ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 2253
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| Date: | Friday 23 April 1937 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Hawker Audax Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 9 FTS RAF |
| Registration: | K5173 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire |
| RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Audax K5173 was built to contract 389427/35 by A.V. Roe Ltd at Chadderton and delivered to 9 FTS on 4th July 1936. On 23rd April 1937 this aircraft overshot a landing at Thornaby airfield and overturned and was badly damaged. Cat.W/FA damage was recorded following this incident at Thornaby and the aircraft was struck off charge deemed beyond economic repair.
Pilot - Acting Pilot Officer James W E Davies RAF.
It is probable that the pilot of this Audax was James William Elias "Jimmy" Davies. If so, then he was born in Bernardsville, New Jersey, USA in 1913 and moved to Wales with his family when he was young. He joined the RAF in 1936 and was granted a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 4th May 1936.
He was posted to 79 Squadron on 22nd March 1937 when it re-formed, which was before the incident at Thornaby and hence the hesitation in the 100% confirmation. It was likely that he was posted to 9 FTS to convert to fly the much faster fighter bi-plane than perhaps he had trained on earlier in his career. He later served with 79 Squadron during the early months of the War, shot down six enemy aircraft and had shared claims to two others by the end of June 1940.
Flt Lt Davies was killed on 27th June 1940 while flying on a patrol over the English Channel in a Hurricane. His aircraft crashed into the sea and his body was never found and he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. he was twenty six years old. Perhaps the thing he is most famous for is being the first American born airmen to die in combat in World War Two.
He was Mentioned in Despatches on 20th February 1940 and the day after his death the notification came through that he was to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the citation for which reads: "This officer has shown ability as a leader of his squadron on many offensive patrols. On one occasion while attacking a Messerschmitt Bf109, he was himself attacked by six Heinkel He113's. He at once turned on the Heinkels destroying one and badly damaging a second before being compelled to break off the engagement owing to shortage of ammunition. The following day he sighted and attacked a large formation of Heinkel HeIII's and shot one down in flames."
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976, page 40)
2. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/north/k5173.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Davies_(RAF_officer)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Feb-2008 11:33 | JINX | Added |
| 10-Jan-2015 01:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Apr-2018 20:58 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Nov-2018 19:52 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 28-May-2021 19:27 | Sergey L. | Updated [[Operator, Operator]] |
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