Tarm, 2 airmen. Tarm Isolated Graves (CWGC-name)
British War Graves at the crossroads Østermarkvej/Aadumvej. This is consecrated ground. See the Danish memorial stone to the airmen from LAN ME449.

“Having laid mines in the Kattegat on the night before 13 March, 1945 a Lancaster was on the return flight to England.  However, it was very suddenly attacked by a
German night fighter over West Jutland and it caught fire. 5 of the 7 members of the crew managed to bail out with their parachutes, while the two gunners, D. Morris
and H.J. Porter, were still sitting in the plane, when it crashed, burning, into Svend Jensen´s field in Østergårde.

People from the civil defence in Tarm got the two deceased out of the wreck during the night and drove them the hospital in Tarm. The Germans fetched their bodies
here in the afternoon of the next day. They were put into bags and then placed on carrier Chr. Andersen´s horse-drawn carriage. The carrier thought that now the
Germans were gross, but as he was forcibly conscripted, he could do nothing.

The transport was to the plantation just east of the town, where the Germans dug a hole and tumbled the bodies down. The carrier was severely instructed not to tell
about what had happened, but he did so right away. Just as the burying was taking place the church bells started ringing. The Germans went to the church and
complained about it, but the evening bells were rung for the sun going down.

On 4 May at night a man from the town went to the place of the burying and made a stone square, where he placed two Danish flags and a RAF-badge. In that way
the place was decorated before the church bells rang for the peace on 5 May in the morning. On 14 June, 1945 the parish council decided to donate the spot for the
two plots and  at the same time took on the obligation to keep the plots, which were established for collected money.

On Sunday 12 August, 1945 the airmen got a Christian funeral.  About 800 people attended the ceremony at the graves, which were decorated with a sea of flowers
and wreaths. When a platoon of British soldiers had lined up and after the first hymn rural dean P.B. Gadegaard spoke:
“We owe the two young men who rest here and their country a great debt of gratitude. Now they rest far from their loved ones and their homes, but they rest among
friends, who will guard their memory. They were put into the ground by the hands of the enemy without a single Christian ceremony. We have wanted them to rest in consecrated ground.” Then the rural dean blessed the graves.

Later chairman of the parish council H. Gravesen said, “The town has erected this memorial and I ask the residents to help the parish council guard this memorial
and decorate it, just as we have done today, so it will be a memory for future generations.” The chairman of the parish council then laid a wreath in the RAF colours
from the parish council.
Finally Squadron Leader Smart from Vandel Air Base stood forward and saluted the grave.” (FAF)

In 1961 the Commonwealth War Graves Commission wanted to transfer the bodies to Fourfeld Cemetery at Esbjerg, but after objections from rural dean Gadegaard
and the Municipality of Egvad it never happened. The plot is kept by the staff of Tarm Church. (Source: Information table on the spot)