Biography
E. R. "Bus" Davey grew up in London, Ontario. In 1943 he was posted to the Royal Air Force Banff Strike Wing (Scotland) as a member of the 404 squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. On October 2, 1944, piloting Beaufighter "Q" (#LV 189), Davey died as a result of a mid-air collision with Beaufighter F. "Amongst the effects of F/O Davey a copy of a poem, Extinction (The Airman's Prayer) was discovered. After the discovery, the poem was pinned by one of the aircrew on the door of the Operations building. This haunting prayer to God is believed to have been written by the young airman" (http://www.404squadron.com/Oct1944.html). A memorial stone, which includes the text of his poem, was placed on the floor of Førdefjord, Norway, in June 2008 to commemorate the Black Friday losses of February 9, 1945.
- Online war memorial at http://wwii.ca/memorial/world-war-ii/132261/flying-officer-ernest-raymon... .
- Peter Pigott, "'Bus' Davey: The Airman's Prayer," Flying Canucks II: Pioneers of Canadian Aviation (Toronto: Hounslow Press, 1997): 35-46.
- Soldier Poetry of the Second World War: An Anthology, ed. Jane and Walter Morgan, Presented with the permission of the Department of National Defence, Government of Canada. Oakville: Mosaic Press, 1990: 45.
