Date of birth:

1920

Date of death:

September 28th, 1943 (Vaassen/Gelderland, Netherlands)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Graves Vaassen
Grave: 691.

Service number:

1498723

Nationality:

British

Sergeant
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
428 (R.C.A.F.) Squadron

On 28 September 1943, Halifax EB215 crashed after bombing the German city of Hanover. During the night of 28 September 1943, the returning British bomber Halifax EB215 was attacked by two German Messerschmitts near the Dutch border. The left engine was hit and caught fire. Two dive manoeuvres by pilot John E. Farmer were to no avail. The fire would not be extinguished. During a third dive, the pilot decided that there was no hope. The crew had to get out. Navigator David Griffin (then 23 years old) was sitting on the hatch. He jumped first. His friend Eric Springett followed, but at that moment the plane exploded. Springett fell to the ground, dead. Only David Griffin survived. The plane crashed on the Molenpad in Vaassen, on the farm of the Van Amersfoort family, which burned down.

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Memorial Halifax EB 215

Vaassen - Gelderland