Korsør Posten 16 AUG 2011 p. 15 Revvejs-flyverne
får nu gravsten med navn på translated
by AS 17 AUG 2011
Articles in the
Korsør
Posten
Now the Revvej-airmen will have headstones with their names on
Deryk B. Martin is one of the airmen
by Signe Ravn. See also page 1.
who was killed in the air crash at Revvej
HALSSKOV: Another chapter is now added to the
story of the air crash at Revvej on 21 April 1943.
It is a fact since Anders Straarup, who is
writing about Allied airmen in Denmark during World War II and the air
crash
at Revvej on www.airmen.dk/p152.htm,
has provided evidence that has convinced the Air Historical Branch
of the
Royal Air Force that it was Halifax DT628.
He has pointed out that photos of the
wreckage indicated that it was a Halifax and that a contemporary German
report established that it was exactly this type of plane.
This is combined with eye witness accounts
that the plane with the full crew (of 8, British reports say) kept firing
at German positions till it crashed.
The killed airmen are buried in
Bispebjerg Cemetery where they have anonymous headstones. With the type of plane
established it is also possible to establish the names of the crew members -
there were 8, even if it was then
estimated,
from an examination of the human remains, that it was a crew of only 7 airmen.
Headstones with names
To follow up on the work it was very
important to find out exactly what happened to the crew members. If only one
report had indicated that one of the airmen had bailed out over the Great
Belt and disappeared without trace it would have been impossible to have
names on the headstones. Identification of the airmen was impossible and how
could it then be decided which of them were not to have a headstone?
Now each of the 8 airmen will have a
headstone with his name on and possibly a personal inscription from his
relatives.
"I am particularly satisfied with that,"
Anders Straarup states. He can see that his comprehensive work has
also made the families of the airmen glad.
"It is
all very moving and at times I am close to tears. I am sure that when I tell
my brother and sisters that they will be thankful to know, after 68 years,
the final resting place of our brother." This was written by Tony Martin,
the brother of one of the deceased airmen, in an email to Anders Straarup
about the latest development.
Work for a
memorial stone
According to
Anders Straarup it may take many months till the paper work has been
completed and the new headstones have been produced and have arrived in
Denmark. Then there will be a ceremony.
Kurt Rehder is now working to find out if it is possible to erect a memorial
stone to the airmen and place an information table about the plane and the
crew on Revvej.
|