Rhys Maelgwyn Alexander, Royal Air Force

Sergeant Rhys Maelgwyn Alexander, Royal Air Force

Early Life and Family Background

Rhys Maelgwyn Alexander was born in 1919 in Graigcefnparc, Glamorganshire, the son of Hopkin R. Alexander and Alice Evans, who had married in 1909 at Pontardawe.

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, the family were living at 88 Lone Road, Rhyndwclydach, Glamorganshire. Hopkin, aged 35, was recorded as a Coal Miner Hewer employed by the Clydach Merthyr Colliery Co., though he was out of work at the time. His wife, Alice, also 35, was at home with their two children: Hannah C., aged 10, who attended school, and Rhys M., aged 2.

Education and Early Adulthood

1939 Register

At the time of the 1939 Register, Rhys M. Alexander was residing at 7 Portland Road, Aberystwyth, where he was recorded as a student. His studies were soon overtaken by wartime service as Britain entered the most demanding years of the Second World War.

Royal Air Force Service

South Wales Daily Post

South Wales Daily Post

Rhys enlisted in the Royal Air Force, serving with the 44 Group and attaining the rank of Sergeant. His progress as an airman was noted in the local press. In June 1942, the South Wales Daily Post reported that Sergeant‑Pilot Maelgwyn Alexander had successfully gained his wings in Canada, marking his qualification as a pilot. By September 1942, the same newspaper reported that he had been posted missing, reflecting the grave risks faced by aircrew during wartime operations.

The Final Flight: 28 August 1942

Sergeant Rhys Maelgwyn Alexander was killed on 28 August 1942 while serving as part of the crew of a Ventura Mk II aircraft, serial AE917, assigned to a transatlantic delivery flight from Gander, Newfoundland to the United Kingdom. These ferry missions, operated under 45 (Transport) Group, were essential to supplying Britain with urgently needed aircraft, yet they were among the most hazardous flights of the war, conducted over vast stretches of ocean with limited navigational aids and aircraft still new to service.

Ventura Mk II aircraft

As AE917 approached the west coast of Ireland, the crew transmitted a distress call reporting engine failure. This was the last communication received. The aircraft is believed to have crashed into Donegal Bay, Éire, and no further trace of the aircraft was ever found. Of the four airmen on board, only two were later recovered: Pilot Officer John McCubbin, whose body washed ashore in County Sligo on 25 September 1942, and Sergeant Francis Augustine Weaver (RNZAF), who was buried at Irvinestown, County Fermanagh. The bodies of Pilot Officer Charles De Cardonnel Findlay and Sergeant Rhys Maelgwyn Alexander were never recovered.

The loss of Ventura AE917 illustrates the extreme dangers of transatlantic ferry operations during the war. These missions, though not combat sorties, were vital to the Allied war effort and carried risks equal to those faced in operational theatres.

Rhys Maelgwyn Alexander
Ottawa Memorial, Canada
credit - findagrave

Commemoration

Because he has no known grave, Rhys is commemorated on the Ottawa Memorial, Ontario, Canada, which honours airmen who lost their lives while serving in North America and the North Atlantic and who have no known resting place. His name stands among those who gave their lives far from home, ensuring that his service and sacrifice remain remembered.