for eighteen months.

John enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force on 10 February 1941 as an aircraft-hand. In July 1941he was posted to the Initial training Wing, at Levin, as an Air Gunner under training and he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman. On 20 October 1941, under the Empire Air Training Scheme, he went to Canada, arriving at 2 Wireless School, Calgary, on 8 November 1941. He then served at 7 Bombing and Gunnery School, Paulson, Manitoba, and in June 1942 was awarded his Air Gunner brevet and the next month he was promoted to Sergeant. 

In August 1942 he was posted to 34 Operational Training Unit, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and he left for England in December, arriving at Bournemouth on 18 December. In January 1943 he was posted to R.A.F. Feltwell, near Thetford, Norfolk. On 16 March 1943 he joined 487 (Bomber) Squadron at Feltwell. John was promoted to Flight Sergeant on 15 May 1943. In late 1943 John attended radio training at Hooton Park and Carew Cheriton. 

On 22 February 1944 he was posted to 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit. He was promoted Warrant Officer on 15 May 1944, and, on 24 May, he joined 302 Ferry Training Unit, Royal Air Force, based at Oban, Scotland.

In 1943 John married Muriel Elizabeth Freeman at Lowestoft. Muriel had lived at 56 The Hemplands, in 1939, and in 1944 she lived at 39 Edinburgh Road. Later Muriel remarried and subsequently lived at 54 Sussex Road, Lowestoft. 

On 8 June John was a member of the crew of a Sunderland III, number ML858 ‘P’, taking part in an Air-Sea Rescue exercise. The aircraft flew into a hill at Glenn Mhor on Hirta island, near Saint Kilda, and all of the crew were killed.

WITH THANKS TO: Malcolm Barrass