Son of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Jeeves
Aged 23 years
Died 19th July 1941
Commemorated at Dunkirk Town Cemetery
Plot 2 Row 2 Collective Grave 4-5 |
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Rushden Echo & Argus, 17th May 1940, transcribed by Jim Hollis
Rushden Airman Injured - Sergt. D. H. Jeeves in Hospital after Flying Mishap
A young Rushden man, Sergeant Dennis H. Jeeves, of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. was injured in a flying accident “somewhere in England” on Sunday morning, and is in hospital with a broken leg and cuts and bruises.
Sergt. Jeeves joined the Volunteer Reserve two weeks before war broke out. Aged 22 years, he is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Jeeves, of Wymington-road, Rushden. He is an old boy of the Rushden Intermediate School, and after leaving school he served for some time as secretary of the Y.M.C.A. Before the war he was employed as a cashier in the Co-operative Building Society’s Kettering office.
Sergt. Jeeves’s father recalls that he himself was wounded – on a Sunday morning exactly 25 years from the date of his son’s accident.
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Rushden Echo & Argus, 25th July, 1941, transcribed by Clive Wood (also in the Evening Telegraph 22nd July 1941)
Missing: May Have Baled Out - Rushden Pilot Was Returning From Occupied Territory
Sergt. Pilot Dennis H. Jeeves, of the R.A.F.V.R., a Rushden airman who was injured when he crashed in May, 1940, is now reported missing, but there is still hope that he may be safe. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Jeeves, of 54, Wymington-road, Rushden, have received news by telegram that he was missing after an operational flight over enemy-occupied territory. They were later informed that he was returning from an expedition on Saturday morning when his plane flew into some anti-aircraft fire. Some members of the crew were seen to bale out, and Sergt. Jeeves may have been among them.
Aged 23, he joined the R.A.F.V.R. two weeks before war broke out. He is an old boy of the Rushden Intermediate School and was for a time secretary of the Y.M.C.A. Before the war he was employed as a cashier at the Kettering office of the Co-operative Building Society.
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Research by Clive Wood
Dennis Herbert Jeeves, only son of Charles Herbert Jeeves, Manager of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Boot Factory, Rushden and his wife Millicent of 54 Wymington Road, Rushden.
An old boy of the Rushden Intermediate School, he was employed as a cashier at the Kettering Office of the Co-operative Building Society.
An active member of the Young Mens’ Christian Association, he was for a time secretary of the Rushden branch. He joined the RAFVR two weeks before war broke out.
In 1940 whilst still training, he sustained a broken leg and cuts and bruises in a flying accident somewhere in England, but fully recovered to take up his posting with XV Squadron as Sergeant Pilot, flying Sterling Bombers.
On July 19th 1941 Pilot Sergeant Jeeves was in one of three Sterling bombers with Sqd. Ldr. T W Piper, who led the formation, which set out to bomb a factory near Lille; because of cloud over the primary target they had to turn about for the last resort, Dunkirk docks, where enemy gunners were waiting. The leaders’ aircraft was hit and his port inner caught fire, flames pierced the port wing and pieces began to fall away. Piper ordered all aircraft to release bombs, then his aircraft curled away to port. Two of the crew bailed out, then after straightening out, M6018C zoomed into a vertical dive from 1500ft, spiralling into the ground.
A telegram dated 19th July 1941 Mr C H Jeeves received the following message:
"Regret to inform you that your son Dennis Herbert Jeeves is missing as a result of Air Operations on Saturday 19th July 1941 stop letter to follow stop any further information received will be immediately communicated to you
D.C. 15 Squadron"
He is buried together with Sergeant N N Symondson the wireless operator/air Gunner of the ill fated aircraft.
An envelope left with his Squadron stated
"This envelope to be opened & letter inside posted only in the event of my becoming missing"
D H Jeeves
Srg. 758013
Contained the following letter:-
| Taken from Programme for 2005 Party in the Park |
June, 1941 My Dear Mother, Father & Sister,
I am writing this whilst still stationed at O.T.U, because very shortly it will fall upon me to start the job of work which I chose for myself in this War against tyranny and slavery. So far I have been successful in getting through my training, not however without incidents. Now as I write, I have quite a short time left for training and very shortly, after a few days leave, I shall be posted to a Squadron. It is difficult to foresee the future, since the War started many of my service friends have been lost, but there are others, who are still active fliers, and who have done very good work both in the Defence and on the Offensive. My job will be to assist in taking the War to Germany and its people, a job which is somewhat distasteful to me, but nevertheless, one which has been forced upon us, by the haphazard bombing by the Luftwaffe. It is on these raids that certain dangers will be encountered, and from conversations I have had with ex-operational pilots, things often happen, quite beyond the pilot's control, as a result of which another aircraft fails to return to its base.
It is about this possibility that I wish to write. Past experience has shown that a considerable number of pilots and their valuable crews are lost over a number of months. I am definitely not a pessimist but I do feel it is better to face the facts; whilst every crew has more than an even chance of surviving, the casualty lists prove only too clearly, that unfortunately there are others. A day may come, when I may be included amongst those who failed to return, and this letter is being written should such a thing happen. In this eventuality you will receive a telegram informing you that I am missing. This need not distress you. Even if I should become missing, there is always the possibility that I may be a prisoner of war or secondly I may be in a Neutral Country. Confirmation of either of these possibilities would take time as many cases have already shown. There is of course also the possibility that I may have been killed and if this should prove the case, I do hope you will not fret.
Every man, woman, and child in this Country of ours, daily faces dangers that those of us who are flying are not subjected to when in the air. Unfortunately they cannot hit back, but we can, and so should I die in this service of my Country, it is with satisfaction of knowing that at least I have done a little good in our fight against Nazism.
Naturally I want to live to see the successful conclusion of the War, but if God will not grant me this I shall die happy, knowing that I did a little to try to maintain a decent world for you to live in. You have always been so good to me, and I have done so little to repay you, that my only regret will be that I was not spared a little longer in order that I might show my appreciation for everything you have done for me.
May God bless you all.
Love, DENNIS
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The Rushden Echo and Argus, 6th March, 1942, transcribed by Gill Hollis
Death Confirmed - Resting-Place of Gallant Rushden Airman
A letter from the Air Ministry, dated February 25th, has informed Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Jeeves, of 54, Wymington-road, Rushden, that their son, Sergt. Pilot Dennis Herbert Jeeves, who was reported “missing” in July, 1941, and afterwards presumed killed, was buried in the Municipal Cemetery, Dunkirk. The information had arrived from the French Red Cross Society through the International Red Cross Committee, Geneva.
Another letter which was received the following day from the Records Office said it was concluded that he lost his life on the day he was reported “missing.” When his parents received the first information they were told that he was returning from an expedition when his ‘plane flew into some anti-aircraft fire. Some of the members of the crew were seen to bale out.
Aged 23, Sergt. Pilot Jeeves joined the R.A.F.V.R. two weeks before war was declared, and was injured when his ‘plane crashed in May, 1940. He was an old boy of the Rushden Intermediate School, and was for a time secretary of the Y.M.C.A. Before his enlistment he was employed as a cashier at the Kettering office of the Co-operative Building Society.
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A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Mrs Millicent Jeeves, his mother, on American Mothers' Day 13th May 1962, by the American Airmen at RAF Chelveston in grateful recognition of the sacrifice you made in the second world war in the loss of your son who gave his life fighting for the freedom of mankind, for which cause we serve today.
(signed) Steven R Wilkerson Lt Col. LJSAF Commander
Charles C Porter, Ch, Maj. USAF Base Chaplain.
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