Thomas Fairclough                                                                                   Updated:  23 JAN 2012

Airman: v999018.htm Surname: Fairclough Init: T Rank: Wt/O Service: RAF Sqdn: 103

P_link: p409.htm Plane: LAN ME449 Operation: Minelaying Crash_site: Østergårde at Tarm

Crash_d: d120345 Buried_d: v999 C_link: v999.htm At_Next: EVD

"Efter at have udlagt miner i Kattegat natten til den 13. marts 1945 var en Lancaster på vej hjem til England. Over Vestjylland blev flyet imidlertid meget pludseligt angrebet af en tysk natjager og skudt i brand.
Det lykkedes 5 af de 7 besætningsmedlemmer at springe ud med faldskærm, mens de 2 skytter, D. Morris og H.J. Porter, endnu sad i flyet, da det brændende styrtede ned på gdr. Svend Jensens mark i Østergårde." (FAF) 
Styrtet var her, overblik her. (Kilde: Knud Raunkjær) Det er omkring 300 m nordvest for Skærbækvej 2, 6880 Tarm. 

Se historien om Englændergravene. Se den danske mindesten mellem de to headstones og RAF gravene i Tarm fra Arne Mosgaard.

Wireless Operator Thomas Fairclough og Squadron Leader (Pilot) Stan Slater kom til Sverige efter kun 11 dage. AOD fortæller detaljer.

Se øjenvidneberetning af Knud Raunkjær på siden Danmarks Befrielse 5. maj 1945. Raunkjærgaard er her, Knudevej 3, 6880 Tarm.
Fra LAN ME449 blev 2 flyvere begravet ved Tarm og 5 flygtede til Sverige. Se mere ved hver af de 5 flyvere. Se Lancaster fotos. 7 flyvere.

"After a mine laying operation in Kattegat on the night before 13 March, 1945 a Lancaster was on its way back to England. However, over West Jutland the plane was suddenly attacked by a German night fighter and caught fire.
5 of the 7 members of the crew managed to bail out, while the 2 gunners D. Morris and H.J. Porter still were sitting in the plane, when it  crashed, burning, into farmer Svend Jensen´s field in Østergårde." (FAF) The crash was here, overview here. (Source: Knud Raunkjær). It is about 300 m north west of Skærbækvej 2, 6880 Tarm.

See the story about the British War Graves. See the Danish memorial stone between the two headstones
and The RAF Memorial at Tarm from Arne Mosgaard received on 22 JAN 2012.

Wireless Operator Thomas Fairclough og Squadron Leader (Pilot) Stan Slater came to Sweden after only 11 days. AOD tells details.

From LAN ME449  2 airmen were buried at Tarm and 5 evaded to Sweden. See more at each of the 5 airmen. See Lancaster photos.
See Lancaster photos * Bomber Command Squadron No. 103 * The RAF Elsham Wolds Association. 7 airmen. Lost Bombers has this.