Letter to Ronald Dewey's Father
Title
Letter to Ronald Dewey's Father
Description
The letter informs Ronald Dewy that his son is believed to have lost his life.
Creator
Date
1943-06-18
Language
Format
Two typed sheets
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
EAirMinDeweyEW430618-0001, EAirMinDeweyEW430618-0002
Transcription
[Air Ministry crest]
AIR MINISTRY
Casualty Branch,
77, Oxford Street,
London, W.1.
GERrard [sic] 9234
P.404082/4/43/P.4.A.2.
18 June, 1943.
Sir,
I am commanded by the Air Council to inform you that they have with great regret to confirm the telegram in which you were notified that your son, Sergeant Ronald Dewey, Royal Air Force, is believed to have lost his life as the result of air operations on the night of 13/14th May, 1943, when a Lancaster aircraft in which he was flying as air bomber set out to bomb the enemy and failed to return.
A telegram since received from the International Red Cross Committee quoting official German information, states that one of the occupants, Sergeant Olding, was captured on 13th May and that the six other occupants were dead. It contains no information regarding the place of their burial nor any other details.
Although there is unhappily little reason to doubt the accuracy of this report, the casualty will be recorded as “missing believed killed” until confirmed by further evidence, or until, in the absence of such evidence, it becomes necessary, owing to lapse of time, to
/presume…..
E.W. Dewey, Esq.,
10, Summerville Road,
Saffron Walden,
Essex.
[page break]
- 2 -
presume for official purposes that death has occurred. In the absence of confirmatory evidence death would not be presumed until at least six months from the date when your son was reported missing.
The Air Council desire me to express their deep sympathy with you in your grave anxiety.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
[signature]
AIR MINISTRY
Casualty Branch,
77, Oxford Street,
London, W.1.
GERrard [sic] 9234
P.404082/4/43/P.4.A.2.
18 June, 1943.
Sir,
I am commanded by the Air Council to inform you that they have with great regret to confirm the telegram in which you were notified that your son, Sergeant Ronald Dewey, Royal Air Force, is believed to have lost his life as the result of air operations on the night of 13/14th May, 1943, when a Lancaster aircraft in which he was flying as air bomber set out to bomb the enemy and failed to return.
A telegram since received from the International Red Cross Committee quoting official German information, states that one of the occupants, Sergeant Olding, was captured on 13th May and that the six other occupants were dead. It contains no information regarding the place of their burial nor any other details.
Although there is unhappily little reason to doubt the accuracy of this report, the casualty will be recorded as “missing believed killed” until confirmed by further evidence, or until, in the absence of such evidence, it becomes necessary, owing to lapse of time, to
/presume…..
E.W. Dewey, Esq.,
10, Summerville Road,
Saffron Walden,
Essex.
[page break]
- 2 -
presume for official purposes that death has occurred. In the absence of confirmatory evidence death would not be presumed until at least six months from the date when your son was reported missing.
The Air Council desire me to express their deep sympathy with you in your grave anxiety.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
[signature]
Collection
Citation
Great Britain. Air Ministry, “Letter to Ronald Dewey's Father,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed June 14, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/32701.