大象传媒

To whom it may concern.

I am writing this on behalf of my father,now almost 79, who does not have a computer or know how to use them. I will be speaking as if it were him talking. It is a story of bravery that he thought you might like for the ww2 archive.

I am writing on behalf of the families of the crew of an aircraft which crashed on 5th April 1944.

We, like the other families, lost their son and my sisters and I lost our elder brother. They were on an operational training flight and all of the crew were killed. How and where it happened was not told to us other than over Northamptonshire.

However, there was a remarkable sequence to it. Fifty years after the event, a memorial was held in Rothersthorpe village church. It brought to light the circumstances when the Wellington bomber approached the village, on fire, without controls and on a direct line with the primary school full of children. A hundred yards short of the school, the aircraft suddenly went nose down and crashed. The villagers who saw it were convinced it was an act of selflessness on behalf of the pilot.

In 1992 the aircraft was recovered from the feild into which it had plunged. From the wreckage, some small parts were recovered and refurbished.

For the memorial, the Parish Council made contact with the families of all the members of the crew and we all attended a weekend at the village. Considering that two families came from New Zealand and one from Northern Ireland, it was a remarkable effort.

Now, in St Michaels and St Pauls village church, Rothersthorpe, hangs the mounted, refurbished propellor with a plaque giving the names of each member of the crew. There is also a small museum depicting the event.

The crew and their sacrifice will be remembered in perpetuity.

God Bless Them.

From Allan Mc Teer. Younger brother of Pilot Officer Donald Mcteer.

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