Roland Prosper Beamont

Roland Prosper Beamont was a fighter pilot, squadron leader and later test pilot whose career linked wartime combat with post-war British aircraft development. He flew Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain and later became closely associated with the Hawker Typhoon, one of the RAF’s important low-level strike fighters. His service number, 41819, is tied to the Distinguished Flying Cross in the RAF award records. After the war Beamont continued flying at the edge of new technology as a test pilot, including work with jet and high-speed aircraft. He is remembered both as an operational fighter pilot and as one of the airmen whose technical skill helped carry British military aviation into the jet age.