19th August 1942 - Swansea Bay (Update)

Part of an article that I wrote back in 2017.

Buried at St. Hillay's Church, Killay are 24 Royal Air Force/Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, (RAFVR) graves. The RAFVR was formed in 1936. Three men, Sergeant E. H. Dawe (23), Sergeant E. T. A. Deacon (25), and Pilot Officer R. P. Fahrini (21) all died on the same day, 19th August 1942. They belonged to the No. 172 Squadron, formed in 1942, based at R.A.F Fairwood Common (Fairwood took over a year to be built and was finally operational in June 1941. During the period of June 1941 to March 1947 there were over 66 squadrons/flights that operated from the aerodrome).

On the 19th August 1942, there were a further four deaths of airmen belonging to No.170 Squadron - J. Mullins, buried in Macclesfield Cemetery, F. P. C. Cross, buried in Aldershot Civil Cemetery, G. C. V. Jamieson, buried in Canford Cemetery, Bristol and J. S. Haynes, buried in Preston Cemetery, Tynemouth. They had been on board the Wellington VIII, ‘Leigh Light’ Bomber.


This is how the events of the morning, 19th August 1942 unfolded. Pilot Jamieson, took off from Fairwood, on a test and demonstration along with 8 people, including an US Army Officer and one ground crew. The aircraft was unarmed apart from a gun turret. The aircraft was flying over Swansea Bay, when she was mistakenly attacked by the anti-aircraft gunners on board the US tanker Gulf of Mexico which was in the Bristol Channel. Those on board didn’t have time to bail out and the Wellington caught fire before crashing into the sea a mile west of Scarweather Point, Porthcawl. The next day the US Gulf of Mexico, docked at Milford Haven and claimed that it had carried out instructions in accordance with the CAMSI (Confidential Admiralty Merchant Shipping Instructions). Sadly, the ship seems to have gone off the radar as I can’t find any trace of it. The plane wreck remains in Swansea Bay, protected by The Protection of Military Remains Act, 1986.

So lets put some faces to some of those that were killed.  This is the help of photographs provided on the Find a Grave website.

Those airmen buried at St. Hillay Church.

Edgar Harold Dawe 

Sergeant. 23 years.  Son of George Gushue and Clara Hoyles Dawe, of Cupids, Newfoundland









Edwin Thomas Arthur Deacon

Sergeant, 25 years. Son of Captain Alfred Ernest Deacon, Royal Engineers and Lillie Jane Deacon of Tilehurst, Reading 










Ross Pringle Fahrni.

Observer, Royal Canadian Air Force, 21 years.   Son of Stanley Harrison and Edith Josephine Fahrni, of Manitoba, Canada.  

Ross is commemorated on his parents grave, Gladstone Cemetery, Manitoba, Canada.





The other air men

Jack Mullins

Macclesfield Cemetery.  Mullins, Sergeant, 22 years.  Son of William and Emily of Macclesfield.

Ian Curtis lead singer of Joy Division, is also buried at Macclesfield Cemetery. 







Frederick Percy Charles Cross

Aldershot Civil Cemetery, Redan Road.  Cross, Aircraftman 1st Class, 19 years.   Son of the late Richard Major and Winifred Kate Cross.

His father, Richard Leading Aircraftman, was killed in action, August 1940, Kent.  






Gordon Cave Vincent Jamieson

Canford Cemetery and Crematorium, Bristol.  Jamieson, Pilot Officer, 19 years.  Son of Major Edward Herbert and Dorothy Edith Jamieson, of Wandsworth Common, London.

Also buried at Canford Cemetery are three VC winners, Frederick William Bell, Second Boer War VC recipient; Mangel Angell James, First World War VC recipient and Fredinand Simeon Le Quesne, Burma War VC recipient.  Also buried at Canford Cemetery, Eric Perry "Digger" Dowling, he helped to construct the numerous tunnels as a POW in Germany.  One of his tunnels, was used at Stalag Luft III, during "The Great Escape"

John Stewart Haynes

Preston Cemetery, Tyneside.  Haynes, Pilot Officer, Royal Canadian Air Force,  20 years. Son of Revd. Canon John Francis and Susanna Margaret Haynes, of Lloydminster Rectory, Saskatchewan, Canada.







David H. Kaufman

Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial.  Kaufman, 2nd Lieutenant of the USSAF, 27 years.

Kaufman came from Ohio.  Both Kaufman and Cross were passengers on board the Wellington VIII, ‘Leigh Light’ Bomber.






 


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