Society News
All our latest news is recorded on our Facebook Page - Aircrew Remembrance Society Latest News
Below is a selection of historic news, prior to our use of Facebook to record our news.
16th September 2017. The moving story of a missing World War Two airman recently identified, sent to us by our German researcher Henning Hiestermann. Which also involved our good friend and aviation archaeologist Rudiger Kaufmann.
Olaf Hansen and his Elisabeth married in 1944. When the war ends, the pilot is lost. But the family continues to search.
Olaf Hansen was buried next to his wife in Elmshorn on September 8th 2017
The full account of this most moving story can be read Here
7th July 2017. DB603 Engine Comes Home.
Stolen from our Chairman’s museum at Booker in the early 1990’s, an Me410 DB603 engine has been tracked down and returned to the society. We extend our thanks and gratitude to those with a true interest in our remembrance and preservation activities, who brought to our attention that the engine was up for sale and its whereabouts. We would also like to thank P.C. Sharp of the Thames Valley Police who investigated the reports on our behalf, and insured that the engine was not removed from its discovered location, until we were able to arrange transportation. The engine is now safely back in the societies collection.
ccccccccRecovery in 1971. Cccccccccccccccccc On display at Booker Museum in the 1980’s. Ccccccccc DB603 on the Me410 at Cosford.cccccc Remembrance page relating to the loss of this aircraft and crew Here
1st July 2017 Australian Air Gunners Relatives Visit his Memorial in Watlington, England.
Jamie left, with her mother, father and two sisters at the crash site location (David King)
Following the societies success in locating the crash site of Vickers
Wellington R1451 on the 16th September 2011, along with the unveiling
of the memorial the following year on the 3rd September 2012, in association with the land owners, David and Lynne Parker, we were again for a third time privileged to meet with relatives of another victim of the crash, the rear gunner Ronald Clifford. After being contacted by Jamie Clifford we were able with the assistance of the land owners, to arrange the visit in the morning of the 1st of July, on behalf of her father, Nephew to Ronald Clifford. Later that afternoon they were also able to visit Ronald’s grave at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, at Botley, Oxford.
A new photo of Ronald given to the society by the family. Ronald’s grave at Botley.
Jamie and her family at the memorial (Paul Cannon)
A number of fragments found at the site were presented to the family by the society (Paul Cannon)
5th April 2017 High Ground Wreck Exhibits at Coalhouse Fort. Sabre exhibit under construction relating to the collision of XD707 and XD730
The current display at, The Thames Aviation Museum, Coalhouse Fort, Tilbury, Essex.
Back in 2015 we reported on the acquisition of a High Ground Wreck collection by our webmaster Alex, to assure its preservation. The opportunity had arisen for us to obtain a large collection of historic interest thanks to John Ownsworth. The collection began as far back as the 1960s, an impressive preservation achievement by a dedicated group of guys with an interest in aviation. Those involved in creating this collection, include, John Ownsworth, Jim Chatterton, Alan Jones, and the late Martin (Sef) Johnson.
Our hope was to make this large collection of items available for public viewing. This is now under construction thanks to the work of Elliot Smock, with the support of The Thames Aviation Museum, housed at the historic Coalhouse Fort, Tilbury, Essex. The High Ground Wreck Collection joins the recovered aircraft exhibits already displayed by the group, these along with other exhibits relating to this historic fort on the Thames, along with its known paranormal activity, makes this a compelling site to visit for anyone with an historical interest.
Details relating to opening times, along with the forts history and other attractions can be found here
http://www.coalhousefort.co.uk/serving-units.html
Alex King with port side Sabre gun ports, retained in The Aircrew Remembrance Society Collection 6th January 2017.
On the 6th January we heard the sad news that Steve Hall had passed away. Steve was one of the pioneers of what would come to be known as Aviation Archaeology, formerly as a member of the Wealden Aviation group and, amongst other things, one of the originators of the concept of a museum at Tangmere. Steve worked for many years with our leading Luftwaffe historian Melvin Brownless, he enriched the lives of all of us that were privileged to know him. We will never forget his friendship, kindness and his sense of humour, always the prankster and comedian he would often lead you on with some yarn, so you always had to stay sharp. Along with these precious memories Steve also leaves us another Legacy, that which is the large catalogue of historical aviation archives, work collated by him over many decades, much of which was undertaken before the computer age, when letter writing was the means of communication that had to be used. Without this painstaking work hundreds of documents, photos and stories would have been lost. The Aircrew Remembrance Society is proud to be able to reproduce much of his work in many of our web site remembrance pages, a legacy which now in turn is a lasting memorial of remembrance to this legend in our field. Our Missing Man, Our Friend, Steven Hall.
We will never forget your smile Steve! (Photos from, Peter Wainwright and Melvin Brownless)
9th November 2016
New Memorials to two JU88 Crews.
Back in 2015 we reported on the society’s erection of a memorial cross to the missing KG6 crewman Werner Walter in Scotland. In October 2016 a second cross unveiled at the site in memory on the entire crew, in the presence of the pilot, Paul Rouge’s grandson Henning.
Reports of these memorials have now been reported in the German press and the Luftwaffe magazine “Jagerblatt”
On his return from Scotland Melvin also visited a second crash site, that of Ju 88A code 4U+GH, werk nr. 0115 that crashed on Eston Moor on the 30.3.1941 after being engaged in combat.
The Memorial for the Wolfgang Schlott crew was placed on the 23.10.16 close to the crash site by Melvin Brownless and Mick Hegney .The land owner Mr John Rider attended the memorial placing.
23rd October 2016. Newspaper Report from Diepholzer Kreisblatt, Regarding the work of Volker Urbansky relating to the crash at Syke-Pestinghausen of Lancaster EE126 (19./20.02.1944)
On 23.10.2016, a wonderful, impressive day in the middle of a foggy flower field directly at the crash site a wreath-laying ceremony took place.
The two daughters of the Gunner Phil Paddock, as well as 30 other Englishmen from the town of Spilsby, the airfield the Lancaster, took-off from were also present.
6th October 2016. New Memorial for eight Lancaster crewmen (Four still missing)
City of Cloppenburg, Staatsforsten, Germany.
The new Lancaster crew memorial at Staatsforsten.
Report from one of our researchers in Germany, Henning Hiesterman. (Translation from local Cloppenburg News report.)
Brits pay thanks for a place to mourn.
Stone marked crash place in Staatsforsten Exactly 72 years after the crash, a foundling that discovered the bomber that had been shot down, reminded of the death of the eight young soldiers. Relatives yesterday thanked him for this gesture.
Cloppenburg. In a moving celebration, the city of Cloppenburg and the family members yesterday in Staatforsten unveiled a memorial in honor of eight young soldiers who died on 6 October 1944 in the crash of an allied Lancaster bomber. Four of the men between the ages of 21 and 35 would not have found a grave to this day, reminded Debbie Bartlett one of the granddaughters of the killed board mechanic Ronald P. Barton. “This memorial site gives us a place where we can mourn”. Together with her sister Julie Barton (53) and Douglas Stewart, the son of the pilot, Bartlett thanked yesterday in a short speech at the railway tracks of Staatsforsten, the city, the people of the village and the society “fliers - airplanes – fates” for the clarification of the circumstances of death and for the support in the intensive investigation of the soil.
That the excavations only reveal wreckage today is a guarantee that no human remains have been forgotten in the soil said Enrico Schwartz. His organization MAACRT (Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team) had set up one of the two teams that had been sweeping the ground for three days in May last year. The granddaughters dug with their bare hands at the place that Volker Urbansky from Cloppenburg had localize. Urbansky who nonsalaried investigates flier fates thanked the city for their willingness and help.
Andreas Krems the general representative of the mayor regarded the memorial as a peace mark and a sign of remembrance, he stated that " These things can only be achieved when there are people who donate it”. That reconciliation was possible, Germans and Britons would have experienced in a laborious and protracted process. “The silent commemoration is a moment of wondering what the dead of that time have to say to us, and what we can do today against war and violence” said Krems to about 60 guests of the public celebration.
Representatives of the Heimatvere in Cloppenburg, of the parties in the Council and of the interest group to the preservation of the neighboring Luftschutz-Bunker also participate. It stands only a stone's throw away from the new memorial. What the victims of the second world war still feel today was made clear yesterday by private narratives. Douglas Stewart, who bears the name of his father, believed that his father had crashed over the North Sea in the squadron of the returning bombers, up to the investigations of the volunteer aviation historians. As a soldier, the son was stationed in Nienburg and made a friendship there with a German, with Ursula Kastenschmidt. She accompanied him to the memorial service yesterday. Debbie Bartlett reported that her grandmother until her death had been expecting her missing husband to come sometime healthy through the door. “We humbly hope that we can make a contribution to preserve the dignity of the victims”, Enrico Schwartz said.
(Left) Unveiling at Staatsforsten: (from left) Douglas Stewart, the son of the pilot, with the two granddaughters of the board mechanic, Julie Barton and Debbie Bartlett, as well as Andreas Krems, the general representative of the mayor. (Right) The graves of Flt/Lt. John C. Barlow, Sgt. Ronald Paul and two unknown airmen, when first buried at Becklingen War Cemetery.
1st October 2016
New Memorial planed for crew of LIBERATOR FK242, ‘K-KING’ of 224 Squadron, RAF UPDATE – From Rob Jones 1st October 2016.
(Left) A 224 Squadron Liberator. (Right) Proposed new designed memorial (Rob Jones)
The Memorial
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.
(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.
Bomber Command Veteran Records His Memories 10th September 2016.
(Left) Alex King with Roy Maddock-Lyon cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc Roy during training in WW2
Following research undertaken by our webmaster Alexander King, we were honoured to be invited to the home of Roy and Shirley Maddock-Lyon, to record Roy's exploits as a Flight Engineer flying Halifax's with No.10 Squadron Bomber Command. A three hour audio tape has now preserved Roy's story. Now aged 91 Roy gives his harrowing account of being shot down over Denmark, his evasion with the help of the Danish underground, and his work with them to bring valuable secret information back to England after escaping to Sweden, and returning in the bomb bay of a Mosquito on the Stockholm ball bearing run. All these details will shortly be reproduced in a Remembrance page for Roy and his crew.
The remains of Roy's Halifax III MZ793 ZA-X
Visit at the Sister of Ernst Glück 14.07.2016 by Henning Hiestermann.
Thursday, 14.07.2016 Henning Hiestermann with Elisabeth Lewien,(born Glück), the youngest sister from Ernst Glück
Dear Friends,
Yesterday evening I get back from my trip to southern Germany. On Thursday, 14.07.2016 I visited Elisabeth Lewien, born Glück. She is the youngest sister from Ernst Glück, the observer of my grandfathers crew. She lives in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart and is now 86 years old. The other three sisters of Ernst have already died. Unfortunately, Elisabeth has mild dementia, but she can still remember her brother very good. He has always cared very much about his smallest sister and played often with her. She can still very well remember that he has often worn her on his shoulders. On 23.10.1942 she received a letter from Ernst to her 13th birthday. I attached you the letter and a translation of his words. Unfortunately Elisabeth can tell no further details about Ernst. He came right after finishing his school career to the air force. When the war began he was only 19 years old and he already died with 22 years. Elisabeth left the family in Geislingen/Steige right after the war at the age of only 15 years and moved to Stuttgart. Later, she married and moved to Waiblingen. Unfortunately the contact to her sister Eva broke off completely. Therefore, she can not say why Eva is later moved to Aberdeen in Scotland and if that had anything to do with her brother's death. But she was informed that Eva died, but could unfortunately not remember the year of death. Elisabeth also showed me a photo album with family photos. On three pictures Ernst was shown as a child, but unfortunately Elisabeth has no further photos, not even from the estate of the parents. Her father Friedrich died already in 1969, her mother Luise in 1979. Although many documents were not available, so it was a very special afternoon with her. It's something special, considering that formerly my grandfather sat daily beside her brother on the plane and now after more than 70 years the grandson of the pilot and the sister of the observer sit together and talk about the events of that time. That was something unique! Attached I send you a photo of Mrs. Lewien and me. This photograph was taken by Mr. Range, a friend of Mrs. Lewien, who was also present at our meeting. Mrs. Lewien was very pleased about my visit and she thanked us very much for the great research on her brothers case. I then visited my aunt and then my brother. There I still get a valuable treasure in respect to my grandfather. But more about that in my next mail...
Kind regards, Henning
Letter from Ernst Cluck to his sister Else 23-10-1942.
1st May 2016
Research From our Good Friend Henning Continues into the loss of Ju88 Wknr. 144550
Following our visit to Scotland to remember a Luftwaffe crew and a missing man, we have remained in touch with the grandson of the pilot (Paul Rogge) Henning Hiestermann. Henning has worked tirelessly to assist us with further research into this tragic loss. Working for us in Germany his work is priceless! Reported here are his latest investigations in relation to the radio operator on his grandfather’s crew, Karl Brinkman.
Report from Henning 1st May 2016.
Today I was for a few hours in Holzhausen/Porta Westfalica. This is the village where Karl Brinkmann, the radio operator of my grandfather’s crew was born. I visited the church and met after the service the pastor Schierbaum. He showed me a book in which all the fallen Holzhausener of World War II are listed. I took a picture of the bookside (see attached file).
(Left) Henning taken last year at the crash site. (Right) Karl Brinkmann.
The church where Karl Brinkmann is remembered, and their book of remembrance.
Then we went to the community centre, where a few elderly Holzhausener drinking coffee after the service. I told them the story and there was an old woman who said that her 91 years old husband Herbert had known Karl Brinkmann. Unfortunately, he had not come with her to church today. But Herbert just called me by phone and told me something about Karl. He was a very kind and educated man. He completed an apprenticeship as a merchant from 1936 to 1939 at the Mindener Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft (MILAG). After the war began, he came to the air force. His then fiancee called Erna Hartmann, born Schinkel and she should still be alive and is now 94 years old ! I'll try to contact her in the next few days. Karl had a brother named Willi, but he is already dead and he had no children. The father of Karl named also Karl and he was after the war for a long time mayor of Holzhausen. Also a cousin of Karl is still alive and live near Holzhausen. I'll also try to contact him the next time. Herbert was very interested in the story, because he also was a radio operator in WW II. He and a few others are working on a local chronicle from Holzhausen and he wants to examine whether he can take the story there. That's it from me for today. Now you know, what I'm doing at the moment...
Kind regards, Henning
Missing Stirling LJ850 “Yorkshire Rose” found in France!
Researchers in France have uncovered aircraft parts that are believed to be from Short Stirling LJ850. The Aircrew Remembrance Society has been contacted by relatives of members on board, and is supporting them in their quest for a registered grave for their loved ones.
A list of those missing on board is reproduced below. If you have any connection with those listed, please contact the society, we will offer you our full support, and if requested with you consent we can put you in contact with other relatives of those missing, in the hope you may be able to assist each other in bringing closure to this tragic event, which has left 23 men missing for over 70 years.
Two recent articles published in the Times from close relatives relating to there quest for the recovery of this aircraft are reproduced below.
CBC News Documentary relating to relatives of Canadian crewman and the discovery of LJ850 |
List of 23 missing men |
Further details will be posted here in the coming weeks.
9th March 2016
Border Telegraph report regarding Earlston Ju88 crash.
26th September 2015
New Aircrew Remembrance Society Memorial to fallen German Aircrew.
Crash Site Attended by pilots Daughter and Grandson.
On a quiet Scottish hillside Irmtrud Hiestermann stood in wonder at the site before her, with her son Henning at her side at last she could stand at the place where the father she had never known, had tragically lost his life so many years ago.
At the time of her father Paul Rogge’s death, Irmtrud was just six months old. Personal items found at the crash site at this time, included a treasured photo of Irmtrud that Paul had carried with him, returned to the family by the Red Cross, this tragic artefact the only remaining token of her father’s love she would ever know.
Memorial Service for Luftwaffe crew and missing man.
A most moving memorial service for the crew was conducted by the Reverend Julie Woods. Julie’s presentation and thoughtfulness on the day, with prepared copies of her program, along with German translations for the family, truly encapsulated all our emotions on a most tearful day that all who attended will never forget, along with our introduction to the Scottish word ‘Greetin’.
The Quest for a grave for missing man Werner Walter
Although three of the crew were recovered at the time of the crash, a fourth member Werner Walter, still remains missing to this day. Following a request from relatives for further information relating to Werner and the location of his aircrafts crash site, for that last year intensive research has been undertaken, led by our Luftwaffe researcher and Historian, Melvin R Brownless. A wealth of material has now been uncovered and along with the kind support of the land owner, Lord Haddington, and a written request Werner Walter’s surviving relatives, the society will be making an application for a licence under the Protection of Military Remains Act, in the hope that Werner’s remains can be found and indeed protected, and reunited with his comrades at Cannock Chase. During our visit a survey of the site was undertaken and many readings were registered and logged, thanks to the support of Lord Haddington and his estate manager
Emotional Visit to Fogo Church
Later in the day we were able to take Irmtrud and Henning to Fogo churchyard where Paul and two of his crew had first been buried (Later re interned at Cannock Chase) This was another very moving occasion for Irmtrud and Henning, as treasured photos they possessed of Paul’s first burial place, close to the shelter at the church entrance, appeared frozen in time
Allied Airmen Remembered at Fogo
During our visit to Fogo the society was able to pay their respects to the sixteen allied airmen buried there, research into their losses is now underway and it is hoped that remembrance pages can constructed for them all, at least ten of them were from 54 O.T.U. based at nearby Charter Hall airfield.
26th September 2015
Werner Walter Missing Luftwaffe Airman Remembered
New Society Memorial For Missing Airman.
16th July 2015
New Direct Link Feature to our previous Archived work held at The British Library. Now available direct in each of our year of loss records.
As most of you know our first site was forced to close after four years at the end of 2012, with our current site restarting from scratch in January 2013. In November 2013 we were pleased to announce that access to our old site archived at The British Library was now linked to our new .co.uk. Address Domain. This still meant however that those wishing to see these archives would need to visit the British Library site and make individual searches. Thanks to some painstaking work by our webmaster Alexander King, all individual pages will now be accessible direct from our sites individual loss year pages.
July 2015
Forth Coming High Ground Wreck Museum Display
F-86 Sabre and B-29 “Over Exposed”
As reported earlier this year, regarding the preservation of the high ground wreck items purchased by our web master, Alexander King, on behalf of the society to assure their preservation in the future, as well as preserving the memory of those crew members that sadly lost their lives in these tragedies, we are pleased to announce that in cooperation with a close friend and contact Elliot Smock, well known as the founder of “The Whitley Project”, a display at a well know London Museum will soon come to fruition. The display will centre around two major incidents, the major exhibit being the main cockpit construction and components from one of the F-86 Sabre’s, XD707 and XD730 that crashed on the 22nd July 1954, the other being the tragic crash of B-29 Super Fortress “Over Exposed”
Third generation Aircrew Remembrance Society member Adam King, son of our webmaster Alex, and grandson of our chairman David, pre-flight checks his F-86
All seems OK so full throttle!!!!!
Who needs a scooter when you have an F-86 in the Garden!!!
February 2015
Following our acquisition of a High Ground Wreck collection last year, the opportunity has arisen for us to obtain another large collection of historic interest, thanks to John Ownsworth. This collection began as far back as the 1960s, an impressive preservation achievement by a dedicated group of guys with an interest in aviation. This is a large collection and our hope is to be able to make these items available for public viewing, some items will be retained in the society’s remembrance collection, but a home for the larger items is being sort for permanent public display. Those involved in creating this collection, include, John Ownsworth, Jim Chatterton, Alan Jones, and the late Martin (Sef) Johnson.
(Above) John Ownsworth on Broomhead Moor in 1981, with the remains of Wellington DV810, that crashed on 9-12-42 (All seven crew survived) (Below) John (Right) with our webmaster Alex in February 2015.
November 2014
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Education Outreach Program
Our Chairman David King centre back row, with one of three C.W.G.C. school visits this year to Botley Cemetery. Back row far left, Alan Johns Volunteer.
The Societies connections with education now spans over four decades. Our chairman David King is now a representative for the C.W.G.C. at Botley Cemetery, Oxford. After over forty years of research relating to those interned there, David’s knowledge is now being passed on to the next generation. He has already produced numerous case files for Botley cemetery relating to this C.W.G.C. project, and he is currently working on numerous case files for other cemeteries, soon to be included in this C.W.G.C. Education Outreach project. The project is open to all schools and youth groups, please get in touch through our contact page for further details.
David explaining the tragic loss of F/O John Gould’s 582 Squadron crew, among their graves at Botley during a recent school visit. John and five of his crew were killed when their Lancaster PB475, crashed at Bellingdon near Chesham Bucks, returning from a raid on Chemnitz on 6th March 1945.
August 2014
Aircrew Remembrance Society stall at The Bucks County Show.
To further the remembrance work of the society, a stall was obtained at The Buck’s County show in August. Many new contacts were made with farmers and as a result two further crash sites are now under investigation. We were also able to assist numerous members of the public with research information relating to loved ones, and further remembrance pages are soon to be added to the site. A special thanks to Alex King and Ryan Stevens for organising the event, and the distribution of many leaflets on behalf of the society.
Some of the many photo brought to light were those from our meeting with Carole Paternoster, in memory of her father Thomas Ecclestone, and his Navigator John Shimmin. To view their remembrance page click here
21st june 2014: B-17 Crash Investigation and C-47 Memorial Fly past at Bletsoe
In Association with Bletsoe Church Fete
Remains of B-17 42-31469 the day after the crash. (King A.R.S. Archives)
On the 21st June 2014 the Aircrew Remembrance Society undertook an investigation under M.O.D. Licence 1773, into the loss of B-17 42-31469 of the 306th Bomb Group. The aircraft had crashed on take-off on the 26th April 1944, following an engine fire. It completely disintegrated and burned, killing everyone on board except the tail gunner Sgt. George Littlefield. (A full report can be found in our 1944 U.S.A.A.F. Losses.)
(Left to right) David King and Melvin R Brownless, talk with Cedric Ellingworth at the A.R.S. stall regarding the crash, and a remembrance page for his brother, lost on Halifax HR918 over Germany. (Paul Cannon)
Some of B-17 items recovered displayed at the fete. (Paul Cannon.)
The first of a number of trenches on the recovery day. (Alexander King.)
Memorial fly-past by C47 (Melvin R Brownless)
While Alex King prepares to open a second predetermined trench with the mini digger, Ryan Stevens begins metal detecting in trench one. (David King.)
C-47 circling the crash site before leaving. (Alexander King.)
A special thanks to our sponsors Robert and Daniel Tuckwell, and the land owner Mary Laws Without their support events such as this would not be possible.
Recovery team: David King, Melvin R Brownless, Alexander King, Ryan Stevens and Paul Cannon (Society photographer)
The Society is sorry to have to announce the sad loss of fellow researcher and historian Martin Johnson, who passed away suddenly in March 2014, aged 51. All of us at the Society offer our heartfelt condolences to all Martins family and friends at this sad time.
Martin during one of his many high ground investigations, here in May 1999 with main undercarriage from B-24H 42-9841. 492nd Bomb Group.
During his lifetime Martin built up a large collection of artifacts from the many sites he visited over many decades, building a substantial data base and photographic record, centered mainly around high ground wrecks in the Peak District. The Aircrew Remembrance Society is honored to preserve this collection in Martins memory. Over the next few months we will be constructing numerous new remembrance pages, incorporating Martins researched work and photographic records, not only for the crews they relate to, but also to Martin himself, a dedicated researcher who will also be remembered on the pages to those his life time’s work remembers, not only on our present day pages, but also along with all our work, recorded by The British Library for all future generations to come. We would like to thank Martin’s long-time friend John Melton for his help in our preservation of Martin’s material, and his support for the family.
5th October 2013: Finmere Airfield Investigation.
The societies mascot “Poppy” Like’s the look of this hole!
Following a number of reports of aircraft remains being buried at Finmere Airfield, the society began investigating the area described. The investigation was led by Alex King who first made contacted with the land owner Mrs. Collins in 2012. Permission was granted and a number of visits were made to survey the site in 2012. (Full report to be placed in Aviation Archaeology section. (Airfields)). It soon became apparent from these visits that large quantities ruble from tracks and demolished buildings from the bomb dump area, had been thrown into this large deep war time storage hole, which was ramped at one end from ground level, down to over 20 feet deep in the center. If any aircraft parts had been discarded after the war there, they would be below many feet of rubble, and the only chance of finding them, would have to be by deep machine excavation. An extensive search of the area revealed many remnants of former airfield constructions, but sadly no aircraft remains were discovered.
Among the rubble was found this electricity Danger warning sign from one of the war time buildings.
An identical sign is seen here on the restored control tower at Elvington.
Photos: Paul Cannon and Alexander King. Special thanks to Mrs.Collins for her support in this investigation, and special thanks to Robert and Daniel Tuckwell for their continued support.
30th November 2013. British Library
As Co-founders of The Aircrew Remembrance Society in January 1995, David King and Melvin R Brownless, are pleased to announce that our recorded archives held at the British Library, are now correctly linked to our current live site. The previous dishonest false link that was set up, using our old .com site link, to deceive and direct people to another site, has now been revoked.
The British Library
Investigation into the loss of Vickers Wellington Mk X HZ375 28th/29th September 2013.
Investigation Day (1) 28th September 2013. Metal detector search in area (B), Main crash area as indicated by eye witness Robert Plant.
Marked area of surface finds and deeper readings
Surface finds on day one.
Interesting find from day one was this brake lever from the control column.
Investigation Day (2) 29th September 2013. Area marked for mini digger.
The Societies Web Master Alex King, manning mini digger, removing top layer of soil from marked crash area.
First sign of parts a section of engine cowling and wing spar.
While Melvin searches a burnt layer David (top left) speaks with the land owners son, Ben Tutt. Our special thanks to him and his father Adrian, for their support in this investigation.
At the depth of around six feet no further signs of the aircraft were found, and virgin clay was soon in evidence. The remains of this damaged steel cable that must have been left behind by the R.A.F. recovery team at the time, is evidence of their commitment to the recovery of this aircraft.
Eye Witness to the crash Robert Plant (right) looks on with interest as David and Melvin look through some of the days finds.
Roberts account of the crash.
At the time I was aged about 11, along with some friends I was playing in the street outside my home in Charndon, all of a sudden we heard a loud bang overhead, we looked up to see an aircraft that had broken in two, a large section just missed the house at the end of our street, then we heard an explosion and saw smoke rising from a field just out of the village on the road to Marsh Gibbon, my friends and I took off on our bikes, and as it was down hill all the way arrived at the crash first, the field was on fire and ammunition was exploding, just inside the entrance of the field there was a large wheel and tyre from the aircraft, then I heard someone calling “help my friends, my friends, over and over again, then just behind the tyre I saw the badly injured man who was crying out, trying to crawl through the damaged burning crops. By then a number of adults had arrived and we were led away, as an RAF truck arrived. It is a day I shall never forget.
Artist impression of the crash.
Although the majority of this aircraft was removed at the time of the crash, still many interesting small finds were made, all of these will be added to our Aviation Archaeology page, along with other recovery photos.
This recovery was undertaken in memory of eight crew killed when this aircraft crashed. Before the recovery started a few words were spoken on behalf of the crew, and a minutes silence held.
Lest we Forget
Pilot: Fl/Lt. Lawrence Edward MacAdam. DFM. 141102. R.A.F.V.R. Age 28. Killed.
Pilot U/T: Fl/O. Ian MacKenzie Angus. 429413. R.A.A.F. Age 22. Killed.
Air/Bmr: P/O. Richard John Taylor. 163727. R.A.F.V.R. Age 22. Killed.
W/Op/Air/Gnr U/T: F/Sgt. Norman Lindsay Newbey. 427015. R.A.A.F. Age 23. Killed.
Air/Gnr: F/Sgt. Sidney Brown. DFM. 1211203. R.A.F.V.R. Age 37. Killed.
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Thomas Ankers. 2210700. R.A.F.V.R. Age 21. Killed.
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Thomas Aspin. 3041184. R.A.F.V.R. Age 19. Killed.
Cadet 1st Class Frederick James Dennis Harris. Air Training Corps. Age 18. Killed.
Ian, Norman and Ronald.
A special thanks to, Adrian and Ben Tutt, (Land owners) and to Robert Plant (Eye witness) for their help in this recovery. Special thanks also to Robert and Daniel Tuckwell, for their support of our Society.
22nd August 2013. Relatives from Australia visit pilots grave and the site where his Mitchell aircraft crashed.
Flying Officer John Ledgerwood’s grave at Botley.
On the 22nd of August our Chairman David King arranged to meet with Jane McGrath and her husband Peter in Oxford, on the occasion of Jane’s pilgrimage to England on behalf of her mother, to visit the graves of her Uncle Flying Officer John Ledgerwood and his crew. Upon arriving at the Botley Cemetery Oxford, David was able to show Jane to the grave locations, whereupon framed photos, crosses and flags prepared by A.R.S. were placed upon the graves to co-inside with Jane’s Visit. Later that morning David drove Jane and Peter to the crash site of John’s Mitchell Bomber at Steeple Claydon, a distance of some 25 miles from the cemetery.
Peter photographing Jane at John’s grave, in the foreground the grave of one of John’s crew, Flt/Sgt. Bailey.
Jane and Peter at the crash site of 13 O.T.U. Mitchell FL193.
21st July 2013 World War Two R.A.F. Bomb Explodes in Germany.
Police seal off crater after explosion on Sunday. (Special thanks to Aircrew Remembrance Society researcher Horst Jeckel, who took this photo and supplied details.)
On Sunday morning the 21st July at 7.30 a.m., a large explosion awoke the people around the town of Alten Buseck Germany, when a WW2 bomb exploded unexpectedly without any outside interference, leaving a large crater. Fortunately the explosion took place in an open field and no one was hurt. It is believed that the bomb was part of the load carried by a Halifax bomber that crashed nearby on the 31st March 1944, a victim of the infamous ill fated Nuremburg raid. The aircraft was LV 879 a Halifax Mk.III from the 424 Sq RCAF QB-A. Taking off from Skipton-on-Swale at 21:35 hours on the evening of March 30th,1944, on a bombing operation to Nuremburg, Germany. Shot down by night fighter early hours of 31 March/44, about 0030 hours, 1 k.m. west of Alten Busek near Giessen, Germany. The aircraft caught fire and exploded at a very great height with wreckage scattered in an area of 1 k.m. Crew on only their 2nd operation.
28th May 2013. Buchanan family visit to England, Wellington R1451 crew memorial.
On Tuesday 28th May a party of five relatives of F/Lt M.S. Buchanan D.F.C., his sister, three nephews and a niece, called in to pay their respects at the crash site memorial to the crew of Wellington R1451. The family were on their way to Leeds to visit the crash site and grave of F/Lt Buchanan, who was sadly killed in the crash of Halifax MZ810. The organizer of the trip was John Buchanan, (second left wearing bush hat in photo above), who is a relative by marriage to Patricia ne ‘Johnston’ (Niece of P/O S.M. Johnston) the Navigator killed on Wellington R1451.
Sadly the weather was against us as seen here as John protects camera prior to taking a photo, to the right of the photo is the land owner Lynne Parker.
An overall view of the memorial site location in preparation.
In October last year a service for the crew was held around the plaque that was temporarily placed in the centre of field close to the crash site. It has since been moved to this position within a strip of woodland bordering the field. The site is currently under development and will eventuality incorporate an adequate ground covering, surround and bench seating, along with a memorial area for visitors to leave personal tributes. The memorial itself will eventually be built into an oak surround and placed on a plinth as the memorial centre piece.
John deep in thought at the memorial.
Left. P/O S.M. Johnston. Right F/Lt M.S. Buchanan.
Memorial plaque P/O Johnston and his crew.
18th May 2013. Relatives of Wellington crew to visit Memorial.
David (centre) at the memorial dedication in October last year, with Frank J Nixon (left) Son of Sgt Francis Nixon, and (right) Jeff Rickersey, son of Flt./Sgt Sydney Rickersey.
More relatives are due to attend the memorial unveiled last year to the crew of 11 O.T.U. Wellington R1451, on May the 28th. A report with photos will be added following the visit. Loss page for this crew can be viewed Here
4th April 2013.
Memorial to B-17 Pilot Planned.
Our Chairman David seen here when chairman of The Booker Aircraft Museum, in the museums U.S.A.A.F. section. Items from the B-17 in Question recovered in the early 80s, that include a section of wing with national insignia, and propeller blade can be seen on the right.
The society was recently approached for information regarding the crash of a B-17. The site had previously been investigated by the societies co founders David and Melvin during the late 70s and early 80s. Further research into the incident has revealed the bravery of the pilot 1st Lt. Don DeLisle on this, and a previous occasion, in saving his fellow crew members, first from a successful ditching in the Channel, and sadly loosing his life staying at the controls of a second B-17, long enough for the rest of his crew to bale out safely, but tragically not able to leave the stricken aircraft in time for his chute to open. A page of remembrance is under construction so please watch out for this and the compelling story of this tragedy. Further details of the proposed memorial will be added soon. Anyone wishing to contribute to this proposed memorial, can do so through our donations page.
An unidentified crew seen here with the 91st Bomb Group B-17 The Liberty Belle, it was this aircraft that Don Delisle was forced to ditch in the Channel.
29th March 2013. Vickers Wellington Dig Planned.
Alex King with a section of wing spar found at the site 29th March.
The society currently has an M.O.D. Licence in force (No. 1737.) with regard to the investigation into the crash of an O.T.U. Wellington. A preliminary scan of the site in March, in preparation for an in depth search around August when the site has been harvested, reviled a number of readings, with the section of wing spar Alex is holding, that was protruding from the soil.
1st February 2013. New Site Update.
With general site layout, categories and links constructed, we had hoped that the site rebuild of previous material constructed, would be able to proceed at a fairly reasonable pace. Unfortunately this is not the case, as back up files previously prepared by our former webmaster, have proved totally inadequate, as they were saved at a very low resolution, and the general quality of all items is sub standard. This means that all previous remembrance pages will have to be constructed from scratch, using the material stored on our computers, held at numerous storage locations in our squadrons archive collections. This will therefore be an ongoing task for some time, but it will be achieved in due course. Numerous new pages are also under construction, with many new and old contacts providing material, the site will soon be gaining momentum.
( Updated!) Note on this time period written by Alex King 2024
We have come a long way Since I started building the site, unfortunately back then we had little to no knowledge on the building of websites. I wanted to highlight here that had we of had the project file to be able to re-upload the site as a whole & the domain name returned, this could have meant the original site being back online within hours, unfortunately there was no assistance regrading this from our previous volunteer.
My (Alex King) Reasons for mentioning this here is to try and add some clarity to the position we were in at this time.
16th January 2013.
We are pleased to announce that our chairmans son and life long member of our remembrance society, Alexander King, has now been appointed Webmaster for our site. We would also like to welcome Stephen Coombs who is also supporting the rebuild of our site.
15th January 2013.
In order to retain our current respectful remembrance style format, we have today purchased a new Apple computer, along with the necessary software to reproduce our site to its former respected design.
2nd January 2013.
In order to begin the reconstruction of our remembrance site without any further delay, we have today purchased a new domain aircrewremembrancesociety.co.uk as unfortunately we are still yet to receive our domain back as promised.
January 2013.
Aircrew Remembrance Society site forced to close.
October 3rd 2012: New memorial unveiled today to the crew of Wellington R1451, 11 O.T.U. at Watlington, with 16 crew relatives in attendance.
08-11-2011: R.C.A.F. Memorial Project:
Please contact us for information where you can assist with this fine project. At present, there is no National memorial in the United Kingdom to honour the men and women of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) who fought for our freedom during World War Two. RAF Linton-on-Ouse and RAF Leeming are determined to remedy this important omission. Both stations were at the heart of 6 (Canadian) Group RAF during the war, and it is the intention of both Station Commanders to erect a lasting and fitting memorial to all Canadians who served, and are still serving in the RCAF / CAF. The plan is to construct a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Alrewas, Staffordshire, by July 2011. The memorial will be in the form of a stone monolith, topped by a Canadian Maple Leaf. The Maple Leaf will cast a shadow over one of 13 stone slabs representing the provinces and territories of Canada on the 11th. of November each year, on Armistice Day. The project will cost in the region of £33,000 (C$53,000). We believe this represents excellent value for money, and is a small price to pay to honour the brave men and women who volunteered to fight for the freedom that we all enjoy today. Email us.
September 2011: Under Sea Wreck Of Savoia Marcheti SM.79 Located. Search for Surviving Crew Members/relatives: The Society has recently been contacted by Vasilis Mentogiannis a member of the UFR diving team, who have recently discovered the almost intact remains on an SM.79. The aircraft was forced to ditch returning from an operation against enemy shipping on the 4th/5th August 1944.
Aircraft is laying near the island of Poros, at the depth of 60 meters. The aircraft serial number is MM 222298, all crew members survived the ditching and the search is now on to try and locate them, or any of their surviving relatives or comrades.
Crew: Pilot: Ten. Marcello Perina. 2nd Pilot: Ten. Gianfranco Neri. Engineer: 1 Av. Mat. Marcello Manfrino. Wireless: Serg. Marc. Giuseppe Apolloni. Armourer: Av. A. U. Arm. Franco Zanchi. Crew were attached to Aerosiluranti "Gruppo Buscaglia" No. 2a Squadriglia.
Any help in tracing any survivors from this historical aircraft find would be very much appreciated. Contact Us David King. Chairman: Aircrew Remembrance Society. August 2011: Messerschmidt Bf 109 G-14 of Luftwaffe Fighter Ace, Major Erich Leie, Recovered in Poland: Details from Peter Sikora. Engine has been found in Drogomysl, Cieszyn Silesia, Poland.
Pictures courtesy of Zbigniew Legierski and Grzegorz Kasztura. Major Erich Leie flew the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wolf, FW190 . He claimed his first victory on the 14th May 1940 in the Battle of France. By the end of 1940 he had 11 victories to his credit. In 1940-41 during the Battle Of Britain, Erich Leie shot down a total of 21 planes and was awarded the Ritterkreuz. On the 19th of August 1942 he was shot down and wounded in the air battle over Dieppe, he baled out of is Fw 190-A3 and survived to fly again.
Helmut Wick (centre), Erich Leie (right) on 22 October 1940, with JG2. (Courtesy Bundesarchive)
He became commander of I/JG2 on the 2nd of May 1942 and was transferred to JG 51 on the eastern front. By the 11th of June 1943 he had scored his 100th victory, at the age of 28 Major Leie had flow continuous combat missions like most of the Luftwaffe pilots without any respite. On 7th of March, 1945 less than a month before the end of the war, during a large air battle again Russian Yaks, a downed fighter falling out of control smashed into Erich Leie's Black <1+ Messerschmitt G14 at an altitude of just 200 ft. Major Leie managed to break free of his cockpit but his parachute failed to open and Leie fell to death, thus ending the life of one of Germany's greatest pilots. Erich Leie flew over 500 missions and scored 118-121 victories. 76 over the Eastern Front and 42 in the Western skies. He had 30 victories over the Spitfire, 8 Hurricane victories as well as 32 IL-2 Sturmoviks among others. He served with distinction in JG 71, 5/JG51, III/JG2, Stab JG2, and Kommandeur of I/JG2, I/JG51 and was also Kommandeur of JG77. Victories: 118 Awards: Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (20 October 1942) Ritterkreuz (1 August 1941) Units: JG 71, JG 2, JG 51, JG 77 16-04-2011: Search for relatives of Stirling crew lost 20/21st April 1943: The Society is pleased to announce that following the inclusion of a recent page of remembrance to our site regarding the loss a 75 Squadron crew, along with additional details that we have been able to supply, relatives of two of the crew, Diane Ramsey (Nee Upton) and Lynne Truex (relative of Sgt Ellis), have now received a great deal of interest and support in their search. Both are seeking contact with relatives of other crew members, with the view of inviting them to attend a service, at the unveiling of a new memorial to the crew at the crash site in Denmark-. Firstly “The Kentish Express” have published the story this week:
In New Zealand, Auckland TV will be running a feature, such is their interest that they will be flying Dianne Ramsey to their studio for the recording. Here in England “BBC South East Today” also want to run a feature, as do “ITV Meridian Tonight”. If you are in anyway connected with this crew, be it a relative, an old comrade that knew them during service, an old friend, or have any additional details or photos relating to this sad loss, please contact the society. David King. Chairman: Aircrew Remembrance Society. Contact (Here)
08-04-2011: Reburial of Flight Lieutenant Henry Smith: The burial of Fl/Lt. Henry “Lacy” Smith will take place at Ranville War Cemetery, France with full military honours on 19 April at 10.30 am. We are indebted to a supporter of the society, Dale Heighway, who will be attending the service and taking photos on our behalf, which will be made available for display here courtesy of Dale following the service.
Australian Flight Lieutenant Henry `Lacy' Smith was found when his Spitfire IX MJ789 was recovered from an estuary in Ouistreham, in Normandy, northern France, in November last year by French war museum owner Fabrice Corbin. More details of F/Lt Henry “Lacy” Smith Flight Lieutenant Henry L Smith will be buried in plot 5 row F grave 16, adjacent to fellow Australian F/Lt T.R.B Anderson of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). More details of Fl/Lt T.R.B Anderson R.A.A.F. 28-02-2011: Search for brother Lancaster crash site: The race in now on to find the location of a Lancaster crash site in Holland! Thanks to the intervention of Melvin Brownless responding to the request from relatives of Sgt. Leslie Brettle, contact has been made with fellow researchers in Holland. Hans Ooms and Jaap Woortman, are together working against the clock to locate the exact spot, to coincide with the brother of Leslie’s visit to his grave in Holland. Nephew Ray Brettle who will be visiting the cemetery of his Uncle, along with the sole surviving brother of Sgt Leslie Brettle, told us he had expressed the wish to be able to visit the location were the aircraft had come down, in December 1942. Both Hans and Jaap are currently searching through local records and are hopeful of unearthing details that will revile the location, in time for the families visit in early April this year. Email us.
05th November 2010: Hajo Herrmann died on November 5th 2010 Aged 97. Hajo was the Originator of the Wilde Sau, or Wild Boar, single-engine night-fighter tactics.
22nd August 2010: Having recently visited Grangemouth in Scotland we met up with a representative from the 1333 Squadron ATC. THey are hoping to raise funds to place a Spitfire near the memorial wall recently erected. Further information will follow how you can help with this superb memorial.
Right - Rob Philips - 7th January 1952 - 1st August 2010
14th August 2010: It is with regret that we announce the loss of our great researcher friend from Holland, Rob Philips. He died last week aged just 58 peacefully at home surrounded by his close family. Rob dedicated himself to preserving the memories of those airman who fought the good fight in the skies over his beloved Holland in those dark days of the Second World War. He has earned his own wings and flies with them - "through adversity to the stars" a tribute to Rob. The Aircrew Remembrance Society are proud that he had chosen us to continue with his work and over the coming months add to his great research. Our thoughts are of course with his family at this time. Stil van verdriet en met respect voor de enorme hoeveelheid getoonde wilskracht laten wij u weten dat van ons is heen gegaan: Robert Guy Philips.
5th April 2010: During March 37 new loss reports were added to the site which does not include the Telegraph Obituaries recently added. Many more are yet to be added of course but a great deal of our time is taken up by researching following contacts by relatives. We are hoping that new volunteers will soon come forward to assist us with compiling some of the loss reports we have on file.
4th April 2010: We are pleased to announce that the Kracker archive which is visited by many of you now has over 22,000 records on the database! Tom works on it almost every day and a further 8,000 are being prepared to upload.
25th March 2010: Does your house or your neighbourhood have some type of WW2 history about it - would you like to know more? Contact us and maybe we are able to find out further information and perhaps even place a small plaque to honour the incident. We have already provided such a pack to several households (U.K. only at the moment - although you can of course still contact us and we will try and find out more for you)
23rd March 2010: We are saddened |today of the news that another WW2 Pilot has died. Arno Rose, a former Luftwaffe pilot and author has died. An obituary will follow. Our condolences to his family and many friends that he has left behind.
23rd March 2010: A great programme on Sky T.V tonight showing the article about the article on our web site. - Our researcher David Mole bringing the whole story together with his dedication. We hope to have a brief extract of the video on the site very soon.
17th March 2010: We are receiving a great deal of information from many sources and at times it is proving very difficult to keep up to date with everything (Remembering that we all carry out this work in our spare time) So, if we have not yet contacted you in response then please email us again to give us a gentle reminder. One of the great stories recently received is regarding an English lady who had been living in Dinant, Belgium during WW2 who assisted in the evasion of many downed aircrew - further research is currently taking place and hope that this will shortly be on the website. This is superb news as otherwise this story would have been lost forever.
14th March 2010: Our friends over in Saint Nazaire have just recovered a propeller that we understand is from a downed B-17 - the item is in superb condition and further research is also being undertaken to establish which aircraft this is from and of course the story behind it. More follows!
14th February 2010: We would like to place an appeal for any surviving relatives of the crew from Stirling EE873 lost on 13/14th July 1943. The owner of the land a Mr. Sylvester Colson has built a superb memorial to the crew and is seeking relatives to contact him (Via us) in order to arrange a visit.
5th February 2010: Our download pages are currently offline as we are revamping the offers that are available to visitors.
1st February 2010: We would like to thank the people who have offered their assistance with our work. We now have 14 "volunteers" working alongside us - some have already contributed great article and very well researched using some of the tools that we provide - some have even gone further and visited the National Archives to gain more information. But all offer dedication and all for no rewards apart from the help they are providing relatives in their quest for information.
14th January 2010: We have been inundated with requests for further information from relatives who would like further information on what happened to their loved ones. When we researched this it seems that many other websites who offer their services choose easy solutions and many emails to them are simply not answered. We seem to be building on the fact that we reply to every single email received - even the one's that we are unable to assist with from our extensive archives. For those we try and direct them to a possible source.
22nd December 2009: Pleased to be able to announce that we now have 5 people (From all parts of the world) who have contacted us regarding helping with our research. Not a great time of the year to start this off as everyone is so very busy, but we hope to have their first articles up on the site as soon as we receive them.
12/13th December 2009: Aircrew Remembrance Society meet in Norfolk, England to discuss the way forward for 2010.
10th December 2009: Following our appeal for people to assist us with our research we have since been contacted by several people who have offered their services. We plan to send each of them a set of guidelines and a loss that they can assist us with. We will evaluate the work that they return and continue from that. It is imperative that we have accuracy which is why we have chosen to use this method of selection.
8th December 2009: We are proud to announce that we have been contacted by 51 Squadron researchers who would like to use their information to expand our site. Email us.
3rd December 2009: We are proud to announce that we have been contacted by 408 Squadron researchers who would like to use their information to expand our site.
12th November 2009: New section added - early stages yet - POST WAR LOSSES will be added to each loss section - first has been added to R.A.F. today.
11th November 2009: Many Canadian Authorities are assisting us to place renamed geographical features on Google maps. We are proud to be involved in this work but - we need your help! Can you spare some time to collate infomation for us? The Canadians honour their WW2 Aircrew with this amazing idea - we need to tell people about it. Click on the logo shown below to show you what we are working on - a couple of thousand to go yet!
14th October 2009: We are still concentrating on producing our sales pages — testing is in progress to ensure files can be downloaded OK and it is looking very good. Most (If not all!) of these downloads have never been seen before and are a researchers dream. We also plan to release some photographs — again never published previously. We are working with a photographic studio to have the many negatives we have in our archive converted over to digitalised images. These can be worked on if required by our "Techie" services team at an extra charge.
9th October 2009: In order to assist us to maintain our website and avoid the need for advertising we are working on an archive download page. Here, several files of various sizes will be available as a download for a small fee.
5th October 2009: We have added a Poem section on the website and we will shortly adding further additions to this.
1st October 2009: Website new navigation bar published — created to make the site more navigable.
25th September 2009: C.W.G.C. (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) have just listed us on their website stating; "The Commonwealth War Graves Commission works in close association with many other organisations to achieve its task of the commemorating those who died in the two world wars. In addition, there are many organisations that have a presence on the world wide web which may be of interest."
23rd September 2009: The London Free Press, Canada recently publish article on the death of a former aircrew member using Aircrew Remembrance photographs and information.
6th September 2009: We are pleased to announce that Techie Services from Norwich, England have offered their superb photographic enhancement facilities to A. R. Society. This means that for a small fee relatives are able to send us damaged photographs for repair and already we have received many requests to use this service with great reviews.
5th September 2009: The Kracker archive is continuing to attract massive attention from many of the specialist forums, we have also been contacted by other researchers to make their research available online with us. We are of course grateful for this but we have to be sure that information we publish via our web site is as reliable as possible, so please be patient.
1st September 2009: A.R. Society contacted again by Laurent Taveau from France regarding the Polish fighter pilot, Chudek - with no known grave. A probable location has been established and a recovery is planned for the recovery of the body later this year. Following this a proper burial will be arranged. Parts from the aircraft and the watch from the pilot have been recovered. More to follow.
1st September 2009: A day of commemorations is taking place in Poland to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. The first ceremony took place at dawn on Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, where a German battleship fired the first shots on a Polish fort in 1939.
23rd August 2009: New section added - Renaming of lakes in Alberta, Canada added.
22nd August 2009: We have now changed our "contact" page in order that readers are now able to send us photographs/documents/information by email direct. All we ask is that any information sent is scanned at least 300 dpi — if you have difficulty doing this please contact us for further advice.
21st August 2009: Royal British Legion contact Society in order to have a special page made for a U.S.A.A.F. crew lost over England as a remembrance page — details follow.
20th August 2009: Relative of former German Luftwaffe pilot contacts the Society in order for further information to be added to an article. We hope to have further details added to this article very soon.
15th August 2009: 18,000 Luftwaffe records have now been entered on the website — a remarkable achievement and one that will assist us to make our Society the leader in the field. (This superb data base has taken 14 years to compile) We would like to express our gratitude to Tom Kracker for the information and also to Techie Services, Norwich, England for the web conversion work. This work will be continually updated as within 2 days of this being on our website we have had no less than 22 new pieces of information provided by our readers! We must insist that these files are not copied and the files are now subject to a ©.
12th August 2009: Alec Chudek family contact A.R.S. we are hoping to be able to re-unite the English family with the Polish family very shortly. Details follow.
10th August 2009: German Police contact A.R.S to assist in identification of Lancaster aircraft and remains of crew.
7th August 2009: Renowned cartoonist, Graham Ward has recently donated 2 cartoon created especially for the Aircrew Remembrance Society to be used to generate some funds to assist in the running of the website. As soon as we have decided how to promote these details will follow. Click onto the image for a larger version:
30th July 2009: A.R. Society linked up with a researcher making a complete record of 408 Squadron losses during WW2 - being prepared. Details to follow.
29th July 2009: The website now finished being converted in order to make all the pages to be translated into over 23 languages, all text now searchable and expandable for people with sight difficulties.
28th July 2009: A.R.Society will shortly be contacting Norwich City Council to establish why the Norwich City War Memorial gardens are still in a state of neglect and is in fact cordoned off to visitors! Despite planning permission being gained and finance made available!
23rd July 2009: We recently supplied small memorial plaques for a relative to place at the crash site in France of a Halifax in 1944.
22nd July 2009: Relatives found and contacted in Germany regarding lost Luftwaffe crew in England - further details and a full article to follow.
10th July 2009: Aircrew Remembrance Society are pleased to now be working with a specialist researcher in Russia - further information will now be made available to us.
30th June 2009: Alexander Chudek memorial unveiled in Normandy this week. Massive media coverage of the event. Further pictures being prepared for the website. Pictures kindly supplied direct to us by Laurent Taveau from France who has been one of the main organisers of this splendid memorial plaque.
8th May 2009: This week we have managed to be have an appeal granted by a newspaper local to the last known address of W/O. Aleksander Chudek as French researchers recently contacted us that they had found the grave which they are sure belongs to this fighter pilot.
1st June 2009: Relatives of Fl/Sgt. Bernard Buxton contact A.R.S. for memorial plaque.
2008 -
Article in the July 2008 edition of "Britain at War" magazine.
Article in the July 2008 edition of "Britain at War" magazine.
