RAF Casualty Packs 1939-45 Public Access & MOD Appeal for volunteers

These would be the 2 airman involved in the incident ??





Recherche de France-Crashes 39-45

TD

 

Ross,

Thanks for the post.

Looks like I will have to take a gamble and pay the £30

Tony

 

Hi Tricky,

No, two individuals I am researching are Hector Ross & Jack Green.

However, I am aware of Patrick Green & Basil Lambert and where they are buried, as they were from the same RAF squadron (107) as Hector & Jack, and were killed on the same night as Patrick & Basil, approx. 30km away from where I believe Hector & Jack crashed .

Hector Scott Keable Ross is the person of primary interest. He was with the Royal Australian Air Force, attached to RAF 107 squadron, and as I believe I have exploited all possible avenues of inquiry through Australian records to locate the crash site, I have turned my attention to his Navigator, Jack Roland Green (RAF VR) hoping that a copy of the sought after "Burial Return" had been placed on his RAF Casualty File.

Here is a copy of the "Concentration Report Form" I was able to obtain from CWGC archives, which states Hector & Jack were exhumed (sic: from simple field graves) at La Chapelle-pres-Sees, on 4th April 1944, for re-burial (concentration) in the Commonwealth War Cemetery, at Bayeux.

I feel this Concentration Report strongly suggests that Hector & Jack would have crashed somewhere within the boundary of La Chapelle-pres-Sees.

As the area of La Chapelle-pres-Sees encompasses just 9.95 km², it is frustration to have narrowed the location down to so small and area, but still not being able to identify the exact site.

I have tried sending an email to the Mayor of La Chapelle-pres-Sees, hoping that there might be documents on file that would identify the crash site, but to date, I have received no reply.

As the Concentration Report indicates that even after the Germans retreated from the area (mid August 1944), the citizens of La Chapelle-pres-Sees did not move Hector & Jack's remains to the village churchyard/cemetery.

Thus, my guess is that Hector & Jack crashed in a difficult to access area of La Chapelle-pres-Sees, such as the heavily wooded and hilly area immediately South of the village, but still within the La Chapelle-pres-Sees boundary, this area being a small part of the much larger Forêt d'Écouves.

Regards,

Tony

 

Recherche de France-Crashes 39-45

I used to have a house on the southern edge of La Forêt d'Écouves so understand the geography of the area

TD

 

So, am I correct in belief that the ground can be difficult to access in positions of the La Forte d'Ecouved?

 

La Forêt d'Écouves is translated as 'the silent forest' in fact it can be eeriely quiet

Forêt d'Écouves - Wikipedia
Location and topography
The forest is located in the Orne département of France, north of Alençon, between the communes of Carrouges in the west and Sées in the east. It covers an area of approximately 15,000 hectares (58 sq mi), being 18 kilometres (11 mi) east to west and between 8 to 10 kilometres (5.0 to 6.2 mi) wide. It is generally between 100 to 400 metres (330 to 1,310 ft) above sea level, although at one point the elevation rises to 417 metres (1,368 ft) above sea level, which is the highest point in all of Normandy.[1]

There is at the main crossroads a memorial Sherman tank, la foret d Ecouves - Le blog de vestiges de guerre en Normandie, it will also allow you to see some idea of what the forest look likes from the trees around there. See - La Forêt d'Écouves - Google Search

As you can see from the map the forest covers a large area and also combines with others to make corridors - Google Maps

TD

 

Thanks Tricky,

I will checkout the Sherman Tank memorial pics.
Tony

 

Another 2,500+ RAF Casualty Packs released to the National Archives today, bringing the records into August 1941: https://bit.ly/2At0nP3

 

For Reference

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