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Remembering Donald Homer

Henry Irving
Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
in General Charlton
https://www.cafc.co.uk/news/view/5e981950bc5e9/remembering-donald-homer


Comments

  • Brendan_O_Connell
    Brendan_O_Connell Posts: 8,938
    RIP
  • LenGlover
    LenGlover Posts: 31,661
    RIP Donald.
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    a few photos we didn't have space to use.

    Bring your boots postcard from Jimmy Seed to Don.
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    Don, 6th from right back row during a kick about with RAF colleagues
  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,355
    I didn't know this story. Be bad enough to be killed in action against an enemy, but to die in a mid air collision with a friendly aircraft is doubly tragic .. R I P 
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    @DA9 and others have volunteered to give Don's grave a clean and tidy when the lockdown is over.

    Any able to help contact @DA9
  • Amos on the wing
    Amos on the wing Posts: 1,802
    My grandad Reg Davis played in the same Charlton youth team as Donald. The documents from the article shows my grandad Reg scoring a Hat trick in the first game vs Trojans and 1 against Millwall juniors. A great find!!
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    some more on Reg Davis  @Amos on the wing 

    Reginald DAVIS

    Inside-forward (serving in Navy in 1941). Educated at Our Lady of Grace School, Charlton.

     

    He was an ever-present in the Charlton Athletic Junior team in 1939/40, playing in 12 league games and two friendlies. He hit a  hat-trick for Charlton Athletic juniors against Trojans (of Sidcup) in a friendly at The Valley on 6.4.40 - also scoring against Millwall Juniors at The Den on 13.4.40. His best achievement was scoring five goals against Crystal Palace on 29.05.40 when Jimmy Seed described his performance as, “very useful indeed”. He scored a total of 9 league goals.

     

    He played in all the matches in 1940/1 for which line-ups are available, scoring two league goals

     

  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    We got this email this week.

    Dear Sir/Madam,
    I am an historian and author in Cornwall in the process of writing a wartime history of RAF Portreath and am currently detailing the mid air collision between a Spitfire and the Blenheim in which Don Homer was flying on 16th April 1943. I have just come across your article on Don and his budding football career prior to his military service.

    I am writing with two things in mind. Firstly, I would like to ask the family for permission to reproduce a photo of Don, the letter from his commanding officer and the photo of the parcel wrapping that contained his possessions sent to his mother within the book which will be published as an eBook hopefully within the next month. I am wondering if you can pass my request on or point me in the right direction to make an approach.

    Secondly, I can inform you and the family that the casualty on the ground was not killed. He was a teenage boy called Ken Ninnis who was cycling up the road from Bridge towards Sparnon Gate when he heard a bang as the two aircraft collided. Wreckage of the Blenheim fell in the field of Lower Laity Farm close by and Ken was severely burnt from the fuel from the aircraft. He was taken to hospital and in time underwent plastic surgery. He later married, had two daughters and became a Methodist preacher. Sadly he is no longer with us and his wife Dorothy died last December. A friend of his has told me he was a lovely man and always had a smile on his face.

    Thanks in anticipation of your help.
    Yours sincerely,
    Phil Hadley


    Fact & Fiction in Cornwall at philhadleypublications.com
  • Blackheathen
    Blackheathen Posts: 6,656
    Facinating
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  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    https://www.philhadleypublications.com/raf-portreath-war-diary

    Ebook covering the whole story of RAF Portreath at war including Don Homer.
  • Davo55
    Davo55 Posts: 7,836
    Henry Irving said:
    some more on Reg Davis  @Amos on the wing 

    Reginald DAVIS

    Inside-forward (serving in Navy in 1941). Educated at Our Lady of Grace School, Charlton.

     

    He was an ever-present in the Charlton Athletic Junior team in 1939/40, playing in 12 league games and two friendlies. He hit a  hat-trick for Charlton Athletic juniors against Trojans (of Sidcup) in a friendly at The Valley on 6.4.40 - also scoring against Millwall Juniors at The Den on 13.4.40. His best achievement was scoring five goals against Crystal Palace on 29.05.40 when Jimmy Seed described his performance as, “very useful indeed”. He scored a total of 9 league goals.

     

    He played in all the matches in 1940/1 for which line-ups are available, scoring two league goals

     

    And here, second from the left, is a photo of Reg Davis (my uncle, as it happens) with his Dad, a WW1 veteran, and four of his bothers who were all in the armed services during WW2. My Dad Ron (also of @Davo53)is on the extreme right. 

    Don't know if you've got this @Amos on the wing?


  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228

  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    @DA9 or anyone local to Dartford, are you still up to carry out some tidying up on Don's grave?
  • DA9
    DA9 Posts: 11,091
    Henry Irving said:
    @DA9 or anyone local to Dartford, are you still up to carry out some tidying up on Don's grave?
    I am, things got put on hold due to covid etc, but still want to get this done 
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    Yeah, Covid stop a lot of things.

    I'll message you.
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    Lest we forget
  • Greenhithe
    Greenhithe Posts: 781
    Only just seen this. My wife’s family are Homers from Dartford. I’ll check if there’s any link. Must be surely. 
  • KBslittlesis
    KBslittlesis Posts: 8,607
    He’s in the same cemetery as our parents.
    Next time I’m over I’ll pay my respects and give a wee tidy up ♥️
  • SoundAsa£
    SoundAsa£ Posts: 22,481
    Fantastic to see that this project is still in the pipeline …..well done to all concerned.
    Very much looking forward to seeing the results of your endeavours. 👍
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  • Rob7Lee
    Rob7Lee Posts: 9,596
    I'm due to the cemetery soon (my mother in law is buried there), I'll take a look and give it a spruce up. 
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    Lest We Forget
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,228
    Bumping this in the run up to VEDay 80

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