Rhythwyn Ifor Davies – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 1 Service Flying Training School

Sergeant Rhythwyn Ifor Davies – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 1 Service Flying Training School

Early Life and Family Background

Rhythwyn Ifor Davies

Rhythwyn Ifor Davies was born in 1917 in Swansea, the youngest child of John Owen Davies and Elizabeth Gertrude Jones, who had married in 1888 in Swansea. He grew up in a large Morriston family whose working life was closely tied to the tinplate industry, a defining feature of the district throughout the early twentieth century.

The Family in the 1921 Census

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the Davies family living at Perry Road, Morriston. John Owen, aged fifty‑one, was employed as an Inspector of Tinplates with Messrs Houlder Bros. Ltd, while his wife Bessie, aged forty‑three, undertook household duties. Their household included a wide range of ages, reflecting a family in transition between working adulthood and school years. Graham R. Davies, twenty‑nine, and Leslie Clement Davies, also twenty‑nine, were both Tinplate Workers (Behinders) formerly employed at the Upper Forest & Worcester Tinplate Works, though both were out of work at the time of the census. Ira, aged seventeen, and Elizabeth Ena, aged fourteen, undertook household duties, while Nancy Gwyneth, aged fifteen, worked as a Domestic Servant. The younger children — John Owen, eleven; James Wynford, ten; Tegwedd, eight; Dorothy, seven; — were all recorded as attending school or being of school age, and Rhythwyn Ifor, aged three

Service with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Rhythwyn later enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, training as a pilot and attaining the rank of Sergeant. He was posted to No. 1 Service Flying Training School, based at Camp Borden, Ontario, Canada, one of the principal training centres of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Here, young airmen from across the Commonwealth learned advanced flying skills before progressing to operational units.

Avro Anson II

Flying Accident: 16 October 1942

On 16 October 1942, Sergeant Davies was flying an Avro Anson II during a formation practice exercise. During the flight, the aircraft descended to an unauthorised low altitude, struck trees, and crashed on Fox Island in Lake Simcoe, Ontario. The impact destroyed the aircraft, and Rhythwyn lost his life in the accident. Training losses were tragically common during the war, particularly among pilots mastering multi‑engine aircraft in demanding conditions.

Rhythwyn Ifor Davies
Barrie Union Cemetery, Ontario, Canada credit - findagrave

Burial and Commemoration

Sergeant Rhythwyn Ifor Davies was laid to rest at Barrie Union Cemetery, Ontario, Canada, far from his home in Morriston but honoured among the many airmen who trained and died on Canadian soil in service of the Allied cause.