Kenneth David Bevan – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Aircraftman 1st Class Kenneth David Bevan – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Kenneth David Bevan was born in 1925, the son of David William Bevan and Elizabeth Bevan. Few civilian records survive for Kenneth, and much of his short life is known only through military documentation and burial registers, a circumstance shared by many young servicemen of the Second World War.

Military Service

Kenneth enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, serving as an Aircraftman 1st Class. He was based at RAF Ford, Sussex, an important wartime airfield used by fighter and intruder squadrons operating Mosquitos and Spitfires. RAF Ford was a busy and hazardous station, with constant flying activity and the ever‑present risks associated with wartime aviation.

Mosquito II

Fatal Accident

On 9 June 1944, Kenneth was killed while flying in a Mosquito II. His aircraft was struck by another Mosquito belonging to No. 141 Squadron, which crashed on landing at RAF Ford and collided with two Spitfires. The accident was one of several tragic incidents at the station during this period, when intense operational pressure and heavy traffic on the airfield created dangerous conditions for aircrew.

Kenneth David Bevan
Coedffranc Cemetery credit - findagrave

Burial

Kenneth’s body was brought home to Swansea and laid to rest at Coedffranc Cemetery, returning him to the community from which he had come and where his family could mourn him.