In Loving Memory: Lysander to Calais - 42129 Pilot Officer Ernest Elliot Howarth, 1919-27/5/1940.

Ernest Elliot Howarth was born at Ohakune in 1919. He grew up in Baker Street, Caversham and was educated at Otago Boys High School. On leaving school he took up an apprenticeship at the Hillside Railway Workshops as a fitter and turner. He applied and was accepted for a short service commission in the RAF in 1938 and left for Britain in February 1939.

He was classed as a "direct entry recruit" - that is, one with no previous flying experience. For him and others like him, training was ten weeks at a civilian flying school then a further eight months training with the RAF before being drafted to an operational Squadron.

On the 12th April, 1939, the New Zealanders were met on their arrival at Waterloo Station, London by a throng of newspapermen. Flashbulbs went off and the two of them whose height was over six feet led to the description of "sunburned giants" by one paper's aerial corespondent.

Howarth joined those who were sent to Yatesbury, a training school run by the Bristol Aircraft Company. They trained on the Tiger Moth, the standard trainer of the day. Almost inevitably nicknamed "Digger," Howarth impressed as much with his sporting achievements as his flying proficiency. He was gazetted as Pilot Officer on January 26, 1940.

By that time, he was in France with his Squadron, No. 26, flying the Westland Lysander on tactical reconnaissance missions. They had arrived in October with the British Expeditionary Force and stayed until May when they returned to Britain and flew reconnaissance, bombing and resupply missions across the English Channel. By this time, things were looking very grim for the BEF. German forces had split them from the French and reached the Channel on May 20th and the British were falling back on the ports nearest home.

Key to the defence of the BEF was the port of Calais. Taking that city would threaten the beaches to the north where troops were massing for evacuation. The men at Calais knew that there would be no evacuation for them and they fought as hard as they knew. German forces asked for surrender, it was refused. The Navy and Air Force did their best to support the troops in Calais, the Navy taking off wounded and using their guns, the Air Force dropping bombs on the enemy and water, food and ammunition to the troops.

On May 27, 38 Lysanders of 26 and 613 Squadrons flew over Calais at dawn to drop ammunition. Their crews were aware of the danger of their mission and how vital it was to those below. They did not know that the British soldiers below them had surrendered. They were sitting ducks for German anti-aircraft guns and three of the twelve crashed.

Ernest Elliot Howarth's Lysander was one of those three. He was 21 years old.

His family were given the news on May 31st when he was listed as "missing, presumed killed."

His official status was altered on March 28th, 1941, to "believed killed." He was buried in the Calais Southern Cemetery.