Public Contributions:

Attached is a copy of the handwritten letter from the mayor of Bar le Duc (France).
Walter Boocock lost his life ensuring his crippled bomber did not take civilian lives when it crashed. He stayed with the plane as it went down. A transcription of the letter from the mayor of the to...wn he saved is below: “A military plane crashed on our soil in the night of 12-13th July 1944. The brave crew did all in their power to spare our village and the town of Bar le Duc the awful damage that might have been caused to our homes by the fall of the plane and explosions of the bombs. I was a witness of their long struggle in vain, with all our population more troubled by the drama that was being played to save us than anxiety on our own account. We had so much confidence in them. They were taken to our cemetery where the grave is an object of veneration of all, even in the worst day of occupation these heros slept under flowers and the Cross of Lorraine in the shade of a Great Oak Cross. Please will you assure the mother of your friend and also those of his comrades of our affectionate sympathy and of all the gratitude that we owe to those who saved us and in doing so gave their lives for our liberation. The precious trust which has been given to us is preciously guarded – lying in the soil of Lorraine they are as our own. Signed Robert Picquart, mayor ” Read More