The graves of six Wellington bomber airmen have been rededicated in Holland following a successful search to trace their relatives. A group gathered for the ceremony held last week at Leeuwarden cemetery.
The six RAF crew from 103 Squadron died when their Wellington R1397 crashed in farmland near Kleiterp in 1941 and had been officially classed as “missing, presumed killed in action” for nearly 75 years. They took off from RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire with five other aircraft on a mission to bomb the docks at the German town of Emden. Whilst the bombing mission was successful, on their return they were targeted by a German night fighter, believed to be piloted by Helmut Lent - a Luftwaffe ace with 110 successful attacks on allied aircraft - who reported shooting down a Wellington that night.
The crew was believed to be buried locally but their precise resting place was unknown. However, research by the Stichting Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation and the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces was recently submitted to the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC). A review of the evidence confirmed all six airmen were buried in a communal grave at Leeuwarden Cemetery. JCCC then spent many months researching the whereabouts of the crew’s surviving family members before organising the service at Leeuwarden, in association with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The MOD made a public appeal via Facebook, Twitter and GOV.uk for the family of crew member Sgt Roy Penry Williams to get in contact. And eight days later, Elizabeth Joseph, his first cousin once removed, came forward and then attended the service.
Mrs Joseph, 74, said:
I was only one year old when Roy was killed so I don’t remember that day but I used to visit Auntie Ket [Sgt Williams’s mother] with my mam and dad. I'm delighted that Roy and the other five crew members are being formally recognised for what they did, but I also remember how sad Auntie Ket was on hearing that Roy was missing, presumed dead.
Reading such news was very difficult for her to accept to the extent that she never again locked the doors of the bungalow, believing that Roy would come home one day. Auntie Ket passed away over 50 years ago, having survived her husband Robert Penry by many years, but she would be so proud of this occasion and it is a shame she is not here to see it for herself.
The six crew members were PO Mervyn Lund (23), Sgt John Cox (24), Sgt Arthur Owen (24), Sgt Alfred Le Poidevin (23), Sgt Frank Walker (30) and Sgt Williams (21).
Ray Wells, whose uncle was Sgt Walker, said:
We’ve got closure now. Having the sun on your back, a nice breeze and other families and the Dutch people here made it very special. Listening to the service would have brought a tear to anyone’s eye, as it did to everyone at the service.
Rev Flt Lt Adrian Stark-Ordish led the event, accompanied by a trumpeter from the Central Band of the RAF and members of 614 Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force from Cardiff.
Rev Stark-Ordish said:
It is a privilege to gather with the families of those who died 74 years ago when Wellington R1397 was shot down. Grief and loss are hard to bear, and can be compounded by not knowing the resting place of loved ones. I hope rededicating these headstones bearing the airmen’s names brings some comfort to their families. I applaud the work of the JCCC, co-operating with the Royal Netherlands Army, in identifying this site. Their efforts demonstrate that those who make the ultimate sacrifice are not forgotten.
Others attending the service with family members were the Mayor of Leeuwarden, the Mayor of Bridgend in Wales (representing the home town of crew member Sgt Williams) and representatives from the UK Defence Attaché, Royal Netherlands Air Force and local veterans’ organisations.
WO Alfie Balzano, from 614 Sqn RAF Reserves, said:
It is an honour and a privilege for 614 Sqn to be representing the RAF Reserves. 614 Sqn is a new Welsh Reserves squadron and this is a good way for our new members to connect to the past. It’s important for them to remember those who gave their lives in past conflicts.
The service was covered in the Sunday Express.
The JCCC is part of MOD’s Defence Business Services and provides a focal point for casualty administration, compassionate travel for members of the British Armed Forces, along with co-ordinating investigations into the discovery of remains of British service personnel killed in World War I and World War II.
