Hello
I've attached a picture which was found near the wreckage of a Canadian WW2 Wellington plane which crashed in Wales 20/11/1944. The crew were from the Canadian Air Force and none of the crew survived, their names are:
PILOT Sgt CHARLES HAMEL
NAVIGATOR Sgt JULES ROBERT RENE VILLENEUVE
BOMB AIMER F/Off WILLIAM JOSEPH ALLISON
W/Op/AIR GUNNER Sgt JOSEPH PAUL ERNEST BURKE
AIR GUNNER Sgt ARTHUR GROUIX
AIR GUNNER Sgt GERARD DUSABLON
There are some details on the following local web site but I'm not sure of the copywright laws so I've not posted the pictures from it. One shows a memorial which was built by the locals with the names of the crew.
http://www.clwb-cerdded-ystalyfera.i12.com/pages/mf509.htmhttp://web.archive.org/web/20060624105454/http://clwb-cerdded-ystalyfera.i12.com/pages/mf509.htmMy grandfather was in his early 20's when the crash happened and lived a village called Ynyswen, near Abercrave, which is near the site of the crash. A few days after the crash he hiked up the mountains to take a look and he found a picture near the wreckage of a young man.
At the time he didn't know who it belonged to or even how to find out. He thought it might have been a picture of one of the crew members or another family member of one of the crew.
The picture shows the young man in uniform but I have no idea what regiment etc he is from. I was hoping that someone here could identify the man or the uniform.
I have tried to find information on the crew members but the only one which has a familiar name is Jules Villeneuve. There is a large site showing all family members and details of his line and stating that he died in a plane crash in Wales so I know that I've found the right Villeneuve, but I've had no luck on the others. I was hoping if someone in the Villeneuve family could confirm if it was a relative or not then I could eliminate one name. I've emailed the site to see if they have any connections or have any further details but haven't received replies.
If anyone can identify the uniform and the young man in the picture, I would be grateful if you could let me know. My grandfather has heard of the internet and wondered if it was now time to find anyone out there with any information!
If there are any family members out there who would like the picture returned I will be more than happy to do so and end a 60 year old mystery to find the identity of the man in the picture.
Sorry this is so long, I just didn't want to miss anything out.
Kind regards
Caroline
WHEN I ORIGINALLY POSTED THIS, I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE AMAZING RESPONSE I HAVE HAD FROM ALL IN ROOTSCHAT AND BEYOND. THE CREW HAVE NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED...IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ EVERYTHING..JUST SKIP TO POSTING 206, THEY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. BUT WE ARE STILL HOPING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE MAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH