Perry, Davis Hamilton Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/L
Forename(s) Davis Hamilton
Surname Perry
Gender M
Age 23
Date of Death 12-05-1944
Next of Kin Son of W. Leonard and Flora Estella Perry (née Porter). Husband of Doris Perry, of London, Ontario. Brother of Keith Perry and Norman Perry.
PERRY DH

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax III
Serial Number LW114
Markings ZL-S

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country France
Burial/Memorial Place Calais Canadian War Cemetery, Leubringhen
Grave Reference 2. H. 6.
Epitaph THY WORD IS TRUE THY WILL IS JUST TO THEE WE LEAVE HIM, LORD IN TRUST

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 225
PERRY DH

Location

Row -
Panel 225
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 225

Enlistment Information

Service Number J/6708
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 6
Squadron 427 (Lion)
Squadron Motto Ferte manus certas (Strike sure)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location Roman Rd, Leeming, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brass plaque set into a stone plinth into which is carved with the Canadian maple leaf and the Yorkshire rose.
Memorial Text This memorial is dedicated to those men and women who served at RAF Leeming during World War II, including those from the Royal Canadian Air Force Squadrons, whose members came from all parts of the Commonwealth from 1942 to 1945; 405 Vancouver, 408 Goose, 419 Moose, 427 Lion, 429 Bison. Also, to the many Civilians who supported them during their term of duty in North Yorkshire. We remember too the RAF Squadrons who preceded the Canadians from 1940 - 1942; 7 - 10 - 35 -77 - 102 - 219. To those who paid the supreme sacrifice, we will remember them. Dedicated June 19, 1993
Location Opposite old Main Guardroom, RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stone Memorial & Metal Plaques
Memorial Text In commemoration of those men and women of many nations who served at RAF Leeming during the second world war.
Location Allerton Park Castle, Allerton, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Memorial Garden dedicated to the 4272 personnel of 6 (RCAF) Gp based at Allerton Castle who gave the ultimate sacrifice during WWII to preserve our freedom
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text Dedicated to the men & women of 6 (RCAF) Gp Bomber Command and to the 9980 Canadians lost serving in Bomber Command.

Miscellaneous Information

Born 27 December 1920 in Freeport, Nova Scotia. He was educated at Freeport Public School between 1926 and 1934, followed by Freeport High School 1934 to 1938. He enjoyed baseball, hockey, softball, hunting and fishing.
He was registered as a student on enlistment into the Royal Canadian Air Force at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 19 October 1940 and his initial training took place in Toronto between January and March 1941. This was followed by elementary and service flying training and he received his wings on 12 August 1941. After placing 2nd of 28 pupil Pilots on his SFTS Course Davis was described as ‘Keen, energetic and highly intelligent. Good pupil Pilot and respected by his classmates. Deserving commission material’. He was held back from active service as a ‘creamy’ going on to become a Flying Instructor. On completion of his Instructors' Course at Trenton he was evaluated ‘With experience should be an above average instructor’. For just under two years he performed that vital role before embarking for the United Kingdom on 19 September 1943, perhaps anxious to see active service. He arrived in the UK in late October 1943 and was posted to 82 Operational Training Unit at RAF Ossington. All his skills and experience were needed when on the night of 27 January 1944 during a night bombing exercise the port engine of Wellington LN168 failed due to a defective oil pump. Davis completed a wheels up forced landing at RAF Gamston, Nottinghamshire which he and five other crew, the same men who would be lost alongside him in May 1944, walked away from uninjured despite the aircraft burning out. The report on the incident states that the ‘Pilot put up a good show’. After the usual time at 1659 Conversion Unit, in Yorkshire, where he first flew a Halifax, he was posted to 427 (Lion) Squadron at RAF Leeming on 24 April 1944. Davis and his crew completed two Ops in LW114 together, to St. Valery on 9 May ‘an uneventful trip’ and 10 May to Ghent, before they were lost.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1846/10
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1846/10

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
Brown J A C (F/O) Died
Craig J N (Sgt) Died
Ellis S F (P/O) Died
Lamb C B (P/O) Died
Sinclair G E (P/O) Died
Stevens R E (1st Lt.) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 11-05-1944
End Date 12-05-1944
Takeoff Station Leeming
Day/Night Raid Night (85% moon)
Operation Boulogne- to bomb railway yards. 135 aircraft, 2 Halifaxes Lost An unsuccessful raid with most of the bombs falling on nearby housing. Only minor damage was inflicted on the railway yards.
Reason for Aircraft Loss Thought to have collided with a 432 Sqn Halifax (NA500 QO-G). Crashed in the northern suburbs of Outreau.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.