Memorial to the Crew of Stirling R9329

[Dave_Richardson]

As some of you will know that I was welcomed into this forum when I started to research my uncle and the events surrounding the crash of his Stirling R9329 in 1942. I thought you might be interested to know that a couple of weekends ago my wife and I travelled down to Devon to attend the memorial service and unveiling of a memorial to the crew of R9329. I was honoured to be asked to do the unveiling. What an emotional and uplifting experience it was. About a hundred villagers gathered for the ceremony in the woods above the village of Lutton, including one chap who was a schoolboy at the time who clearly remembers the aircraft flying up the valley on fire. The weather as wonderful and the local vicar pitched it just right. He also wants to put a memorial in the church itself. I’ve attached a photo of the memorial and a picture of the Stirling I commissioned as a thank you to the village. I’m now even more determined to find the relatives of the other crew members. I’ve written to the local newspapers where they are buried and so far two have included the story this week and a third has promised to do something soon. So fingers crossed!

Dave

[K4KittyCrew]

Great Stuff, Dave. Thanks for sharing this with us and all the best with your research.
John

[Oggie2620]

Hi Dave
Keep up the good work. It may seem like you are batting your head against a brick wall at times but its worth it!
I will have to look up which squadron your guy was on but if I can help in anyway I will do so. I am currently doing something similar for a 75 Sqn Lancaster for 2 guys we need to track down families for. The dedication of a memorial for that one is in July! I wont put pics on here but if you are interested there is a whole thread about the Kessel Plaque on www.cfww2.com. I hope Kitty doesnt mind me mentioning them they are nice bunch and if he isnt a member I would highly recommend a visit to him too. This one is special cos its my favourite WW2 a/c...

[Dave_Richardson]

Cheers Dee
Thanks for your words of encouragement. I guess it's going to a long haul so plenty of patience will be required. I'll certainly give cfww2 a try and Riskey has suggested contactiong the Aircrew Remembrance Society so I think I'll do that also and see where that takes me.

Dave

[PAFG]

Sorry Dave, I missed this originally but thanks for 'bumping' it back up. It's uplifting to hear of so many people taking an interest and attending the service. Good luck with your further research.

cheers,

Richard

[Oggie2620]

Are you a Facebook member? I have a picture of a stained glass window in the church at Mildenhall which has the 149 Sqn crest on it. They were at Mildenhall as well as Lakenheath and at the same as 75 (NZ) Sqn I believe. If you arent please email me and I will send you a copy of the pics the badge and the 149 Stirling is on....
Dee