I'm researching a Reginald Dawes remembered at the Castle Bromwich War memorial in Birmingham. I believe he may well be Reginald Arthur Dawes 86th Squadron RAFVR 1198393 b 1Q1914 in Birmingham and died 7th September 1941, also remembered at Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Parents Arthur William and Emma (nee Hadley). His wife is recorded as Jeanne Lilian Dawes, but can find no marriage. Can't find how he died. Any help out there? Kind regards Alan
I would suggest he died in a crash: Incident Bristol Beaufort I W6542, 07 Sep 1941 RAF CWGC War Dead Query ZZAirwar - 1941-09-07/07. Beaufort W6542 Sgt Dawes North Sea
Alan excellent work you are doing please find attached Runnymede panel from my photo collection Re his service the only way forward is his service records I am sure forum members can add a bit more Sergeant DAWES, REGINALD ARTHUR Service Number 1198393 Died 07/09/1941 Aged 27 86 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Son of Arthur William and Emma Dawes; husband of Jeanne Lilian Dawes, of Finchley, Middlesex Commemorated at RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL Location: Surrey, United Kingdom Number of casualties: 20275 Cemetery/memorial reference: Panel 42.
the below plus the other crew members Bristol Beaufort I. W6542 BX-D. Missing since:07-09-1941 Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner)BUTT, EDWARD LESLIE Service Number 1262088 Died 07/09/1941 Aged 27 86 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Son of Albert John and Elsie Anne Butt, of Drayton, Portsmouth. Sergeant UDALE, WILLIAM TIMOTHY Service Number 1260382 Died 07/09/1941 86 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Hampton Wick War Memorial - Wikipedia Sergeant LONGHURST, SIDNEY ROBERT Service Number 1251534 Died 07/09/1941 Aged 19 86 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Arnhem 1944 The Missing ones Son of Robert Walter and Esther Emma Longhurst, of Isleworth, Middlesex.
Reginald Arthur Dawes was my grandfather. Killed MIA 7 September 1941 over North Sea. Many thanks for the research.
Hi Lloyd, have you and email address and I can send you what information I have. Are you able to provide his date of birth, marriage date etc? Kind regards Alan
Hi Alan, unfortunately I do not have my grandfather's DoB or his marriage date. Interestingly, I was checking the operational records for Squadron 86 for the month of September 1941 via the National Archives, and there is no record of my grandfather's flight (aircraft W6542) or of the crash of 7 September, ref records AIR-27-708-10/11. Aircraft W6542 flew a number of missions the preceding month of August, but my neither my grandfather nor his fellow aircrew feature in the records for that month either. This is all very odd. I am going to have to go and visit the National Archives to research this further. Kind regards, Lloyd lloyddawes (AT) yahoo.co.uk
I have located the marriage & 1939 register entry for Reginald Dawes & his wife. This has been passed on to Lloyd Dawes via PM.
On September 7, 1941, the W6542 crashes. The Vlieland Cultural Association gave me access to German reports. On that date I saw a claim of the two batteries of Texel, with support / comment "Ugruko IJmuiden". The times of both batteries are the same: 01.07 hours. Because no other losses of the RAF are known on September 7 (to me), the chance seems real that the W6542 tried to fly across Texel, when it was fired on by two batteries, and then diverted to the south. The battery in IJmuiden has been killed. I find the long time between the crash and the discovery of a crew member on the beach of Ameland logical. If the plane had landed in the Waddenzee, the body would have washed up much earlier, I think. (On some websites, the IJsselmeer is listed as a crash spot. Impossible.