THE grave of a Dorchester born airman and those of five of his comrades who all were shot down during the Second World War have been rededicated following a search to find their families.

A service was held in Holland for the six Wellington bomber airmen, from 103 Squadron RAF The airmen included Sgt Alfred Le Poidevin, aged 23, who was born in Dorchester.

Wellington R1397 and its crew took off from RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire at 11.30pm on July 24, 1941 with five other aircraft on a mission to bomb the docks at the German town of Emden.

It is believed to have been the crew’s sixth sortie together. Whilst the bombing mission was successful, on their return they were engaged by a German night fighter, believed to be piloted by Helmut Lent-a Luftwaffe ace with 110 successful attacks on allied aircraft, who reported shooting down a Wellington that night.

The Wellington crashed near the village of Bozum, Netherlands, with no survivors. In 2011, a memorial plaque at the crash site was organised by the Stichting Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation.

The crew were believed to be buried locally but their precise resting place was unknown. However, research by the Foundation and the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces was recently submitted to the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of Defence Business Services. A review of the evidence by JCCC was able to confirm all six airmen were buried in a communal grave at Leeuwarden Cemetery. The JCCC then spent many months researching the whereabouts of the crew’s surviving family members before organising the service at Leeuwarden, in association with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The service was led by Rev Flt Lt Adrian Stark-Ordish who was accompanied by a Trumpeter from the Central Band of the RAF and members of 614 Sqn RAF Reserves from Cardiff.

Rev Flt Lt Adrian Stark-Ordish said: “It is a privilege to gather with the families of those who died 74 years ago when Wellington R1397 was shot down. Grief and loss are hard to bear, and can be compounded by not knowing the resting place of loved ones. I hope rededicating these headstones bearing the airmen’s names brings some comfort to their families. I applaud the work of the JCCC, co-operating with the Royal Netherlands Army, in identifying this site. Their efforts demonstrate that those who make the ultimate sacrifice are not forgotten.”

WO Alfie Balzano from 614 Sqn RAF Reserves said: “It is an honour and a privilege for 614 Sqn to be representing the RAF Reserves today. 614 Sqn is a new welsh reserves squadron and this is a good way for our new members to connect to the past. It’s important for them to remember those who gave their lives in past conflicts.”

Others attending the service with family members were the Mayor of Leeuwarden, the Mayor of Bridgend in Wales (representing the home town of Sgt Williams) and representatives from the UK Defence Attaché, Royal Netherlands Air Force and local veterans organisations. Tracey Bowers from the MOD’s JCCC, who organised the service, said: “This rededication ceremony is a fitting conclusion following months of work undertaken by JCCC and the Air Historical Branch, working on the case of the Wellington R1397. We are privileged to have been able to honour these brave airmen at such a moving event in The Netherlands and to finally mark their graves.”

The six crew members were PO Mervyn Lund (23), Sgt John Cox (24), Sgt Arthur Owen (24), Sgt Alfred Le Poidevin (23), Sgt Frank Walker (30) and Sgt Roy Penry Williams (21).