1923 (Approximate) - May 3, 1945
William George Davis was the son of George Austin and Isabel (nee Fleming) Davis, of Amherst, Nova Scotia. He had one sister. Davis learned German and French in high school and he was a bank clerk/ledger keeper at the Royal Bank prior to enlistment.
On May 14, 1941, he was assessed as "alert, intelligent, pleasant personality, practical, keen to fly and should be better-than-average material for pilot training."
On February 27, 1942, W/C R.F. Davenport, Chief Instructor said, "This student has shown a great deal of ability and initiative. Pupil's preference for future training: fighter, bomber, general reconnaissance."
In an RCAF Press Release dated March 23, 1945: "Results of attacks by rocket-firing Typhoons near Munster were observed by F/L William Davis, 190 Church Street, Amherst, NS. "There were about four trains around Munster and the boys had another attack. We bombed the railway and the trucks where they had stopped an engine. We got four cuts."
On his fatal flight, "F/L W. G. Davis left base at 14.30 hours on the 30th of March, 1945 to carry out an Armed Reconnaissance of the Munster-Osnabruk-Rhiene area. F/L Davis's aircraft was hit in the mid-section while carrying out an atttack on enemy transport. The aircraft was seen to do three rolls in succession from approximately 400 feet, crash and explode on impact." From Minute 1. From a note from S/L J. H. Beatty: "Some MET was spotted and attacked by the four, also a train. The Section got separated into twos so that each made its own individual reconnaissance. F/L McCully who was flying No. 2 to F/L Davis observed three MET on the road and went down to make an attack, followed by F/L Davis. When F/L McCully pulled up, he noticed flak around his aircraft also around that of F/L Davis (i.e. followed by a flash under the mid-section)."
On October 30, 1945, W/C W. R. Gunn wrote a memo. "Enclosed please find a ring which was received at this Headquarters [Ottawa] from Overseas for onward transmission to the next of kin.....the following is an extract from the Bomber Mail letter which accompanied the ring. 'The plane crashed and burst into flames at approximately 14.30 hours on the 30th of March, 1945. Part of a Battle Dress blouse was found but no rank. The owner of a nearby farm stated that two thin rings were on the shoulders (ie F/L) but had been removed by someone unknown. A ring was taken from the third finger of the left hand. On the inside of the ring is inscribed, "10K. I. F. L."....the next of kin of this Officer have been advised that their son lost his life when his aircraft [RB435] crashed at approximately 2:30 pm, March 30th, 1945 and that he is buried in the late 25 British General Hospital Burial Ground at Wettringen, Germany." Davis had originally been buried near his crashed Typhoon.
More information about F/L Davis can be found in Typhoon and Tempest by Hugh Halliday, pages 87, 102, 121, 174, 179, 188.
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