Day, Kenneth George Died
Personal Information
| Rank | AC2 |
| Forename(s) | Kenneth George |
| Surname | Day |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 20 |
| Date of Death | 04-09-1939 |
| Next of Kin | Son of George Allen Day and Edith Blanche Day, of Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Vickers Wellington I |
| Serial Number | L4275 |
| Markings | WS-H |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Becklingen War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | 26. C. 12. |
| Epitaph | ALWAYS IN MY HEART. MUM |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 154 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 549741 |
| Service | Royal Air Force |
| Group | 3 |
| Squadron | 9 (IX) |
| Squadron Motto | Per noctem volamus (Through out the night we fly) |
| Trade | Air Gunner |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
| Location | Village Green, Bardney, Lincolnshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, Propeller and Plaque |
| Memorial Text | In memory of the killed or missing of IX Sqd. 1939 - 1945 |
| Location | Inside former Control Tower, Bardney airfield, Bardney, Lincolnshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed metal plaque |
| Memorial Text | To the memory of the men and women of No 9 Sqn RAF Bardney |
| 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- 619-625-626-627-630
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)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-630" |
Miscellaneous Information
| His body was picked up by a cargo steamer 10 days after the incident and was initially buried with full military honours at Cuxhaven Cemetery. His body was exhumed in 1946 and concentrated into Becklingen War Cemetery. According to the German official news agency at the time, many German officers and a guard of honour accompanied his funeral. The naval chaplain officiating, said in his address that it was "natural for our German soldiers to respect and honour the enemy who fell in an honest fight". |
| Kenneth Day was a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists - a 'blackshirt'. The deaths of Ken Day and George Brocking were reported in Mosley's Action newspaper of October 12th 1939. The report stated: "In the first casualty list of the war appeared two names: K.G.Day and G.T.Brocking. Both were British Union members - both went down in the early days of the war in circumstances of extraordinary heroism, the details of which will one day be revealed. We Shall Remember." |
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/125/2 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Brocking G T (AC1) | Died |
| Jarvis D E (Sgt) | Died |
| Turner A J (F/S) | Died |
| Walton B G (Sgt) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 04-09-1939 |
| End Date | 04-09-1939 |
| Takeoff Station | Honington |
| Day/Night Raid | Day |
| Operation | Attack enemy ships in Brunsbuttel Harbour |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Shot down by ground fire in target area. Part of a force of 14 Wellingtons dispatched to attack shipping in the mouth of the Kiel Canal. Only four reported bombing in the target area while another dropped bombs on the Danish city of Esbjerg 110 miles away, killing two civilians |