Danish WW2 Pilots

Flt Lt Robert Christian Bostrøm

(1920 - 2005)

Robert Christian Bostrøm served in the Royal Air Force, Administrative and Service Duties Branch, during the Second World War. The experiences during his military service inspired him in his passion for earth sciences, which became his academic career after the war.

Robert Christian Bostrøm (Bostrom) was born on 22 July 1920 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The son of Robert Lars Christian Bostrom and Annie Eliza Bostrom.[1] He was the brother of Joan Ingeborg Bostrøm (married Lambert), who served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.

Bostrøm was a student of the Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland in Edinburgh in 1937. He is employed by the Standard Life insurance company at the time.[2] He later completed undergraduate studies at Keble College, Oxford University, and returned later to Oxford for graduate studies and his Ph.D.[3]

Bostrøm volunteered for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War (1367503) perhaps as early as in late 1940.[4] He participated in the development, testing and deployment of aircraft navigation and detection technologies.[5] He was promoted from Corporal to Acting Pilot Officer (on probation) on 19 August 1943 (149391)[6], and further to Acting Pilot Officer (on probation) to Pilot Officer (on probation) on 14 October 1943.[7] He was confirmed in the appointment to Pilot Officer and promoted to Flying Officer (War Substantive) in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch on 14 April 1944.[8]

At the end of the war, he seems to have been further promoted to Flight Lieutenant.[9]

Endnotes

[1] Robert C. Bostrom, King County Journal (Bellevue, WA), July 18, 2005 (retrieved 22 November 2014).

[2] List of Members and Students. (1937). Transactions of the Faculty of Actuaries, 16, Iv-Xxx. Retrieved January 2, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41218318.

[3] Robert C. Bostrom, King County Journal (Bellevue, WA), July 18, 2005 (retrieved 22 November 2014).

[4] Bostrøm’s service number is part of a block of numbers (1365001 to 1375000) allotted for recruitment in Edinburgh in August 1940.

[5] Robert C. Bostrom, King County Journal (Bellevue, WA), July 18, 2005 (retrieved 22 November 2014).

[6] London Gazette, Issue 36207, p. 4507 , 8 October 1943, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36207/supplement/4507.

[7] London Gazette, Issue 36245, p. 4980 , 9 November 1943, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36245/supplement/4980.

[8] London Gazette, Issue 36499, p. 2063, 2 May 1944, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36499/supplement/2063.

[9] Frihedsmuseets database over søfolk og soldater i allieret tjeneste, 1939-45, http://allieret.natmus.dk/person.aspx?84056 (accessed on 2 January 2021).