Royal Air Force, British Army and Royal Navy personnel deployed on operations to the United Arab Emirates gathered to hold a Service of Remembrance at the Donnelly Memorial in Fujairah.
Sergeant William ‘Billy’ Donnelly was an RAF navigator and only British Serviceman to be buried in the United Arab Emirates after dying during World War II.
On the 14th of February 1943, the aircrew of a RAF Vickers Wellington Bomber flew across the mountains, from RAF Sharjah to India.
However, 30 minutes into the flight, the aircraft suffered an oil leak. The pilot, Sergeant Chadwick, tried to return to base; however a propeller broke off, forcing the aircraft to crash-land on the coast near Sayh Dhadnah in Fujairah. This resulted in the death of navigator Sergeant Donnelly and irreparable damage to the aircraft.
The three surviving crew used stones and aircraft parts to form Donnelly’s grave, near the crash site, after the original grave was washed away following a storm. A memorial was later erected in 2010, by Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, the Ruler of Fujairah.
British personnel serving in the United Arab Emirates hold an annual ceremony of remembrance for Sergeant Donnelly, along with local authority.
On the 79th anniversary of the crash, Sergeant Archer led a small team of Army and RAF personnel currently deployed in the Middle East, to the site. They tended to the area and repainted the Arabic inscription on the rear of the memorial.
"It was important for me and the others to come here to pay our respects to the memory of Sergeant Donnelly and by allowing us to spruce up the memorial it allows the younger members of the team to have an opportunity to get a greater appreciation of the roots of the RAF and the sacrifices made by the previous generations."
Sergeant Archer
83 Expeditionary Air Wing
"The Service today is an illustration that those who make the ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten, wherever they fall. This is all the more poignant for me, as I am also aircrew and have lost friends and colleagues who were flying on operations, the same as Sergeant Donnelly. It also provides a timely reminder of the enduring friendship between the UK and the UAE, a friendship which is as important today as it has ever been."
Wing Commander Taylor
Officer Commanding 906 Expeditionary Air Wing
"As someone who spent their childhood in the UAE, by coming here I was able not only to commemorate the sacrifice of Sergeant Donnelly but it gave me an opportunity to highlight both an almost forgotten theatre of operations from World War II and also the close historical links between the UK and the UAE. It has been a privilege to be a part of it."
Flight Lieutenant Baig
Deployed Admin Officer
