Pilot Officer Ben Perry De Haven was born on 29 August 1916 in Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky, USA. There would appear to be two ways in which his surname is presented, i.e. De Haven or DeHaven. We have opted to use the spelling shown on the Eagle Squadron war memorial, his gravestone and in RAF records. He was the younger son of Kenney Nuckols DeHaven (1889-1947) and Elizabeth DeHaven née Perry (1892-1953). His elder brother was Wallace DeHaven (1914-1973).
United States Federal Census returns from 1930 to 1940 show him living in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, USA. From 1938 he attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington and our image was taken from their year book.
The American Air Museum in Britain website states that in 1940 he went to Canada where he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 116467. He came to England and as a Pilot Officer he was posted to No.133 (Eagle) Squadron based at RAF Biggin Hill.
He died, aged 25 years, on 28 July 1942 when he was flying his Supermarine Spitfire aeroplane, serial number BL807, when it crashed on a non-operational training flight in Sittingbourne, Kent. He was buried in Plot 24, Row B, Grave 6 in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, Woking, GU24 0BL. He is also commemorated in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
