Members of RAF’s 121 Expeditionary Air Wing join Romanians to commemorate WWII war downed bomber crew

Members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) currently based in Romania on a NATO mission attended a memorial service on Sunday for the crew of an RAF bomber killed in the Second World War.

A team from the RAF’s 121 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) based at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Southern Romania on a NATO enhanced Air Policing mission joined with local dignitaries to pay their respects to the crew of a Wellington bomber shot down over the village of Comana while on a bombing mission in Romania in May 1944.

The UK Ambassador to Romania, Mr Andrew Noble, attended the religious ceremony at the local Orthodox Monastery, reads a press release by the British Embassy in Bucharest.

In a speech to those attending he said: “It is a special honour for me to be here, along with the UK Defence Attaché and members of the Royal Air Force on the occasion of this commemoration. Today, we honor the sacrifice of British Air Force crew members who died when their aircraft crashed in May 1944. This event also pays tribute to the people of Comana who showed great humanity, recovering the dead bodies of the 5 aviators from the aircraft and giving them a Christian funeral. “This event, which continues to be commemorated every year, demonstrates in an emotional way that, although we were then on opposite sides of the conflict, we were still united by something much stronger, representing a sign of humanity and the close connection between our countries.”

The ceremony was organised by local businessman Gelu Palamaru whose mother had witnessed the crash. In flames and heading directly for the village, the pilot of the stricken aircraft changed course at the last minute to crash into nearby marshes. The Wellington bomber from 150 Squadron was shot down by German anti-aircraft gunners on the night of 6/7 May 1944 while on a bombing mission from Amendola in Italy to the Romanian oilfields near Ploiesti.

Mr Palamaru said: “I’m glad that such a small community like Comana has become a symbol of friendship between our two nations. We commemorate an event that took place here in a unique way and I would like to thank the current British Embassy staff and RAF personnel who have agreed to continue supporting the tradition for over 25 years. Thank you Britons and Romanians, and all our guests today.”

In 1946, the bodies of the five airmen: Warrant Officer Stanley Clarke and Sergeants Leonard Cox, Robert Scott, George Vaughn and Clifford Walker were disinterred and moved to the British Military Cemetery at Tâncabesti, near Bucharest.

This touching story was largely unknown outside of the Comana region until, in early 1990, just after the fall of the communist regime, the aircraft wreckage was rediscovered.

In May of that year, the people of Comana held a commemorative Orthodox religious ceremony in honour of the aircrew at the monastery where the bodies were first laid to rest. The ceremony has been held annually ever since and over the years has attracted hundreds of local people, senior Romanian politicians and British Embassy personnel.