Richard R. Gee                                                                                                       Updated: 15 JAN 2022

Airman: v999006.htm Surname: Gee Init: R E Rank: F/Lt 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. 
Se også Om 3 engelske flyvere - beretning fra Mogens Pedersen. Mere i engelsk version.  Se TV2oj:  Venskaber opstår 28 min. om flyvere, der nåede Sverige.

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.)

Et ugeblad brugte mange sider på at fortælle historien, desværre med mange frit opfundne detaljer for at gøre den mere spændende. Det står fast, at Gee, Woodham og Moloney (i uniform for at være sikre på krigsfangestatus) blev set ved Hornslet af landinspektør Schrøder, som kendte de rigtige mennesker. Flyverne blev holdt skjult, fik lægehjælp og blev transporteret ud af Danmark. Richard R. Gee og familien Schrøder havde god kontakt til Gee døde for få år siden. (Kilde: Thomas Schrøder)

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 emergency landing a team with 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 managed to get across Jutland from the crash site here to Grenå here and then to Sweden.
See also About 3 British airmen - an account from Mogens Pedersen and Statement by GEE, WOODHAM and MOLONEY from Mogens Pedersen. His father
Herluf Pedersen had a citation from General Eisenhower like this and from Air Chief Marshall sir Arthur Tedder just like the ones awarded to a few other citizens.
See files about Jens Ingemann Jørgensen and his assistance (certificates page 7 and 9) to Rowland T. Williams.

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.)

A magazine used many pages to tell the story, unfortunately with many details of their own invention to make it more exciting. It is a fact that Gee, Woodham and Moloney (in uniforms to ensure a POW-status) were seen at Hornslet by chartered surveyor Schrøder, who knew the right people. The airmen were hidden, had medical assistance and were transported out of Denmark. Richard R. Gee and the family Schrøder kept in touch till Gee died a few years ago. (Source: Thomas Schrøder)

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.