Robert Alexander Campbell

Robert Alexander Campbell Photo: Mogens Jeppesen 06 OCT 2021

Airman: a113111.htm Surname: Campbell Init: R A Rank: 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 4-10

Natten til den 16. februar 1944 styrtede LAN R5702 omkring her ved Avne Vig. Se p262MACR.
6 flyvere omkom, 1 blev krigsfange. Mindesten blev afsløret her i 1945.
Se Informationstavle 2014 og fotos Avne 2014.

Sergeant (Wireless Operator) Robert Alexander Campbell, 21 år, var søn af Kenneth og Annie Campbell, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. (Kilde: CWGC) Se foto af ham.
Leif Gr. Thomsen:
Robert Alexander Campbell kom fra Aberfeldy, Scotland, byen hvor det berømte Black Watch Regiment dannedes. Han var yngste barn i en familie med 6 børn, 3 brødre gjorde alle krigstjeneste, Robert og James mistede livet. En glad gut, der elskede spejderlivet, og dette har nok været det,
der gjorde ham til radiotelegrafist, efter han frivilligt meldte sig til RAF 1. januar 1940.

En kort erklæring og varme hilsener fik Annie Campbell til at skrive dette brev til Simon From
den 4. september 1949, oversat af LGT:

Modtag venligst en mors taknemmelige tak for den smukke opmærksomhed, De viser disse seks drenge, som mistede deres liv under forsøget på at gøre deres job for friheden.

Jeg har ofte ønsket at få at vide, hvad der egentlig skete for dem, men jeg havde opgivet håbet; så
kom Deres fotos og opmærksomhed som et "lyn fra den klare himmel", og alle hans venner her
beundrer Deres venlige betænksomhed ved at sende fotos og detaljer.

Jeg forstod, det var på vej hjem fra Berlin, de gik tabt, eftersom tiden var opgivet til ca. 11.15 om
aftenen. Jeg modtog ingen ejendele fra min søn (Sgt R.A. Campbell), så jeg var klar over, at flyet
må være brændt.

Han var ret forberedt på at skulle dø, og han tog afsked med sin veninde sidste gang, han var på orlov. Sgt Ashurst og han var de eneste oprindelige af den besætning, resten kom fra andre enheder. W.O. Edwards og H.Proskurniak havde været sammen med dem nogen tid Jeg vidste, Harry undslap og blev krigsfange. Det var en meget glad besætning.

En skønne dag vil jeg besøge Danmark, og jeg glæder mig til at møde og takke beboerne i Fjelstrup sogn. Jeg vedlægger fotos af min søn fra den gang, han meldte sig til RAF 171/2 år gammel.

Robert var min yngste dreng, jeg mistede også min ældste dreng i krigen, han døde på et sygehus. Jeg har en datter og en søn tilbage ud af seks.
Idet jeg takker jer alle, forbliver jeg Deres hengivne
Annie Campbell.

Annie Campbell nåede aldrig at komme til Danmark, men andre i familien har gennem årene været hyppige gæster i Fjelstrup. Se avisartikel om En gave i 2009.

I 1945 blev der afsløret mindesten for de 6 flyvere. 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 Off Duty Lancaster at Rest til mindevæggen, se mere 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. Memorial stones to 6 airmen were unveiled here in 1945.
See Information board 2014 and photos Avne 2014.

Sergeant (Wireless Operator) Robert Alexander Campbell, 21, was the son of Kenneth and Annie Campbell, of Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. (Source: CWGC) To memory dear. See photo of Robert A. Campbell and Aabenraa Cemetery.
He is remembered on The Walls of Names at the International Bomber Command Centre, Ph 1, P 17.
Leif Gr. Thomsen:
Robert Alexander Campbell was from Aberfeldy, Scotland, the home of the famous Black Watch Regiment. He was the youngest of 6 siblings. 3 brothers served in the armed forces; Robert and James lost their lives. A merry lad, who loved being a scout.
This may have made him a wireless operator when he joined the RAF on 1 January 1940.

A brief statement and kind greetings made Annie Campbell write this letter of 4 September 49 to Simon From:

Please accept a mother's grateful thanks, for the beautiful tribute you pay to those six lads, who lost their lives in trying to do their bit for freedom.

I often wished I knew what happened to them, but I had given up hope; so your photos & tribute came as a "Bolt from the Blue", and all his friends here admire your kind thoughtfulness in sending the photos & details.

I understood it was on their way back from Berlin that they were lost, as it gave the time as appr. 11.15 pm.
I received nothing belonging to my son (Serg. R.A. Campbell) so I knew the plane must have caught fire.

He was quite prepared to die and took "Farewell" of his pal the last time he was on leave. Serg. Ashurst and he were the only two originals of that crew, the rest had come from other units. WO. Edwards and H.Proskurniak had been with them for some time. I knew Harry escaped and was taken prisoner. They were a very happy crew.

I will visit Denmark thro' time and will be pleased to meet and thank the inhabitants of the Parish of Fjelstrup. I enclose photos of my son taken when he joined the RAF at 171/2 years of age.

Robert was my youngest boy, I also lost my eldest son thro' the war, he died in a sanatorium. I have a daughter & 1 son left out of six.

Thanking you all again I am Dear Sir Yours Sincerely
Annie Campbell.

Annie Campbell never made it to Denmark, but over the years other Campbells have been frequent guests in Fjelstrup, see the story about A present in 2009.

Memorial stones to the 6 airmen were unveiled in 1945. 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.