Pihen-les-Guines Communal cemetery, Pas de Calais
There are now over 30, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, a small number are unidentified.
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FEJFAR Stanislav, 29, F/Lt, 313 Sqn., Pilot
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* 25/11/12, Štikov, Jičín
† 17/05/42, Boulogne, France
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Shot down, in Spitfire Vb, RY-S BL973, between Guines and Audembert, France, by fighters while escorting bombers on raid to Boulogne.
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Grave ref: Row C. Grave 8.
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A symbolic urn, No 45, is also interred at the Airman’s Memorial, Prostějov, Czech Republic
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Pihen-les-Guines is a village 10 kilometres south-south-west of Calais and about 3 kilometres east of the main road from Calais to Boulogne. Pihen-les-Guines Communal Cemetery is on the south side of the village.
GPS Location:- N 50 52 15, E 01 47 19
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Calais Canadian War Cemetery, Leubringhen, Pas de Calais
Calais was liberated by the Canadian First Army early in September 1944 as they advanced up the French coast into Belgium in pursuit of retreating German forces. Most of the burials in the cemetery relate to this period of fighting. Calais Canadian War Cemetery contains 704 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 30 of them unidentified. There are also six Czech and 19 Polish war graves.
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KULHÁNEK Jaroslav, 34, F/Lt, 124 Sqn., Pilot
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* 03/11/07, Prague
† 13/03/42, North France
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Shot down in Spitfire Vb ON-L BL758, near Offrethun, 10km SouthEast of Boulogne, France.
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Grave ref: 3. E. 3.
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Leubringhen is a village halfway between Calais and Boulogne. The Calais Canadian War Cemetery is on the east side of the Calais-Boulogne road (A16/E402), 14 kilometres from Calais. From Calais, leave the motorway at Junction 9 and head towards St Inglevert. From St Inglevert take the D244 road for Leubringhen. After approximately 1 kilometre, take the first left turn, which will take you over the motorway, and follow the road for approximately 250 metres. The cemetery parking area will be found on the left.
GPS Location:- N 50 51 41, E 01 44 20
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Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Boulogne, was one of the three base ports most extensively used by the Commonwealth armies on the Western Front throughout the First World War. It was closed and cleared on the 27 August 1914 when the Allies were forced to fall back ahead of the German advance, but was opened again in October and from that month to the end of the war, Boulogne and Wimereux formed one of the chief hospital areas. Until June 1918, the dead from the hospitals at Boulogne itself were buried in the Cimetiere de L’Est, one of the town cemeteries, the Commonwealth graves forming a long, narrow strip along the right hand edge of the cemetery. In the spring of 1918, it was found that space was running short in the Eastern Cemetery in spite of repeated extensions to the south, and the site of the new cemetery at Terlincthun was chosen. During the Second World War, hospitals were again posted to Boulogne for a short time in May 1940. The town was taken by the Germans at the end of that month and remained in their hands until recaptured by the Canadians on 22 September 1944. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery contains 5,577 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 224 from the Second World War. The Commonwealth plots were designed by Charles Holden.
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KAUER Jaroslav, 25, F/Sgt, 310 Sqn., Pilot
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* 08/03/19, Dlouhomilov, Šumperk
† 23/12/44, Bologne, France
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Missing during combat patrol near Bolougne, France, his Spitfire IXc F, MH8322 crashed into English Channel.
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Grave ref: Plot 10. Row B. Grave 14A
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A symbolic urn, No 31, is also interred at the Airman’s Memorial, Prostějov, Czech Republic
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PAVLOVIČ Matěj, 26, F/Lt, 303 Sqn., Pilot
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* 07/03/15, Vlkovice, Horažďovice
† 20/04/41, English Channel
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Shot down at 27,000 ft. near Le Tourquet, France in Spitfire IIA RF-V, P7859.
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Grave ref: 26 Plot XIII Row A Grave 19
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A symbolic urn, No 15, is also interred at the Airman’s Memorial, Prostějov, Czech Republic
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ZAUF Miloslav, 25, Sgt, 313 Sqn., Pilot
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* 01/01/15, Brodek u Přerova, Přerov
† 18/03/42, North France
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Shot down, in a Spitfire VB, AA869, near Boulogne, France.
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Grave ref: Plot 12. Row E. Grave 8.
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Boulogne-sur-Mer is a large Channel port. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, one of the town cemeteries, lies in the district of St Martin Boulogne, just beyond the eastern (Chateau) corner of the Citadel (Haute-Ville). The cemetery is a large civil cemetery, split in two by the Rue de Dringhen, just south of the main road (RN42) to St Omer. The Commonwealth War Graves plot is located down the western edge of the southern section of the cemetery, with an entrance in the Rue de Dringhen. Unusually, the headstones are laid flat in this cemetery. This is due to the sandy soil. Car parking is available along the Rue de Dringhen.
Visiting information here
GPS Location:- N 50 43 26 E 01 37 19
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Etaples Military Cemetery, Etaples – Pas de Calais
During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick. In September 1919, ten months after the Armistice, three hospitals and the Q.M.A.A.C. convalescent depot remained. The cemetery contains 10,771 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, the earliest dating from May 1915. 35 of these burials are unidentified. Hospitals were again stationed at Etaples during the Second World War and the cemetery was used for burials from January 1940 until the evacuation at the end of May 1940. After the war, a number of graves were brought into the cemetery from other French burial grounds. Of the 119 Second World War burials, 38 are unidentified. Etaples Military Cemetery also contains 662 Non Commonwealth burials, mainly German, including 6 unidentifed. There are also now 5 Non World War service burials here. The cemetery, the largest Commission cemetery in France, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
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POSLUŽNÝ Ondřej, 32, F/Lt, 32 Sqn., Pilot
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* 05/08/14, Brno
† 25/06/42, Stella Beach, Calais, France
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His Hurricane IIc, Z3088 GZ- Failed to return from an operational flight over France, body washed up on Stella Beach, near Touquet, France.
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Grave ref: 46. D. 6.
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A symbolic urn, No 48, is also interred at the Airman’s Memorial, Prostějov, Czech Republic
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Etaples is a town about 27 kilometres south of Boulogne. The Military Cemetery is to the north of the town, on the west side of the road to Boulogne.
GPS Location:-N 50 32 06, E 01 37 23
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St. Valery-en-Caux Franco-British Cemetery, Seine-Maritime
During the Second World War, the town of St. Valery was three-quarters destroyed and was under German occupation from the end of May 1940 until liberated in 1944. In 1940 it was at the centre of important battles when Commonwealth troops, notably the 51st (Highland) Division, made their last stand fighting alongside the 2nd French Cavalry Division. The 51st (Highland) Division was practically wiped out, most of its members being taken prisoner. After the war, the French Government bestowed the Croix de Guerre on the town, and the order conferring the honour contained the words, “St. Valery . . . made illustrious by the heroic resistance of the 51st Scottish Division”. Facing each other on the cliffs that flank the town are, to the east the 51st (Highland) Division Memorial, and to the west the memorial to the French Cavalry, which were unveiled simultaneously. In the cemetery is a memorial to the 51st (Highland) Division erected by the local civil authorities, and a granite St. Andrew’s shield given, by the Marchioness of Huntley, is set into the base of the Cross of Sacrifice. The cemetery gates were the gift of the people of north and north-east Scotland. The cemetery contains 234 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 63 of them unidentified. There are also 218 French war graves.
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BOUDA František, 28, F/O, 21 Sqn., Navigator
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* 06/04/16, Vienna, Austria
† 21/06/44, France
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Mosquito VI. FB NT182 YH- did not return from a night offensive sortie to attack German ground targets around Mezidon, in the Normandy region of France. Exact reason for the aircraft loss is not known.
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Grave ref: Joint grave B, 31-32.
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STRÁNSKÝ Josef, 29, S/Ldr, 21 Sqn., Pilot
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* 10/12/14, Borová, Havlíčkův Brod
† 21/06/44, France
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Mosquito VI. FB NT182 YH- did not return from a night offensive sortie to attack German ground targets around Mezidon, in the Normandy region of France. Exact reason for the aircraft loss is not known.
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Grave ref: Joint grave B, 31-32.
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St. Valery-en-Caux is a small seaside town and holiday resort 32 kilometres west of Dieppe and 60 kilometres north-west of Rouen. The Franco-British Cemetery lies on the south eastern outskirts of the town about 200 metres from the church and adjoins the civil cemetery. Follow St. Valery town centre, and the first CWGC sign is on the right of the main road.
Visiting information here
GPS Location:- N 49 51 36, E 00 43 28
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Bayeux War Cemetery, Calvados, Normandy
The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. There was little actual fighting in Bayeux although it was the first French town of importance to be liberated. Bayeux War Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth cemetery of the Second World War in France and contains burials brought in from the surrounding districts and from hospitals that were located nearby. BAYEUX WAR CEMETERY contains 4,144 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 338 of them unidentified. There are also over 500 war graves of other nationalities, the majority German. The BAYEUX MEMORIAL stands opposite the cemetery and bears the names of more than 1,800 men of the Commonwealth land forces who died in the early stages of the campaign and have no known grave. They died during the landings in Normandy, during the intense fighting in Normandy itself, and during the advance to the River Seine in August.
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BAUER Jiří, 20, Sgt, 310 Sqn., Pilot
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* 03/11/23, Trutnov
† 28/06/44, Caen, France
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Did not return from operational sortie. His Spitfire IXe LF, NH570, probably shot down by flak near Caen, France.
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Grave ref: XV. M. 24.
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FAJT Linhart, 32, Sgt, 311 Sqn., Flight Engineer
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* 26/11/10, Jablonné nad Orlicí
† 18/11/43, Bay of Biscay
Liberator BZ872 went missing while on patrol over the Bay of Biscay, body washed ashore. Probably shot down by fighter.
Grave ref: VIII. C. 19.
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The town of Bayeux, in Normandy, lies 24 kilometres north-west of Caen. Bayeux War Cemetery is situated in the south-western outskirts of the town on the by-pass (D5), which is named Boulevard Fabian Ware. On the opposite side of the road stands the Bayeux Memorial.
Parking directly outside the cemetery is limited. When approaching the cemetery with the nearby D-Day Museum on your right, take the last exit at the roundabout just before the cemetery into ‘Chemin des Marettes’, where space is usually available to park.
GPS Location:- N 49 16 23, W 00 42 56
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St. Brieuc Western Communal Cemetery Cotes-d’Armor
The great majority of the sailors buried at St. Brieuc Western Communal Cemetery lost their lives when H.M.S. Charybdis was sunk off the Bord de la Rance in October 1943. There are now over 90, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over a third are unidentified.
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JEŘÁBEK Jan, 22, Sgt, 313 Sqn., Pilot
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* 08/11/19, Milevsko, Písek
† 15/07/42, English Channel
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Spitfire Vb, AD372, shot down by fighter over English Channel about 60km South of Bolt Head, Devon.
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Grave ref: Plot H. Row A. Grave 13
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STEFAN Benignus , 24, F/Lt, 313 Sqn., Pilot
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* 09/05/18, Hradec Králové
† 08/03/43, Rennes, France
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Spitfire Vc, AR547, shot down by fighter near Paimpol, France.
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Grave ref: Plot H. Row A. Grave 10
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St. Brieuc is the chief town and the seat of the Prefecture of the Department of the Cotes-d’Armor. The town lies 64 kilometres west of Dinard (Ille et Vilaine). The cemetery is 2 kilometres from the railway station, between the road to Brest and the road to the local aerodrome. From the Prefecture, follow the Rue de la Corderie onto the Rue J Nicolas and then into Rue Pinot where the cemetery entrance will be found on the right hand side.
Visiting information here
GPS Location:-N 48 30 58, W 02 47 07
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Creil Communal Cemetery Oise
Creil Communal Cemetery contains the graves of 53 Commonwealth airmen of the Second World War. There are also six First World War burials in the cemetery, six Czech and two Polish war graves.
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HRADIL Bohuslav, 26, Sgt, 311 Sqn., Pilot
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* 24/09/15, Bolelouc, Olomouc
† 03/03/42, Paris, France
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Wellington Ic, KX-Y Z1070, shot down near Creil whilst on bombing raid to Paris.
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Grave ref: Plot 2. Coll. grave 341-345
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KORMANOVIČ Imrich, 40, Sgt, 311 Sqn., Air Gunner
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* 23/10/01, Krmeš, Galanta
† 03/03/42, Paris, France
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Wellington Ic, KX-Y Z1070, shot down near Creil whilst on bombing raid to Paris.
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Grave ref: Plot 2. Coll. grave 341-345
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KOTRCH Jan, 24, Sgt, 311 Sqn., Pilot
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* 09/06/17, Sušice, Klatovy
† 03/03/42, Paris, France
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Wellington Ic, KX-Y Z1070, shot down near Creil whilst on bombing raid to Paris.
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Grave ref: Plot 2. Coll. grave 341-345
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STRACHOŇ Přibyslav, 22, Sgt, 311 Sqn., Air Gunner
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* 12/12/19, Velké Pavlovice, Břeclav
† 03/03/42, Paris, France
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Wellington Ic, KX-Y Z1070, shot down near Creil whilst on bombing raid to Paris.
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Grave ref: Plot 2. Coll. grave 341-345
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SVOBODA Josef, 30, Sgt, 311 Sqn., Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
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* 20/01/12, Vienna, Austria
† 03/03/42, Paris, France
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Wellington Ic, KX-Y Z1070, shot down near Creil whilst on bombing raid to Paris.
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Grave ref: Plot 2. Coll. grave 341-345
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TOLAR Alois, 27, P/O, 311 Sqn., Navigator
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* 09/01/15, Brno
† 03/03/42, Paris, France
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Wellington Ic, KX-Y Z1070, shot down near Creil whilst on bombing raid to Paris.
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Grave ref: Plot 2. Coll. grave 341-345
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A symbolic urn, No 43, is also interred at the Airman’s Memorial, Prostějov, Czech Republic
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Creil is a town 32 kilometres south-east of Beauvais and 44 kilometres north of Paris. The Cemetery, known locally as the Cimetiere de Verdun, is situated south of the centre, between the Rue Leon Blum (N16) and the Rue de Verdun. The main entrance is in the Rue de Verdun.
Visiting information here
GPS Location:- N 49 15 20, E 02 28 36
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Mazargues War Cemetry Marseilles, Bouches-du-Rhone
Marseilles was the Base of the Indian troops in France during the 1914-18 war; and throughout the War the Royal Navy, the Merchant Navy, British troops and Labour units worked in the port or passed through it. Four of the town cemeteries were used, in the main, for the burial of officers and men of the Commonwealth forces who died at Marseilles. At ST. PIERRE CEMETERY, on the East side of the town, the bodies of Hindu soldiers and labourers were cremated in 1914-16. LE CANET OLD CEMETERY and LE CANET NEW CEMETERY, on the North side, were in 1917-19 the places of burial of Indian soldiers and Indian, Egyptian and Chinese labourers. MAZARGUES CEMETERY, on the South-East side, was used less in the War; but before the Armistice an Extension was made, to which were removed, a little later, the bodies or ashes from the four Town cemeteries and from PORT ST. LOUIS-DU-RHONE COMMUNAL CEMETERY. There are now 1,487, 1914-18 and 267, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. The cemetery covers an of 9,021 square metres.
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BONK [BAK] František [Franciszek], 21, W/O, 304 Sqn., Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
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* 13/10/23, Víťazovce
† 27/07/45, Chonas L´Amballan, France.
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On a return flight to North Weald, his Warwick aircraft caught in a lightening storm and crashed near the village of Chon l’Amballan, killing all onboard.
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Grave ref: Plot X Row A Grave 6
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Marseilles is the chief town in the Department of the Bouches-du-Rhone. Mazargues is a southern suburb (the 9th Arrondissement), some 6 kilometres from the centre of Marseilles. The cemetery is located 200 metres south of the ‘Rond-Point de Mazargues’ on the main road (the D559) to Toulon via Cassis. The address of the cemetery is No.24 Avenue General de Lattre de Tassigny.
Visiting information here
GPS Location:- N 49 15 20, E 02 28 36
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The assistance of Ministerstvo obrany České republiky [Ministry of Defence, Czech Republic], the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, The War Graves Photographic Project and other valued contributors, with this article, is very much appreciated.
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C’est ce que je voulais! Merci pour votre article, Mon problème a été résolu.YES!
[Moderators translation: This is what I wanted! Thank you for your article, my problem was résolved. YES!]
An excellent site …. we absolutely need to honour these brave men who gave up everything to fight for their country and our freedom. My father (512878 F/Sgt ‘Jack’ Rennison’) served with 311 Squadron as part of the RAF contingent from 1940 to 1945. I myself served in the post-war RAF and have worked over many years to maintain the relationships with the Czechs who served in the unit and support them whenever possible.
Flight Lieutenant John Rennison (Retired)