John Rowland Cuthbert of High Kelling

[patjk]

Hi:

Not sure if this is the right venue for a question of this sort, but here goes. . .  My dad, John Edward Kearney, was killed in July 1944 with the rest of his aircrew (save the pilot who survived) over N. France. One of his fellow crew members was John Rowland Cuthbert or High Kelling, Norfolk, the son of John and Annie Cuthbert. I would very much like to get in touch with John Cuthbert's family, if any survive, to hopefully share letters and photos.

[oweng]

Hello,
My parents lived next door to John and Annie Cuthbert in High Kelling, and as a child I fondly remember them - Mrs Cuthbert was present at my birth! A picture of John in uniform displaying his stripes, was on display in their living room. His name is commemorated on the lectern in the chapel at Kelling Hospital, where his father was a carpenter for many years until his retirement. I know the family had relatives in the Scunthorpe area and that Mr Cuthbert was over 90 when he passed away in a local care home.   

[patjk]

Many thanks for the reply. So sad that it's proving almost impossible to trace relatives of my dad's aircrew. . . The situation in France is a little different. The little village near Strasbourg where the crew are buried have got together and recently built a memorial to them at the spot where the Lancaster came down, in a remote part of the nearby forest. Also, some benches overlooking a local lake have been set aside with plaques name the crew members. An inspiration.

[oweng]

Thank you for the information about the crash site. Unfortunately when I visited Strasbourg for a conference a few years ago I did not have details of the CWGC to pay a visit. I remember Mrs Cuthbert showing a picture of the graves when she visited with her husband, I think in the 1950's. A book on the history of Kelling Hospital published in 2000 entitled "Kelling Hospital Norfolk, The First Sanatorium for Working Men", contains a chapter on the young men lost during the war. I recall that there is also a picture in which Mr and Mrs Cuthbert appear (seated on a bench by one of the wards).

[patjk]

If you contact me on my email (patk@sonic.net) I'll be happy to reply with some photos of the graves, &c., if that would be of interest to you.