大象传媒

The French Doctor's Wife.

While researching the last resting place of 'Nicky' Pascoe, I was lent an old photocopy of a letter written by the wife of a Doctor in Bohain. It was written to the wife of one of the crew of that Lancaster lost on 15/4/1943. The recipient wasn't named, but as my research carried on and I was able to define the names of the entire crew, it would appear to have been written to the wife of the Pilot R. J. Shufflebotham.

It paints such a clear picture of what happened that night, and how it affected the people in this French town, that I felt it deserved preservation.

Bohain ( date illegible )

Dear Madame,

My husband and I have received your letter, and deeply sympathise with you in your grief.

I will tell you all I know about what happened during the night on the day of 15/4/43

Towards 2 o'clock in the morning on the 15th April we heard a very loud noise, but the Germans would not allow anyone to go out at night. Very early in the morning we were told that an allied bomber had crashed on the 'Taillis Brunet'. The 'Taillis Brunet' is meadow land belonging to my father and lies on the road from Bohain to Guise. I got into the car with my father and husband and we went off to see what had happened. We could see from a distance a little smoke rising from the scene of the crash where petrol was still burning. When we got to the path hollowed out (between) two hills which ran by the meadow, we got out of the car and continued on foot. A German sentry was already on duty, and tried to prevent us from going any further, but my old father, who speaks German fluently, said; "I am the owner of this land. I am on my own property and intend to find out what has happened here. No one can prevent me or my children from doing this." I expect the sentry was rather taken aback and he let us through. This is what we saw:-

The plane had crashed into the hill and the whole of the front part was deeply imbedded in the earth. As for the rest of the bomber, the bombs had exploded with considerable force and the hollow part of the meadow was covered with wreckage, and also alas with the remains of the crew. It was impossible to identify these poor mortal remains. Owing to the fact that my husband was a doctor, he was able to say that one of the airmen was about 6 feet tall. Some fair hair from one, some reddish hair from another, a light blue shirt, a brown leather jerkin with a zip fastener, a brown glove, and a cap with the name West were about all that was recognisable. The German, who was following, would not let us touch anything.

My husband said these must be the remains of three men, and that those who were in the front of the plane must have been deeply imbedded in the earth when the machine crashed. My son, who had joined us, was able to bring away one of the plane's dynamos, and I picked up a few pieces of twisted metal. In any case, owing to the explosion, they were all killed instantly, and they did not suffer.

We heard the next day that a (Rexist) airman from the camp a Clastres, who specialised in this kind of thing, had attacked and hit the Lancaster which crashed on my father's property. This airman came the following day to look at the wreckage, but three or four days later we learnt that the murderer of your men had in his turn been shot down by the RAF.

The day after the Lancaster had crashed, the Germans brought a large coffin into the meadow in which they laid the remains of these poor airmen. They were taken to the Parish Cemetery, and the Catholic Priest, who did not know their religion, said Mass for them. At the Cemetery, the coffin was placed in a temporary chapel. The next day which was Palm Sunday, this chapel was covered with the blessed palms laid by the population. A little later, they were buried beside the victims of 1940. The cross was engraved with the name West, and the date. (West was the only name we knew at the time) Since then the grave has always been covered in flowers.

We however think that those airmen who were in the front of the plane, and were buried with the plane in the earth of the meadow, also have a right to be remembered and to have a memorial marking their presence and their sacrifice. A friend of my husband's, Monsieur Quincampoix (who has since been deported to Germany, where he died in Mauthansen Camp) and my husband, opened a subscription under the very nose of the Germans. My husband mad the rough model of the monument which was completed during the occupation and then camouflaged. It represents the wing of a plane diving into the earth, and in front, at the foot, is inscribed PAX DEI ILLIS, and on the edge of the wing April 15/43. This monument, in blue granite lies now in the meadow and will be erected as soon as the work is completely finished. I am sending you a snapshot of it and you can see a piece of the plane which I have laid beside it.

This, Madame, is what I have seen and what we have been able to do for our English friends. They died in defence of our country and we look upon them as our own. It was natural that we should honour them as much as we could, and we know that you would have done the same for our men in the circumstances.

And now I would like to say with all my heart that should you wish to come to the spot where your dear husband fell, bring your children with you whenever you wish and we shall be only too glad to welcome you as friends.

We shall let you know as soon as the date for the unveiling of the emeorial has been fixed. The RAF has asked for this to be done, and perhaps when the time comes you would be able to come if the journey is not too difficult.

These are the names of your husband's comrades who fell with him, Tyrer, Nunn, Pascoe, Hunt, Tower and West. The families of the first three have written to us but we have not heard from the others yet.

Please forgive me for having written at such length, but I wanted to tell you everything. You may write in English as I can understand it but do not know enough to write without a lot of mistakes.

Bohain is 20 Kilometres from St. Quentin. From Lille there is a through train, also from Paris and Brussels.

We await you, and remain Dear Madame,

Very sincerely yours,

L. Franeois.

I feel this is an amazing document, and one which must have meant a great deal to those who received it.

It moves me deeply, at this distance in time, to think of the care shown by these French people, in an occupied country, for our lads.

The present-day grave in the Communal Cemetery is still immaculate. Flowers still lie there. I still hope to find out about the hillside memorial.

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