F/Sgt Arthur F E Davis

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="0c200500dvldtc.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="BauerBodni BT" ><B>113 SQUADRON</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>     |    </B></FONT><B> </B><A HREF="home_of_113_squadron.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WELCOME"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A></div> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >back to</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="( D to G )"><U><B>(    D to G    )</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=215 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="0c3d7c00dvldtc.gif"> <bR> <div> UNDER CONSTRUCTION</div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> 113 SQUADRON RAF<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC9900" FACE="BauerBodni BT" > </FONT></div> <div> <IMG SRC="2ca4f690.gif" border=0 width="79" height="105" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> F/Sgt Arthur F E Davis</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> In August 1940.  I was with 107 Squadron at Watisham.  I had been on several daylight formation raids into Europe, and several individual raids.  Late September 1940,  I was told to pack a weekend case as I was to navigate a brand-new Blenheim (long nose) to the Middle East.  This would be a night time flight over France, which was now occupied by the Germans and I had only about eight hours night flying experience.  However, we completed our task and arrived in Cairo fully expecting to be flown back but alas, we were told as we were now in Egypt we were staying, and were posted to 113 Squadron at the end of September 1940. We then went up the desert to Sidi Barrani and started to fly operationally immediately. The following people who were on the Squadron as far as I can remember were:</div> <bR> <div> P/O Jones, F/O Grumbley, P/O Glaistor, W/C Bateson, </div> <div> Sgt Bourne, Sgt Bush Barry, Sgt Gingell ?, Sgt Lee, Sgt Rogers, Sgt Plummer, Sgt Hawkins, Sgt Cater & Cater (brothers), Roberts, Flemming, Keeley, Elkengton, Morel or Moore?, Cannon, Durrant</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The following are some of the raids the Squadron did:</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>1/</B> on the declaration of war against Italy the Squadron flew to Benghazi, dropped bombs on the hangars individually flew low-level up and down the runway shooting up the grounded aircraft.  We were very low.</div> <bR> <div> <B>2/</B> Two days on, the Squadron in flights of three, 12 in all, attacked an aerodrome south of El Adem.  The first flight was led by the CO who was shot down.  All flights finished the attack and we were chased by fighters but there were no other casualties that day.</div> <bR> <div> NOTE: I belive F/Sgt Davis has these operations reversed, on the first raid against the Italians to an airfield at ElAdem three aircraft failed to return one of which was 113 squadron L4823 MkIV. Beauclair, Owen and Dobson survived but were captured) On a later operation to Benghazi C/O Keily was shot down.</div> <bR> <div> <B>3/</B> We then proceeded to bomb:</div> <div> - An Italian warship in Tobruk harbour  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC9900" FACE="Arial" >(San Gigorio)</FONT></div> <div> -Dromes at Derna & El Adem</div> <div> -We attacked Benghazi harbour night after night</div> <div> -We carried out Rece for the Army</div> <div> -Numerous secondary targets</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Some flights deserve special mention:</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>A/</B> On one flight a pilot was killed and the Observer Bush Barry took over and landed the aircraft.  For this he won at DFM and transfer to a pilots course.</div> <div> (Bush Barrey was no longer with the 113 Squadron when this happened but did have a remarkably similar incident happen to him after he had left the squadron. Bush did however win the DFM while on the 113 for services beyond the call of duty in 1941. The incident refered to by F/Sgt Davis involved Corp Ian Blair in 1940. Blair was awarded the DFM & sent to pilot training.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>B/</B> On one flight to bomb Benghazi we flew well south (150 mi.) of  the target and landed at an aerodrome prepared by the long range desert group.  We had to top of our fuel tanks by hand, very heavy work !  The idea I think was to try and fool the Italians that we were well established in the desert. <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC9900" FACE="Arial" >(NOTE: This is very interesting and has never been mentioned elsewhere yet. This stunt of operating behind enemy lines also ocurred late in 1941at LG125 after the squadron had returned from Greece and gone back to the desert.)</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>C/</B> We attacked a target just south of El Adem at dusk but it was dark when we arrived as there was no moon this night. Whilst attacking the target we were met by fighters who chased us all, we lost two or three aircraft that night.  Those who got away from the fighters had a very difficult job to get home, two crews ran short of fuel and they baled out.  We lost the aircraft but they picked up the crews.</div> <bR> <div> <B>D/</B> On one attack of Tobruk harbor one aircraft was damaged, he managed to get home but crashed on landing.</div> <bR> <div> The C/O told us that Middle East Command had decided to recommend the Squadron Commander for the DFC, his Observer and WOp/AG for DFM's in recognition of the Squadrons work.</div> <bR> <div> After the push up the desert into Libya and the first defeat of the Italians, the Squadron was told to pack up for a move to Greece. A few aircraft were posted to an Aerodrome at Athens, while we flew with some ground crew and set up camp at Athens. One thing that amazed me when we landed at Athens, was a JU52 on the landing strip. The aircraft had come from Germany that day!</div> <bR> <div> We soon settled into the accomodation provided and began immediately to fly Recon trips over the neighbouring countries to Greece, as well we carried out one or two Mock raids.</div> <bR> <div> There was one raid which was not a "mockery" the squadron attacked the Italian Fleet which was running from the British Navy for home. It was a low level raid through heavy AA fire and a number of squadron planes were hit, including ourselves. Referred to as the battle of Matapan, claims were made that we had hit a Destroyer and a Cruiser which had slowed the fleet down enough to allow the Royal Navy to peck at. We couldn't prove it however as the Squadron was posted to a landing ground just North of Larisa at the foot of Mount Olympus. It was a very small field and we operated from it but not without incidents. The pilots found that upon returning from flights that it was difficult to keep within the field area and we lost 3 or 4 aircraft that way. </div> <bR> <div> INSERT PHOTO HERE OF CRASHES</div> <bR> <div> Early one morning a single aircraft flew across the landing strip but no one seemed to know whether it was friend or foe.  We didn't have to wait a long time as a flight of ME109's appeared and shot up all aircraft </div> <bR> <div> INSERT PHOTO HERE OF BURNING AIRCRAFT </div> <bR> <div> The Me's fired amongst the squadron tents but luckily there were no casualties. <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC9900" FACE="Arial" >( This ocurred 15/04/1941 )</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>Later that day the Squadron received instructions to get rid of all personal clothes, in fact we put them into the trenches we had dug for our own safety. Following this we then climbed into our Lorries and moving by night we made our way to the main aerodrome in Athens. Along the way we were straffed and bombed twice but I can not say if there were any casualties. Upon arrival, to our surprise some Blenheim Mk 1's arrived ( short nose ) and we aircrew - mostly - were crammed into these aircraft and flown to Crete where we were tented. I think the whole Greece effort was a waste of time and lives, we were out gunned, out thought and out planned from the beginning.</div> <bR> <div> We stayed in Crete three days when we were given instructions to leave whatever personal things we had behind and get back into the Blenheims. (possibly the 22 & 23/ 04/1941 ) We then took off with a struggle as we were overloaded and the skippers headed South across the Meditteranean over the Tobruk area and eventually landing at Heliopolis. Here we stayed but rumours circulated that we were going to Palestine to reform. Things progressed and when it seemed we were going to reform, I was told that I was not rejoining the squadron as I had completed 50 Ops, not counting those in England. This was the end of my time on the 113.</div> <bR> <div> I was then posted to 70 OTU in Kenya as an instructor. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC9900" FACE="Arial" >(Note that Bush Barrey was also posted to 70 OTU several months later)</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <U>GENERAL COMMENTS</U></div> <bR> <div> Regarding the Greece fiasco, we were wiped out by accidents from Pilots pranging on landing and fighters shooting up the aerodrome.</div> <bR> <div> F/Sgt Davis was asked what he recalled with regards to Bush Barrey flying a plane back safely to base in an incident similar to that attributed to S/Ldr Ian Blair. "Bush Barrey was an Aussie, very likeable and is referred to in the honours list attached to Woodwards Crusader Squadron Booklet. As to (then Corp) S/Ldr Blair, I did not know him and he may have left the squadron before I arrived. It is assured that while I was on the Squadron there was never talk of any exploits by him.</div> <bR> <div> I knew Sgt's Robert, Barry (sp?), Roger and Moore. No knowledge of Cpl Taylor re of the Officer Pilots I knew two.</div> <bR> <div> F/Sgt Davis reports that the Aerodrome at Larrisa was not bombed contary to some reports, rather they were shot up by straffing. The confusion may result from the fact that a  very large number of German Bombers passed over and bombed a town beyond the aerodrome. Their moter transport was however both bombed and straffed during the retreat.</div> <bR> <div> Regarding B Flight being wiped out, is it possible it was not the other Blenheim squadron which was in Greece? Some time ago I recall reading in a book published by a friend Jim Dunnett where he recalls a Flight B on his squadron being wiped out. He recalls it because his C/O took his place on the flight and was one of the ones lost. Dunnett was with me on the staff when I was at an OTU in Kenya. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>