Personnel Index - Detail

Name
DRAKES
First Names
David Barron
Rank
S/Ldr
Service
RAF
Service Number
40214
Crew Position
Pilot
Age
22
Date of Death
02/11/1941
Cemetery

 

Photographed by Malcolm Brooke
From the panel at Runnymede
 

The Runnymede image was created by artist Paul Reid using photographs taken by Jo Cockburn and Malcolm Brooke

There is a small memorial to S/L Drakes in his home town of Horncastle

S/L Drakes (LHS) pictured with his brother-in-law, P/O Kennet (Penny) Beauchamp.
Image courtesy of Di Abelwhite (IBCC in Lincoln) via Colin Cripps.
(S/L Drakes married P/O Beauchamp's sister and the two were good friends - information courtesy of Paul Beauchamp).

)



Click this link for a larger version of this famous picture



A closeup of the Golden Hind nose artwork........in honour of S/L Drakes.

1/2 November, 1941; ANTI-SHIPPING/MINELAYING:

Just before 22.00hrs, 4 of the unit's Hampdens set course from Scampton via Mablethorpe for northern Germany. In bright moonlight, 2 of these aircraft went on to successfully plant mines in Kiel Bay, whilst the remaining 2 sought shipping targets off the Frisians.
The second aircraft detailed for anti-shipping patrol was piloted by S/Ldr Drakes (AE224) - nothing was heard from this crew after take-off, and they were reported as missing. It is now thought that they were shot down off Heligoland by a Marine Flak Unit - their bodies were never recovered. S/Ldr David Baron Drakes and crew are remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.

Hampden AE224 (EA-Z)
S/L D.B. Drakes Pilot (Missing)
P/O V.D. Beaney 2nd Pilot (Missing)
P/O W.H. Cheetham A/Ob (Missing)
F/S W.A. Watson W/AG (Missing)

 
S/L Drakes was flying his 48th operation when he was lost.



An image of P/O Beaney (second pilot) at the controls of the "Golden Hind".
S/L Drakes is not shown in this picture.
Additional images of the aircraft and its groundcrew can be viewed by clicking this link.

Photograph courtesy of Richard Johnson.