Saint Cloud at dawn not far from estimated crash site + chute landing place

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Skipper 67- What a great surprise. I shall first say thanks so much for all that. When I've studied these photos more I will be in touch later. Bye for now
Alex Campbell

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This is the view I had from the graveyard, right next to the church.

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An old farm which used to have the former vilage limit sign. The limit is 50 meters away nowaday.

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Dear Mr Campbell,
Here are the other pictures. I am a bit frustrated because there was so much more to do in the village and nobody was awake and I had a 600km trip ahead plus familly in the car. Next time I will go back there and meet people + will try to locate the Arthur farm. Saint Cloud seems in the middle of nowhere, but it is only five minutes away from Chateaudun. However the countryside at dawn was almost magic to me, there was something special and tragic, as if the landscape had been waiting for a visit. Everything seemed to be as it was 62 years ago. The cars were in garages and the population was asleep, it felt almost like a ghost town, a place where Holywood could shoot a film. This was accentuated by the large fields, the graveyard. Some farms were abandonned, probably too large and too isolated. I couldn't get close enough to all of them but will get pictures on a second visit. Signs have been changed, walls have been painted, houses have been built, but if you look carefully, you could walk in those brave 1944 villagers steps and catch some of the the spirit you experienced at this spot.

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Skipper,
Thank you for these evocative images. You have captured the essence of St. Cloud and it does look like a place frozen in time.
Our extended family is following this story, and your pictures are an important part of the saga.

The field in front of the old farm, with the town sign on it, appears to be stubble, as if grain had been harvested from it. Dad mentioned the grain stooks and stubble fields in 1944.

E. Wayne Campbell

That is right. This area is called the "Beauce which is the wheat belt of France. It is very fertile land and the crops there are usualy harvested at the end of the month of July. This is why several people came out of the middle of nowhere. Some of them were temp workers who are employed for the harvest. Maybe this was Mr Liger's cover. He came from the Paris suburbs, whereas the Arthur family apparently where locals.

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Hello Skipper 67: I certainly appreciate the lengths you've gone to in your searches. That early morning photo of the harvested grain field caught my eye immediately. It fits right in to my memory as the view I saw when I first stood up on French soil. As I study the photo that earthy smell comes back to me and the feel of the sharp stubble picking my wrists.
You have a remarkable way of describing your feelings and comparing them to mine. That photo
must very well represent the surrounding area as it seems to bring back memories in an eery way.
In the churchyard photo what are the rectangular images all across the foreground?
This is truly awesome for me, thanks so much Skipper 67. Bye for now Alex Campbell

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the rectangles are panes covered with mushrooms. They belong to the fence that surrounds the churchyard. This is typical of this part of France where people use panes to preserve old walls. It also shows the tiny churchyard that lies immediatly next to a field. I know what you mean with the stumbles. They can get pretty deep cuts. The fact that I took the pictures at dawn is a coincidence, but I certainly thought this would be very close to what you must have seen. It allowed me to get an unsuspected idea of the scenery. As I told you earlier, I will return there as soon as possible to get some more information.
When you were at Freteval, did you stay with the survivors of your Lanc or did you also meet other airmen. Do you remember any names or details?

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Skipper 67- I will search more about the panes and mushrooms you have mentioned as I can't quite relate
to that. Now for the Freteval query I shall refer you to my son Wayne. He can supply you with some links to several sources with detailed information
about this and other related connections.
Cheers and thanks Alex Campbell

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Skipper,

Regarding more information about Freteval Forest, you are probably familiar with the Freteval information I have on the Internet:

http://www.hilaroad.com/RCAF/freteval/freteval.html
http://www.hilaroad.com/RCAF/freteva...l_reunion.html

Here is another link that may be useful. While in Freteval, Dad was involved in taking a 100 Franc note around the camp to be signed by everyone there. The note belonged to Bill Vickerman. Bill's daugher Lorraine Vickerman has this note, it is posted on the Internet here:

http://www.rafinfo.org.uk/rafescape/..._vickerman.htm

All of the names are listed below the note. Dad met many of the people listed on this note, unfortunately neither Dad nor Bill Vickerman signed it.

I don't remember which members of Dad's crew ended up at Freteval. I'm sure he will provide that information.

Wayne Campbell

[ 24. August 2006, 11:09 PM: Message edited by: TA152 ]

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Thank you for these links. I am familiar with Lorraine's site. I understand that there were in fact two camps. You probably know that a second camp had to be built because too many airmen were hidden and Commonwealth and U.S. airmen were separated. In fact some of them started fights and the resistance feared that the Germans might discover them. I am trying to find out how people actualy got to the camp. From your father's experience I believe some got there with directions, others were taken there by Resistants. (This is what the lady from Chateaudun wrote). However it is quite amazing to realise the distance between some of the crashplaces and how these men eventually got to Freteval safe. St Cloud was one of the closest places to the camp (within walking distance). Others were even closer such as Chambord, but there must have been a long distance network too.

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Six of our crew ended up in Freteval Forest- "Jock" Donaldson(FE), Earl "Jonesy" Jones(MUG), Ben Lyons (WO), Sam Harvey(RG), "Chappie" Chapman(BA), and Alex Campbell(Skipper). This group was enabled to get back to England.
Earl "Judy" Garland(NAV) spent the rest of the war as a POW. Bob Giffin (Second Pilot) died from his wounds sustained during the attack.

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I believe this is quite unique. It is amazing that almost an entire crew managed to evade and end up at Freteval. Most crews were separated. It must have been a relief for those six to be together after the crash. When your group arrived it must have been quite an event as I suppose most arrivals were much smaller groups.
Also your group must have been one of the last ones to get to the camp before Patton's troops got there mid August.

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This is a 514 Lancaster LL678 coded A2* L running up the inbourd engines at Waterbeach. It was lost over Gelsenkirchen 12-13 June 1944 with Pilot offcier H.S. Delacour RAAF and crew.

From Lancaster at War vol. 3 page 23 by Mike Garbett and Brian Goulding

What size bomb is this ?

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This is from Vol 2 page 145
The 514 Lancaster piloted by Sgt Charlie Medland tried a touch and go at Leiston with the navigator acting as engineer and things did not work out well. LL669 coded JI*K The aircraft was declared a write off. 17 March 1944
The crew was later lost over Duisburg 21-22 May 1944

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