RAF graves in Denmark

[Spitfire]

While visiting my father, who lives on the beautifull island Samsø just east of Jutland, I took the time to visit the graves of 9 British and 1 Norwegian airmen who found their final restingplace here.

They were all washed ashore on the island during the war. A few of them are burried after the end of the war. Why? I don't know. Either they were washed ashore after the war or maybe they were burried secretly somewhere else, and then moved to this spot after the war.
All of them have propably been bailing out of their stricken bombers or escort figthers on the way to - or back - from raids over Germany. Whereupon they landed in the sea and drowned.

Two of them are unknown ("Ukendt")

The graves are today- as back then - taken care of by the local schoolchildren. And there is a ceremony every year at the 5th of may. The day Denmark officially were liberated. It actually were the 4th of may in the evening, the news came on BBC. But the 5th is the official day.

 

[Spitfire]

Contd.

We shall never forget.

 

[Rufus]

How wonderful that the school children look after the graves.

A Practice that should be taken up in the UK, to both teach History and Respect for these great men and women.

Thanks for the Photos, Spitfire!

 

[Smithy]

Thanks for the pics Spitty, nice to see such memorials to men who gave their lives away from home.

Some of these will also have probably been members of Mosquito anti-shipping and ground attack squadrons from the RAF and CC who were very busy on the Danish and Norwegian coasts .

The Norwegian airman for example was on a Mossie FB.VI which was shot down during an attack on the Gestapo HQ in KBH.

 

[Spitfire]

Thanks for the info on the Norwegian airman - I did not know that.
The date fits - the attack on Shellhuset was 21 of march 1944. Which means that his body had been floating around for little less than a week, before it was found and burried.

Some years ago, a british family finally found their MIA family member, when another british family, on vacation on Samsø, read in the local newspaper about the graves.
Soon after the airmans family visited Samsø and his grave as guests of the island.

Must have been a special moment, finally finding their long lost relative.

 

[BellyTank]

Nice one Søren.
I regret not taking up the offer of a boat trip over to Samsø, when I was living in Århus. Nice potatoes.

Besættelsesmusset, in Århus, next to Domkirken, is well worth a look.
It is in the building which was the early Gestapo HQ.
I lived across the road, so I ventured in often.

B
T

 

[ethanedwards]

war graves

Thanks Spitfire. Very moving to see.

 

[Speedster]

These photos are excellent Spitfire.

H H Becker (2nd Lt - RNorAF) flew a Mosquito (RS609) and was shot down after the Shell House attack on 21 March 1945. He was from No 464 Squadron. The Pilot was Fg Off J H Palmer (RAAF).

A couple of the other could be from the escorting Mustangs.

---

EDIT

Ooops, just saw that Smithy already had a note on Becker.

 

[Spitfire]

Thank you Smithy, Rufus, Ethanedwards, BT and Speedster.

I was quite a special moment to stand there on that small, peacefull churchyard in the hot summersun. Everything around me was so quiet and peacefull. Thinking of these young men, who - so many years ago - gave their lives in order that we - and the rest of Europe - could be free, and their death in the cold sea, was a very moving experience.

Speedster, I have allready tried to find out who the other airmen were, but my search on the internet has - up till now - been in vain.
If anybody have better entry to files, please tell.
Thank you.

 

[Chas]

I would have thought that the CWGC would have designated the burial site, and placed official markers on it. Not to denigrate the local monument, though. It's quite nice.

 

[Spitfire]

Don't know what the CWGC is - but to my knowledge there are no official markers on any of the many british airmens graves in Denmark.
I think it's a nice gesture really. These young men died fighting for freedom and liberty and died in Denmark. And Denmark takes them in and gives them a tribute, burrying them in the traditional danish way. Like they are welcome here. They are part of our life and history.

Another thing about the 10 graves on Samsø is, that it is a tradition in that church, when somebody is burried there, some of the flowers from the funeral, are placed on each of the 10 airmen graves.
It's a old tradition, dating back to the very first burrial after the war.
As a tribute to the 10 airmen.

 

[Speedster]

Speedster, I have allready tried to find out who the other airmen were, but my search on the internet has - up till now - been in vain.
If anybody have better entry to files, please tell.
Thank you.

There may be something in here; Airwar over Denmark: http://www.flensted.eu.com/

And a little fftopic: to this thread, you might find this link about Danish pilots in WWII of interest: http://www.danishww2pilots.dk/

 

[Smithy]

I would have thought that the CWGC would have designated the burial site, and placed official markers on it. Not to denigrate the local monument, though. It's quite nice.

That didn't actually happen in a lot of cases. At the end of the war there was a large amount of work to either repatriate remains, or to consolidate them into designated cemeteries with approved British Service headstones. However the logistics of doing this with airman was especially difficult due to the sheer range of remains over Europe. Many downed over Denmark and Norway are marked in similar ways.

 

[Speedster]

Just read about this website in a Danish newspaper: www.airmen.dk made by a former teacher in history.

Spitfire, it has all the information that you (and the rest of us) could possibly wish for. It is very informative and an excellent read. Enjoy!

 

[Spitfire]

Great news. Thanks Speedster

 

[warbird]

Very interesting Spitfire. Thanks for sharing.