Marking the 67th Anniversary of the departure of Elvington’s unique French Air Force Squadron’s back to France, the new Chief of the French Air Force, General Denis Mercier, will take on the role of Vice President of the Allied Air Forces Memorial and Yorkshire Air Museum.
His predecessor, General Jean-Paul Paloméros, now promoted to NATO Supreme Allied Commander, remains as a Vice President, along with the head of the Royal Air Force and Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Stephen Dalton.
Museum Director, Ian Reed, said, “We are delighted that the new Chief of the French Air Force has been appointed our Vice President, further establishing the Anglo French credentials of Elvington as the Allied Air Forces Memorial”.
During World War Two over 2,500 French airmen were stationed at Elvington, leading to the area being known as “Petit France”. Over 50% of their aircrews were killed in action whilst based there.
On October 20 1945, the official ceremony at Elvington for the departure of the French to Bordeaux was attended by Air Chief Marshal Bottomley, Chief of RAF Bomber Command. He took the Salute and addressed squadrons in French, acknowledging the contribution of the air and ground crews in the Liberation of Europe.
With the words “Au revoir! Vive la France!” the airmen of 346 Guyenne Squadron guided their Halifax bombers, packed with the bicycles they had used to get around their base and the Yorkshire countryside, into the skies over York for the last time.
Shortly after, on October 29, with scarcely any ceremony at all and in poor weather conditions, 347 Tunisie Squadron took to the skies.
Then came the final, ironic tragedy - at 11.56am, the Halifax RG561 of Sous Lieutenant Wellard came into difficulties, lost altitude and crashed in a field near Escrick, just 15 miles from Elvington. German and Italian prisoners of war, working in the fields rushed to help. Six survived, but Wellard and Sergent Prades were killed in the impact. So, it was with heavy hearts that the Squadrons finally returned to France.
The French veterans formed an association, to preserve the bonds formed during the time spent together in Yorkshire and the first job of Les Amicale des Anciens des Groupes Lourds was to build a Memorial in Elvington village itself.
In 1947 the idea initially came up against considerable bureaucracy until former Elvington Commander Puget was appointed as French Air Attaché in London, whereupon he took control of the project which was unveiled on September 28 1957.
The annual Act of Remembrance has taken place at this Memorial on Remembrance Sunday and this year will be the 57th such ceremony. The Service takes place at 11am on Sunday November 11.