Comment | Read Comments (8)

Sheila Hamilton and her mother, Mary.

Buy this photo

THE beginning of a war hero's final journey will be witnessed by the daughter of his former Wharfedale sweetheart.

Early next month the remains of Flight Sergeant John Edward Kehoe will be removed from a crash site at Berkhout, a village in Holland, so he can be buried in his native Ireland.

To watch the proceedings, Addingham resident Sheila Hamilton will travel to Holland on Saturday. Mrs Hamilton's mother, Mary Wrighton (nee Irving) was engaged to Sgt Kehoe before he went on his final mission to Essen on November 8, 1941.

Mrs Hamilton, 54, of Burns Hill, said: "I am meeting up with Captain Petersen from the Dutch Air force, who is in charge of the excavation.

"We will walk the field together and he will explain what is going to take place over the coming month as the excavation goes ahead. In the buried plane still lie the remains of Sgt Kehoe (Paddy) and Sgt Stanley Mullenger.

"The excavation starts officially on Sept 3, whereby the local Mayor Ms Speikes will give permission for the dig to commence. It has been a big issue in Holland with TV and press coverage."

"The Dutch people want this to go ahead and are more than happy that their taxes are being used to pay for it. They have supported it all the way."

Mrs Hamilton started researching into the crash when her widowed mum, who is now 84 and living in Burley-in-Wharfedale, told her about her wartime fiance. After he died the former nurse put her grief behind her when she met and married someone else, having six children, one of them Sheila.

Hero John Kehoe, whose plane was shot down in Holland.

Mrs Hamilton said: "It is fantastic. It is something I feel I have to do. I went out last November. I went to see the field and put some flowers there."

Her mum has not been up to making the journey herself.

The excavation is one of two taking place to recover bodies from crashed World War Two planes. The total cost is around one million Euros and the Berkhout one will take place first because of the age of Sgt Kehoe's sister Margaret, 87, who wants to see him laid to rest in the family cemetery in County Wexford.

The crashed Hampden was one of the bombers of 49 Squadron, based at Scampton, Lincolnshire. It was shot down by a German night fighter.

The fatally injured pilot and co-pilot were thrown clear of the wreckage and were buried in a cemetery in Bergen. The remains of the other crew member who will be unearthed with Sgt Kehoe will also be buried with his crewmates in the Bergen cemetery.

While she is in Holland, Mrs Hamilton will enjoy the hospitality of the farmer who owns the field.

"The most important thing in all of this is the way the Dutch community have remembered this crew, the family on the farm where the plane lies and the village children have always laid flowers in remembrance every year," said Coun Hamilton.

She added: "When the relatives found out where their loved ones fell, this was the most heartening news - that they were never forgotten."

3:10pm Thursday 30th August 2007

Mary Irving (as she was in 1941).

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login