Search on for family of crashed World War Two airman

A research team called "Historical Research Community Rhineland-Palatinate" based in Germany is looking for the family of an airman killed in a crash in 1943.

 

Erik Wieman says his group has found the crash site of an R.A.F. bomber of 90 Squadron in Limburgerhof. The aircraft, a four-engine Stirling Bomber, Serial EF129, had seven crew members aboard.

One crew member was from Canada. His name was Flight/Sgt. Hugh Coles MacMillan, Air Gunner, Son of Hugh MacMillan, 9 Glenrock Rd., Nobel, about an hour south of North Bay.

The plane crashed in the night of 05/06th Sept. 1943.  It's mission was to bomb the city of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. More than 600 allied aircraft took part in this attack. More than 30 planes were shot down.

EF129 was shot down by a German night fighter.

Read the story of EF129 and the excavation.

Wieman visited the United Kingdom on Remembrance Day, to present two crew members families with parts of the plane.

He says, as with all sites they find (close to 20 projects/crash sites) they want to plant a memorial.

See the example of one planted in Speyer for the crew of Lancaster DV174/Royal Australian Air Force.

"We have excavated the site in Limburgerhof, and are planning a memorial for 2017. We want to contact as many relatives as possible to tell them that the crash site of their families has been found, and to tell them about the memorial," said Wieman. "Already six of the seven families of the crew have been contacted in New Zealand and UK. If we can reach the McMillan family in Canada we have all seven families." 

 

A memorial at the crash site will be the final goal.

 

"So no one will pass this spot not knowing anymore, because this site and the fates behind it was deemed to be forgotten. We won´t let that happen. No-one shall pass by in the future not knowing anymore."