Halifax II DT620 - Off Store Heddinge HAL DT620 The story of the plane and its crew The story p. 3+4 Updated: 29 APR 2018

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.