Family visit to WW2 Halifax bomber crash site 'overwhelming'
A woman has described visiting the site where her uncle died in a plane crash during World War Two as "overwhelming".Carolyn Runstedler, 80, travelled more than 3,000 miles (4,828 km) from North Bay, Ontario, Canada, to attend a memorial service at South Kyme in Lincolnshire.Her uncle, Flying Officer Lyle Whitham, from North Bay, was one of eight crew members who perished when Halifax bomber LK954 NA/E crashed on what is now a golf course on 3 November 1943, as a result of enemy action.Ms Runstedler said the visit had been very emotional.
The aircraft had been returning to RAF Middleton St George, in County Durham, following a bombing raid over Germany when it came down.Ms Runstedler said: "It makes it real – you can see where it happened."It makes you feel more connected."
Ms Runstedler said her uncle grew up in North Bay, was one of six children and was the first in the family to enlist.He was just 23 when he died and is buried in Cambridge.She said seeing personnel from the RAF, Canadian Airforce and Canadian Navy at the memorial service reminded her of how young her uncle was when he joined up."As soon as I saw those young men in their uniforms that made me tear up right away," she added.Talking about the importance of remembering those who died, Ms Runstedler said: "A lot of young people gave their lives in that war, and a lot of people at home waited for telegrams, or news of their relatives."It impacted millions of people."
The memorial also bears the names of the other crew members: Flying Officer Robert George Eaton, Flying Officer Allen Keith Hodgkinson, Flying Officer Bruce Alan Elmore, Sgt Allan Desmond Weigh, Sgt Albert Edward Moss, Pilot Officer Alan Edward MacKenzie and Sgt Harry Bernard Shimwell.It also features the sonnet High Flight, by Royal Canadian Air Force pilot John Gillespie Magee Jr.
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