Flight Lieutenant – Pilot – DFC

Educated at QRC; Volunteer Trinidad ETS, Trained at Piarco. Awarded DFC. In 1946 flying at Piarco with John Carrington using NE Runway ran into a wire badly injured. Flying accident (Auster) with H McCartney at Camden. McCartney killed. Emigrated to Australia. Died 1980

[Source: CMHA]

ATS, Piarco, Trinidad. 2nd Course – Standing: F.W. Farfan, K. Rostant, T.H. Meyer – Sitting: I. Bourne, R. Williams (instructor), Lieut. J.F. Carroll (chief instructor), W. Brown (ground engineer), J.D. Lenagan/Lennigan? (senior cadet) [Source: CMHA]

Squadron Leader – OBE, MIBM, MIPM, RAF

George Lau was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad on 7 May 1921. He was educated at Naparima and St Mary’s Colleges before being selected in 1941 by the Trinidad Air Training Scheme for Pilot training.  He went on to volunteer for flying duties in the Royal Air Force in 1942, and after Elementary Flying Training in England and Canada, he graduated as an Air Navigator at the RCAF Station Edmonton, Alberta. He completed Operational Training on Hampden Torpedo bombers as well as Dakota DC 3 aircraft in early 1944, at No 32 OUT, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

After a short spell at No. 45 North Atlantic Ferry Group at RCAF Dorval, Montreal, he flew out to the far east and joined No. 117 Squadron in mid 1944 on the India/Burma border flying DC 3 aircraft in the air supply dropping role against the Japanese. After completing an Operational Tour of 165 missions he was then posted in 1945 to No. 353 Squadron engaged in short range transport activities in the India/Burma/China area.

In 1946, he returned to England and joined No. 511 Squadron at RAF Lyneham flying York and Hastings aircraft on long range transport operations over the Middle East, East Africa and Far East.  Whilst serving with No. 511 Squadron, he was specially selected and granted a Permanent Commission as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force Flying Branch.

Also during his four(4) years tour with 511 Sqn, he flew operational sorties in the evacuation of prisoners of war from Singapore, the movement of families to and fro India and Pakistan during the Indian Independence hostilities support ops during the emergencies in Malaya and in Kenya, and the Berlin Airlift.

On the airlift, Sqn Ldr Lau flew over 200 missions between RAF Wunstorf, Hannover and RAF Gatow, Berlin, in the period July 48 to June 49.

Between 1951 and 1954, he was a Flight Commander and Instructor at No. 1 and No. 5 Air Navigation Schools. He then joined the Central Flying School, RAF Little Rissington as Adjutant and Staff Navigator.

This was followed in 1957 by courses on Night Fighters and as a Fighter Controller. His next post was in Cyprus on the Air Defence Staff and in 1958, he became Officer Commanding No. 280 Signals Unit, a Master Ground Controlled Interception Unit at RAF Akrotiri responsible for the island air defence during the Emergency. At the end of this appointment he was awarded the OBE.

In 1960, he commanded a Training Squadron at No. 2 Technical Training School. By 1962 he returned to flying duties as Seniors Operations Officer and Instructor at No. 230 Vulcan Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), after completing a series of courses on Canberra and Vulcan Bomber aircraft.

He next moved to Singapore when in 1965 he joined the Staff of the Air Officer Commanding No. 224 Group, RAF Seletar during the Indonesian/Malaysian Confrontation. On completion of this tour in 1967, he was posted back to England onto the Headquarters Staff of Bomber Command (later renamed Strike Command).

After a couple years at RAF Strike Command, Sqn Ldr Lau, at his own request, prematurely voluntarily retired from the Royal Air Force in order to pursue a second career in Industry.  He joined Tate & Lyle PLC in 1969 and retired from that company in 1992, having served in Senior management appointments in the UK, West Indies and east Africa.

He now resides in England. He is married to Elaine Chan Sing, also a Trinidadian.  They have 2 daughters – Susanne and Diane.

AIRCRAFT TYPE FLOWN

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Graduate Air Navigator
Graduate Specialist Navigator/Instructor
Qualified Fighter Controller
Graduate Admin Staff College
HND Business Studies (MBIM)
Diploma Personnel Management (MIPM)

HONOURS/AWARDS
OBE

Resume submitted by George S Lau, 29 April 1992

[Source: CMHA]

Flight Lieutenant – Glider Pilot

[Source: CMHA]

605750 – H.D. Knox – Trinidad – attested 1.12.43 – Sgt. A/B #32 PD 20.10.44 – UK 18.12.44

[Source: NA AIR 2/6876]

Flying Officer – Navigator – Mosquito

Crashed in Mosquito; a/c upside down, gasolene running onto him, no explosion.

[Source: CMHA]

25139 – Flight Lieutenant – Pilot – 169 Sqn, 29 Sqn – Mosquito

Educated QRC; Trained at Piarco 60hrs Tiger Moths; RAuxAF Avro Tutor/Avro Anson. Posted 169 Sqn , Mosquito’s, 34 operations with 100 Group. Posted 29 Sqn Mosquitoes, Night fighter. Digby/Lubeck. Died Oct 2006

[Source: CMHA]

1294675

[Source: AD]

“A family group photo which includes my uncle, Arnold Sinclair Kelshall (on the right). My father, Philip Walter Kelshall is standing on the left. This photo would have been taken right after my father and uncle were demobilised, as I am the young lad in the photo, and I was born June 1944. Both my uncle Arnold and my dad were at Cambridge university studying law when the war broke out. They joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron initially. My dad went on to be an instructor at RAF Cranwell before joining the Mosquito squadron. My Dad stayed in aviation, he was a Captain at BWIA, in Trinidad, ended up as General Manager.” 

[Courtesy: Anthony Simon Kelshall]

Squadron Leader – RCAF – Pilot

Educated CIC, Volunteered in Canada July 1941. Flight Instructor and Staff Pilot RCAF Baird Rivers, Manitoba. Died April 1991

[Source: CMHA]

1394902 – A.S. Kelshall – Trinidad – F/O – Pilot – attested 12.8.41
133424 – commissioned 6.11.42 – P/War 26.4.44

[Source: NA AIR 2/6876 – Nominal Roll of Coloured Candidates, October 1944]

Flight Lieutenant – Pilot – 254 Sqn, Coastal Command – Beaufighter – POW

Educated QRC, Volunteer Trinidad ETS, trained at Piarco 60hrs Tiger Moth; UK training 60hrs Peterborough; Canada training Harvard a/c, Prince Edward Island. Shot down and wounded when flying a beaufighter against a German convoy off the Dutch coast. Sent to Stalag Luft 3, transferred to Ludenvalde, POW # 433427. Eventually escaped from Russian custody at the end of the war.

[Source: CMHA]

245 Squadron, 1940. A.S. Kelshall  front row, 3rd from right. [Foto: RAF]

Top right: A.S. Kelshall; Bottom left: John Shirley

[Courtesy: Family of F/O John Shirley & Aircrew Remembrance Society]

“A family group photo which includes my uncle, Arnold Sinclair Kelshall (on the right). Arnold was coastal command on Beaufighters and was shot down and  held in Stalag Luft 3 for about 1 year. This photo would have been taken right after my uncle and his brother Philip Walter Kelshall (my father, on the left) were demobilised, as I am the young lad in the photo, and I was born June 1944. I was born whilst Arnold was missing in action, and that’s why my initials are A.S.B. Kelshall in his honour. Both my uncle Arnold and my dad were at Cambridge university studying law when the war broke out. They joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron initially. My dad went on to be an instructor at RAF Cranwell before joining the Mosquito squadron. Arnold turned up later in a German prison camp, having been shot down in the North Sea off the coast of Holland, and been “rescued” by a German U-boat that luckily surfaced a few hundred yards away! Uncle Arnold went back to practice law with the family law firm in Port-of-Spain, TM Kelshall & co.”

[Courtesy: Anthony Simon Kelshall, son of Flight Lieutenant P.W. Kelshall]

Squadron Leader – Chaplain

[Source: CMHA]

Pilot Officer

[Source: CMHA]

1399240 – Edward Warburton Jardine – Trinidad –

(not sure he was a Pilot Officer – not found a date he was commissioned.  He transferred to the RNVR)

[Courtesy AD]

Flying Officer

[Source: CMHA]

605471 – W.H.M. Ironside – Trinidad – attested 28.7.42 – Sgt. Pilot UK 5.1.43
seriously injured 8.5.43

[Source: NA AIR 2/6876]