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News & Star

A WHITEHAVEN man has published a book telling the story of his great uncle – a Second World War hero who was killed by the Gestapo in 1944.

John Brenan, of Catherine Street, became intrigued by family tales about Dumfries-born Edward “Ned” Callander – who served in the French Foreign Legion before joining the RAF as a rear gunner – after he inherited his war medals.

His 4½-year quest for the truth about his relative – who won the Distinguished Flying Medal for bravery – took him on an adventure of his own; across several countries, uncovering some incredible facts along the way.

Yesterday, he launched the book Fighter! Fighter!, which he co-wrote with friend Richard Frost, also of Whitehaven, at the Dumfries Air Museum.

John said: “I feel really proud – the guy is my hero. It’s a massive story and that’s why it’s important for me to get his story out.

“He was only 27 when he was executed but he packed a whole lot into his years.

“He had fought in Germany, France and North Africa and had flown in 40 bombing raids before he was shot down.

“I decided to look into the story of who this guy was and once I got some information back it led on to other information.”

Through sheer persistence and a lot of luck, the two authors discovered that Ned had won the Croix de Guerre medal for bravery while fighting in Norway with the French Foreign Legion in 1940.

They also pinned down the exact spot in France where his Wellington bomber had crashed after it was shot down on the way back from a bombing raid on Germany in 1942.

They even found a local farmer who remembered seeing the plane crashing in flames, as well as another of the aircraft’s survivors.

The pair knew that Ned had escaped from a prisoner of war camp in 1944 after hiding for 56 hours in an empty water tank.

However, months of research revealed that he had already escaped twice before that – once through a tunnel 150 feet long, which he and dozens of other prisoners had dug beneath their camp, and another time when he was being transported between camps. RAF records they examined suggested that his aunt had sent him escape equipment, including wire-cutters, a compass and maps, wrapped up in a pair of pyjamas.

John added: “When you see how much information we’ve got, you just can’t believe it.

“We’ve had to travel to France and have got information from Germany, Canada and New Zealand. We really have searched the earth for this story.”

The book includes tips on how the pair went about finding their facts for anyone interested in tracing family members involved in the war.

Fighter! Fighter! The Story of Edward Callander is available to buy for £7.50 from the Dumfries Air Museum; via ebay.co.uk or by sending a cheque, made payable to Redbek, for £9 (including postage and packaging) to 16 Catherine Street, Whitehaven CA28 7PA.

Any profits John makes from the book will be given to the Red Cross.