This cross is to the memory of William Alexander McVie, a Hampden pilot, who died on 16 May 1941, near this spot, and who is now buried at Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery. This new page has the background story for the McVie cross.
MRES Officer Harold Wilson
All officers serving in the MRES were volunteers. Importantly, they were also surviving ex-aircrew who felt a strong degree of involvement in the task. Amongst their number was Harold Wilson, who had flown with 97 Squadron of the PATH FINDER FORCE during the war.
Major Cotterell & Pilot Officer Benting
Accurate post-war confirmation of the graves of British servicemen could be an extremely complicated and difficult task. Cemetery records were not always correct, and sometimes only an exhumation could solve difficult cases. Even then, an answer was not necessarily forthcoming. The complex story of some British graves at Enschede in Holland illustrates this point perfectly.
The German Treatment of the RAF Dead
RAF losses in North-West Europe began on only the second day of the war. The funeral above, conducted with full military honours, took place in October 1939. It is thought to be that of Percy Edmund Boyce Sproston, from 144 Squadron, who was killed on 29 September 1939. During the war, German burial methods ran … Continue reading The German Treatment of the RAF Dead
Missing Soldier-Journalist: Anthony Cotterell
Major Anthony Cotterell disappeared after a war crime was committed against British prisoners of war after the battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Despite intensive post-war investigations, his fate was never determined. The tombstone for his supposed grave at Enschede, in Holland, notes at the top, 'Buried near this spot', reflecting the uncertainty as to … Continue reading Missing Soldier-Journalist: Anthony Cotterell
Missing Soldier-Journalist: Anthony Cotterell
The above picture was carried in his wallet by Anthony's devoted brother Geoffrey throughout his long post-war search for the truth of what had happened to Anthony. Anthony had disappeared in Holland after being wounded during a war crime committed by the SS against unarmed British prisoners of war. As a Major serving in Occupied Germany … Continue reading Missing Soldier-Journalist: Anthony Cotterell
WAR STORIES 