Bid for monument to airman

Kyt · Sep 29, 2008

Bid For Monument To Airman Killed In War Raid (from The Herald )

For more than 60 years his body has lain peacefully in a quiet Belgian cemetery. But now moves are afoot to erect a monument to a young Glaswegian airman, shot down near the village of Perk during one of the Second World War's most devastating offensives.

Charles O'Brien was just 23 when he took off from his RAF base for the last time, a flying officer on one of the 956 aircraft that made up the second Thousand Bomber Raid against the Germans on June 2, 1942.

Killed immediately when his plane encountered heavy fire in the skies above Belgium after a raid on the industrial town of Essen, Flying Officer O'Brien was buried in a local graveyard before being transferred to the Canadian Cemetery at Adegem after the war.

If the crew of the Wellington Bomber holds a special place in the hearts of Perk's residents, it is partly because of their effort to help liberate Belgium from the Nazis, but also because of their connection after the crash.

Two airmen, pilot Ronald Robinson and officer O'Brien, were pronounced dead, but three others dragged themselves out of the wreckage. While two were captured by the Germans, one - Sergeant DeMone, of the Royal Canadian Air Force - was spirited away by the resistance and escaped to Scotland.

Interest in the case was sparked earlier this year, when local historian Bruno Gielis launched an investigation into the crash. He has found friends and family of two crew, but his search for relatives of officer O'Brien has proved fruitless.

Mr Gielis said: "The aim of my research is to raise a monument and find out what really happened that night."

With the RAF able to provide few details other than officer O'Brien's date of birth, March 18, 1919, Mr Gielis resorted to posting out letters to O'Briens in the phone book - including Cardinal Keith O'Brien. He said: "The cardinal wasn't related to Charles O'Brien, but he was very helpful. He said he'd write to his parishoners to see if any of them knew anything, or could write to people in their local areas."
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Bid for monument to airman

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