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Lancaster ND475

Posted by MGM on Thu Nov 15, 2001 04:39:21 AM

I saw on the East Midlands news last night, a story about ND475.
It crashed in a Lincolnshire farmer's field returning from a raid on Juvisy in France, killing all the crew, and it has been found that two of the crew still remain in the ground there, and yes you guessed right......the MOD always knew where they were.
They are both Australians and their families had thought since the war that they were missing in action, because that is what they had been told, and their names are on the Runneymede Memorial.

The farmer keeps ploughing up bits of metal, and who knows what else, but he doesn't want a recovery done for some odd reason.
A local aviation group, from East Kirkby I think, have asked the MOD for a recovery , but they say it is unlikely it will happen.
The families have asked for a recovery, but the MOD still say it is unlikely to happen.

I would just love to know what the REAL reason is, as to why the MOD will not consider giving these lost Heroes a decent burial.
It is obviously a policy decision that was made very many years ago, probably near the end of the war, so the current government is not entirely to blame for this.

A quick bit of research reveals that ND475 served with 57 Sqn from RAF East Kirkby, and crashed on 19th April 1944, one of the crew lost was the second pilot on his first operation, Aussie Pilot Officer Culliford, one of those still in the ground.

Regards
Mick

A bit more on this on the Flypast forum where I have already "raved" a bit, so I won't repeat it here !




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