HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-12-13, Page 16Crossroads
16
Times -Advocate
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Halifax returns to light after 60 years
CREDITON — Over 60
years after its secret mis-
sion to aid Polish resis-
tance fighters ended in a
field, the wreckage of a
Royal Canadian Air force
Halifax bomber, along
with remains belonging to
Crediton crewmember
Harold Leonard Brown is
believed to have been
recovered by a team of
Polish archeologists and
historians.
Flying Officer, Wireless
Air Gunner Brown was a
crew member on Halifax
JP276 which along with
23 other planes took off
from Brindisi, Italy, Aug.
4, 1944, to drop supplies
to members of the Polish
resistance who were
engaged in combat opera-
tions against the German
army.
Brown was born in 1924
in Crediton and after
graduating from public
school there, attended
high school in Exeter and
graduated from Grade 13.
Brown was studying at
the Radio College of
Canada in Toronto when
the Second World War
intervened and in 1942 he
enlisted in the Royal
Canadian Air Force.
After completing basic
training as well as wire-
less school and then
Bombing and Gunnery
School, Brown received
his wings and was com-
missioned a Flying Officer,
Wireless Air Gunner May
28, 1943.
He was the youngest
graduate as well as being
first in his class.
Brown was first posted
to England and then to an
attached posting with the
Royal Air Force in Italy
until his last mission.
On Aug. 11, 1944
Brown's father Henry
received a telegram from
the RCAF saying that his
son was missing in action.
Henry received another
letter Feb. 2, 1946, from
the RCAF describing the
details of his son's last
mission.
The letter described a
report from a Polish sol-
dier who had left Russian
occupied territory recently
and said the remains of
the crew were found at
the crash site hours after
the plane was shot down.
The report went on to
say the crew members
were buried in secret in a
state cemetery at
Dabrowa,Tarnowska, by
the Polish underground,
who were subsequently
punished by the Gestapo
for their actions.
Following the war the
remains of the crew of
Halifax JP276 were
moved to Krakow
Rakowicki Cemetery.
Piotr Sliwowski is the
head of the history
department at the
Warsaw Uprising
Museum.
Sliwowski said while he
was working on a replica
of a B-24 bomber for the
museum, he was contact-
ed by one of the members
of the underground who
had operated in the area
in 1944 and knew of the
location of the crashed
Halifax in a field outside
of Dabrowa Tarnowska.
According to Sliwowski,
the team is working to
confirm that the plane
they found is JP276.
Sliwowski said the
owner of the field said he
witnessed the crash and
remembers that after the
war some parts of the
Halifax were above
ground level.
"It was a muddy area
and after the crash
ground water levels start-
ed to increase creating a
small pond. Local commu-
nist authorities wanted to
get rid of the aircraft in
the late '40s but when
they saw how big the
wreck was decided to
—bury" it there. We veri-
fied that information
using ground penetrating
radar. The printouts
showed there was an
object 20 metres long and
two metres high lying
three metres below the
ground. After obtaining all
the necessary permissions
we started to work."
Sliwowski added "what
remains of the plane con-
sists of a few tonnes of
twisted, badly destroyed
metal full of mud.
However, we decided to
excavate it."
The most difficult task,
according to Sliwowski
was to excavate the
engines, of which they
found two Rolls Royce
Merlin engines in good
condition.
While the condition of
the aircraft will make
reconstruction impossible,
Sliwowski said there were
also personal belongings,
badges and maps which
will become the property
of the museum.
"According to the Polish
law all the items found
during excavation works
becomes Polish state
property which, according
to separate agreement, is
passed to our institution.
We have to conservate
and identify them. Of
course it is our duty to
display them. Some of the
items will be added to our
permanent exposition.
The rest will be presented
on a special exhibition."
Sliwowski said the
remains of the crew will
be added to the grave in
Krakow during a special
ceremony but the date
has not been fixed yet.
History uncovered — The wreckage of a Halifax bomber shot down Aug. 5, 1944, in Poland, believed to
have been the one that Harold Brown of Crediton (above) was a crewmember on, was uncovered in a field
recently by a Polish museum team. Below, Piotr Sliwowski, head of the history department at the Warsaw
Uprising Museum, holds a piece of the wreckage that was recovered. (photos/submitted)