Shelfer, Eric Henry William
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Eric Henry William |
Surname | Shelfer |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 27-09-1940 |
Next of Kin | Son of Henry Thomas Shelfer and Charlotte A. Shelfer, of Latchingdon. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Hampden BI |
Serial Number | X2914 |
Markings | ZN |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Southend-On-Sea (Sutton Road) Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Plot E. Grave 4002. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 96 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 742908 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 5 |
Squadron | 106 |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Holy Trinity Church, Martin, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Tablet & Roll of Honour in Wooden Case |
Memorial Text | To the memory of the Airmen of 106 Sqn who gave their lives in the 1939-45 War |
Location | Former Airfield Site, Martin Moor, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Brick moument with inscribed Slate Tablets & Plaques |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to the airmen and airwomen who served on 106 Sqn in WW2. 995 gave their lives |
Casualty Pack Number Find Out More
AIR 81/3446 (P355030/40) |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/831/26 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/831/25 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 26-09-1940 |
End Date | 27-09-1940 |
Takeoff Station | Finningley |
Day/Night Raid | Night (27% moon) |
Operation | Gardening |
Reason for Loss | Ran out of fuel on the return and abandoned 0445 27Sep40 in the vicinity of Chilton Polden, 5 miles NW of Bridgewater, Somerset. The Hampden crashed in fields at West House Farm, Chilton Ploden. A Sqdn report indicates that the aircraft was abandoned by the pilot, Sgt Huggins, but his crew failed to leave the aircraft and were killed in the ensuing crash. There is no other recorded instance of a pilot abandoning both his aircraft and his crew. |