Military honours for bomber crew

[Kyt]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7028637.stm

A World War II airman from East Sussex who died when the bomber he was in crashed in Poland in August 1944 has been buried with full military honours.

Sgt Frederick George Wenham, an RAF flight engineer from Rye, was just 21 when he died along with six other crew members on board a Halifax JP276.

Their remains, which were only found last year, were buried in a single coffin at a memorial service in Krakow.

It coincided with the 63rd anniversary marking the end of the Warsaw Uprising.

The Halifax bomber was hit by enemy fire as it attempted to drop supplies during a special operation over southern Poland at the time of the uprising.

Buried in secret

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane on fire near the town of Dabrowa Tarnowska, before it suddenly crashed into the ground and exploded.

Sgt Wenham was the only Briton on board.

Due to the presence of occupying enemy forces the remains that were discovered at the time were buried in secret in Dabrowa Tarnowska.

However, they were later exhumed and reburied in the Krakow War Cemetery.

Last year, a Polish team found more human remains at the crash site, along with aircraft wreckage.

Thursday's reburial was attended by Sgt Wenham's relatives, following an appeal to trace them by the MoD earlier this year.

[Kyt]

Halifax JP276, from148 Squadron, took off from Brindisi, Italy at 19:56 hours on 4th August 1944 to carry out a special operation over Southern Poland. From the time of take-off nothing further was heard. On board were:

Flight Lieutenant Arnold Raymond Blynn, RCAF Pilot
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193542

Flying Officer Harold Leonard Brown, RCAF Wireless Operator
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193559

Pilot Officer George Alfred Chapman, RCAF Navigator
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193574

Flight Sergeant Arthur George William Liddell, RCAF Air Gunner
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193745

Flight Sergeant Charles Burton Wylie, RCAF Bomb Aimer
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193954

Sergeant Kenneth James Ashmore, RAF (VR) Air Gunner
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193516

Sergeant Frederick George Wenham, RAF (VR) Flight Engineer
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2193928

It was later reported from eye witnesses on the ground that this aircraft was in difficulty near the town on Dabrowa Tarnowska, and was on fire and flying in the direction of the village of Morzychna. The aircraft was seen to suddenly stop in mid-air before crashing, killing all seven crew members.

[Antipodean Andy]

148 Sqn - interesting coincidence.

May they rest in peace.

[Kyt]

Yep, but as the summary from rafweb stated, this was their main duty ("normal" bombing being a side-line!!)