LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Henry Edward KNIGHTS
Service No: 11379
Born: London, England, 10 August 1902
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 July 1940 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 10 Squadron, RAF Mount Batten, Devon
Died: Air Operations: (No. 10 Squadron Sunderland aircraft DV993), Bay of Biscay, 17 November 1943, Aged 41 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Edmond and Dora Knights.
Roll of Honour: Merrinee VIC
Remembered: Panel 193 Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 99, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Rathmines Memorial Bowling Club, Rathmines NSW
On the 17th November 1943, Sunderland DV 993 took off from RAF Mount Batten at 1101 hours, on patrol Percussion A-2, but failed to return from its mission. The aircraft’s last radio signal at 1430 hours indicated that the aircraft had sighted some aircraft which was assumed to be enemy, and the patrol was over the sea. German radio News Service claimed that” its long range fighters on 17 November had shot down a British flying boat over the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft caught fire and the tail unit was shot away. The aircraft crashed in flames and there were no survivors.”.
As there were no other flying boats missing on 17 November, it was assumed that the radio report
referred to Behrndt’s aircraft.
The crew members of DV993 were:
Flight Lieutenant Raymond Carl Behrndt (416406) (Pilot)
Sergeant Alexander Thomas Brooking (419082) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Kelvin Coghill (23756) (Fitter 11E/Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Alexander Frederick Davis (418356) (Observer)
Pilot Officer Clarence Furzer (424000) (Third Pilot)
Flying Officer Allen George Hartwig (421015) (Second Pilot)
Warrant Officer Herbert John Hicks (403667) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant John Trevor Reid Jones (424318) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Henry Edward Knights (11379) (Fitter 11A/Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Charles Henry Stringer Leggo (418134) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Philip Stanton (21903) (Armourer/Air Gunner)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/23/25
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Ashworth, N. (Norman) The ANZAC Squadron: A history of No. 461 Squadron RAAF 1942-5, Hesperian Press Victoria Park WA 6100, 1994
Baff, K.C (Kevin), Maritime is Number Ten, K.C. Baff Netley SA, 1983
Joubert, P.B. (Sir Phillip Bennet) Birds and Fishes: the story of Coastal Command, Hutchinson and Company London, 1960
Southall, I.F. (Ivan Francis) (418900) They Shall Not Pass Unseen, Angus and Robertson Sydney NSW, 1956
Wilson, S. (Stewart) Anson, Hudson and Sunderland in Australian Service, Aerospace Publications Weston Creek ACT 2611, 1992