Harold Edgar Dawe

Pilot Officer Harold Edgar Dawe — The First Victim of the 19^th of August 1942 Accident Buried at St. Hilary

Early Life

1921 Canada Census

Harold Edgar Dawe was born in 1919 in Cupids, Newfoundland, Canada, the youngest child of George Gushe Dawe and Clara Hoyles, who married in 1905 in their hometown. According to the 1921 Canadian Census, the family lived in Cupids, Port de Grave, Newfoundland. George, aged 43, was a fisherman, while Clara, 38, cared for sons Robert (7), George (5), and Harold (2), along with George’s mother Naomi (82). 

1935 Canada Census

By the 1935 Canadian Census, the family remained in Cupids: George Sr., now 57 and still fishing; George Jr., 20, also a fisherman; and Harold, 16, continuing his education.

Military Service

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Harold enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He served with No. 172 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, flying Leigh Light-equipped Vickers Wellington Mk VIII bombers on night-time anti-submarine patrols out of RAF Chivenor.

Death and Burial

Vickers Wellington Mk VIII “Leigh Light” 

On 19^th August 1942, Ross was flying in Vickers Wellington Mk VIII “Leigh Light” HX482, a specialised aircraft used in anti-submarine patrols. The squadron, based at RAF Chivenor, had been pioneering the use of the Leigh Light to locate and attack U-boats under the cover of darkness. That night, HX482 failed to return from its mission, crashing into the waters of Swansea Bay. Later reports suggest the aircraft was almost certainly the victim of friendly fire, possibly from the guns of the American oil tanker SS Gulf of Mexico, with the crash site thought to be near the Scarweather Lightship.

Harold Edgar Dawe
St. Hilary churchyard, Killay
credit - findagrave

Harold’s body was later discovered 160 degrees off Mumbles Head, west of Lundy Island, and he became the first of the crash victims to be buried at St. Hilary, laid to rest with full military honours on 31^st August 1942.

Crew of HX482 (19 August 1942)

• Pilot Officer Gordon Cave Vincent Jamieson — Pilot (buried in Bristol (Canford) Cemetery)
• Sergeant Edwin Thomas Arthur Deacon — Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (buried at St. Hilary)
• Pilot Officer Ross Pringle Fahrni — Observer (buried at St. Hilary)
• Sergeant Edgar Harold Dawe — Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (Harold himself; buried at St. Hilary)
• Sergeant Jack Mullins — Crew member (buried in Macclesfield Cemetery)

Legacy

Harold Edgar Dawe
Cupid United Cemetery
credit - findagrave

At just 23 years old, Pilot Officer Edgar Harold Dawe represents the bravery and sacrifice of young airmen drawn from small communities to defend freedom far from home. His and his crew’s final resting places span continents—from England and Wales to Macclesfield—bearing witness to the international cost of the war effort. Their graves at St. Hilary stand as enduring reminders of a shared tragedy, where men from Canada and Britain lie together in silent remembrance.