IN MEMORY OF
Flight Sergeant ERNEST LEWIS DAVIES 404934
27/05/1918 - 05/09/1942 RAAF
27/05/1918 - 05/09/1942 RAAF
Ernie Davies was our Dad's youngest and only brother who lost his life with his crew of a Halifax bomber in Friesland having ditched on water and attempted to escape in their rubber dinghy. It is thought that they were fighting their way off the water when they were all shot. The farm land was owned by the family of world renowned Friesian Cattle Breeders and judges. The boys were buried in the LEEUWARDERADEEL [JELSUM] PROTESTANT CHURCHYARD Friesland, Netherlands. Row K grave 5
4 of the crews bodies were repatriated post war. The remaining graves are maintained by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the local community who hold a remembrance service on or about the 5 of September each year.
Recent research has indicated that the above story, long held by the Davies family is not the real story of the crash. Due to the hard work of Willem de Jong and others for the 75th anniversary of the crash, we can now tell the true story gained from archive material.
Christmas 2022
The crash site in recent times.
They were flying Halifax W1220 of 103 Squadron and were returning after bombing Bremen. They were based at Elsham Wolds airfield in Norfolk and were on their 4th mission when they were attacked by German night fighters. Their previous flights were also lively and eventful. A story in the family tells of the crew having to jettison any unwanted and movable objects in an attempt to maintain sufficient height to get to the airfield. Once over the English coast the tail gunner was ordered to bail out and he had to walk back over stubbled fields in his stockings as the boots had gone out over the North Sea. The remainder landed safely. Tail gunner was not a happy man when he did get back.
Ernie was a good footballer and played in the Queensland Junior Association Team in 1935-7-8.
At the time of enlistment his stated employment was as a wool classer sorter. having obtained a diploma in Sheep Wool at Central Technical College1938-9. He went out to the sheep stations at shearing time and classed the clip .
He was learning to fly in a Tiger Moth at Archerfield Aerodrome with Matherson Aviation & Training Co. Pty. Ltd. [1.5 hours duel]
Prior to his leaving Australia with My brother Alan about 3.5 years old
Bill Henderson, Allan Giles, Earn Davies, Earn Elliott, at South Brisbane station on the day in 1940 when Allan Giles left for Sydney and Canada.
As can be seen from his service record he went to Canada to learn to fly lastly in the Havard before crossing the Atlantic by sea to Liverpool. Up to Lossiemouth for conversion to multi engines followed by posting to 103 sqn. at Elsham Wolds.
here's a Squadron photo with your uncle Ernie in it..as is his crew....he's standing in the back - forth from the right....Alec Beesley his wireless operator is on his immediate right....Thank you Andrew Mac Donald
Claimed by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egmont_Prinz_zur_Lippe-Wei%C3%9Fenfeld
Claimed by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egmont_Prinz_zur_Lippe-Wei%C3%9Fenfeld
Date:05-SEP-1942
Time:03:39 a.m.
Type:Handley Page Halifax II
Owner/operator:Royal Air Force (RAF)
Registration:W1220
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:0
Airplane damage:Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Jelsum - Netherlands
Phase:Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Elsham Wolds, UK
Destination airport:Bremen
Narrative:
Shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter during a bombing mission on Bremen, Germany.
The entire crew of 7 perished in the crash.
The deceased are buried at the cemetery in Jelsum, the Netherlands.
Flight Sergeant Alec Henry Beesley, 404631, RAAF, age 26
Flying Officer Sydney Frank Belbin, 408140, RAAF, age 33
Sergeant James Grant Crockett, 403393, RAAF, age 33
Flight Sergeant Ernest Lewis Davies, 404934, RAAF, age 24
Sergeant (Flt. Engr.) John James Parish, 622589, age 22
Flight Sergeant (Air Gnr.) Sydney Mervyn Selway, 1376161, age 22
Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) John Douglas Whitehead, 1057167, age 22
R.I.P.
Time:03:39 a.m.
Type:Handley Page Halifax II
Owner/operator:Royal Air Force (RAF)
Registration:W1220
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:0
Airplane damage:Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Jelsum - Netherlands
Phase:Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Elsham Wolds, UK
Destination airport:Bremen
Narrative:
Shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter during a bombing mission on Bremen, Germany.
The entire crew of 7 perished in the crash.
The deceased are buried at the cemetery in Jelsum, the Netherlands.
Flight Sergeant Alec Henry Beesley, 404631, RAAF, age 26
Flying Officer Sydney Frank Belbin, 408140, RAAF, age 33
Sergeant James Grant Crockett, 403393, RAAF, age 33
Flight Sergeant Ernest Lewis Davies, 404934, RAAF, age 24
Sergeant (Flt. Engr.) John James Parish, 622589, age 22
Flight Sergeant (Air Gnr.) Sydney Mervyn Selway, 1376161, age 22
Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) John Douglas Whitehead, 1057167, age 22
R.I.P.
The story would not be complete without the claim by the German Night Fighter to have shot down the plane W1220.
Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weissenfeld5NJG 2Halifax548 3A: 1000m [5km SW Leeuwarden]3.39Western Front
Bremen 251 aircraft - 98 Wellingtons, 76 Lancasters, 41 Halifaxes, 36 Stirlings. 12 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3 Lancasters, 1 Halifax, 1 Stirling - lost, 4.8 per cent of the force.
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05/09/aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3 Halifax W1220 crash, in Jelsumer Aldlân / NL , Sept. 5, 1942 - request about your website / text (2) People
Willem de Jong <[email protected]> Hello all, in the UK or elsewhere, - This message came back in my mailbox as 'undeliverable', because of a typewriter error in the address ! Sorry, my fault, but I try it again now. Willem. Op 14 augustus 2017 om 22:57 schreef Willem de Jong <[email protected]>: Hello Bob (isn't it ?) Davies, - Early September 1942, as known perhaps, for the Netherlands in the 3rd quater of the 3rd wartime year, was a 'rather busy' moment at the local town hall of the community of 'Leeuwarderadeel', which 'gemeentehuis' was situated then on De Schrans, in the Huizum borough of Leeuwarden city, in Friesland / NL. On Thursday the 3rd - although not clear right away to the town hall clerks and other officials (!) - there was a visit of so called inspectors of the country government, in the offices and safe room of the town hall, ending in a 'secret robbery' of 'Persoonsbewijzen' (brand new, unused ID-passes !), which documents were 'desperately needed' for the local resistance organisation. This was a 'cheeky stunt' of Mr. Theo Dobbe, alias Mr. J.W. van Hooghstraten - in civil life an ordinairy sales manager of a carpet factory - who was misleading, together with his resistance companion, nicknamed Jhr. J.P. de Nijs Bik, the town hall servants. - During the following days, the local police, in particular 'Brigadier' (Police Sergeant) Jan Vrieswijk, was checking all facts, screening all personnel, and even the 'Burgemeester' (mayor) himself, resulting in a 'Proces Verbaal' (police report), finished / signed at September 11, 1942. However, there was more work to do, because...... in the night of 4 - 5 th September, an RAF heavy bomber, on his way to raid the German habour city of Bremen, was attacked by a Luftwaffe night-fighter, resulting in a dramatic air crash in the Jelsumer Aldlân, thus also in the Gemeente of Leeuwarderadeel. That H.P. Halifax (Mk. II) aircraft, numbered W1220, of No. 103 'Black Swan' Squadron (squadron and radio-coded PM - 'T' for Tommy), came down heavy burning
To
g1uqf Linda Commons tom.bint2
Today at 9:10 Hello all, in the UK or elsewhere,
- This message came back in my mailbox as 'undeliverable', because of a typewriter error in the address ! Sorry, my fault, but I try it again now.
Willem.
Op 14 augustus 2017 om 22:57 schreef Willem de Jong <[email protected]>:
Hello Bob (isn't it ?) Davies,
- Early September 1942, as known perhaps, for the Netherlands in the 3rd quater of the 3rd wartime year, was a 'rather busy' moment at the local town hall of the community of 'Leeuwarderadeel', which 'gemeentehuis' was situated then on De Schrans, in the Huizum borough of Leeuwarden city, in Friesland / NL. On Thursday the 3rd - although not clear right away to the town hall clerks and other officials (!) - there was a visit of so called inspectors of the country government, in the offices and safe room of the town hall, ending in a 'secret robbery' of 'Persoonsbewijzen' (brand new, unused ID-passes !), which documents were 'desperately needed' for the local resistance organisation. This was a 'cheeky stunt' of Mr. Theo Dobbe, alias Mr. J.W. van Hooghstraten - in civil life an ordinairy sales manager of a carpet factory - who was misleading, together with his resistance companion, nicknamed Jhr. J.P. de Nijs Bik, the town hall servants.
- During the following days, the local police, in particular 'Brigadier' (Police Sergeant) Jan Vrieswijk, was checking all facts, screening all personnel, and even the 'Burgemeester' (mayor) himself, resulting in a 'Proces Verbaal' (police report), finished / signed at September 11, 1942. However, there was more work to do, because...... in the night of 4 - 5 th September, an RAF heavy bomber, on his way to raid the German habour city of Bremen, was attacked by a Luftwaffe night-fighter, resulting in a dramatic air crash in the Jelsumer Aldlân, thus also in the Gemeente of Leeuwarderadeel. That H.P. Halifax (Mk. II) aircraft, numbered W1220, of No. 103 'Black Swan' Squadron (squadron and radio-coded PM - 'T' for Tommy), came down heavy burning, with all 7 crew still aboard (!), and exploded while hitting the ground; alas, there were no survivors, all Allied Airmen were killed in that happening, of which 4 men were Australians.
- In the early morning hours of that Saturday, soon Luftwaffe personnel of the nearby 'Fliegerhorst' (airfield) Leeuwarden, was guarding the smokey crash site, and specialists of their occupying troops, were starting the recovery of the remains of those who were killed in that inferno. Two bodies were found in what was left of the cockpit and nose section of the craft, while two other victims were discovered between the scrap of the fuselage of the total wrecked plane; and the last 3 airmen, their human remains, were traced spred out in the wide open meadows area, not far from the 'Dokkumer Ee' waterway.
- They were all buried in the local churchyard of Jelsum village, near the Prot. (N.H.) St. Genoveva Church, at Mon. 7th Sept. 1942, in Plot K, originally in the graves 23 - 27 (later reburied or renumbered ?; today in the graves 1 - 7). And it happened likely in a military funeral service, led by the Germans, complete with a 'rifle salute' and the 'Our Father Prayer', in English ! Today, those brave men are still interred there, every year mentioned in the 4th of May ('Dodenherdenking') Remembrance Service, and also during the yearly Christmas Eve Candle Light Happening :
F/Sgt. Alec Henry Beesley (Bomb Aimer), F/O. Sidney 'Sid' Frank Belbin (Navigator), Sgt. James Grant Crockett (Air Gunner - MUG), F/Sgt. Ernest 'Earn' Lewis Davies (pilot / skipper) of Nundah, in Queensland (Austr.), Sgt. John James Parish (Flight Engineer), F/Sgt. Sidney Mervyn Selway (Air Gunner - Rear), and Sgt. John 'Jack' Douglas Whitehead (Wireless Operator + Air Gunner).
- Next September 5 - as a simple calculation is learning us - it is exactly 75 years ago that this air war drama was happening. And for that reason, it is my intention to revisit the last resting places of them, on that date indeed, otherwise as soon as possible (in fact depending on the weather, hopefully good enough to take some clear, sunny pictures, for the next of kin too). There is underwhile e-mail exchange going on with some relatives indeed, living in Britain, and with the permission of them, this 'poppy tour' of me will bring a 'flowers greeting' and a 'family message' with portrait photo also, at least to the grave of 'Jack' Whitehead, the Wireless of the Halifax W1220.
- While 'surfing' via Google, trying to find more pictures and detailed information, etc. - more or less related to that wartime happening - we found your website too, with at least a lot of nice photos (Thank you very much !), and also your e-mail address. It is for that reason that we're 'knocking on your door' now, because we've a request, in particular about the (beginning) text on that website, about what is 'thought to be happened to the crew' !!!
- Can you please explain us, from where this information is coming originally; thus, which sources are used for it ?
- Attached you'll find 2 other crew portraits of the killed airmen of the W1220, etc.; but as you can see, our own 'Photo Galery Of Honour' is not complete yet.
Many thanks for your attention so far / with kind regards,
Willem de Jong (volunteer WW2 air combat research), Dronryp village, Friesland / NL.
lost, 4.8 per cent of the force.fax548 3A: 1000m [5km SW Leeuwarden]3.39Western Front
The above picture has been supplied by Willem de Jong from the family of the Minister of the Protestant Church in Jelsum 1946. We now know that Grandmother Sara Jane Davies and her oldest daughter Margaret Elizabeth (Peg) , Ft/Sgt. Ernest Davies ' mother and sister stayed with the minister and his family when visiting the grave after the war.
My life story and family history and stories are published on "Kindle", at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B28KKYA
My art relating to it is at
http://blackbirdacrylicart.weebly.com/
http://daviesfamilyalbum.weebly.com
This site is a " Work In Progress" . [email protected]