Sergeant G.W.Jefferys

                                        No. 46 Squadron

                          Battle of Britain Casualty, 18 September 1940

On 20 July 1939, George William Jefferys enlisted to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Rreserve. At the
rank of Sergeant, he began his training at Bristol Training Centre and then progressed through the
rigorous pilot training regime and received his "Wings" on 20 July 1940. The following month he
reported for duty with No. 43 Squadron, Fighter Command, flying Hurricanes from RAF Tangmere in
Wet Sussex

On the 2 September 1940, he shot down his first aircraft, a Messerschmitt Bf 109E from a well-known
and respected German unit - Gruppe Jagdeschwadder 53 based out of Rennes. Whilst with 43
Squadron he shot down a total of 4 enemy aircraft.

After only a few weeks with the unit, on 14 September, Jefferys was posted to No. 46 Squadron at RAF
Stapleford Tawney. On 15 September 1940, he shot down a Dornier Do 215; an aircraft used for
reconnaissance and as a medium Bomber.

The inadvertent bombing of London by German aircraft on 24 August 1940 provoked immediate
retaliation by Bomber Command against Berlin the following night. More raids by the RAF in the same
week and the general damage caused to German cities by the air offensive were contributory ractors
in the Luftwaffe's change of attack priority. Hitler was enraged by the attack on Berlin and because
it seemed that the attacks on Fighter Command airfields were not destroying enough aircraft, he
ordered a change in targets. This marked the beginning of the third phase of the Battle of Britain. By
attacking cities and industry, the Germans hoped to break the morale of the British people and to
destroy the factories that built fighter aircraft. They also anticipated that RAF fighters would gather in
force to protect the cities, which would make it easier for the Luftwaffe to shoot them down in the
numbers required to establish air superiority, essential for a successful invasion.

It was during this third phase, which spanned the period 7 September-5 October 1940 that Sgt
Jefferys was killed. On 18 September 1940, he took off fromRAF Stapleford Tawney at 1220 hours in
Hurricane V7442. The formation from No. 46 Squadron was ordered to patrol Gravesend at 20,000
feet, as a Wing with No. 249 Squadron in order to intercept German Bombers making their way up the
Thames to attack London. At 1240 hours, the Wing encountered approximately fifteen Dornier Do
215's with Messerschmitt ME 109 fighter escorts south of the Thames Estuary. A head-on attack was
made breaking up the formation. At Approximately 1245, Sergeant Pilot Jefferys was attacked by a
Messerschmitt ME 109 and his aircraft suffered heavy damage. He baled out of his aircraft but his
parachute failed to open.

He was buried with full military honours here in the graveyard of St Michael and All Angels Church
Winterbourne Dauntsey on the 24 September 1940 by a RAF detachment from Old Sarum Camp.

                                  Per Ardua ad Astra