Genealogy Chat

My cousin was killed in the RAF on11/12 May 1944 and in the town of Beverlo there is a memorial to the civilians killed in the raid he was on in the form of an engine from his bomber.

I would like to contact the mayor (burgomaster?) of Beverlo to obtain details of the memorial and the circumstances.

Can anyone find contact details to write to the mayor of town council? No luck so far on Google.

Someone made a documentary about it a few years ago -

Published on Wednesday 5 May 2004 15:38 in the Linlithgow Gazette:

First time abroad as Joe honours hero dad

A Bo'ness man who has never been out of the country has applied for a passport to honour his war hero father.

Joe Connelly (63) will be a guest of honour in the Belgian town of Beverlo at the unveiling of a new war memorial.

For his father, Joseph, died when his Avro Lancaster exploded in a ball of flame over Beverlo on May 11, 1944.

Now, 60 years after the event, an engine from Lancaster bomber LL792 PO-E has been used as part of the memorial to the eight-man crew, of which air gunner Flight Sergeant Joseph Connelly was the only Scot.

The bomber was taking part in Operation Bourg-Leopold, a raid on an enemy military encampment in Belgium, and was on its bombing run when it was intercepted by a German night-fighter and shot down in flames.

Flight Sergeant Connolly, from Cowie near Stirling, is buried with five other crew members in Heverlee War Cemetery. The remaining two airmen are buried at Leopoldsburg War Cemetery. They were members of 467 Squadron based at Waddington in Lincolnshire

Joe, who is semi-retired, was less than three years old at the time and never knew his father.

And he would never have known about next month's memorial unveiling without the assistance of his cousin Matthew Quinn who lives in Stirling.

The two men had not been in touch for ages but when Mr Quinn read about the event in his local paper he immediately though of Joe and travelled to Bo'ness to tell him about the 60th anniversary preparations.

Now a Belgian television company is making a documentary programme about Lancaster bomber LL792 PO-E and has laid on the red carpet treatment for the families of the dead airmen.

Joe, of Deanfield Terrace, said: "I knew nothing about the war memorial or the television programme until Matthew arrived at the house one night with the information.

"I now know that a Belgian television company is filming the event and I've been invited to go over and take part which I'm going to do.

"In fact, I'm very much looking forward to it even if it will be my first time on an aeroplane!"

Joe's son, also Joseph, (34), as kept up the family's military traditions.

Colour Sergeant Connelly is just back from Basra in Iraq where he has been serving with his regiment the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.


Jill

Thank you Jill, I had found that article.
About 15 years ago I went to the Heverlee cementery and saw the graves.
So I would like to get details of the memorialand even a copy of the film !

I found another snippet which mentioned that it was in the Community Centre but no image or anything.

Jill

Progress:
I wrote to the mayor of Beverlo and my letter was passed on to the president of the "Historical Centre" in Beverlo who has emailed me and will be able to get some of the information that I am after.
And his English is quite good, so no need to translate everything into Dutch ! :-)

The president of the Historical Centre has not come back to me and his emails are being returned as undeliverable. so it's back to square one.

How annoying !