An Old Flight Log Book
This blog is a bit different, I've yet to see the grave of this gentleman but I have seen something quite personal and what would have been important to him.
On 22 March 2026, John purchased a flight log at a military show in Toronto, Ontario. The flight log was for a man named Harry Thewlis with service number 1624445 who served with the Royal Airforce in South Africa.
John had done some preliminary searches for the gentleman via google but was not able to find any information. He wondered if the gentleman was born in South Africa and asked me to see if I could find more information about his service, determine where he was born, and find out how the log book found its way to Canada.
The Flight Log
The first two pages of the book provided us with key information about Harry.
Pasted to the front cover of the flight log were its instructions, which also stated that it was an official document and property of the Union Government. Stamped in the upper left-hand corner in red was: R.A.F Harrogate. [North Yorkshire, England]
N.V.C 14/32(printed in blue ink)
Signed UJG? 3/0
Date 27.10.42
Pasted on top of the instructions was a smaller piece of paper entitled Aerodrome Control Instruction, which certified that 1624445 Thewlis. H. was given instructions in the duties of Aerodrome Control Pilot on 21.11.43 by Inspector A Brown and Duty Pilot on 16-12-43 by W Lan Garde? Lte.
A second piece of paper indicated that L.A.C Thewlis received instruction on the Oxford Cockpit Drill Trainer on 15 December 1942 at No 2. Air School Randfontein.
The first page of the log book shows us that Harry executed his first successful solo spin and recovery on 2 November 1943. Beside this entry, presumably pasted by Harry is a Canadian stamp featuring the de Havilland Tiger Moth, which was the primary aircraft used at the school(1). It also states that on 3 March 1944 he was qualified to carry passengers for Bombing, Machine Gun Practices, and Cross Country Exercises. Stricken from the list of qualifications was to act as a safety pilot for Instrument Flying practices.
Loose papers between the cover and first page include:
- Sergeants’ Mess Royal Air Force North Luffenham Subscription Card, which shows that Harry paid into the subscription in June (no year) was number 445 and had the rank w/o. North Luffenham was an RAF Air Force base in Rutland, England.(2)
- A Royal Air Force Physical Fitness Test Record Card, which provides us with Harry’s age (26), height (5’ 7”) and his rank at the time (F/SGT). There are two dates on the card: 19 July 1945 and 13 December 1945.
- Photo of the men of “A’ Navigation Flight 43 Air School Port Alfred [South Africa] dated 20 April 1945. The names of each man in the picture appear on the back. Harry is not one of the men in this picture. Port Alfred is on the ocean while Randfontein is in the interior and 11 hours 35 mins away by car.
The rest of the book contains meticulous records of each of his flights, his progression in the ranks and a summary of his record of service (unit and dates) as well as which aircraft he had flown.
It appears that his service started in A.C.R.C [Air Crew Reception Centre] St John’s Wood 26 October 1942 and ended in 7 PRC [Personnel Reception Centre] Market Harborough on 14 December 1945.
The search and the answer
The quickest source of information for most of my research is Ancestry. A cursory search of showed there was more than one Harry Thewlis in both England and Canada. The results in Canadian records were limited to Ontario voters lists (for a Harry Thewlis in North York, Ontario) and a man who lived in Alberta. In England, there were a couple of men who were born in Yorkshire and at least one marriage index for a Harry Thewlis who married Sylvia Hallas around 1940.
I turned to Google and was able to quickly find Harry’s obituary online. He died at 82 on 25 February 2000 at home. According to his obituary, he was married to Syliva for 59 years. Together they had at least one child, Maxine, who married Basil Peters. Harry had at least 2 grandchildren, Ross and Gareth. His obituary goes on to say that he served in WWII as an instructor pilot with the R.A.F and after the war worked for the City of Toronto. In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations to the North York General Hospital [Ontario, Canada](3).
The log book and obituary coupled with the index to the marriage record gave me a lot of critical information. He was likely born in England and was married before he served in Yorkshire in 1939/1940 to Sylvia Hallas.
I decided to order a copy of the marriage record from the GRO and wait patiently for it to arrive in the mail. Upon review, the marriage record gave me important information to narrow down Harry and complete the picture.
Harry Thewlis was born 31 October 1917(4)
In 1921, the Thewlis family was living at 3 Royd St Avenue, Longwood, Golcar, Huddersfield. The household included:
- Fred aged 32 years, 6 months
- Anne, aged 33 years
- Mary, aged 7 years 6 months
- Harold, aged 4 years 8 months
- And Harry, aged 3 years 7 months(5)
In 1939, Harry , a plumber and electrician, was living with his parents and sister at 16 Moorcroft Avenue, Colne Valley, Yorkshire. His father was a brass moulder.(6)
On 19 October 1940, 22 year old Harry Thewlis, still living on Moorcroft Ave, married 19 year old Sylvia Hallas, a weaver, at St Saviour’s Church in Ravensthorpe, County Burrough of Dewsbury. Sylvia lived at 52 William Street in Ravensthorpe. Sylvia’s father’s name was not listed but the certificate include Harry’s dad, Fred. Fred’s occupation matches the 1921 census.
Harry and Sylvia welcomed Maxine Lesley on 15 December 1941 at the Princess Royal Maternity Home and they were living with his parents at 16 Moorcroft Avenue.(7)
In 1945 while Harry remained in service, Sylvia (and presumably Maxine) were living with Fred and Anne on Moorcroft Avenue.(8)
On 16th March 1948, Sylvia and Maxine set sail from Southampton on board the SS Aquitania bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (9) Harry does not appear on the ship manifest and perhaps went on ahead to get settled in Canada. As per Harry's obituary, he worked for the City of Toronto, it's not certain what prompted him to move his little family to Canada or when he arrived.
1. Royal Air For Commands, SAAF Training Organisation https://www.rafcommands.com/articles/saaf-training-organisation/#google_vignette, accessed 23 March 2026 by Debbie Redmond.
2. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_North_Luffenham accessed 23 March 2026 by Debbie Redmond
3. Harry Thewlis obituary, https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/harry-thewlis-obituary?id=41874617, The Globe and Mail, published February 28-29, 2000. Accessed 25 March 2026 by Debbie Redmond.
4. 1939 England and Wales Register. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/3621C. Accessed by Debbie Redmond, 1 May 2026. https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/61596/records/22233414.
5. The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; 1921 Census Returns; Reference: RG 15/21435, ED 2, Sch 19; Book: 21435. https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/63150/records/3000101. Accessed by Debbie Redmond, 1 May 2026
6. 1939 England and Wales Register. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/3621C. Accessed by Debbie Redmond, 1 May 2026. https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/61596/records/22233414.
7. The Huddersfield Examiner and West Riding Reporter. Published 20 December 1941. Page 8. Accessed by Debbie Redmond 1 May 2026.
8. West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers [Colne Valley], 1840-1962 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/3057/records/95862736 Accessed by Debbie Redmond 2 May 2026.
9. The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27-135583. https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/2997/records/143838921. Accessed by Debbie Redmond 2 May 2026.
