And while his brave exploits have been recorded in military annals, many from his native land remain unaware that his memory lives on amongst townsfolk in the area he was finally laid to rest. On Monday of next week at 6.55pm, the people of Jonzac in the Poitou-Charente region of France will gather in front of the monument at the Place de la Gare to commemorate the tragic deaths of two airmen who died in their Mosquito at exactly the same date and time in 1944.
Warrant Officer D J MacRae, who was 24, died alongside pilot Clement Fletcher (21) who was from Halifax in Yorkshire. The aircraft was attacking two munition trains containing shells for heavy calibre naval guns. As a result of the attack the trains exploded throughout that night, destroying everything on board. But whilst pulling out of the attack, it appears the aircraft hit the branch of a tree which tore off one of the wings.
The pair had been attached to 151 squadron RAF. Warrant Officer MacRae was the only son of Mr and Mrs John Macrae of The Bungalow, Alness and was on the staff of Messrs D Matheson and Son, architects and civil engineers, Dingwall, prior to joining the RAF.
The Journal was contacted ahead of next week’s commemoration by retired policeman Ian McKillop who has since moved to the Charente area of France. The Jonzac monument was erected by townspeople in 2004 to mark the 60th anniversary of the men’s deaths.
Said Mr McKillop, “There are many monuments to resistance fighters who were killed in my local area and the French, in this area at least, still commemerate their war dead. Flowers are laid at these small memorial stones often placed at the side of a road. This area is full of stories about the wartime years and so when I saw a post in a forum about a memorial to the two RAF personnel I decided to investigate who they were.”
At the time of the tragedy, the Air Ministry wrote to Warrant Officer MacRae’s parents. Poignantly, the letter tells how a piece of paper bearing the young airman’s number, name and initials were found in his pocket, helping to confirm his identity.
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The memorial to the airmen in the French town of Jonzac. |
The letter goes on to state that he was buried by the Germans with military honours at the cemetery at Jonzac. It goes on, “After the Germans had left the cemetery, the inhabitants of Jonzac paid their last respects and covered the graves with flowers.”
It says how a local Frenchman had taken it on himself to tend the graves and erect crosses with the names of the men.
It adds, “You may possibly like to know that your son’s aircraft was attacking two munition trains containing shells for heavy calibre naval guns. As a result of the attack the trains exploded all night and there was nothing left of them in the morning. Whilst pulling out of the attack it appears the aircraft hit the branch of a tree which tore off one of the wings.”
He is described as being of a particularly bright and amiable disposition and very popular with his comrades.
