大象传媒

Here is the story of my friend Lorne Welch. Sadly he is now dead and so I will tell it for him.

Lorne was an RAF pilot and on July 31st 1942 he was flying as captain of a Wellington bomber, with four crew, and heading for the target, which was Dusseldorf, when they were attacked by a night fighter. Their aircraft was severely damaged: one engine was out, there were no hydraulics, no airspeed indicator, no intercom, the wheels were dangling down. They were losing height rapidly. Soon they were too low to bale out and Lorne realised that he must land as best he could. By now they were over Holland, there was a bright moon and the land was flat. By a remarkable feet of airmanship Lorne managed to get this barely controllable aircraft onto the ground without much further damage. But alas Valensky, his bomb aimer, who was standing next to him in the cockpit, slid through the hatch in the floor and ended up with his leg caught under the aircraft and severely injured.

The rear gunner had been killed by the fighter, leaving only three of them to try to get him free, but three men could not lift a Wellington bomber. Men came from a farm with poles as levers, but still could not shift the aircraft. The situation was desperate. Lorne gave Valensky morphine. Still no progress. Then came a young Dutch girl from the farm and with her she brought her brain. Why she asked, in perfect English, don鈥檛 you get spades and dig him out? Which was promptly done.

By now Dutch and German police had arrived. You are under arrest they said. Come with us. My injured crew member must be got to hospital said Lorne. The police promised to take him, but Lorne argued that he was the Captain and responsible for the safety of his crew and so must see him safely into hospital. Lorne won the argument and soon Valensky was in the care of kindly nuns who nursed him back to health.

Lorne of course became Prisoner of Was at Stalag Luft III, where we met and became friend, until his death in 1998.

By the day the war ended there were 73,741 aircrew of RAF Bomber Command who would never return.

Remember them.

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