BENJAMIN EA
Benjamin, Eric Arthur Died
Personal Information
| Rank | W/C |
| Forename(s) | Eric Arthur |
| Surname | Benjamin |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 25 |
| Decorations | DFC*, AE |
| Date of Death | 20-02-1945 |
| Next of Kin | Fourth son of Albert and Beatrice Benjamin. Husband of Betty Benjamin (née Barry), of Twickenham, Middlesex. Father of Jeannie Benjamin (b.17 August 1943) and Sally Benjamin (b.31 January 1945) |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | de Havilland Mosquito XXV |
| Serial Number | KB401 |
| Markings | AZ-E |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | 1. Z. 13. |
| Epitaph | UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN. BETTY, JEANNE AND SALLY |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 1 |
| Panel Number | 8 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 77777 |
| Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Group | 5 |
| Squadron | 627 |
| Squadron Motto | At first sight |
| Trade | Pilot |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
| Location | In front of the mess esplanade, Mailly-le-Camp, 10 - Aube Prefecture |
| Country | France |
| Memorial Type | Stone memorial sculpture, inscribed marble tablets and inscribed metal plaque |
| Memorial Text |
En souvenir des heros de la RAF. Qui ont participe au bombardment du camp de Mailly. Unites de la RAF engagees dans le raid sur Mailly-le-Camp, la nuit du 3 au 4 May 1944. N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617- 619-625-626-627-657
Translation "In memory of the RAF heroes who took part in the bombing of Mailly Camp. RAF units engaged in the raid on Mailly-le-Camp, the night of 3-4 May 1944. Squadrons that took part: N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-657" |
| Location | Lincoln County Hospital Chapel, Lincoln, Lincolnshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
| Memorial Text | In memory of Officers, NCO's & Other Ranks of 5 (Bomber) Group RAF who gave their lives Sept 1939 - May 1945 |
Miscellaneous Information
| Eric was born in Hampton Hill on 27 June 1919. He had one sister and three brothers. He gained a place at Hampton Grammar School where he won a prize and he is honoured in the book “Hamptonians at War” for playing a distinguished part in WW2. He was also active in the Hampton Hill Sea Scouts (the Mountbatten Crew). |
| In 1937 he met Betty Barry and they began courting. Later that year he joined the RAFVR and began his flying instruction. He was soon commissioned and was given the RAF Service Number of 77777. He married Betty three months after the start of WW2, on 3 December 1939. Their wedding made headlines in the national press because of the various mishaps which occurred. Eric flew Fairey Battles with No. 150 Squadron during the Battle of France, Main Force Avro Lancasters with No. 61 Squadron during the Battle of Berlin, and de Havilland Mosquitoes as an élite Pathfinder Master Bomber in the latter stages of the war. He narrowly escaped death twice. He was shot down on his first operation and was among the last RAF aircrew to be evacuated from France in the summer of 1940; later that year he was pulled clear of the wreckage of a Vickers Wellington that crashed in flames and he sustained third degree burns to his hands and an injury to his knee. |
| On 17 August 1943 his first daughter Jeannie was born. Three months later he spoke on a Pathé newsreel as a Flight Commander after a successful raid on Berlin. He was awarded the DFC twice for his bravery under fire, the first on 10 September 1943 and the second on 18 January 1944. In October 1944 Eric became a Master Bomber and was given the rank of Wing Commander. On 31 January 1945 his second daughter Sally was born and Eric was granted 10 days leave to meet and get to know her. The day after returning to base he wrote a letter to his wife, which would be his last. That night, 19/20 February, operating as part of No. 54 Base in No. 5 Group, he took off from Coningsby with his navigator John (Jack) Heath, DFM., in Mosquito XXV KB401 AZ-E, to lead a raid on the oil refinery at Böhlen, near Leipzig. Their aircraft was shot down by flak and they were both killed. Eric was 25 years old. Betty was 26 years old and their two daughters were aged 18 months and just 3 weeks. |
| Many years later, following the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in London in 2012, Eric’s daughter Jeannie was contacted by Fraser Muir, a veteran in the RCAF. He had been trying to find her for many years to tell her that he had been on the same mission as Eric and had heard over the airwaves the last words her father had spoken as he was being shot down: “Oh Damn, I’ve been hit. I’m going down. Number two take over, number two take over….”. Fraser had remembered those words all his life because of the calm and collected way in which they were spoken. |
| Eric wrote numerous letters to his wife during the war years, many of which have been included in a book co-written by his daughter Jeannie and Sean Feast, an acclaimed authority on Bomber Command: “Main Force to Mosquito Master Bomber, The Story of Wing Commander Eric Benjamin DFC & Bar" (Fighting High Publishing). |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2148/32 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2148/32 |
Fellow Servicemen
Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.
| Name | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Heath J E (F/O) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 20-02-1945 |
| End Date | 21-02-1945 |
| Takeoff Station | Coningsby |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (68% moon) |
| Operation | Bohlen |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | The Master Bomber's aircraft, it was hit by flak and crashed in the target area |