Herbert Ward Sawkings was born in 1923 and was the son of John Edward and Nellie Sawkings. Not much is known about him. He was married to Kathleen Ethel Sawkings, of Grays, Essex.

Herbert worked for the Bata company. He worked at East Tilbury in 1938 in the Department 324, Rubber Factory and in 1939, at the age of 16, he was sent to Holland on an all expenses paid trip as reward for good work in the Factory. Herbert joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and became an air gunner with  218 Squadron, operating out of Downham Market, Norfolk. The squadron flew Stirling bombers at the time.

218 "Gold Coast" Squadron

On 4/5 May 1943, 596 bombers were sent out to attack the German city of Dortmund. Sgt Sawkings was air gunner on the crew of F/L Turner, who piloted Stirling BF505 on this mission. The rest of his crew consisted of second pilot Sgt. F.N. Robinson, Navigator Sgt J.L. White, Bomb Aimer P/O P.S. Beck, Air Gunner Sgt J.M.J. Smith DFM, Flight Engineer Sgt William N. Forth, and Air Gunner Sgt Herbert W. Sawkings.

BF505 was intercepted by a German night fighter, possibly that flown by Lt. Robert Denzel of 12./NJG1. After an aerial combat, the Stirling exploded in the air and crashed at 01.07 on 5 may 1943 Between the Dutch town of Damwoude (then called murmerwoude) and Dokkum. Five of the crew are killed; F/L Turner, Sgt Robinson, Sgt Forth, Sgt Sawkings and Sgt Hinshelwood are all buried at Damwoude General cemetery. The three others survived. One of them landed by parachute near Roodkerk and was taken prisoner.

The two others landed and hid in a barn were pigs were kept. The next morning they were found by the farmer Pieter Gosma. He took them into his house where one of the men was helped with a head wound. One of the men decided to leave the safehouse and was shortly after taken prisoner by the Germans. The other, Sgt John Smith from Wolverhampton, decided to stay. The Dutch underground tried to get him back to England and after some time he ended up in Arnhem. What happened next is not known but Sgt Smith was arrested by the Germans on 8 July 1943 and spent the rest of the war as a PoW. Sgt White and P/O Beck also survived the war as PoWs.

Sgt Herbert Sawkings is buried at Damwoude General Cemetery.

(picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Damwoude, The Netherlands

See also:
Sgt Frank Robinson
Sgt William Forth
F/L Wibur Turner
F/S George Hinshelwood

Sources:
Mrs. Gena Pfister Turner
Jansen, Ab A., Wespennest Leeuwarden, Volume I, II and III, Baarn: Hollandia 1976
Jansen, Ab A. Gevleugeld Verleden, Baarn: Forum ny
RAF Bomber Command 60th Anniversary Site
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Thurrock Community website
Bata Company Reminiscence and Resource Centre website (features a picture of a young Herbert when he was chosen to go to Holland in 1939)
 

Acknowledgements:
RAF Squadron crest © Crown Copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office

Directions to Damwoude General Cemetery

Posted 1 January 2009
Updated 3 January 2009

If you have any suggestions, comments or additional information, please contact me.

This website is dedicated to the men and women who died and/or are buried in The Netherlands during World War II.

 

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