A Northern Ireland WWII veteran has made an emotional journey to re-visit old friends and memories thanks to a Big Lottery Fund grant.
Ninety-year-old Royal Air Force veteran Lithgow ‘John’ McFarland was awarded a grant from our Heroes Return 2 programme to return to his flight base in England to commemorate the battles he fought in and the comrades he lost during the Second World War.
Ninety-year-old RAF veteran Lithgow ‘John’ McFarland with his wife, Elsie
John’s story is an exciting and very moving one. When he decided to join up in 1940 he could never have imagined the adventure which lay ahead. But the fact that a young man of just 18, son of a L/Derry farmer and more used to hand-milking the cows, ended up shot down and imprisoned in an infamous Nazi stalag is a story worth telling.
In June 1941 John was formally called up as a navigator for the 75th New Zealand Squadron. They flew from a remote based near Ely in East Anglia and took part in mining operations, as well as drops to the French Resistance. But it was during one of these missions that his plane was shot down.
“Everything happened so fast,” he explains. “We had to bail out and use our parachutes. The parachute wrappers used to put little notes in with the silk saying things like ‘all the best’! Only three of us survived that night – the rear gunner’s parachute failed to open. That could have been any one of us for you just grabbed a parachute on your way out to board the aircraft.”
John was captured by the Nazis and sent to a prisoner of war camp where he spent the rest of the war and experienced some terrible hardships. “I’ve never experienced cold like it. One POW found a rat and held onto it just to keep his hands warm!” he recalls.
John pictured during his WWII service with the RAF
He has since kept in touch with other ex-servicemen and last year, on a trip funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return programme, visited his old Ely base. “It was a great experience to go back to the base and we were very well looked after. We enjoyed it immensely and it brought back old memories,” says John.
“I appreciate very much that the Big Lottery Fund gives people like us a chance to remember those times and those friends again, for the bonds of war are very strong.
To read more about John’s compelling story and to find out about the funding available from the Big Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return 2 programme go to: http://bit.ly/wLGXcZ
Filed under: Journey, Travel | Tags: Big Lottery Fund, Death Railway, Heroes Return 2, Keelung Harbour, Lottery Funding, POW, Second World War. WW2, Singapore
Jack Fowler served in the Far East during the Second World War before his was captured by the Japanese and taken to a POW camp. This film follows his emotional return to Singapore.
Filed under: Journey, memorial, Travel | Tags: Big Lottery Fund, Death Railway, Heroes Return 2, Keelung Harbour, Lottery Funding, POW, Second World War. WW2, Singapore
Robert Day served in World War 2 in Northern Africa as a tank engineer, getting them back to the front line. This film follows his return to El Alamein, Egypt where he visits the battlefields he fought on, military cemeterys and museums.
Filed under: Journey | Tags: BIG, Big Lottery Fund, Heroes Return, oulton, veterans
Jack and Pearl Fowler enjoying a stroll in Oulton Broad, where they live
Filed under: Holland, Journey, Travel | Tags: Holland, interview, Larry, leaving, netherlands, Weert, Wesley
Have just recorded a final interview with Larry. He is so elloquent and very humbled by the whole thing.Again he said some wonderful things.
The Veterans have been put up in the Weert barracks. We said our goodbyes. It was a bit sad to go.
Wesley says he’s back to school tomorrow.
We now go to the monument again to get some close up pictures which we couldn’t do yesterday because of the crowds.
Cloudy today so lucky with the nice weather yesterday too.
Breakfast time. I have been thinking a lot about the ceremony last night. I was very moved and I’m trying to work out why.
It was such a scene. All of us clustered by the road, next to a field of maize, twenty very senior military men and women, the town’s officials and the people of the city. As the sun set, the eternal flame by the simple monument to the Halifax Crew flickered brighter, and a series of wreathes were laid with a salute or a simple bow of the head.
Larry said the words of rememberance and returned to the theme – “They gave their todays for our tomorrows.”
I feel I have witnessed a very special moment.
A story honouring those aircrew in that Halifax, but also showing gratitude for the catalyst for all this – an extraordinary young student of 17.
Larry also spoke about the school they had seen and how it was “fantastic” that children were taught about the perils of war.
He ended by saying “One thing stays in this head of mine – the Netherlanders never forgot”. Looking at last night, they didn’t and I really believe they never will.
Filed under: Holland, Journey, Travel | Tags: bicycles, Holland, netherlands, parking, Weert
Filed under: ceremony, Holland, Journey, Travel | Tags: centre, ceremony, civic, Holland, Larry, netherlands, veterans
Filed under: ceremony, Holland, Journey, Travel | Tags: centre, ceremony, civic, Holland, Larry, netherlands, Weert, Wesley
Here now. Arrived two minutes ago. This is where the Town Mayor met everyone this morning. The band play to about 50 people seated. Speeches and Wesley is presenting Larry with a copy of the book he has written about the war history here. He told us over lunch he want’s to join the Army and war history is an important part of training.
Larry and his fellow veterans still look great in their blazers and medals. JP our cameraman has been admiring the cameras of three or four news crews that are here too! I expect this will be on the tv tonight.
