A new memorial has been unveiled near Boston, Lincolnshire, dedicated to the crew of an RAF Lancaster, who perished when their aircraft crashed on the Butterwick Low coastal mudflat in the early hours of 26 July 1942.
The Lancaster, piloted by Flight Sergeant Geoffrey Appleyard DFM, crashed shortly after taking off from RAF Coningsby with the loss of all seven crew members. Five of the airmen are buried at Dogdyke Road Cemetery adjacent to RAF Coningsby, with the remaining crew laid to rest in cemeteries in Cardiff and Felixstowe.
Flight Sergeant Andrew Copley, a member of the RAF Coningsby Aviation Heritage Centre, began researching the incident a decade ago, with the aim of pinpointing the exact crash location and tracing family descendants of the crew. Through extensive research using documents from the National Archives and military records, FS Copley successfully identified the crash site and then located members of all seven of the crews' families, living across the UK, Australia and Canada.
FS Copley led the memorial's construction in partnership with RAF colleagues, Saul Farms and the 106 Squadron Association. The memorial has been erected near Benington Sea End north of Boston, positioned at the closest accessible point to where the aircraft came down. Family members attending the unveiling ceremony included the niece of Appleyard, the niece of Flight Engineer Robert Sgt Lovie Beaddie, and relatives of Rear Gunner Sgt James Douglas Davie.
The day began with families hosted at the Station Heritage Centre, followed by a visit to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster. After lunch in the Sergeants' Mess function room - named after pilot Geoffrey Appleyard DFM - a service of remembrance was held at the graves of five crew members at Dogdyke Road Cemetery before the main memorial dedication.
Over 40 people proceeded to the memorial site, led by a bagpiper and followed by re-enactors from the 'We'll Meet Again Museum' at Freiston Shore, families of the crew, representatives from the 106 Squadron Association, Royal British Legion, Royal Air Force Association, Benington Parish Council, Coastguard, and members of the local community.
The service, conducted by RAF Coningsby Padre Reverend Flight Lieutenant Gilbert, featured moving tributes from the crews' families, Saul Farms, the 106 Squadron Association, and FS Copley himself.
Mrs Brewer, niece of pilot Geoffrey Appleyard DFM, described the day as "perfect and memorable" and expressed gratitude to FS Copley for his dedication in organising the event.
Mr Lake, nephew of Rear Gunner James Douglas Davie, said:
"This memorial is now placed for future generations to recognise the ultimate price that those seven men and 57,000 others paid all those years ago to give us freedom."
FS Copley commented:
"The memorial may seem like the end of a long personal ten-year research journey for me but the work continues. The preservation of the crews' documents and the collation of the crews' story is now my next task and I'm sure it will keep me busy for many months, perhaps years to come. Lest we forget."
