I believe that Emlyn Bartley Davies was born in the December quarter of 1914, (Wrexham Vol. 11b Page 493), and that his sister Eluned had been born in the December quarter of 1912, (Wrexham Vol. 11b Page 474). They both had the mother’s maiden name of Bartley on the entries in Free BMD on the internet.
I also believe that their parents were William & Lucy A. Davies (nee Bartley), who had married in the December quarter of 1911 at Capel Pendref , Mold, (Flintshire (Mold) A15/2/E10). There was another marriage in the same place, in the same quarter of a Sarah Bartley who married a Thomas William, was she Lucy Ann’s sister? (Flintshire (Mold) A15/2/E7). Did they marry the same day, perhaps a double wedding? (Welsh Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Mold. -Marriage registers – NO/29/1 – 1899 – 1910 and NO/29/2 – 1910 – 1921).
I have to admit this is mostly conjecture, but Emlyn is seen on the Hawarden Grammar School Admissions Register E/GS/1/10:-
1088/1668 DAVIES, Emlyn Bartley D.o B – 26th October 1914, Haulfryn, Fellow’s Lane, Connah’s Quay*, Father _ Collier. Date of Entry – 14th September 1926, Abermorddu C.C., Sch. £6 BT. Date of Leaving – 21st July 1932.
*I do think that this is a clerical error on behalf of the school, as there is a Fellow’s Lane in the Hope/Caergwle area and Emlyn went to Abermorddu School, so it was unlikely that he lived in Connah’s Quay. (There isn’t a Fellow’s Lane in CQ., according to Google Maps.)
I also believe that Emlyn’s mother Lucy Ann Davies sadly died in the March quarter of 1931, age 46 years. (Hawarden Vol 11b Page 326)
The 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921, shows the family living in Fellows Lane, Caergwrle. William Davies is now 38 years and 4 months old and head of the household he had been born in Cymmau, Flintshire and was ‘On Strike – Out of Work.’ His wife, Lucy Ann Davies was 37 years and 5 months old and had been born in Gwernymynydd, Flintshire, she was doing ‘House Duties.’ Their children were Eluned Davies who was 8 years old and Emlyn Davies who was 6 years and 4 months old, both had been born in Cefnybedd, Denbighshire.
I looked up the old address in Caergwrle – Haul Fryn, on the 1939 National Register, and there were no Davies family members there then.
The next time we see Emlyn in on the 1939 National Register (Taken on the 29th of September 1939) I think that Emlyn was living with his sister Eluned, who married in the Caergwrle, Methodist Chapel, High Street in the March quarter of 1939.
Bannister household (3 people) – 4 Sunny Bank, Cefn Y Bedd, Brynteg, Wrexham R.D., Denbighshire, Wales. Head of the household was Albert Bannister, a Coal Hewer, born on the 22nd of February 1911 and was married to Eluned Bannister, born on the 27th of September 1912 and as most women on this register who did not have a job is described as doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.” Emlyn B. Davies was born on the 26th of October 1914 and was single and a Chargehand, Fibro Worker, Bleach Department, Shift Warden. Bleach & Drying at Courtaulds Ltd., Greenfield.
The Flintshire County Herald, dated the 30th of January 1942, tells us that Sergt. Pilot Emlyn Bartley Davies, married Miss Violet James at the Rehoboth C.M. Church, Holywell and this newspaper tells us that he was the son of William Davies and the late Mrs. Davies, of Sunny Bank, Cefnybedd, Wrexham, which was the address of his sister, Eluned Bannister in 1939. This article also tells us that Violet’s brother, Noel James, was the best man and Eluned’ husband Albert Bannister was the groomsman. Violet was also the organist at Salem C.M. Chapel and worked at the Aber Works, Flint, whereas Emlyn worked, before the R.A.F., in the Greenfield Factory.
I do not know when Emlyn enlisted or was conscripted, which was obviously before 1942, on the website https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C15623960, shows labels with the names from DAVIES, Ellis Ivor – DAVIES, Gyraint Lynn, where on Page 12 there is a label (Just a slip of paper really) that has written on it – “Militia, DAVIES, Emlyn Bartley.” Nothing else is written. (In Folder AIR-78-42-9_1) which I downloaded, see below.
But he was to find himself in 40 Squadron, I downloaded numerous Operational Reports for 40 Squadron.
I tried to find on the Operations Reports if Emlyn had been on any other missions in 40 Squadron and did find on the 2nd/3rd May 1941 that a Sgt. Davies was among the crew of 6, with Sgt. Luscombe being the pilot, on Wellington 1c T.2468 C. on a bombing raid to Hamburg, taking off at 22.00 and returning at 04.30, but there are no initials on any of the names, so as Davies is such a common name, it could very well have been another Sgt. Davies. He is in the same crew on the 4th/5th May in the same aircraft on a high-level attack on battle cruisers. Again, on the 6th/7th May in T.2701 S. the same crew were on a high-level attack on Hamburg. Then on the 8th/9th May, they were again in the air in T.2468 on a high-level attack on Hamburg. On the 9th/10th May, the Sgt. Davies was missing from the crew on a gliding attack on Mannheim. On a bombing raid in R. 1461 Z., with his usual crew flying, Sgt. Luscombe, but the Sgt. Davies was again missing, the aircraft failed to return, so if this was “our” Emlyn Bartley Davies, then he escaped death on this occasion. Sgt. Luscombe is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.
However, on the night of the 9/10th December 1942 he was a passenger on an aircraft Halifax Mk 11 W1001 NF-Y from 138 Squadron and according to the website:- http://www.harringtonmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Aircraft-lost-on-Allied-Forces-Special-Duty-Operations.pdf (Page 64 – see below)
T/O from Landing Ground 224, outside Cairo, Egypt, for Malta but never arrived. The aircraft presumably came down in the Mediterranean or Western Desert, possibly as a result of a night fighter attack.
The all-Czech crew and the passengers, including 5 tour-expired bomber crew, are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.
Many thanks to the website and the researcher. Listing compiled by Roy Tebbutt of the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum, Harrington, UK.
It appears he may have been on Special Duty Operations and was in Cairo for some reason.
On page 484 of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registration book, Emlyn is mentioned and next to him is the record of Gerald Davies, another R.A.F. pilot who died, from Shotton, please click on the link to read his story.
He was obviously missed by his wife Violet, they had only been married just over 10 months, if my research is correct, along with all his family, and they made sure his name was put forward to be added to the School’s Roll of Honour, so he will be remembered for perpetuity.
The Roll of Honour was dedicated at Hawarden Grammar School on the 3rd February 1951 with a Remembrance Service for the 47* former pupils who died in the 1939 – 1945 World War. As recorded in the Chester Chronicle Saturday 10th February 1951.
*Author’s note, there are 46 names on the Roll of Honour, clerical error by the newspaper.
