F/O Robert David ACKERS (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, July 01, 2013, 02:20 (3952 days ago) @ Jefff

I could not initially find David Ackers on the Commonwealth Wargraves website, perhaps his body was returned to his family for Churchyard burial ?. However searching the internet gave these sites so more helpful detail;

He appears to have been schooled at Winchester, he's on the West Downs School Memorial.
"Robert David Ackers; Born 1923; Joined 1931; died 1944; Occagne (CUI) Churchyard; Flying Officer (Pilot) 152010 183 Sqdn RAFVR; 18/08/1944"
http://www.westdowns.com/rolhonor.htm

This "Landed Families" website gives a huge amount of information about the whole Ackers Family and Huntley Manor House itself with some excellent photos.
http://landedfamilies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/13-ackers-of-huntley-manor-formerly-of.html

Finally, this site includes a request for help researching David's RAFVR service, it states he was "killed on a mission over the Falaise area in August 1944".
http://www.rafweb.org/Help_Wanted%20800-1000.htm

Falaise is in Normandy, France, just south of the D-Day invasion beaches. During the time of David's loss a momentous battle was being fought at the "Falaise Gap", where a German Army was encircled to allow the successful Allied breakout towards Paris and thus Berlin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falaise_pocket

David's 183 Squadron flew the powerful Hawker Typhoon single-seat rocketfiring aircraft, used to great effect destroying enemy tanks & vehicles trying to escape capture thro' the "Gap". Ground-attack was very dangerous work indeed and sadly it seems this is how & where David so bravely lost his life. Thankfully, despite terrible Allied losses including nearly 17,000 killed or missing airmen alone, the victory at Falaise marked the end of the Battle of Normandy with total German losses of around 450,000 men including 200,000 taken prisoner, and the ultimate Allied victory was ensured.

This photo shows a Typhoon of 183 Squadron just prior to D-Day, it's massive build and wingmounted cannon & rockets are prominent, 20 Typhoon Squadrons saw action over Normandy.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force-_2nd_Tactical_Air_Force,_1943-19...

Re-searching the CWGC site, but now using his full name, I find F/O Robert David Ackers is indeed at rest in Normandy at the small village churchyard of Cui, near Falaise.
The site states he is "Son of Charles Penrhyn Ackers and Dorothy Jane Ackers, of Huntley, Gloucestershire."
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2846205/ACKERS,%20ROBERT%20DAVID

Here's a photo of his grave, the only wargrave in this small churchyard.
http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/occagnes.htm

We're planning a short visit to Normandy in late August, partly to pay our respects to some family wargraves nearby, I'll try and visit F/O Ackers too.

R.I.P.