Leslie N. Flower Updated: 15 JAN 2022
Airman: v999005.htm Surname: Flower Init: L N Rank: P/O Service: RAF Sqdn: 161
P_link: p379r.htm Plane: STI LK 238 Operation: Drop in DK Crash_site: Near Vemb
Crash_d: d071044 Buried_d: v999 C_link: v999.htm At_Next: EVD
"På vej til to jyske modtagepladser med
våben til den danske modstandsbevægelse nedstyrtede et Stirling fly natten til
den 7. oktober 1944 på gården Stamphøjs
jorder i Gørding sogn.
Ved flyvraget blev fundet et dræbt besætningsmedlem, R.F. Philp fra Queensland i
Australien." (FAF)
Se mindesten netop
her ved hegnet, hvor Philp blev gravet ned af den tyske værnemagt.
Det er ca. 300 m nord for Skalstrupvej 14, 7570 Vemb, ca. 700 m nord for gården
Stamphøj og ca. 3 km nord for
Gørding Kirke, hvor Philp blev begravet den
15. juni 1945.
Arne Mosgaard sendte
Flyvergraven i Gørding * Om LK238 *
Flugten gennem et besat land *
Nogen hjalp - Gee.
Efter nødlandingen klarede et hold med Pilot Officer (Flight Engineer) L.N. Flower, Flight Lieutenant (Navigator) Richard R. Gee, Pilot Officer (Air Gunner) P. J. Moloney and Flying Officer (Air Gunner) S.C. Woodham at komme tværs over Jylland fra nedstyrtningsstedet her til Grenå her og derfra til Sverige. AOD har detaljer.
Flower fortalte i 1986, at de 4 flyvere løb fra
det brændende fly gennem mørke og ukendt terræn til en skovbevokset høj (mest
sandsynligt
her omkring 7 km mod NØ i fugleflugtslinje), hvor de tilbragte natten. Næste
morgen tog de chancen og sendte den hårdt sårede Flower til den nærmeste gård,
Overgaard (her
- nu Nordenbjergvej 11, 7660 Bækmarksbro) tilhørende Maren og Martin Madsen.
Flower blev hjulpet af en række danskere, inden han kom til Sverige. De 3 andre
flyvere fortsatte gennem
Jylland. (Kilde:
Lemvig Folkeblad 19. juli 1986,
"Engelsk flyver fra 2. verdenskrig besøger Møborg" af Martin Hansen - avisudklip
fra fru Gertrud Pedersen, januar 2010.)
Pilot
Officer (Flight Engineer) Leslie N. Flower havde brændt sine hænder
frygteligt, da han svingede sig ud fra det brændende fly. Familien Madsen
tilkaldte en læge
"til den gamle bedstefar, som var blevet syg." Dr.
Kjeldgaard forbandt hans sår, men det var nødvendigt at få ham til sygehuset i
Lemvig (her). Flower
lånte en damecykel og kørte til Lemvig (mindst 17 km).
Lægen holdt øje med ham fra sin bil, som tyskerne helt sikkert ville undersøge.
På turen udnyttede Flower, at han som
ung ofte havde kørt uden hænder på styret.
(Kilde: Lemvig Folkeblad 19. juli 1986)
"Flyveren Mr. Flower (Australien, øvrige data
ukendt) var ledsaget af en reservelæge fra sygehuset i Lemvig cyklet fra Lemvig
til Herning (her
- omkring 70 km), hvor kontakten imidlertid svigtede, da den pågældende ikke var
hjemme. Lægen opsøgte derpå sygehuset i Herning -." Flower fik sine sår
behandlet og kom til fru
Ronnebergs hjem. Bylederen i Herning fortsætter: "
Jeg
tog naturligvis op og hilste på flyveren, kørte ham til Herning banegård, og
sørgede for, at han fik ledsagelse til
Århus (her) af en af mine folk, cand. pharm.
Poul A. Lyster, som jeg havde medgivet et par adresser, hvortil han kunne
henvende sig. Flyveren blev afleveret til professor. Holten, Århus, der sørgede for
det videre fornødne." (FAF s. 189, brev af 16/10 1945) Se også
Læger.
Fru
Gertrud Pedersen, dengang 23 år, arbejdede for Toldstrup. Se
En
modstandskvinde fortæller og
Med kufferten fuld af sprængstof
(i avisen Information).
(Om Toldstrup
se
artikel,
Rebild Mindetavle,
Toldstrup-Rebild og Gram, flyvere
og nedkastningsoperationer.) Hun fortæller om Flower:
"Jeg ved ikke, hvordan han kom til Aarhus, men
jeg blev sendt af sted for at møde ham af Toldstrup, der var nedkastningschef i
Jylland, og som jeg arbejdede som
kurer
for. Vi vidste, at Leslie var såret og forbundet og ikke kunne bruge sine
hænder, og at han i det hele taget så havareret ud. Jeg fik derfor klare
instrukser, før jeg
forlod
vores hovedkvarter: "Han skal hele tiden gå ti skridt efter dig, det må ikke se
ud, som om I følges. Hvis der er fare på færde, sørger du bare for at komme væk
og
lader
ham blive taget. Der vil ikke ske andet, end at han kommer i krigsfangelejr, men
hvis de får dig, vil de pine dig for at få oplysninger. - -
Den eneste måde jeg kunne få ham til Aalborg (her) på, var med toget. - -
Vi kom på toget og fandt en kupé
med nogle børn. Det tyske sikkerhedspoliti gik gennem
gangene og holdt øje med, om noget så mistænkeligt ud. Der var tidligere folk,
som var blevet taget, fordi Gestapo kunne lugte, at de røg engelske cigaretter
eller kunne se, at deres snørebånd var lavet af faldskærmssnor. Det var noget
meget fint og stærkt noget, og da der var mangel på snørebånd, brugte nogle af
de unge faldskærmssnor i deres sportssko. Men alt kunne afsløre dig. Vi blev
heldigvis ikke tjekket, for vores falske legitimationskort havde helt sikkert
ikke kunnet redde os. Turen gik fint, og vi kom godt til Aalborg." (Citater fra
kapitel om fru Gertrud Pedersen i bogen af
Kathrine Læsøe Engberg:
Modstandskvinder (People´sPress 2009)) Leslie Flower besøgte Gertrud Pedersen omkring 50 år
senere. Hun fortæller mere om gensynet og om meget andet i bogen
Modstandskvinder.
" - med taxa nåede han frem til Grenå (her)
en mørk nat. De fire, som den nat skulle "smugles" til Sverige, blev gemt i
noget buskads. Selve aktionen blev udført med nøjagtig timing. 4 minutter tog
vandreturen ned til fiskerbåden. Det lykkedes, og de nåede i god behold til det
frie Sverige." (Lemvig Folkeblad 19. juli 1986)
Telegram 28. oktober 1944 fra SOE til Toldstrups
hovedkvarter: "Parks og Flower vel ankommet til Sverige - godt
gjort - lykønskninger til alle medvirkende."
(Kilde: DFEV s. 143) Se fotos af Flower i 1947 og 1995
og julekort fra Royal Air Forces Escaping Society.
Fra STI LK 238 er 1 flyver begravet i Gørding, 2 blev taget til fange og 4 nåede Sverige med hjælp fra modstandsbevægelsen. 7 flyvere.
On its way to two drop zones in Jutland
with weapons for the Danish resistance movement STI LK 238
crashed on the night before 7 October, 1944 into a field of the farm Stamphøj in
the parish of Gørding. A perished member of the crew, R.F. Philp from
Queensland, Australia was found at the wreck. (Source: FAF)
See the memorial
stone just
here at the hedgerow, where Philp was dug down by the German
Wehrmacht. It is about 300 m north of Skalstrupvej 14, DK-7570 Vemb,
about 700 m
north of the farm
Stamphøj and about 3 km north of
Gørding Church, where Philp
was buried on 15 June, 1945.
After the forced landing a team with Pilot
Officer (Flight Engineer) Leslie N. Flower, Flight Lieutenant (Navigator) Richard R. Gee, Pilot Officer (Air Gunner)
P. J. Moloney and Flying
Officer (Air Gunner) S.C. Woodham managed to get across Jutland from the crash
site
here to Grenå
here and then to Sweden.
AOD has details.
In 1986 Flower told Martin Hansen that the 4
airmen ran from the burning plane through the darkness and the unknown terrain
to a wooded hill (most likely
here about
7 km north east of the crash site, as the crow flies) where they spent the night.
Next morning they took a chance and sent the badly injured Flower to the nearest
farm, Overgaard (here
- now Nordenbjergvej 11, 7660 Bækmarksbro) owned by Maren and Martin Madsen.
Flower was helped by a number of Danes until he got to Sweden.
The 3 other airmen went on through Jutland.
(Source:
Lemvig Folkeblad
19 July 1986 "English airman from World War 2 visits Møborg" by Martin Hansen -
press cutting from Mrs. Gertrud Pedersen, January 2010.)
Pilot
Officer (Flight Engineer) Leslie N. Flower got severe burns on his hands,
when he swung himself out of the burning plane. The Madsens called a doctor "for
the old grandfather, who had fallen ill". Dr. Kjeldgaard dressed his wounds, but
it was necessary to get him to the hospital in Lemvig (here).
Flower borrowed a lady´s bicycle and rode to Lemvig (at least 17 km). The doctor
kept an eye on him from his car, which would certainly be searched by the
Germans. On his ride Flower used his experience
in riding without placing his hands on the
handlebars. (Source: Lemvig Folkeblad, 19 July 1986)
A doctor from the hospital in Lemvig and the
airman Mr. Flower (Australia, other data unknown) had ridden on their bikes from
Lemvig to Herning (here
- about 70 km). However, they failed to contact a certain person who was not at
home. Then the doctor went on to the hospital in Herning - . Flower had his
wounds treated and he was taken to Mrs. Ronneberg´s home. The leader of the
resistance movement in Herning continues: "Of course I went to see the airman,
and I took him to the railway
station
in Herning and saw to that it he was
accompanied to Århus (here) by one of my
men, cand. pharm. Poul A. Lyster.
I supplied Lyster with a couple of addresses.
The airman was handed over to
professor Holten, Århus, who took the necessary steps." (FAF p. 189, a letter of
16 October 1945)
Mrs. Gertrud Pedersen, then 23, worked for
Toldstrup in many ways. As a courier she delivered and received messages. She
coded and decoded telegrammes between Toldstrup´s HQ and the
SOE in London. And
then there were all kinds of odd jobs. (About Toldstrup, see article, the
Rebild Memorial Plaque,
Toldstrup-Rebild,
Gram, airmen and supply operations and the
) She tells about Flower:
"I do not know how he came to Aarhus, but I was
sent to meet him by Toldstrup, the chief of supply operations in Jutland. I
worked for him. We knew that Leslie was injured, had had his wounds dressed, was
unable to use his hands and looked weak. Therefore I got very clear
instructions, before I left our HQ: "At all times he has to walk ten steps
behind you. It must not look as if the two of you are together. If there is any
danger you just manage to get away and let him be taken. Then he will just
be
taken to a Prisoner of War camp, but if they get you, you will be tortured to
get information from you. - - -."
The only way in which I could take him to Aalborg (here)
was by train. - - -
We entered the train and found a compartment with
some children. Gestapo, the
German police, walked through the corridors to see if anything looked suspicious.
Earlier people had been captured, because Gestapo could smell that they smoked
English cigarettes or could see that their shoe laces were strings from
parachutes.
Very fine and strong material used by some of our young people in
their sports shoes, as shoe laces were hard to get. But everything might betray
you. Fortunately we
were not checked. Our false identity cards would certainly
not have saved us. Our journey was fine, and we arrived safely at Aalborg."
(Excerpts from the chapter about Mrs. Gertrud Pedersen in the book by Kathrine
Læsøe Engberg: Modstandskvinder - Women of the Resistance Movement (People´sPress 2009))
Leslie Flower visited Gertrud Pedersen about 50 years later. She tells about
their reunion and much more in the book.
" - by taxi he reached Grenå (here) in a dark night. The four people who this night were to be "smuggled" to Sweden, were hidden in some shrubbery. The action was carried out according to accurate planning. The walk to the fishing boat took 4 minutes. They succeeded, and they reached the free Sweden safely." (Lemvig Folkeblad)
Telegramme 28 October 1944 from the
SOE to
Toldstrup´s HQ: "Parks and Flower arrived
safely Sweden - well done - Congratulations to all concerned."
(DFEV p. 143) See photos of Flower from 1947 and 1995
and Christmas Card from the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society.
1 airman from STI LK 238 is buried in Gørding, 2 became POWs and 4 evaded to Sweden with help from the resistance movement.
69 perished airmen from this and 14 other planes
are commemorated on the Memorial Plaque in Rebild.
They lost their lives on flights with weapons
to the
Danish resistance. For the same reason they are commemorated in London. See
69 airmen - St. Clement Danes. See
Google Map Rebild with 15 + 3 planes lost.
No. 161 Squadron
RAF-Wikipedia*
Roll of Honour, Tempsford* Tempsford Special
Duties Squadrons*
A History of
Tempsford Airfield
Stirling IV LK238 MA-X took off from
RAF Tempsford at 22.29
hrs on 06 OCT 1944. (Source:
Aircrew Remembered has
this.)
Short Stirling. 7 airmen.