Remains of Lancaster bomber returning to RAF Metheringham

[Shippo]

Please see the brief story on the some of the remains that have been returned to RAF Metheringham together with the ITV reporter interviewing the Barton sisters on...
http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update ... colnshire/

The Sleaford Standard has now released a video and report of the remains of the Lancaster bomber ZN PD214 on http://www.sleafordstandard.co.uk/news/ ... -1-6803846

These photographs were taken by the Lincolnshire Echo - see http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/pictu ... es.html#18

The search for Lancaster bomber ZN PD214 from 106 Squadron which last flew from RAF Metheringham began in nearly two years ago by the granddaughters of Flight Engineer Ronald Barton.

He was part of the crew who never returned. 55,573 aircrew of Bomber Command were killed during World War Two of which 25,611 lost their lives flying from the 27 aerodromes in the Bomber County of Lincolnshire alone.

Some of the remains of the crashed Lancaster were returned to the Metheringham Airfield Visitor last weekend by three members of Friends of Metheringham Airfield after completing a round trip of about 850 miles to northern Germany.

Julie Barton of Beddau, near Pontypridd and Debbie Bartlett from Essex, Sgt Barton’s granddaughters, have to seeking to find his resting place for nearly two years.

It was the crew’s 30th mission with the aircraft crashing just over 70 years ago. It left its base at RAF Metheringham, near Lincoln in Lincolnshire, on its final flight to take part on a raid on Bremen on 6th October 1944. Only two bodies were found by the German Army. The body of their grandfather was never found as well with the other crew members.

The full list of the crew is: Flt Lt Donald Stewart, pilot; Sgt Ronald Pascoe Barton, Flt Engineer; Flt Sgt George Kirby, navigator; Flt Sgt Clyde Service, , air bomber, who was Canadian; Sgt Gordon Grogan, wireless operator; Flt Sgt James Fell, mid upper gunner; Sgt Ronald Paul, rear gunner; Flt Lt J C Barlow, trainee pilot, who was an Australian.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION...

This was shown as a news item on BBC Wales - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-sout ... s-31484873

The Daily Mail wrote this article - see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... state.html

The Daily Mirror took up the story - see http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news ... ly-5168739

The story has been mentioned on this web site...

Sun behind cloudWw2 Heros Grave Saved By His Family From German ...

http://www.ebuzzword.com/ww2-heros-grav ... -from-germ...

•Cached

Flight Engineer Ronald Barton, 34, and his comrades are believed to be lying in ... this month after an epic search by surviving relatives of Sgt Barton. ... the farmer's field last week near the town of Cloppenburg, in northern Germany, ... diggers on Monday – without allowing archaeologists to search for bodies and wreckage.

This reporter wrote his article about the Lancaster bomber PD 214 ZN, its crew, and the crash - see https://willhumphries.wordpress.com/201 ... evelopers/

The Sleaford Target (Lincolnshire) wrote this piece on http://www.sleafordtarget.co.uk/Lancast ... story.html

Was shown on all of these ITV net works - see http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update ... -built-on/

Now this report and video was made for the county of Surrey dated 23rd February 2015 see http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey- ... nd-8698092

This Welsh newspaper took up the storyline on http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk ... story.html

Bone fragments now been found on crash site...

See this link on http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk ... story.html

See link on http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales ... sh-8684075

See this link as well on http://www.wales.org.uk/news/2015/bone- ... man-field/

The Daily Mirror gave details in Saturday's edition (21st February 2015) about the bones that have been found.

See details of discussion which has taken place on this link http://www.ww2f.com/topic/55041-pd214-c ... -too-late/

From what has happened since the story of the grand daughters' and their grand father's aeroplane crash site which is believed to be his final resting place, the Northern German Cloppenburg Council have announced they will allow a full excavation to look for bones before the houses are built and also place a memorial plaque to the men of Lancaster PD241 ZN of 106 Squadron from RAF Metheringham, Lincoln, which was returning from its final mission (30th) but failed to return to base.

John Shipton
Friends of Metheringham Airfield
Lincoln
Wartime home to 106 Squadron