Your memories ... of bravery in war (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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Your memories ... of bravery in war
1:24pm Thursday 23rd June 2011 in Nostalgia
More than 1,500 people attended the funeral of Archibald Edmund Hill who narrowly avoided crashing into houses when shot down over a small Norweigian island in 1941. If youhave memories to share, contact Diana Deal at ddeal@gazetteandherald
Readers are being asked to help a researcher who is looking into the case of pilot Archibald Edmund Hill who was shot down during the Second World War.
Mr Hill, who was married to an Edna of Calne, served with the 248th and later the 254th squadron.
On April 15 1941 he and two other crew members of QY-P took off from RAF Sumburgh on Shetland towards the Norwegian coast.
But the flight ended in tragedy for the three when the British Blenheim was shot down by German ace Felix Maria Brandis piloting an ME-110.
The air battle was short, but intense, and Mr Hill narrowly avoided crashing into houses on the very small island of Drøno in Austevoll.
Researcher Trond Hagenes said: “The plane was on fire, and hit the bog in Storamyro at 8.59 am local time. The gunner George James William Webb fired until the very last second.
“On the crash site the locals only found debris and scattered body parts, documents and a service revolver.”
Nearly 1,500 people attended the funeral but Mr Hagenes said that only two coffins were used because it was realised only much later that three crew had been on board.
Mr Hagenes is hoping to contact any remaining family of Mr Hill, who was born in Aldershot in 1918. They will be very welcome at a commemorative event later this year. Mr Hagenes can be contacted on + 47 55 08 21 03 - + 47 988 74 253 www.marsteinen.no
