Ernest was born in 1910 in Mile End Old Town, London to Romanian born Hyman and Russian born Rachel nee Gordon and he had three siblings Isaac, Esther and Cyril. The family owned a grocers shop in Walthamstow, and in 1939 all the siblings are listed as working in the shop with their mother.

Ernest married Joyce Saxby Hall on 8 July 1943 in Croydon, Surrey. Their marriage certificate states that Ernest was thirty two and a RAF sergeant navigator (formerly a company secretary) and Joyce who was nineteen was a munitions maker.

Ernest was the navigator on Lancaster DV231 which departed from RAF Ludford Magna on a night operation to Berlin to carry out ABC duties. The aircraft was attacked by night fighter pilot Unteroffizier Heinz Misch of the 7./NJG 2 (based at Gilze-Rijen airfield in the Netherlands), who was flying a Ju 88 C-6; and by heavy Flak of the 1.-5. & 7./schwere Flak-Abteilung 280 (o). The aircraft crashed between the villages of Hollenstedt and Northeim killing all the crew.

A/G, Eric Henry Alcock, 2209054.
A/G, Kenneth Bartholomew, 1605920.
Nav, John Clark, 144761.
A/B, Richard Thomas Ottewell, 1337810.
Pilot, Austin James Sandford, 1322905.
W/Op, Terence Dennis Simpson, 1339616.