Translation
of most of page 3 and page 4:
See also
Google Map p143 HAL DT620. Zoom.
Kommentar på dansk. "Sgt
Mairs has no known grave and is commemorated
on the Runnymede Memorial in England, while
Sgt Chambers is buried in Fjelie, Sweden. His
body was found washed ashore near Villa Haga in Bjärred between Malmø
and Landskrona on 4 May 1930 at 20.30 hrs. He was found entangled in
lines from a parachute, but without a parachute. His body was there
during the night guarded by the military from the local barracks. Next
morning his body was examined by the local police, laid into a coffin
and taken to the local chapel of rest in Fjelie. Chambers was buried in
Fjelie Cemetery on 26 May 1943 with full
military honours. Army chaplain E. Eberhard officiated at the graveside
ceremony.
On 15 March 1943 at 00.30 hrs. a body was found on the
beach near Jens Hansen's house. At 06.30 hrs. another airman was found
near that place. Both of the perished airmen were taken to Rødvig
and handed over to the German Wehrmacht which took them to
Air Station
Kastrup. It must have been Masson and
Ross who were buried in Copenhagen in
Bispebjerg Cemetery on 19 March 1943 at 11.00
hrs. An Evangelical priest officiated at the graveside ceremony attended
by the staff of the Swiss consulate in Copenhagen.
Oberstleutnant and commander of the air station Volbehr was in charge of
the funeral, and the funeral procession was led by Oberleutnant
Gombert. He was joined by one unteroffizier and 4 private soldiers
from Air Station Company Kastrup and one unteroffizier and 8 private
soldiers from the Zealand Anti-Aircraft Unit, and 1 ensign and 8 men
from "Ln-stelle". They were dressed in their daily
uniforms without overcoat, with helmet and guns, no gas masks.
Unteroffizier Ernst from the photo unit was present and took 3 photos
which were later placed in the files of the deceased.
"Verwaltungdienst der Fl.H.Kdtr. L Kastrup" procured two
wreaths for the
graves. The coffins were carried into the chapel of Bispebjerg
Cemetery and from there by "Untergruppe Seeland" to the open graves and
lowered into them. Oberleutnant Gombert led the firing of a salute of
honour when the coffins had been lowered into the graves. (AS: See
another funeral in Aabenraa like the one
described here.)
On 21 March a body was washed ashore near Rødvig. The Danish police were
called and the body was taken to the hospital in Store Heddinge. The
body was severely mutilated. It was dressed in a uniform with three
angles and a gold crown on its right upper arm. It also wore the mark
RAS in gold. On 22 March it was reported that the body had been
fetched by the Wehrmacht. It must have been Sgt
Smith who was laid to rest in Bispebjerg Cemetery
on 26 March 1943. On 29 March a fisherman took the body of an airman to Rødvig Harbour. The
Wehrmacht had hired some fishermen to find the wreckage of the plane at
sea and the body had been found during the search. It was the body
of F/Sgt Harrap who was laid to rest in
Bispebjerg Cemetery on 7 April 1943.
On 14 April fisherman Jens Hansen found another body which was taken to
Store Heddinge Hospital. The same day it was fetched by the staff of the
headquarters of Air Station Kastrup. Apparently it was the remains of
Sgt Mairs who according to some sources was
identified at the hospital. However, to this day he is still buried
as an unknown airman in Bispebjerg Cemetery."
Comment by
Anders Straarup: Masson and
Ross were taken to Rødvig and then to Air Station
Kastrup and Bispebjerg Cemetery. Smith was
taken to Store Heddinge Hospital, fetched by the Wehrmacht and buried
in Bispebjerg 4 days later. Harrap was found
at sea, taken to Rødvig and buried in
Bispebjerg Cemetery. Mairs was found on 14 April and taken to
Store Heddinge Hospital and then to Air Station Kastrup according to
this account. That cannot be correct! It was Sixsmith. ""H.R.
Harrap was buried on 7 April 1943, while A.C.
Sixsmith was not found until 16 April 1943 and buried 3 days later."
(FAF)
We know that Danish Aviation Historical Review
states about the 6 bodies: "Among the 6 was Air
Gunner Sgt Thomas Mairs who drifted ashore at Harvig on 24 April.
According to English reports his body was identified in Store Heddinge
Hospital. However, Sgt Mairs is still buried as Unknown in Bispebjerg."
He was buried 4 days later on 28 April, see the
transcription
of the burial register.
The
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
has
this
about Sergeant
Donald Robin Ross
and about others buried in Bispebjerg Cemetery, including Sgt Thomas
Mairs. See Casualty Enquiry D.122 of 2 December 1946, paragraph 8:
"- as according to Danish Police reports the body of Sgt. Mairs was
washed ashore on the 23rd April, 1943, at Harvig, approximately one
month later, taken to Store Hedding Hospital and identified by his
discs, and a driving licence found on him. He was collected from there
by the Germans. No burial details were made known to the Danish
authorities."
The
Germans must have taken care of the body of Sgt Mairs in the same way
that they treated the other bodies.
The
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
has
this about Flight Sergeant
E.S. Masson with a
document in German with a translation into English stating that Ross and
Masson were buried with full military honours as also stated in the
above text. Why should the Germans then dump the body of Mairs in some
unknown place? It is a fact that the Germans took a
drowned airman to Bispebjerg to be buried on 28 April 1943. Halifax
DT620 is p143.htm on the chronological list of
463 air crashes mentioned on AirmenDK.
It is impossible for me to see which other plane crashed at sea during
the previous weeks - and then an airman not accounted for should have
been taken to Bispebjerg Cemetery! My conclusion: Based on all
evidence Sergeant Thomas Mairs must be the airman buried in grave
6-129 in Bispebjerg Cemetery. |