Robert Bungey

At the time of his death, Bungey was officially credited with five aerial victories. Having included Bungey in their 1961 book listing all of the flying aces of the British and Commonwealth air forces of the Second World War, military aviation historians Christopher Shores and Clive Williams specifically excluded him from their 1994 update of their book. In doing so, they acknowledged including him in the original edition in error.

Bungey was subsequently promoted to wing commander and posted to the RAF station at Shoreham as its commander; he later fulfilled a similar role at Hawkinge. In January 1943, he relinquished his commission and he was transferred to the reserve of the RAAF. He returned to Australia, reuniting with his wife Sybil and meeting his son Richard for the first time. He was scheduled to take up a posting as a commander of a fighter wing in the far north of Australia. Within a matter of weeks after his arrival, Sybil Bungey took ill and died in hospital on 27 May.

Richard Bungey, who recovered from his wounds of 10 June 1943, later wrote a biography of his father, which was published as Spitfire Leader. In August 2019 he advocated for a memorial plaque for Bungey in the city of Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, and this was approved in January 2021. There were some reservations from city councillors, concerned at the perception of honouring Bungey given the circumstances of his death.

On 4 November, No. 452 Squadron was flying as cover for spotter aircraft directing the firing of the Dover coastal artillery across the English Channel when they were attacked by a large group of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. In the resulting dogfight, Bungey destroyed one of the Bf 109s. He destroyed another Bf 109 on 6 December. Offensive operations tailed off over the winter months, and relatively few missions were undertaken. Bungey's tenure as commander of No. 452 Squadron ended on 25 January 1942.

No. 145 Squadron resumed offensive operations in early 1941 and at the start of February, Bungey was promoted to squadron leader. On 10 March he shot down a Ju 88 over the English Channel. The knee that he had injured the previous November continued to trouble him and he was taken off operations at the end of the month for medical treatment.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, No. 226 Squadron was sent to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF). It was one of ten bomber squadrons of the AASF. The squadron made several attacks on the advancing German forces in the days following the commencement of the invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, including raids on the bridges across the Albert Canal. The bomber squadrons of the AASF suffered heavy casualties and the squadron was subsequently evacuated back to England in mid-June. Afterwards Bungey volunteered for a transfer to Fighter Command, which was short of pilots, and completed a conversion course on the Hawker Hurricane fighter.

In July 1936, Bungey entered the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and went to Point Cook for flight training as an air cadet. After 12 months, his course completed and he was discharged from the RAAF to take up a short service commission in the Royal Air Force (RAF). On 26 August 1937, he was commissioned as a pilot officer for a five-year period of service in the RAF. Bungey was posted to No. 226 Squadron, a unit of Bomber Command that operated the Fairey Battle light bomber from Harwell. In May 1939, he was promoted to flying officer.

From Fullarton, in Adelaide, Bungey joined the RAAF in 1936 but after completing his flight training was discharged and accepted on a short service commission in the RAF. He was sent to the United Kingdom, where he was posted to No. 226 Squadron and flew Fairey Battles in the early stages of the Second World War. After the Battle of France, he transferred to Fighter Command and was posted to No. 145 Squadron. He flew in the later stages of the Battle of Britain. Promoted to squadron leader in February 1941 he was given command of the Australian No. 452 Squadron, which he led for several months. Later in the war he commanded RAF stations before relinquishing his commission in January 1943 and transferred to the RAAF reserve. He returned to Australia later in the year. He was due to take command of a fighter wing in the far north of Australia but, distraught and depressed after the recent death of his wife, he shot himself and his son in Adelaide. The son survived and later wrote a biography of his father.

Robert Wilton Bungey DFC (4 October 1914 – 10 June 1943) was an Australian fighter pilot of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and later the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War. Officially, he was credited with five aerial victories and thus qualified as a flying ace but there is some uncertainty regarding this.

Robert Wilton Bungey, the son of Ernest and Ada Blanche Bungey, was born on 14 October 1914 at Fullarton, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. He was educated at Glenelg Primary School before going on to Adelaide High School. After completing his schooling, he found employment as a clerk in the insurance industry.