Canadian pilot killed in Guernsey WW2 mission remembered
A memorial service has been held for a Canadian airman who was shot down over Guernsey 81 years ago. On 5 June 1944, the day before D-Day, Lt John Saville was hit as he lead his squadron in a successful attack on a German radar in occupied Guernsey.Each year a memorial service has been held at the site of the memorial plaque on the Castle Emplacement in St Peter Port. The service was held at 08:30 BST - which is believed to be a similar time to when Lt Saville's plane was struck.
The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Rev Tim Barker, led the service.He said "It's so important that we keep remembering and when we stop learning from history we place ourselves in an extremely difficult and vulnerable position." Wreaths were laid at the plaque and the service included a poetry reading from the Bailiff of Guernsey, Sir Richard McMahon. Lt Saville's plane crashed into Havelet Bay and after the safe return of all the other aircrafts in the 439 squadron a search mission was sent to Guernsey - but nothing was found. The wreck of the plane was discovered in the 1970s by local diver Mick Peters and upon further investigation he declared the site a grave in 1982.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Manhunt for killer dad takes grave new turn as police reveal where they think he's hiding
The manhunt for suspected triple murderer Travis Decker has intensified as police reveal they think he's hiding in the woods along the Canadian border. Investigators are now actively searching the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan County, Washington for Decker - who is accused of killing his three daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office executed search warrants on properties and electronic devices believed to be linked to him, which 'resulted in new leads and critical information'. Officers urged locals, specifically those in remote areas of Okanogan County, to lock all doors and windows while the 32-year-old remains at large. Decker, a former Army paratrooper, is considered dangerous, given his extensive military training and propensity for violence. He has not been seen since Friday when he picked his daughters up from their mother's home in Wenatchee, roughly 112 miles away from Okanogan County. Their bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth, 20 miles from their home, on Monday. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties and each of them had been suffocated with a plastic bag. Investigators, so far, have found no traces of Decker other than his abandoned truck which was found about 100 yards away from where his daughter's bodies. Okanogan County Sheriff Paul Budrow says law enforcement is patrolling the area around the clock to protect residents. Budrow urged the community - specifically those on the west side of Okanogan County - to 'remain vigilant'. 'Decker is still considered dangerous and potentially armed,' he warned, adding that if anyone spots the suspect they should 'not approach or attempt to make contact'. Decker's case has fascinated true crime obsessed amateur sleuths who are on a mission to locate the suspected killer. Social media trolls are conducting their own deep dives into Decker and have baselessly suggested that a photograph he shared to Facebook in April could be a clue to his whereabouts. Decker's online presence is borderline nonexistent, with the exception of his profile picture, some pictures of a deer skull, and his cover photo which features Bull River Campground in western Montana. 'Maybe they should check the Bull River in Montana while searching for Travis Decker,' one sleuth urged in an X post that has now been viewed more then 17,000 times. 'One of the only things posted on his FB.' The popular wildlife beauty spot is located near the Idaho-Montana border and is roughly 300 miles away from Wenatchee. There is no official evidence to suggest that he is in Montana at this time. Authorities in McCall, Idaho did receive reports of a possible Decker sighting earlier this week, but it was ultimately determined not to be him. Decker joined the US Army in 2012 and served a tour in Afghanistan two years later. But by 2017, he had been removed from the elite Ranger Regiment after he failed to complete Ranger School. By the time he joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade - which is known for conducting specialized airborne operations, including parachute jumps and air assault - he was quiet and a bit of an outcast. Decker never returned to Special Forces, and in 2021 he transferred to the Washington Army National Guard - where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He was listed as a full-time member of the Army National Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. But he stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard is in the process of a disciplinary discharge. Those who were close with Decker have since said he has suffered from complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder after leaving active military service. His ex-wife Whitney says she knew her daughters were in 'substantial danger' when Decker failed to return them after his visitation on Friday. Whitney, speaking through her lawyer Arianna Cozart on Thursday, said that she begged police to issue an Amber Alert but was told the case did not meet the requirements. But she has now alleged this 'was a tragedy that could've been completely' avoided had officials intervened. She believes 'something broke inside' of Decker and that he 'would not have done what he did if he was himself', Cozart revealed. 'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,' Cozart told the Seattle Times. 'We may never know if it could've meant the difference between life and death for those girls … but it could've made a huge difference,' Cozart told the newspaper. The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through, according to court documents. Whitney stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been 'struggling to maintain stability' since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters. She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times. She also said Decker - was prone to 'outbursts' and would come into her house yelling for the girls - would sometimes fail to pick up after promising to do so. In one instance, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her crying during a visit with Decker and said she could not find her father - before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,' Whitney wrote in the court filing. 'To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship. 'But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' But still Whitney reiterated to authorities how she did not believe her ex was dangerous and said he loved his daughters. She said the girls had a, 'good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,' and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit. She said when Decker went to pick up the girls Friday, he was 'quieter than usual' which was 'out of character' for him. He had also allegedly been talking about getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles. On Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered he be held without bail. Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday evening after finding Decker's truck. Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from the truck. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents state. Decker's truck had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal items including blankets, food, car seats and a wallet on the center console, police said. The campground also showed signs of recent activity, with a tent and a cooler located a short distance away, but Decker was nowhere to be found.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Moment 9 WW2 heroes mark 81st anniversary of D-Day with emotional trip to Normandy
FOUR World War Two heroes flew by private jet to France yesterday to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day. They joined five other veterans who were well enough to attend a moving service at the British Normandy Memorial. 5 5 Last year more than 40 heroes were there for the landmark 80th anniversary of the day Allied troops stormed Normandy's beaches to liberate Europe. Yesterday, The Sun was given exclusive access to fly with a quartet of veterans — all of them aged 99 and over — on a sleek 50-seat Embraer jet from Warton Aerodrome, Lancs. Among them were Sergeant Richard Brock, now 101, and Able Seaman Ken Benbow, who turns 100 next week. They were both at Normandy on June 6, 1944. Ken was off the north French coast on HMS Crane, and saw men die in the water all around him. Richard, a driver with the East Lancashire Regiment, came ashore with 130 comrades — only 19 returned home. He was honoured to pay tribute to the fallen yesterday. The retired master butcher, from Lancaster, said: 'When I landed on the beach just below where the Normandy Memorial stands now I was a young man of 20 who thought every day might be my last. 'I cannot believe here I am at 101. The heroes are the ones who died, some of them in terrible circumstances. "We are just their spokesmen. Hopefully we will be able to come here one more time.' Iconic RAF Red Arrows jets in danger of being replaced by Russian planes loved by Putin in move slammed as 'unthinkable' The jet was provided by BAE Systems, which employs 12,000 people in Preston. Also on board the flight to Caen Airport were former Fleet Air Arm Petty Officer George Boothby, 100, and Marjorie Hanson, 102. She, like the late Queen Elizabeth II, served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and helped supply the D-Day landings. The nine veterans were joined by Defence Secretary John Healey for an emotional ceremony at the memorial, inscribed with the names of more than 4,000 soldiers under UK command who were killed on D-Day. Mr Healey listened in awe to the veterans' stories. He later told The Sun at the Bayeux War Cemetery: 'The lesson to draw from the Second World War is never again can we contemplate the huge human and economic cost that it inflicted. "We see that in the darkest, strongest terms in these cemeteries. 'What it says to me is that with the allies that we forged in the Second World War, we must band together and we must be strong enough to deter any adversary, any aggression that might be directed at us in the future.' 5 5
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Caerphilly World War Two veteran turns 100 on D-Day anniversary
An RAF veteran has said he would not change a thing about his life as he celebrated his 100th birthday on the anniversary of 'Ted' Carter from Caerphilly turned 19 on D-Day, 81 years ago on 6 June was deployed in India at the time, a memory he described as "wonderful".Reflecting on becoming a centenarian, Mr Carter said he had had "a very, very happy life". "I think we should all live a peaceful, happy life, helping people as much as we can, give back as much as we can," he said. After leaving school at 16, Mr Carter joined the railway and said his father told him "you won't make much money"."I didn't want to work anywhere else," he initially worked in the signal boxes, then "on the trains",When he was called up to serve in the war effort, he did not want to join the Army."And I couldn't swim, so I thought the air force was best for me," he four-and-a-half years, he served in the Royal Air Force as an engineer, working on Wellington and Lancaster bombers."You had to learn in six months what in peace time would take you three years."Reflecting on the conflict, Mr Carter said: "I think, I hope, the world has got a better place."All we want is a quiet, peaceful life." When he left the RAF, he joined what is now Great Western to Wales in 1946, home became the cottage he shared with his late wife met as teenagers, and married aged 22 and 23."I'm so glad I met Margaret when she was 15," he said."We had 61 years of a lovely life together."With savings of £380, they spent £320 on their cottage in Bedwas and £11 on solicitors fees and went on to raise three children there – Paul, Sharon and fact, the letter he recently received from the King, marking his big birthday, was actually his second correspondence from a monarch, having also had one for his 60th wedding anniversary from Elizabeth II. "[Our dad] taught us to be hard working, kind," said added: "He's been an exceptional human being. He's terrific."At 98, Mr Carter was still regularly seen tending to his beloved garden at the cottage, particularly its orchard with pear, apple and plum trees."We grew everything," he now lives at Castle View care home in Caerphilly, where staff and residents threw him a birthday party."All my life I've had very good luck and health. What can you ask for more than that?"If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't change it."
