A Desert Escape

The church of St Edith in Church Pulverbatch, a small village about eight miles south-west of Shrewsbury, has a Roll of Honour related to the First World War. The church must also have been greatly improved by the installation of electric lighting to the memory of five men from the village who made the “supreme sacrifice” during the Second World War. Among their names is that of Flying Officer Dennis Bebbington MM. Dennis lost his life in March 1943 when the RAF squadron in which he served was moving westwards, behind the retreating Afrika Corps, to the airfield at El Daba in Egypt. The aircraft which he captained was lost without trace on a bombing mission. He earned his Military Medal however as a result of an earlier escapade during the war. He was flying as Second Pilot in a Wellington bomber when it was caught by searchlights and intense flak over Tobruck. The loss of the starboard engine forced a crash landing 350 miles behind enemy lines. All of the crew emerged from the plane safely and set out to walk back to base. Walking by night and sheltering under sparse scrub during the day, they reached the Libyan border with Egypt within a week. Their water bottles were refilled and they were given food by friendly Arabs who had no great love for the Germans. After twelve days, by a combination of good luck and leadership by the senior crew member Pilot Officer Johnson, they arrived at a well by the side of a main road. Nearby were two Italian trucks and the decision was made to await nightfall and attempt to steal one of the trucks. During the ensuing fight, Dennis managed to get into the driver’s seat of one of the trucks although surrounded by Italian troops. Fortunately his beret had fallen off and in the darkness the Italians failed to recognise him as an RAF officer. When they formed a search party to look for the other crew members, he innocently joined in but took the first opportunity to slip away into the dark. After 24 hours on his own in the open desert, Dennis managed to catch up with the others. Finally, 26 days after they had been shot down and 350 miles from the crash site, they were intercepted by a South African armoured car unit and their ordeal was over. Consequently Bebbington and a colleague were awarded the Military Medal and Pilot Officer Johnson the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation concluded that they had “displayed resolute courage and fortitude throughout the hazardous operation” .

St Edith's church, Church Pulverbatch