Thomas William Charles – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 203 Squadron
Sergeant Thomas William Charles – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 203 Squadron Birth and Family Background Thomas William Charles was born in 1923 at Swansea , the son of Thomas Victor Charles and Alice May Harris , who had married in the city in 1922. By the time of the 1939 Register , his mother, Alice, recorded as undertaking unpaid domestic duties, was living with Thomas at 53 Powys Avenue, Swansea , where he was employed as a junior clerk in a radio shop . Their household reflected the quiet rhythms of pre‑war life, soon to be overtaken by the demands of global conflict. Military Service Lockheed Hudson V Thomas enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and served with No. 203 Squadron , holding the rank of Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) . During 1942 the squadron operated Lockheed Hudson V aircraft on long‑range maritime patrols, anti‑submarine sweeps, and reconnaissance missions across the western Mediterranean and the approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar...
