DAVIS, Stuart Harold
| Service Number: | 412934 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 August 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 231 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia, 2 January 1922 |
| Home Town: | Port Macquarie, Port Macquarie-Hastings, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Jackaroo and Clerk |
| Died: | Port Macquarie-Hastings - New South Wales, Australia, 15 January 2019, aged 97 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Innes Gardens Memorial Park, New South Wales, Australia Reflection Tree Garden Memorial ID: 242958617 |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 15 Aug 1941: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman, 2 Recruit Depot (RAAF), Sydney. Mustering - Aircrew V | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 412934 | |
| 8 Nov 1941: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman, No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School, Temora | |
| 23 Jul 1942: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 2 Embarkation Depot, Bradfield Park. | |
| 23 Jan 1943: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, No. 231 Squadron (RAF), Nutts Corner | |
| 23 Jul 1945: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 12 Ferry Unit - Melton Mowbray | |
| 25 Feb 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 412934 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Grant Prunster
Stuart (Snow) Davis
Snow Davis enlisted in Sydney on 15 August 1941. He remembered listening to a radio broadcast in which it was stated 'If you can ride a horse, you can fly an aeroplane'. Snow and a few mates who could ride took the advertisement at face value. After 3 months of basic training, he was selected to start training as a pilot and practised in Tiger Moths, Wirraways and the Miles Master.
When posted to England, Snow was assigned to No 231 Squadron, RAF, flying the Mustang Mk I. He was then assigned for a brief time to No 16 Squadron, RAF, and flew photographic reconnaissance in a specially equipped Spitfire. It was a job he didn't enjoy because the plane was unarmoured and carried no weaponry for protection. Part of Snow's job entailed photographing the French coast in preparation for the expected invasion.
He recalled making himself quite disagreeable to his senior officers when he objected to not being informed about the purpose of the missions. He was transferred to No 122 Squadron, RAF, where he was much happier piloting the Mustang Mk IIIs, which he considered more stable than the Spitfires and certainly better armed.
During the D-Day landings, Snow flew missions inland to strike at the German supports and strategic targets. He remembered the missions flown around Calais as being particularly bloody as they sought to strike anything that moved. A particularly pungent memory was his visit to the battlefield of Tilly-sur-Seulles, not long after the battle's conclusion. The stench and sight of dismembered body parts stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Snow was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his efforts in France during the war. He was discharged from the RAAF in February 1946 and returned to his pre-war job at Dalgety's, where he eventually became chairman of Dalgety Futures. He retired in December 1980 after 40 years of service and moved to Port Macquarie, where he lived at his Lighthouse Beach home.
Videos
Stuart (Snow) Davis - Anzac Portal (dva.gov.au)
Click images to start slideshow.