Francis William Davies                                                                                    Updated: 04 OCT 2021

Airman: o888292.htm Surname: Davies Init: W F Rank: Sgt Service: RAF Sqdn: 106

P_link: p047.htm Plane: HAM AE300 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: Near Hostrup

Crash_d: d120941 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

  HAM AE300 styrtede ned her 400 m sydøst for Hornum Kærvej 12, 7140 Stouby (Kilde: Stouby Lokalarkiv) Overblik her. Se fotos af stedet og flydele og
Google Map p047 Hampden AE300. Se også Om mindeceremonier 4. maj 2011 og taler af Anders Straarup i Korning, Bøgballe og Aale. Se Omkring Philson.

”Natten mellem den 11. og 12. september 1941 angreb 39 Hampdens, 12 Wellingtons og 5 Manchesters byen Rostock. Målet var Neptun skibsværftet, men på
grund af et kraftigt skydække bombede de fleste fly selve byen. Kun en Hampden gik tabt, og det var AE300. Efter et veludført angreb blev flyet angrebet af en tysk natjager over Store Bælt (omkring her). Maskinen blev ramt agterude, uden at nogle af besætningsmedlemmerne blev ramt. Skaden virkede minimal, men efter et
stykke tid udbrød brand, og i den stærke blæst var den ikke til at bekæmpe. Over østkysten af Jylland forlod de fire flyvere det brændende fly - navigatøren,
telegrafisten, agterskytten og ca. fire minutter senere piloten, Sgt. Jack Arthur Bannister, der var på sit 28. togt.  
(Se vigtig note med mere. Der var ingen brand, men tab af brændstof gjorde hjemturen over Nordsøen umulig. 80 km vest for Sild vendte de om!)

De tre andre havde også haft problemer, da de forlod flyet. Nødlugen bandt, og da den endelig sprang op, fik agterskytten, Sgt. Francis William Davies, revet højre
hånds pegefinger af. Han sprang som den første og landede syd for Tingbjerg skov (omkring her). Ved udspringet havde han desuden pådraget sig hjernerystelse,
men var dog i stand til at søge hjælp på den nærmeste gård, "Rohden" (Rohden Gods er her), hvorfra turen gik til Hornsyld sygehus (omkring her). Senere blev
nødlugen og Davies finger fundet ved Daugård Strand (omkring her), og fingeren blev af det danske politi bragt til Hornsyld sygehus til identifikation.
Flyverne blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre. 4 flyvere.

HAM AE300 crashed here 400 m southeast of Hornum Kærvej 12, 7140 Stouby (Source: Stouby Lokalarkiv) Overview here. See photos of crash site and parts
and Google Map p047 Hampden AE300. See also About memorial ceremonies and speeches by Anders Straarup in Korning*Bøgballe*Aale. Around Philson.

"On the night between 11 and 12 September 1941 39 Hampdens, 12 Wellingtons, and 5 Manchesters attacked the town of Rostock. The target was the Neptun shipyard, but because of heavy clouds most planes bombed the town itself. Only one Hampden was lost, and that was AE 300. After a successful attack the plane
was attacked by a German night fighter over the Great Belt (about here). The plane was hit near the stern, but none of the crew members was hurt. The damage
seemed minimal, but after some time fire broke out and in the strong wind it couldn't be fought. Over the east coast of Jutland the four airmen left the burning plane -
the navigator, the wireless operator, the rear gunner, and about four minutes later the pilot, Sgt. Jack Arthur Bannister who was on his 28th mission.
(See important note with more. There was no fire, but loss of fuel made the return flight across the North Sea impossible. 50 miles west of Sylt they turned around!)

The three others had also had problems leaving the plane. The escape hatch jammed, and when it finally flew open, the rear gunner, Sgt. Francis William Davies,
had the index finger of his right hand torn off. He jumped first and landed south of Tingbjerg wood (about here). By his jump he furthermore suffered a concussion of
the brain, yet he was able to apply for help at the nearest farm, "Rohden" (here), from where his journey continued to Hornsyld hospital. Later the escape hatch and Davies' finger were found on Daugård Beach (about here), and the Danish police took the finger to Hornsyld hospital for identification."(FT 90-44-2 - translated by KK)
The airmen were taken to German POW-Camps.

Hampden I AE300 took off from RAF Coningsby at 2140 hours on 11 SEP 1941. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this.)
See RAF Coningsby at RAF-Lincolnshire-info and RAF Coningsby 2018. See also p047MACR with report of J.A. Bannister.
See No. 106 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia. See No. 106 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War. See Google Map RAF-Coningsby. 4 airmen.