No.1624918, Sergeant (Air Bomber), Edward George FRETWELL
Aged 21
178 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Killed in Action on Tuesday 15th August 1944
Irae Emissari - Emissaries of Wrath
|
Edward George Fretwell was born in Stuntney in 1923 (Ely Q3-1923 3B:806, son of Samuel and Amy FRETWELL (née EDWARDS). He was educated first at Stuntney School before gaining a scholarship to Soham Grammar School, where he was educated from 1934 to 1939. On leaving school he worked for Ely Rural District Council.
In the 1939 register the family were at 4 Hallfield Terrace, Ely. hid father Samuel [4-12-1889] farm labourer; mother Amy [26-7-1900] widowed grandfather Charles G.EDWARDS [27-1-1865] gardener. There are 3 closed records. |
|
Thanks to Edward's brother Eric, via Wendy Fox, for some details and the photographs.
178 Squadron was based in Italy from March 1944 and at the time of Edwards death they were flying from Amendola, near Foggia, up to Poland, to drop supplies to the besieged Polish Home Army in Warsaw. The long flights were made necessary by the refusal of the Russians to allow the use of their airfields at that time. This meant low load weights and over 2 months only about 400 tons was dropped and much of that fell to the Germans troops. Out of 186 sorties, 92 were considered successful. That is, the Home Army were able to retrieve some of the material dropped. Thirty-one aircraft were lost , 17 on the four terrible nights of August 13-16. Edward was aboard Liberator Mk VI, ser no.KG-873 "UL-Q" for his final mission. The aircraft is reputed to have been shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter of 1/NJG100 and crashed about 1 km north of Wietrzychowice, Poland. All the crew perished, they were:- F/Lt Edwin Thyer RAFVR (pilot); Lt Keith Fairweather SAAF (navigator); Sgt Sydney David RAFVR (Air Gunner); Sgt Cecil Foreman RAFVR [Wireless Op); Sgt Sidney Home RAFVR (flight engineer); Sgt Matthew Mountain RAFVR(air gunner) and Sgt Edward Fretwell RAFVR (air bomber). Despite German orders to the contrary, the Polish people decorated the communal grave and raised a cross, which the Germans promptly removed and threatened reprisals for. As the photos below show, as soon as they could, the people resumed honouring the dead. The crew (except Edward), were buried in a multiple grave at Sikorzyce and all were concentrated to Krakow on 26th July 1948. This indicates that Edward was the only one individually identified for the original burial. |
photo:Edward at school 1935 and in aircrew training
www.sohamgrammar.org.uk
The Polish people on 3rd May 1945 (Polish National Day), having raised a cross and one of the Liberator's propellers
on the reverse of the 2nd photo is written :
"Swiet narodowe 3 Maya 1945 roku uczcenie grobu bohaterskich lotnikow angielskich polergtych w dniu 14.VIII 1944r."
which interpreted is
"National Holiday 3 May 1945, to honour the grave of the heroic English fliers who died on 14th August 1944"
A Liberator Mk VI
family of Sgt Mountain placing flowers at the graves
© Commonwealth War Graves Commission
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details