Lancaster I LM208 crashed Låstrup 15/10 1944.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 207 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded EM-M.
T/o 18:38 Spilsby. OP:Gardening in Danish waters,
Outbound the Lancaster was attacked by a German night fighter of 5. / NJG 3
piloted by Oberleutnant August Györy while flying at 4000 metres and caught
fire. The Lancaster exploded in the air spreading its load of mines and bombs
all around the village of Låstrup at 21:02 hours.
(Via Møldrup Lokalarkiv)
Wreckage
(Via Møldrup Lokalarkiv)
A mine
The main part of the aircraft
fell close to the Låstrup vicarage in a field belonging to Farmer P. Nørskov.
Two men of the crew were found in the fuselage while five were found scattered
around it. The Wehrmacht buried them without coffins in two holes a little to
the south of the crash site. On the graves were set two crosses. On the most
westerly was written “6 Mann unbekant” while the easterly read “2 angl.
Amerikanisches Flieger. 2 Mann unbekant”.
(Via Møldrup Lokalarkiv)
The graves next to the crashsite
The crew were Pilot F/L George H. Montgomery, Flt.
Engr. Sgt James Findlay,
Navigator F/O Lynden A. McIntyre, Air Bomber F/O William A. Whitehead, W/Op Sgt
James R. Marriott, Air Gnr. Sgt James D. Cumming and Air Gnr. Sgt
Albert F. Hall.
(Via Møldrup Lokalarkiv)
Montgomery, McIntyre,
Whitehead
Findlay, Marriot, Hall, Cumming
(Via Møldrup Lokalarkiv)
The grave in the cemetery
The Rev. Kristiansen and The Civil Air Defence complained to the Ministry about
the German treatment of the death and in the afternoon of 31/10 the Wehrmacht
disinterred the flyers and placed them in four white coffins and buried them in
the northeast corner of Låstrup cemetery.
A graveside ceremony was performed but
it was not allowed to say a prayer. One year after the crash a ceremony was
held. The Rev. Kristiansen and the English Field priest Hichin held a speech and
Hichin performed the graveside ceremony in the English manner.
(Via Møldrup Lokalarkiv)
Six month later a
monument was inaugurated by Bishop Malmstrøm, Rev. Kristiansen and the English
Field Priest West.
Sources: LBUK, TW, Møldrup local archive, UA, CWGC.
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