A GROUP of people will travel from Australia to Driffield to walk in the footsteps of the men who served in the town with Bomber Command during World War 11.
The group will be led by Tiana Adair, whose father, LA Walker, served in No 466 Squadron based at Driffield.
She said: “A group of us will be coming over from Australia this year, in order to commemorate Anzac Day in Driffield on April 25.
“We are actually coming for for a month in order to walk in their footsteps, go to places they went, visit their Base in Driffield and Lichfield, explore their Halifax crash site in Germany, pay tribute to those of 466/462 who did not return at the various war cemeteries in Britain and on the continent, and even visit the German NiFi Pilot who shot them down.
“It will be a pretty exciting and amazing trip.
She said: “A great deal of it is in order to commemorate our boys who flew out of Driffield.”
ITINERARY April 20 Sat T flies out Brisbane – Melb – London, arr (Sun) Hitler’s birthday!!! Meet up with Adrian McClellend 466 Crew 132, in Melbourne. April 21 Sun LONDON Arr London 0530 – Rest day. Staying at the Victory Services Club near Marble Arch. April 22 Mon LONDON All meet up for 466 excursions eg Green Park Bomber Command Memorial; Churchill’s War Rooms @ Westminster/St James’ Park; Australia House (Boomerang Club), the Strand; St Clement Danes Church, the Strand. Drinks at the Victory Services Club for those of us in London. April 23 EAST KIRKBY LEAVE London, pick up car. Excursion to Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre @ East Kirby, Lincolnshire. 1.30 pm Lancaster Taxi Run. See, feel, hear the roar of a Lancaster in action! Staying Skegness. April 24 DRIFFIELD/YORK Skegness to Driffield. Meet-up that eve with 466 group for pre Anzac Day dinner. A number of 466/462 Vets attending. April 25 DRIFFIELD/YORK DRIFFIELD - ANZAC DAY activities. 1100 hours, 466 Anzac Day Service. Place wreath for Crew 172. Lunch in pub where they use to go. Afternoon escorted visit to Driffield 466 Air Base 13.30. Escorted visit to Lichfield Training Base is alternative visit. RAF taking us. RAF joining us for Anzac Day. Possible fly over of 466 Base. Dinner for Vets and families. April 26 DRIFFIELD/YORK VIP visit to Halifax ‘Friday the 13th’, @ Yorkshire Air Museum 10am start. Phil Kemp YAM contact. Take letters re parts of the aircraft that they thought belonged to my Dad’s kite NP 975. Climb aboard the Halifax and see where Dad worked! Vets for free. April 27 DRIFFIELD/YORK York City. Take identical photo in same place as Crew 172 photo was taken after first Pilot, Peter Lord was killed. Go to ‘Betty’s ‘for lunch and see their graffiti still on the mirror. York Air Show may be on.
April 28 MAIDSTONE Drive York to Duxford, Imperial War Museum, to see a B 17, V1, Me 109. Spitfire, anti-aircraft gun. Then on to Maidstone. April 29 Mon GERMANY FARMHOUSE @ CRASHSITE Meet John Dann @ Maidstone and cross from Folkestone to continent. Drive to Germany to stay at Doug and Anita’s farmhouse near Winterspelt crash site, 1 km from NP 975! April 30 BELGIUM/GERMANY Farmhouse 2 Visit crash site with Manfred Klien and place wreath. Visit Ron @ Hotton and place wreath. Visit NiFi Pilot’s interception point at Prum. Visit the area where they bailed out and landed in the middle of the German Army Camp! Visit the stone church they were held in after capture. Tour the surrounding area which was the middle of the Battle of the Bulge! May 1 BELGIUM/GERMANY FARMHOUSE 3 Continue Part II of above eg crash site with Manfred Klein/Hotton/surrounding area/Winterspelt/Prum/Stone Church etc. German public holiday. May 2 FRANCE Leave Germany and drive to France. Visit the Maginot Line if possible, and V2 launch site? Staying near Mailly-l-Camp for No. 460 Squadron Memorial Service of Mailly raid, May 3-4 1944. Reception drinks with vets, families and military personal. May 3 FRANCE Main Service today followed by lunch with vets, families and military representatives. Laurie Woods DFC from home is attending. He is a friend of mine and I would like to support him at this event. He is turning 91 this year and has travelled a long way for this special event to commemorate his friends who did not return home. May 4 GERMANY ACCOM KRONBERG John and T to Germany. Visit Bingen (Dad’s final op before being shot down by Launer 20 minutes later). Drive from Bingen to Kronberg (near Frankfurt) to spend afternoon with Luftwaffe Ace NiFi Pilot, Peter S. Stay Kronberg 1.
May 5 GERMANY NEAR MUNICH/DACAU Drive Kronberg to Hailfingen/Tailfingen to visit the remains of the Luftwaffe NiFi Base (NJG 6) that Launer and S (and Weigel and Johnen all flew from that fateful night). NJG 6 was built by forced labour and is a commemorative site as well for the many prisoners who died there. http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-hailfingen-tailfingen.de/pdf/i.kz.zu_zusammenf_b1.pdf NiFi Pilot Richard Launer is buried around here, Stuttgart, somewhere. I hope to find out where before we go. Also visit Durnbach Cemetery re 462 Sqdn graves and John’s relative’s grave. Stay Munich/Dacau area. May 6 ACCOM KRONBERG 2 Dachau Concentration Camp and then back to Kronberg and BBQ with family who know John’s relative’s crash site, LV 827. May 7 ACCOM YPRES FRANCE Leave Kronberg 10 am. Visit Dad’s Pilot and friend Peter Lord at Reichswald Forest Cemetery. Place wreath. Visit Venray War Cemetery re some of our Driffield 466/462 boys. Ypres by 1700 for last Post at the Menin Gate at 20:00. Stay Ypres (near Dunkirk). May 8 ACCOM LONDON AREA VE Day. Return to Ol’ Blighty, arriving about 10:30 and then visiting Brooklands Museum (it has a Wellie. Dad flew many Wellies)! May 9 ACCOM LONDON AREA Visit Runnymede (for the 20 000 who died with no known graves) and place wreath for Cyril McCall from 463 Sqdn, Dad’s best friend, killed on his first raid Sept 23 1944, nd a number of 466 boys. After visit Hendon Imperial War Museum to see a Ju 88 (Dad was shot down by a JU 88) and other aircraft connected to the story eg FW190, He111, He162, Ju87, Me109 x2, Me110, Me262, V1 and V2 are all on public display at Hendon. Visit Dad’s house, where he was born at Hendon. May 10
London area – Excursion in morning. Fly out to visit son in Bangkok at 18.20 dep.