Born 23/04/1924 in Koewacht Holland, the son of Cornelis Alphons and Madaline Maria (nee Sturtewagen) De Dauw, the brother of George, Roger, ‘Bobby’, Dorthy, Mildred, Marion and Shirley Jean, Andrew was four years old when the family moved to Canada.  The family arrived in Tilbury in 1935.

Andrew and the family, along with his older brother George moved to Canada by ship in 1927. Andrew spent much of his youth moving around Kent County, ON. Tilbury, Merlin, Valetta and Prairie Siding all become for a while.  He attended Tilbury High School for a year. He then went to work at the Canadian Top and Body Corporation in Tilbury.

Andrew enlisted in the RCAF in October 1942 He trained RCAF-Alymer and at No. 9 Bombing & Gunnery School at Mont Joli, PQ between 31/05/43 to 9/07/43.He graduated as an air gunner from RCAF-Mont Joli, PQ. from there he left for deployment overseas.

In his last letter home he had made nine raids “over enemy territory, seven of which over Berlin.”.

A recent overseas story told the following story:

“His feet braced against the the cockpit dashboard and his arms hugging the control column. PO J.J. “Jim” McIntosh of Revelstoke, BC, saved the lives of Sgt. De Dauw and five others in the crew when he pulled the giant bomber “U-Uncle” out of a 13,000 foot verticle dive during a recent a recent raid on Berlin.” P/O McIntosh received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The attack lasted only about five seconds but so badly damaged was the bomber that only outstanding flying brought her safely home. The mid-upper gunner, Sgt. A. F. De Dauw had to be prised loose from a mass of tangled wires shot loose by the canon shells. His foot was jammed by a damaged  flare-shute.

The crew reached a British airfield only after coping with severe icing, flak, lanes of tracking flares dropped by night-fighters and with the turrets, flaps, undercarriage and other parts of the aircraft badly damaged.

Relief from the harrowing flight came when P/O McIntosh made what he termed “a half ground- loop and a sudden halt”. None of the crew were injured. CDN 21/03/44

The CDN 10/11/44 reported Andrew received notice from the RCAF Casualty Officer that their son had been commissioned with the rank of Pilot Officer from 23 March, 1944. Along with, “It is regretted that no further information has been received regarding your son since my letter of May 13^th, and I wish to extend to you and the members of your family my sincere sympathy in this trying time.”

Age: 20, KIA – Date of Death: 24/03/1944, Target of Op. – night attack on Berlin, Halifax LW 593 failed to return from Ops. Other members of the crew were: P/O (AG) Leo Bandle was KIA buried in the Berlin War Cemetery, Charlottenberg, Germany; F/O’s A. Small, R. C. Elvin, and C. M. Schell were taken POW. One Canadian F/O McIntosh captured and made a POW. After the war he returned to Canada and lived in BC. He passes away in 2010.The remains of the aircraft and bodies were not recovered until 1949.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources	“They Shall Not Grow Old”, RLC, TT (5/11/92), ST, D. Reaume-Sister, CDN (30/03/44), Globe & Mail article “Missing after Air Ops” (not dated) - CVWM.
Supplemental Information	Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: 9. L. 26. Cemetery: BERLIN 1939-1945 WAR CEMETERY.

Age

20

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