A FLIGHT Sergeant from Camelford has been remembered at the 75th commemoration of the crash of an RAF Lancaster aircraft.

The crew of a Second World War Royal Air Force Lancaster have been honoured with the unveiling of a new memorial in the French field where they crashed. For years, their foreign final resting place had been cared for by local children, now the French community in St Martin-sur-Oreuse have come together with British families and military colleagues to pay tribute to seven men who gave their lives in defence of the UK and her allies.

Sergeant Donald Carl Stephens, from Camelford, was one of seven aircrew lost from the Lancaster aircraft from 49 Squadron RAF on their 17th mission during the Second World War. Donald was a wireless operator on the 49 Squadron Lancaster, flying from RAF Fiskerton in Lincolnshire.

Seventy-five years ago the men of Lancaster JB701 were on one of 12 aircraft from 49 Squadron who took off from RAF Fiskerton in Lincolnshire, bound for a bombing raid over northern Germany. In the early hours of July 29, 1944, the crew were shot down by enemy fighter aircraft near Sens, 120km south of Paris. None survived the crash and they were buried together in the nearby cemetery of St Martin-sur-Oreuse.

The seven crew members of Lancaster JB701 were Pilot Flight Lieutenant William Powell, aged 22 of Croydon, Surrey; Navigator Flying Officer Geoffrey Edward Franklin, aged 31 of Lampeter, Cardiganshire; Bomb Aimer Flying Officer Albert Stanley Cole, aged 21 of Hastings, Sussex; Flight Engineer Sergeant George Frederick West, aged 29 of Altrincham, Cheshire; Air Gunner Sergeant Thomas Moore of Dublin, Ireland; Air Gunner Sergeant George Edward Kirkpatrick, aged 30 of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire; and Wireless Operator Flight Sergeant Donald Carl Stephens, aged 20 of Camelford, Cornwall.

Although unconfirmed, it is believed Donald was born in 1924, the son of John Andrew Stephens and Bertha Stephens. His mother, Bertha, was born Bertha Fray and may have married someone from the Carne family, who died in 1914. Bertha Carne nee Fray then married again to John Stephens, who died in 1930. She was living at 2 Willepark View, Boscastle, in 1939.

Unfortunately the RAF have not been able to track any relatives but it is possible that Donald’s father, John, was one of several siblings. John was born in 1896 and had eight siblings — Mary E, George R, Emily A, Mabel R, Edith, Florence, Harry and Albert.

In an edition of the Post, dated December 1, 1945, a passage reads: “In July last year Flight-Sergeant Stephens was reported missing, and a day or two ago his mother received the information that he was killed whilst on an operational flight with a Lancaster Pathfinder Force. Flight-Sergeant Stephens who had been recommended for a commission, had taken part in many operational flights over Germany and enemy occupied countries. He was a popular student at the Camelford Grammar School and was loved and respected by all who knew him, and sympathy is expressed with the widowed mother and fiancee in their bereavement. In his boyhood days he was a valued member of the Camelford and Boscastle Boys Brigade.”

Families and military colleagues were recently invited to the site at St Martin-sur-Oreuse to partake in the unveiling of a new memorial for the seven crew. The bringing together of families and friends is the work of local man Monsieur Jean-Luc Prieur, who has been searching for living relatives and raising awareness of the crew’s story for the past 15 years. Some of the men in the 1940s photographs remain a mystery — the crew who ranged in age from 20 to 31, had home towns spread across the UK, including Cardiganshire, Cornwall and Croydon.

More than 55,573 young men died whilst flying with Bomber Command in the Second World War. Flight Lieutenant Neil Farrell flies the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Lancaster, commemorating all those who have served in the RAF and Royal Flying Corps. He said: “Talking with the veterans about their experiences during World War Two brings home the significance of continuing to fly the RAF BBMF fleet of World War Two aircraft as a living tribute to them. We should never forget the sacrifices they made not the hardships they faced in defence of their country.”

Do any of our readers know any more about Donald, his family and his life in Camelford? Get in touch by ringing 01566 778212 or email [email protected]