War vet unveils tribute to comrades

A Second World War veteran who was the only survivor of a seven-strong crew when his plane was shot down down over Holland has finally won his battle to unveil a memorial to his lost comrades in the village where the bomber crashed.

Wireless operator Jack Trend, aged 86, from Dudley, was on his 20th mission aboard the Lancaster LM465, LS-U when disaster struck on the evening of June 12 and 13, 1944. Their target was the Nordstern Oil Plant at Gelsenkirchen between Dortmund and Duisburg in Germany.

But the crew never made it after being hit by a German nightfighter before the plane crashed on farmland near Meerlo in Holland.

Then aged 21, Jack escaped unhurt apart from a few burns but was forced into hiding as Germans armed with sniffer dogs launched a desperate hunt for him.

Eventually they gave up and he made his way back to a farm where he was handed him over to the local resistance. He reached Allied llines three months later.

A few years ago part of the plane's wreckage, which has gone undiscovered since 1944, were found on the farmland re-igniting memories in Jack's mind about what happened and led to him campaigning for a memorial for his comrades Carl Thompson, Rod McMillan, Ronald Lemky, Tom Stubbs, Duke Pelham and Dick Mobbs.

His campaign was taken up by people in the Dutch town and earlier this month he was officially invited to unveil the memorial which stands on the spot where the plane came down.

Jack said: "I've been pushing for this memorial for around four years following the discovery of parts of the wreckage.

"This memorial is a fitting tribute to my colleagues who I wanted to ensure were not forgotten."