There’s some excellent news to report - Dartmoor National Park Authority have agreed to the placement of the memorial on Plaster Down near to where the Liberator came down. They had already given tacit approval with provisos about maintenance, insurance and ownership. I have been able to give assurances about maintenance and continued ownership and now the Authority has agreed to include the memorial on its insurance providing it is set in place by their Conservation Team. That cleared the way for a site meeting and a few days ago Nigel Rendle and I met with Jon Stones, Assistant Head Ranger (Works), to agree the location. There is more good news concerning the provision of the memorial post. A neighbour of mine, Pat Patterson, recently uncovered a granite post in his garden. Pat is an ex Royal Marine who used to fly in Sea King helicopters over Dartmoor and when I explained why I was casting covetous eyes on his find, he readily agreed to donate it for such a worthy cause. Jon Stones and Andy, the Park’s stonemason, picked up the granite post four days ago – they needed a small crane, and it now resides in the workshop at Bovey Tracy awaiting the plaque. I’m currently in discussion with a company that specialises in the manufacture of bronze memorial plaques.
The Location
The memorial post will be located on Plaster Down at map reference SX517719. The site is some 300 metres from where the Liberator struck the trees and is close to the car park at the southern end of the down. Although slightly further away than originally envisaged, the position is more convenient for both visitors and those with commoner’s rights to that part of the moor. The DNPA Conservation Team have a pretty busy schedule but it is hoped to have the post, with the plaque affixed, ready in the New Year when it will be placed at the same time as restoration work is carried out to the bank of a nearby leat. The Dedication It is hoped to have a simple ceremony to dedicate the new memorial sometime next spring. 2017 will see the 75th anniversary of the loss of the Liberator, and all those who have given so much support to the project will be invited to attend; without you I don’t think we would have got this far. I’ll make sure you are kept informed of the date: we’re aiming for a day in early April – by then the Dartmoor weather might be a bit more amenable!
The Crew
So far we have only managed to make contact with relatives of three members of the crew – Flying Officer Victor Crowther, Pilot Officer Bill Martin and Sergeant Dennis Pass. However I have been contacted by Christopher Wheeler regarding Flying Officer Gavin Sellar who was the captain of the Liberator. Gavin had been a pupil of Charterhouse and Christopher, himself a former pupil and master at the school, tells me he has no knowledge of any known relatives, however as an Old Chartusian who looked unsuccessfully for the crash site a while ago, he is very interested in seeing the memorial in place. Bill Martin, nephew of Pilot Officer Bill Martin, has placed a letter in the local Glasgow newspaper to locate any relatives of Sergeant William Fraser who came from Newton Mearns, but there’s been no response so far. Of the others, I understand that Pilot Officer William Cruickshanks was from North Shields and Sergeant Harry Dawe came from Wallasey. It would be fitting if we could let any relatives know of the memorial and the dedication.
Other People Involved
I only recently became aware of the family that were occupying Fullamoor Farm at the time of the crash. Harry and Rene Palmer were the farmers there at the time and were instrumental in helping to assist the sole survivor, Dennis Pass, from the wreckage. They continued to farm there long after the war and when they retired they moved to a house the other side of Plaster Down. The current occupant of the farmhouse has no connection with the Palmer family. On a recent holiday in Devon, Tim Rodgers, a grandson of Dennis Pass, went with me to Plaster Down and Fullamoor Farm. Tim told me his grandfather had regularly kept in touch with the Palmers until they passed away. He also provided me with a poignant photo of Dennis placing the original memorial plaque on the gatepost at Fullamoor Farm in 1983. That was the single act that set all this in motion.
Photo Below - (Left) Dennis Pass placing the original memorial plaque on the gatepost at Fullamoor Farm in 1983. (Right) The 1983 plaque as it looks today.(Rob Jones) Please do contact us if you are in anyway related to a crew member (Here), and we will of course be more than happy to pass of your details to Rob Jones, organizer and coordinator of the memorial and its dedication.
