EULOGY: Wing Commander David Bennett

5th February 1917 – 6th December 1991

RAF Wing Commander David Bennett was the founder member of SHHAS in 1980. David was a wartime commander of 47 Sqd in Egypt flying Blenhiems. At one time he commanded a flying training school in Africa and tried to get any aircraft that were passing through into his flying log.

Former SHHAS Chairman Steve Bailey was talking to David’s widow Joan Bennett at a SHHAS Christmas Party when she mentioned that she still had David’s ashes and didn’t know what to do with them. Steve wrote to Wing Commander Graham Crawford who was the CO of 47 Sqd at RAF Lyneham in 1997. He kindly agreed to take David’s ashes on board an RAF Hercules and scatter them over the Bristol Channel. On 1st May 1997 Steve took Joan to Lyneham and were entertained in the Officers Mess and later taken to a spot near the runway to see the Hercules (XV188) take off with David’s ashes on board.