Former squadron leader Stanley Booker, from Christchurch in Dorset, died in January and a memorial service is taking place later.

He was 22 years old when his aircraft was shot down over northern France in June 1944 and was the last of the "lost airmen of Buchenwald".

Mr Booker, who was born in Gillingham, Kent, was imprisoned until May 1945 and later received an MBE for his post-war work with British intelligence.

He was one of 168 Allied airmen imprisoned at the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.

Photo credit Sean Feast/BBC

Multiple reconstructed Luftwaffe remembrance pages have been added to the website recently, alongside our new search features which includes our built in search engine and squadron filters.

Over the last few months we have been corresponding with Christopher Thomson regarding the loss of his Uncle Lt. Robert Caldwell Maclaren, who was tragically on the 24th April 1950 in the crash of Supermarine Seafire XV SR611 at Highmore Cross, Oxon. Chris who is also the cousin of the pilot’s son Peter MacLaren, who was sadly less than one year old at the time of his father’s death, informed us that both of them had very little information about the loss of Robert until Chris came across the society’s remembrance page for Robert. At the time of our recovery of the aircraft back in 1994 we were unable to trace any relatives of Robert and it was a great privilege and honour to pass on the knowledge we had been able to research and preserve over the years. Chris informed us that he would be passing on our detailed information to Peter on the 75th Anniversary of Roberts loss, and that at the beginning of this month he would be visiting Peter at his home in Vermont U.S.A. We decided that we would like to pass on something to Peter in memory of his father to coincide with Christopher’s visit. We therefor selected a poignant item recovered from the Seafire crash site, the Altimeter Instrument face from the pilots blind flying panel framed up, and also had a photograph album printed covering our crash site investigation and research. Attached (1) Our two gifts photographed before posting (2) Peter seen after receiving his gifts, (3)   Lt. Robert Caldwell Maclaren seen here while serving on H.M.S. Implacable during 1949 and other poignant framed items held in our Heritage collection, The Rolls Royce Griffin Engine plate, a button and piece of fabric from the pilots tunic.

We are working our way through many of our historic remembrance pages, this week we have been adding more Luftwaffe pages.

Please check our Aircraft losses for many new additions.

Born May 20 1920, death announced August 16 2025
Victoria Cross citation
The announcement and accompanying citation for the decoration was published in a supplement to The London Gazette, reading
Air Ministry, 1st September, 1944.
The King has been graciously pleased to confer the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery: —
Flying Officer John Alexander Cruickshank (126700), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. No. 210 Squadron.

On the 17th, Geert Rottiers contacted us regarding USAAF B-26B Marauder named Snafu, with serial number 41-17751. 

The pilot was Captain Donald G. Smith. Research has now been undertaken to assist Geert, regarding his search for the crash location, something the relatives of the pilot have also been trying to find out for many years

I am searching for the exact crash location of this aircraft. Various locations have been suggested, including Huntingdon, Huntington, Hunninton, and Honiton, making it difficult to determine the precise site. The family of Captain Smith has been searching for this information for many years.

Many new individual entries added over the last few days and today across all sections.

Many new individual entries added to the Airforce section.

Many new sections and tools being worked on behind the scenes, including additional advanced tools available to our members. We are also currently working on reconstructing many other sections of the site in all our categories.

Our new WW2 History Archive is now under construction, great progress behind the scenes is being made with this new section. We will keep you updated in the news as and when we have updates for you.

Throughout 2025 we will be working hard on bringing you many new remembrance pages and stories, new additions to our own history section which covers over 50 years. We are also reconstructing our historic remembrance pages into our new system, so please keep an eye out in our news for further updates. please check our Aircraft Losses Section

New sections, improved working areas, smarten navigation, additions to the F.A.Q. And more.

Ken Bird has made contact regarding a question relating to his research for his adopted sister.

Ken asked us is there a roll of honour for RAF men who were based at RAF Errol. My adopted sister was born to an unmarried WAAF and we are hoping to identify her father. My sister was born in Erro 17/03/1945. She died three years ago, but we have only recently identified her mother, Gladys Florence Williams, WAAF. She passed away in 1960. 

We are currently assisting Ken with his research and family tree.

New additions have been added over the last few days. Please view all our Heritage categories, updates to all sections. one shown here from our RAF section from Vickers Wellington HZ375.

Today, we were delighted to receive a generous donation from Barry McLoughlin, who has kindly offered several copies of his book “Lancastrians On The Frontline” to help raise funds for the Society. This follows research assistance provided by David King.

On the 24th of May the Society was contacted by Marcus Gibson regarding his new book.

Marcus is a former Financial Times writer and columnist, and wanted to alert our readers to the launch of a new book which, he humbly believes, completely overturns the accepted, conventional view about RAF Bomber Command – that it was ‘ineffective and too costly’. It's titled: 'The Greatest Force'.

 It is available both in e-book format, to make it affordable to enthusiasts and relatives of RAF crew, and in print version via Amazon, links below.

www.rafbook.co.uk

 Amazon Books – click on ‘Paperback’:

bit.ly/MGibson_TGF

On the 26th August Mark Rankine made contact asking for advice and assistance regarding an archeological survey that had started on an area where a de-Havilland Mosquito is believed to of crashed. Mark tells us they are digging looking for iron age/ medieval/Roman stuff. However there's a chance they could find bits to do with the mosquito as it's in the area.

On the 26th of July we launched a new Facebook page Where we will be sharing extracts from our website along with other fascinating pieces of historical content being compiled in our project (The People’s War History Project).

See here for the new Facebook page.

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of our dear friend and valued member of the Aircrew Remembrance Society, Martin “Buzz” O’Brien. Widely known and respected within the aviation community, Buzz made remarkable contributions as an aviation archaeologist, researcher, and a dedicated supporter of aircraft preservation and restoration for many decades. He also served with distinction as Secretary of the Booker Aircraft Museum. His passion, knowledge, and commitment have left a lasting legacy, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Sharing on behalf of Martin’s family.

Ashley Grace O’Brien - We have created a group to gather and share all our lovely memories we have of dad. Please feel free to join and share stories/photos. Thank you x

Join the group here

New additions have been added over the last few days. Please view all our Heritage categories, updates to all sections. One shown here from our Luftwaffe section from Junkers Ju 88A Wnr.0115 1./(F)123. A collection of interesting artefacts recovered from the crash site, including Parachute Release, Dinghy Paddle Handle, Control Column Direction Selector part of the Auto Pilot system and other items.

It was announced today that Jack Hemmings DFC AFC, who is thought to be the last bomber pilot alive, has passed away at the age of 103. He was a squadron leader in 550 Squadron.

Jack Hemmings was an early pioneer of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) - the world's largest humanitarian airline. Jack was from Horam, East Sussex. For his 102nd birthday in 2023, Mr Hemmings was honoured with a smoke flyover above his home by the Red Arrows.

Photo credit (MSN Independant)

Multiple historic remembrance pages have been rebuilt into our new site design. These are being added into our Aircraft Losses Section.

An example of one of many new items added, this collection is from Junkers Ju 88A-5 V4 + FV WNr.4203 2/KG1 Catalogue No. Luft 0012A

Good Day, In St John's Churchyard, Beck Row, Suffolk, there are 5 graves of Unknown Airmen grouped together all with the same date : 9th November 1943. I cannot find any incident relating to an event on that date. Would you have any insight as to what the incident may have been? Regards John Bastock.

David Kings response - The unidentified crew graves at Beck Row dated 9th November 1943 were all members of the crew of Stirling III LK380 XY-Y from 90 Squadron that crashed following a mid-air collision with Hurricane IV KW800 of the Air Fighting Development Unit. All 9 crew on board the Stirling were killed and only these 5 unidentified were recovered, the aircraft crashed at Sedge Farm, Shippea Hill to the north west of Mildenhall airfield. All 9 are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Some lovely photos have now been shared with Society taken by John.

We are deeply saddened to report that David Hamilton, the last surviving D-Day Pathfinder pilot, “flew west” on Sunday, January 5, at the age of 102. On the night of June 5, 1944, Hamilton took off from RAF North Witham with 19 other Pathfinder aircraft to lead the D-Day invasion. Pathfinders from the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, as well as British and Canadian airborne units, parachuted into Normandy approximately 30 minutes before the main airborne assault to mark the designated drop zones for incoming paratroopers and gliders. Hamilton was a steadfast supporter of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and a frequent guest at our events. He participated in the #DDay75 commemoration in 2019, where our own C-47, D-Day Doll, performed a flyby in his honor at his former airfield. It was our great privilege to know and work with Hamilton. He will be greatly missed. Photo by David O'Connor

We have been working on this new section to house a large amount of work undertaken by the society that hasn’t been previously posted online, including many original digitalised Photo Albums, Log Books and more. It’s will be a place for all our members to use and preserve their own records. Please keep an eye out in our news and social media pages for updates.

David King devoted himself to researching this for Richard, uncovering a collection of documents and photographs. These precious findings have since been passed on to Richard, offering him a deeper understanding of his brother’s final days and bringing a measure of comfort through connection and clarity.

Our message received from Richard.

Thank you, I have had some problems sending my full email to you (age related reasons) but being 98 I am quite desperate to have any information about my brother and his time at 215 Squadron, Leuchars, before he failed to return from a mission in the last month of the war, I had hoped to visit Fife but mobility problems have ruled that out, your information has been a real boost as I have tried a number of times, particularly at this anniversary, to have any detail that would satisfy this hunger for more knowledge about the the last days of his life.

Thanking  you once again Richard Barton.

The steel structured memorial was assembled on the 7th September 2025. Situated next to the A46 in Norton Disney, Lincolnshire.
40 volunteers involved with fitting the memorial together along with two cranes.
Organiser Charlie White, who chairs the Bomber County Gateway Trust, said it was "fantastic" to see the sculpture go up after nearly eight years of work. "I can't believe it," he added.

Correspondence  with Andrew over the last few days regarding this aircraft loss and the fate of its crew. As Andrew quite rightly said in one of our emails: “it's sad that so many lost aircrew remain lost within crash sites here in the UK (and indeed all over the world) But at least there are some of us that want to ensure those people are remembered and never forgotten.”

A good friend of Andrew’s, Julian Millington (keen to help with research on this sad loss), has recently established a heritage museum on the family farm in Shropshire, which has a lot of exhibits and information from various crashsites locally and from across the UK. Julian Millington also owns the only running Harrier GR3 in the world, which Andrew and a team of engineers have rebuilt and returned back to life. Well worth a visit. Link to the museum website here.

John "Paddy" Hemingway, the last surviving pilot of the iconic Battle of Britain, passed away peacefully on 17 March 2025 at the age of 105.

Paddy Hemingway, one of a number known as ‘the Few’ and revered figures in British aviation history, played a crucial role in defending the United Kingdom against Nazi oppression during the summer of 1940. His courage in the face of overwhelming odds demonstrated his sense of duty and the importance of British resilience.

(Credit - RAF)