David Shannon's DSO on display at AWM

Antipodean Andy · Jul 6, 2009

Long-term loan. I hope to get there this year so might get to see the medal.

Dambusters medal on show at War Memorial - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A medal awarded to an Australian for the Dambusters raids during World War II is being displayed at the War Memorial in Canberra.

The Distinguished Service Order medal was awarded to South Australian airman David John Shannon for his part in the historic missions to destroy dams and flood industrial areas in Germany.

The War Memorial's Chris Goddard says Mr Shannon flew 69 missions during his three tours.

"He'd actually already won a Distinguished Flying Cross before he joined the Dambuster's 617 squadron," he said.

"In fact one of the reasons he was chosen was because of his daring nature."

Mr Goddard says the medal is on long-term loan from Mr Shannon's family.

"We were sorely lacking personal objects in our story of the Dambusters, so we're absolutely delighted that his daughter has allowed us to have these thing on long-term loan," he said.
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DFC · Jul 6, 2009

Hi Andy ,well you have to be lucky sometimes I am going to Canberra in august for a week so will be looking for sure ,along with all the rest at the AWM I walk past the 617 SQN memorial in Adelaide everyday on way home from work and see his name on the plaque and in May there always is a laurel on it for the mission will be great to see his DSO
Cheers Tony

Antipodean Andy · Jul 7, 2009

Tony, there's a thread on here with reference to the building of the 617 memorial in Adelaide. If you have the time, would you mind posting a photo there please?

spidge · Jul 7, 2009

I am still chasing the last resting place of Dave Shannon in the UK to go with a Dambusters file I am putting together.

Anyone?

DFC · Jul 7, 2009

Antipodean Andy said: ↑

Tony, there's a thread on here with reference to the building of the 617 memorial in Adelaide. If you have the time, would you mind posting a photo there please?
Click to expand...

Hi Andy ,yes i thought of that today not the post but to get a picture of the memorial only had a minute to get to my bus stop so did not take a picture .Will do so next day or so and post best couple.Really a lot of detail about them on the plaque.
Cheers Tony hoto:

DFC · Jul 7, 2009

ps for that matter will get pictures in Canberra as well at AWM
cheers Tony DoH

liverpool annie · Jul 7, 2009

You more than likely have this already ... but thought it might be of interest to others !

The Times
Friday 16 April 1993
David Shannon

David Shannon, DSO, DFC, who flew on the celebrated Dambuster raid of May 1943, died at his home in Sydenham, South London, on April 8 aged 70. He was born at St Umley, Park, South Australia, on May 27, 1922.

A YOUTHFUL figure who could have passed as a 16 year-old, Flight-Lieutenant David Shannon was already a veteran bomber pilot by the time Guy Gibson chose him to join the newly-formed 617 squadron in the spring of 1943. Gibson himself did not know at that stage what the target for the special unit was to be. Secrecy surrounding the raid and its objectives was among the best of the war. Not until she saw his picture in the paper after it was all over, did Gibson's own wife know what he had been up to, and that two of the great Ruhr dams had been destroyed by a lone squadron in a single night. He had told her he was ''resting'' in a training squadron, after a hectic period on operations.

Shannon had already served with Gibson, who knew a lot about this 20-year old Australian's superb qualities as a pilot. These were put to the proof during the raid itself when Shannon's was the first Lancaster to attack the second and largest of the Ruhr dams, the Eder, after the Mohne had already been breached.

This was the most difficult of the squadron's objectives. The Eder dam lay in a fold of hills which meant that the approach over water at 60ft was only possible after the steepest and most hair-raising of dives. To add to the hazard, a thick fog rolled over the surface of the lake. It was a test not only of skill but of heart. Five times Shannon attempted to claw his way down to the lake only to find himself flying too fast and too high at the crucial moment when the ''bouncing bomb'' devised by Dr Barnes Wallis should have been released, at a precise speed and height.

Shannon circled again to take stock of the situation while Maudslay, another of 617's pilots, had a go. He dropped his bomb but failed to get out of the valley afterwards and crashed into the hillside, killing himself and his crew. Steeling himself again, Shannon made a sixth and then a seventh approach and this time placed his bomb exactly where it should have been, snug against the dam wall, underwater. Gibson's formation had only one bomb left, carried in the Lancaster flown by Les Knight, another young Australian. After Knight, too, had made two failed attempts Shannon advised him over the radio: ''Come in down moon and dive for the point, Les''. Taking this cue Knight dropped his bomb perfectly. Suddenly the wall of the dam cracked; 212 million tons of water went racing down the valley at 30ft a second. The pilots, circling above in awed fascination, watched as a car, racing to get clear, was engulfed by the surge.

David Shannon was the son of an Australian farmer and MP. After leaving school he worked in insurance before joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941. He then came to Britain where he joined Guy Gibson's 106 squadron as his first operational posting. After flying on 26 raids he won his first DFC.

When Gibson, then expecting a rest from bombing operations after flying 173 missions, was told to form a new squadron at Scampton, Lincolnshire, for ''something special'', he had no hesitation in taking Shannon with him. In a squadron strong on glamour which started at the top with the dashing Gibson Shannon stood out. Tall, slim and elegant, he was a romantic figure. Very soon he added to this image by falling in love with one of the station's prettiest WAAFs, Anne Fowler. But he could be a venomed-tongued leader, ruthless in his chastisement of professional shortcomings among his aircrew.

Weeks of low level training now followed as 617 squadron accustomed themselves to flying at lower level than any squadron had done before. Finally, when, on the evening of May 16, 1943, Anne Fowler noticed that the crews for that day's ''night flying programme'' were being served with eggs the tell-tale sign of an ''op'' she realised that a raid was on.

Shannon flew with Gibson in the first of three formations which totalled 19 aircraft. Its first aim was to attack the Mohne Dam which it successfully breached, with three of its bombs as yet unexpended. When the codeword ''Nigger'' a tribute to Gibson's black labrador which had been killed by a car the night before had been flashed back to Grantham to signify the success of this first objective, Gibson flew on with Shannon and his remaining crews to attack the Eder. After only two bombs the dam wall broke open and the codeword ''Dinghy'' told headquarters that the second main objective had been achieved. Gibson and Shannon now turned for home leaving a third dam, the Sorpe, to be damaged by the mobile reserve commanded by 617's big American, Joe McCarthy. It was an astonishing success for such a small force. But the price was high: 56 men missing out of the 133 who had flown out on that night.

Back on the ground, breakfast for the survivors soon turned into a very alcoholic party which stretched on through lunch, dinner and beyond. At some point Shannon proposed to Anne and was accepted but only after she had insisted he get rid of the magnificent moustache he had grown to make himself look older.

Shannon was awarded the DSO for his part in the raid. His medal was presented to him by the King on his 21st birthday, the monarch complimenting him on how ''well preserved'' he was for his age.

Gibson was rested from operations at that point, but for Shannon it was the beginning of a long association with 617, under Gibson's successors: George Holden, ''Micky'' Martin and finally Leonard Cheshire. Shannon flew on 617's toughest assignments and most of them were very tough. ''Bomber'' Harris had decided to use 617 as a ''sniper'' squadron, tackling low-level assignments other squadrons would have found impossible. Among these were the costly sorties to try to breach the strategically important Dortmund-Ems canal. From one of these raids only three out of eight aircraft returned.

When Leonard Cheshire took over 617 and perfected low-level marking techniques, Shannon became one of his most trusted pilots. He took part in the accurate surgical operations against the Gnome-Rhone factory at Limoges and the Juvisy marshalling yards. After D-Day he helped Cheshire mark for the devastating raids on the German E-boat pens. These used another Barnes Wallis invention, the 12,000lb Tallboy ''earthquake'' bomb, which created tidal waves in the pens, pulverising the E-boats and eliminating a dangerous threat to Allied shipping supplying the Normandy beachhead.

One operation Shannon was not sorry he could not participate in was Cheshire's humanitarian scheme to drop food parcels to PoWs in Stalag Luft III deep inside Germany on Christmas Day 1943. Cheshire's idea was that he, Martin and Shannon should sneak in over the camp, drop the parcels and nip out again over the Baltic before the flak defences woke up. Shannon and Martin were even less cheerful about the notion when Cheshire told them that the drop would take place in daylight and that the guns would be taken out of the aircraft to enable them to carry more food parcels. It was a recipe for suicide and Cheshire's two flight commanders hinted as much to their optimistic leader. Luckily for them the plan was utterly vetoed at a higher level. It was thought a certainty that the PoWs would be mown down by German guards as they rushed out to pick up the parcels since their captors would assume it was an arms drop. A crestfallen Cheshire simply could not understand Shannon's gasp of relief when this decision was announced.

Shannon ended his war with two DSOs and two DFCs. Thereafter he had a number of jobs: he worked in oil in Colombia and Kenya and farmed in Suffolk. He had been working on preparations for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Dambuster raid, in May. He was senior member of the committee of the 617 Squadron Association.

His first wife predeceased him and he is survived by his second wife, Eyke, and by a daughter of his first marriage
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liverpool annie · Jul 7, 2009

Not sure how to get this ... but I'll post it !! ....

AutoID
520247
DeptName
Sound
IDNO
8177
ProductionDate
2/May/1984
ObjectType
IWM interview
IndexObjects
aircraft, British: Avro Lancaster
IndexPeople
Shannon, David J xxx
Gibson, Guy P
Wallis, Barnes
Wallis, Neville Barnes
Hopgood, J V
Martin, H B
Maltby, D J H
IndexPlaces
AU
AU & South Australia
GB, England
GB, England & Scampton, Lincs
DE
DE & Mohne Dam
DE & Eder Dam
EI, English Channel
IndexUnits
GB.F & Sqdn, 617
AU.F
GB.F & RAF Scampton
GB.F & Command, Bomber
GB.F & Group, 5
IndexConcepts
Commonwealth
ShortSummary
Australian officer served as pilot with 617 Sqdn, RAF during Dambusters' Raid on Germany, 16/5/1943-17/5/1943 and during Operation Taxable deception on D-Day, 6/6/1944
FullSummary
REEL 1 Background in South Australia 1922-1940: family; education. Aspects of period as officer with Royal Australian Air Force in Australia, 1940-1941: background to joining Royal Australian Air Force; training; secondment to RAF and journey to GB 1941. Recollections of operations with 617 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 1943-1944: background to joining squadron at RAF Scampton; personal and professional opinion of Guy Gibson; other squadron members selected by Guy Gibson; rapid formation of unit; low level flying and simulated 'moonlight' flying; previous low level flying experience; emphasis in training on formation flying, low level and navigation; training routes across GB; parallel 'bouncing bomb' experiments determining height and speed for aircraft training; improvised means for determining accurate height of aircraft; equipping Lancasters with VHF radio; radio codes to restrict traffic on air.
REEL 2 Continues: practising low flying over Lake District; hazards of low flying; formation flying; tight security and not knowing the target; arrival of modified aircraft and bombs; realising need to release bombs early during practise runs off Kent coast; serious attitude towards training; experience of personnel and intent of purpose; elation at news of operation; minor breach of security; unveiling models of dams at briefing; full briefing and target revealed; critical timing of operation; timing of three waves of aircraft; participation in first wave led by Guy Gibson to Mohne Dam; hazards and advantages of flying at low level; Guy Gibson's attack on Mohne Dam.
REEL 3 Continues: Hopgood's attack and subsequent mid-air explosion; Martin's attempt; Maltby's successful attack; secure position of Eder Dam and difficulty seeing it; breaching Eder Dam; difficulties of visibility in attack on Eder Dam; view of Mohne Dam; atmosphere inside aircraft during raid; view of Eder Dam; adequacy of training; debriefing and subsequent party; high losses and value of raid; impression of Barnes Wallis and his distress at crew losses; description of Operation Taxable to simulate spoof landing of invasion force in Calais area, 5/1944-6/6/1944; necessity for precision flying and accurate timing of dropping window.
ContextDescription
Air Operations, 1939-1945: North West Europe, 1944-1945
Air Operations, 1939-1945: Bomber Offensive, 1939-1945
Duration
90
NumberOfParts
3
OtherFormats
Full : 29pp
MakerName
Shannon, David John
ProductionCompany
IWM
MakerGender
Male
Language
English
RelatedIWMItems
See also talk on AC 16256; papers in file; Photos
RelatedSoundFile
025271S23.mp3
008177S01.mp3
Shannon-airwarfare.mp3
Shannon8177.mp3
Weighting
750
900
SubThemeTag
Technology
WebStatus
Published
UncatTransferDate
17 November 2006
URLEncodedDeptName
Sound
Access
IWM copyright
Nationality
Australian
British
DigitalAsset
Y

Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher PRO found 70 records

Kitty · Jul 7, 2009

Andy I want photos, or from whoever gets there first dammit!

Spidge do you know where the grave is?

spidge · Jul 8, 2009

Kitty said: ↑

Andy I want photos, or from whoever gets there first dammit!

Spidge do you know where the grave is?
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Hi Kitty,

I have searched the net for hours and hours (last year) however I could not find details of the last resting place.

I possibly missed it somewhere if it is there.

Cheers

Geoff

Kitty · Jul 8, 2009

bugger i'll start putting out questions and see what i can find. Sure he's buried in the UK? I thought he was buried in Oz.

Antipodean Andy · Jul 8, 2009

I believe he was living in the UK when he passed away.

spidge · Jul 9, 2009

Antipodean Andy said: ↑

I believe he was living in the UK when he passed away.
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He was living there for many years and died at Sydenham, South London. I know where he died but alas not where he was buried.

Antipodean Andy · Jul 9, 2009

According to this article, all of Shannon's medals and his uniform etc are on display. Excellent.

Dam Buster medals on display in Canberra - great photo at link.

David Shannon liked flying low and fast, skimming the waves and treetops - a heartbeat away from disaster - at the controls of a Lancaster bomber.

Unsurprisingly, he attracted attention from his first squadron commander, RAF Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who needed exceptional pilots for a special mission which was to become the most famous of World War II.

That was the dam busters raid of May 16, 1943, with Shannon piloting one of 19 Lancasters as one of 13 Australians involved in the operation.

In all he flew 68 missions, ending the war as one of Australia's most highly decorated aviators with the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and bar, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and bar, plus standard WWII service medals.

Only one other Australian airman won the DSO DFC twice while three received the Victoria Cross.

Now Shannon's medals, along with his uniform and logbooks, have gone on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

That's thanks to his daughter Nikki King, a former UK resident who has now returned to live in Australia.

Curator Chris Goddard says the war memorial is delighted.

"Prior to this, the war memorial essentially had a papier mache model of the Mohne Dam and that was it in terms of representing dam busters' service," he said.

"We had a lot of photos and things like that, a few written entries but no actual personal objects associated with the dams' raid."

David Shannon was born in Unley Park, South Australia in May 1922, joining the RAAF in 1941.

He flew an initial tour with RAF 106 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron at the invitation of Gibson. This unit was commanded by Gibson and formed to conduct top secret raids to destroy dams supplying water and electricity to Germany's industrial Ruhr region.

The idea was to drop special bombs which would bounce along the water surface then explode against the dam wall.

That required precision night flying of the highest order, with aircraft descending to 18 metres while flying at 390km/h, then releasing bombs at a precise distance from the dam wall.

Shannon was one of three who successfully dropped his bomb on the Eder Dam which, along with the Mohne Dam, was destroyed. Just 11 of 19 participating aircraft returned.

After the war, Shannon settled in England, working for Shell and Cunard. He died in April 1993.

Ms King, now of Walkerville, Adelaide, said she gave his medals to the London Imperial War Museum on longterm loan.

"But I knew that when alive, in his heart, he really did want them in time to go to Canberra," she said.

"He was a true Australian at heart."

Ms King said her father never took the controls of an aircraft again after the war, although he enjoyed fast cars.

"He did not talk about his war experiences, although he was a very famous war hero," she said.

Shannon took on the responsibility of becoming the chairman of the 617 Squadron Association, raising money for a magnificent memorial at Woodhall Spa next door to RAF Scampton, the airfield from which the dams raid began.

The dam busters raid, depicted in a classic 1955 movie, is soon to feature in a new Hollywood blockbuster by Peter Jackson, a classic aviation enthusiast and director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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spidge · Sep 1, 2009

Final Resting Place of Dave Shannon

A message received from Dave Shannon's Grandson has reminded me that I had not kept this thread up to date.

Dave Shannon is buried in the graveyard of St. Michael's Church, Clifton Hampden, Nr. Abingdon Oxon UK.

View attachment 3595

liverpool annie · Sep 1, 2009

Here's another ..... !! .... I forgot to post it - I saw it a few days ago !! :fish: .... is this yours Geoff ??

David and Ann Shannon’s headstones

Although David Shannon was an Australian, he stayed on in England after the war, joining Shell as an executive. He spent some time in both Colombia and Kenya before returning to the UK. He died on 8 April 1993, shortly before the planned 50th anniversary reunion of those who took part in the Dams Raid.

Shannon’s romance with Ann Fowler, a WAAF officer serving with 617 Squadron, and their subsequent marriage is a recurring theme in Paul Brickhill’s book, The Dam Busters. Ann Shannon died a couple of years before her husband and they are both commemorated with stones in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels in Clifton Hampden, Oxfordshire. The size of the stones would indicate that they were both probably cremated.

David and Ann Shannon’s headstones « Dambusters Weblog

Antipodean Andy · Sep 2, 2009

Good hunting, Geoff.

spidge · Sep 2, 2009

liverpool annie said: ↑

Here's another ..... !! .... I forgot to post it - I saw it a few days ago !! :fish: .... is this yours Geoff ??

David and Ann Shannon’s headstones

Although David Shannon was an Australian, he stayed on in England after the war, joining Shell as an executive. He spent some time in both Colombia and Kenya before returning to the UK. He died on 8 April 1993, shortly before the planned 50th anniversary reunion of those who took part in the Dams Raid.

Shannon’s romance with Ann Fowler, a WAAF officer serving with 617 Squadron, and their subsequent marriage is a recurring theme in Paul Brickhill’s book, The Dam Busters. Ann Shannon died a couple of years before her husband and they are both commemorated with stones in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels in Clifton Hampden, Oxfordshire. The size of the stones would indicate that they were both probably cremated.

David and Ann Shannon’s headstones « Dambusters Weblog
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Not guilty your honour!

No, but he has another site besides the blog which I have read while doing research on David.

DFC · Sep 2, 2009

Ok firstly i have been slack with holidays and going away re shannons group ok
first yes the whole group is there not just the DSO secondly you need a searchlight to take a picture of the group which is very,very nice if you thought the vc groups are in the dark shannons group is pitch black took shots but flash totally destroyed any real picture so a waste and what is worse a flash or more general light !!!!!
cheers Tony ps i have the adelaide dambusters picture and will post

AJW · Jun 29, 2010

Spidge, are you still chasing those resting place details?

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