Stanley William Downes  Photo: Mogens Jeppesen   Updated: 06 OCT 2021

Airman: a113112.htm Surname: Downes Init: S W Rank: F/Sgt Service: RAF Sqdn: 625

P_link: p262.htm Plane: LAN R5702 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: Near Avne

Crash_d: d150244 Buried_d: b250244 C_link: c113.htm At_Next: Aabenraa, R 4-11

 Den 15. februar 1944 styrtede LAN R5702 omkring her ved Avne Vig. Se p262MACR.
Se Informationstavle 2014 og fotos Avne 2014.

Flight Sergeant (Air Gunner) Stanley William Downes, 22 år, var søn af James og Emily Downes,
Bournemouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom. (Kilde: CWGC) Se foto fra Aabenraa Kirkegaard 2009.

En kort erklæring og varme hilsener fik familien Downes til at skrive dette brev til Simon From
den 14. august 1949, uddrag oversat af LGT:

"Som De vil forstå, voldte tabet af min søn stor sorg. Man er tilbøjelig til at føle, somme tider med en
smule bitterhed, at det har været sådan et meningsløst tab af et ungt liv. Og så, midt i disse tanker,
kommer Deres rørende opmærksomhed som springer ud af en venlig gavmildhed, som får mig til at
tro på, at intet offer kan være spildt, hvis det fremkalder sådan et eksempel på menneskelig venlighed.
Min kone og jeg håber snart at være i stand til at komme og se vor søns sidste hvilested."

I 1945 blev der afsløret mindesten for de 6 flyvere. Se Informationstavle 2014 og fotos Avne 2014.
I 1949 sendte beboerne i Fjelstrup en kort erklæring og varme hilsener til de efterladtes familier og fik en
tak fra Air Ministry - og meget varme takkebreve fra forældre til Sgt H. R. Reardon, F/Sgt S. W. Downes
og Sgt R. A. Campbell er bevaret.
Hvert år den 15. februar er der en mindesammenkomst ved mindestenene.
På Fjelstrup Kro ses en mindevæg for  LAN R5702, der styrtede 3 km fra Fjelstrup.
I 2009 - 65 år efter styrtet - var der fra familien Campbell et tryk af maleriet Lancaster at Rest til
mindevæggen, se avisartikel om En gave i 2009. Flyverne mindes stadig!
6 flyvere fra LAN R5702 er begravet i Aabenraa. 1 blev krigsfange. 7 flyvere.

On 15 February 1944 LAN R5702 crashed about here at Avne Vig.

Flight Sergeant (Air Gunner) Stanley William Downes, 22, was the son of James and Emily Downes, of Bournemouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom. (Source: CWGC)
In everloving memory of our dear Stan. Till we meet again. Mum, Dad and Vera. See photo from Aabenraa Cemetery 2009.
He is remembered on The Walls of Names at the International Bomber Command Centre, Phase 1, Panel 30.

A brief statement and kind greetings made the Downes family write this letter to Simon From on 14 August 1949, abstract by LGT:

"The loss of my only son, as you will understand, caused me great grief. One is inclined to feel, sometimes with a little bitterness, that it has been such a tremendous waste of a young life. And then, in the midst of such thoughts, comes your touching tribute which springs from a gentle generosity, which makes me realize that no sacriface can be wasted if it calls forth such an example of human kindliness... My wife and I hope soon to be able to visit our son´s resting place."

Memorial stones to the 6 airmen were unveiled here in 1945. See Information board 2014 and photos Avne 2014.
In 1949 the inhabitants of Fjelstrup sent a brief statement and kind greetings to families of the airmen and received grateful thanks from the Air Ministry - and very warm letters from the parents of  Sgt H. R. Reardon, F/Sgt S. W. Downes and Sgt R. A. Campbell are preserved.
On 15 February every year there is a gathering at the memorial stones. There is a memorial wall in Fjelstrup Inn to LAN R5702 which crashed 3 km from Fjelstrup.
In 2009 - 65 years after the crash - the Campbells gave a print of the painting Lancaster at Rest to Fjelstrup, see  A present in 2009. The airmen are still remembered!
6 airmen from LAN R5702 are buried in Aabenraa. 1 became a Prisoner of War - see German POW-Camps.

See No. 625 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia * Lancaster * Lancaster Photos * RAF Kelstern in Lincolnshire
Lancaster I R5702 CF-Y took off from RAF Kelstern at 1725 hours on 15 FEB 1944 (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this.) See p262MACR.
Earlier this Lancaster had 24 operations with another pilot, see Roy O. Calvert - LAN R5702. 7 airmen.