Died: Vickers Wellington Mk IV Z1408, lost without trace
Address / Local links: 56 Elsa Road, Welling
Family / Relatives: Son of Wilfred Digby Dawkins and Daisy Dawkins of Welling
OPERATIONS RECORD BOOK – 142 Squadron 22/07/1942
“The squadron was ordered to attack Duisburg. 12 aircraft were despatched one failed to return (Sgt Vandersteen and crew)…Earlier in the day the squadron was stood down from operations but at 11.17 hours the stand-down was cancelled…”
“Missing – no news after take-off”
This was the final official report of our RAF Sergeant Norman Wilfred Dawkins and his colleagues in their Vickers Wellington bomber.
Mk IV Z1408 took off from RAF Grimsby just before midnight on a mission to attack Duisburg in Germany – it was lost without trace (presumably over the North Sea) a short time later…
No.142 Squadron “began the Second World War as a day bomber squadron, equipped with the Fairey Battle. It was one of the squadrons that moved to France with the Advanced Air Striking Force, and like all of those squadrons suffered heavily during the German invasion of France in May-June 1940. On its return to Great Britain the squadron received more Battles, which it used to attack German invasion barges, before in November 1940 the first Vickers Wellingtons arrived.
Night bombing operations began on 15 April 1941, and continued for the next two years…The squadron was reformed in Britain on 25 October 1944, this time as a night bomber squadron equipped with the De Havilland Mosquito. No.142 Squadron used the Canadian built Mosquito B Mk 25. For the rest of the war the squadron carried out a mix of bombing and pathfinders duties”
(For more on the history of RAF Grimsby see https://www.bcar.org.uk/waltham-history)
Norman Wilfred Dawkins was born on 13th December 1921. His father Wilfred Digby Dawkins (1899-1968) had been in the Royal Flying Corps/RAF in the first world war, so maybe flying was in the Dawkins family blood?…
Born in Herefordshire, we can trace Norman Wilfred to Plymouth in 1911, and his marriage in Greenwich in February 1919. The 1939 Register shows him as living at 56 Elsa Road Welling, and working as an RAF Air Craftman.
His wife, Norman’s mother, was Daisy Collins (1899 – 2000) – (we have her photograph of her in her youth). Besides Norman, they had one other child Gwendolen Vera Dawkins (1928-2009) who married in 1951 and lived for a while in Rydal Drive.
In 1939 we find our Norman living at home at Elsa Road and employed as a ‘Telephone Equipment Engineer (Learner)’ – training perhaps for his new role in the RAF as a ‘Wireless operator’ (although not perhaps in its joint role – ‘Air Gunner’.
Aged just 20, he lost his life along with 4 of his fellow crew – all are remembered on the Runnymede Memorial;
Pilot:1377265 Flt Sgt Ronald Vandersteen – Runnymede Memorial Panel 76.
Observer:1257361 Sgt David Berger – Runnymede Memorial Panel 78.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:928730 Sgt Norman Wilfred Dawkins – Runnymede Memorial Panel 81.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:920056 Sgt Richard Arthur Evans – Runnymede Memorial Panel 82.
Air Gunner:R/59361 Sgt Robert Kenneth McGrath RCAF – Runnymede Memorial Panel 105.
Runnymede memorial
Like so many young RAF servicemen, Norman’s body was never found. His name, therefore, is now to be found on the RAF Memorial at Runnymede.
The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede “commemorates by name over 20,000 men and women of the air forces, who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They served in Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Transport, Flying Training and Maintenance Commands, and came from all parts of the Commonwealth. Some were from countries in continental Europe which had been overrun but whose airmen continued to fight in the ranks of the Royal Air Force.
The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe (a one-time resident of Bexley’s Red House) with sculpture by Vernon Hill. The engraved glass and painted ceilings were designed by John Hutton and the poem engraved on the gallery window was written by Paul H Scott. The Memorial was unveiled by The Queen on 17 October 1953”.
Pictured are Daisy Dawkins (Norman’s mother), a view from c1950 of Upper Wickham Lane west side looking south from Elsa Road which would have been familiar to the family, the 142 Squadron badge, and a Vickers Wellington bomber.
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If anyone is able to add any extra information, provide more family details, or suggest any corrections, please let us know – also, if anyone has any more photos of this individual listed on our memorials, please get in touch. Thank you.
Commemorated
- St. Michael’s East Wickham Church Memorial Tablet
- Runnymede Memorial
This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Norman Wilfred Dawkins, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.