Broadwindsor’s War Memorial Ceremony

On Tuesday, 6th June, 2023 at 11am, the sun shone and the following ceremony took place. (You can find the full Itinerary HERE).
[Please note: this is an amateur recording, there IS a great shot of the Spitfire flying overhead, the names and stories read out by relatives and representatives can be found below – Editor]

 

Well done & thanks to the Year 6 pupils of Broadwindsor Primary School, teacher Beth Steward and Head Teacher, Jean-Paul Draper!

Poppy & CandleThe Exhortation – read by Chris Loder MP:
(The Exhortation is an extract from a poem written by Robert Laurence Binyon called “For the Fallen“, written in mid-September 1914, just a few weeks after the outbreak of The War and was first published in The Times newspaper on 21st September 1914)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them.”

Response:We will remember them.”

The Last Post & Reveille played beautifully & perfectly by Elizabeth Carter.

Poppy & CandleThe Kohima Epitaph – read by Chris Loder MP:
(The Kohima Epitaph is carved on the Memorial of the 2nd British Division in the cemetery of Kohima (North-East India).

When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.’

Remembering…

Poppy & CandleRichard Rust & Edwin Hancock – read by Helen Doble:

On the morning of the 16 December 1940 a Westland Lysander Mk 111, flying from RAF, Weston Zoyland airfield near Bridgwater crashed into the ground at Drimpton due to low cloud and bad visibility, killing the two crew members from No 16 squadron. No 16 squadron was a RAF reconnaissance unit which had been evacuated from France in May 1940 after the Germans invaded the country.

The pilot of the Lysander was Flight Lieutenant Richard Rust age 26 who trained at Sandhurst military college for officers in the British Army before the war. After joining the Royal Fusiliers Regiment, he was later granted a temporary commission as a flying officer and seconded into the RAF in April 1939. He was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) in July 1940. Flight Lieutenant Rust, an only child, was newly married and his wife Miriam later gave birth to their son, Michael, five months after his death.

The other airman was Air Gunner Sergeant Edwin Hancock age 20 of Scunthorpe. Edwin was the eldest of five children and had been a member of the RAF volunteer reserve before the war. Edwin is buried at Middlezoy Churchyard in Somerset whilst Flight Lieutenant Rust’s remains were returned to his home town of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire.

Flight Lieutenant Rust’s widow Miriam, later married an American Soldier and as a war bride left England in 1946 travelling on the ‘Queen Mary’ with her son.

Miriam’s daughter Sherry has written to me from America – she said:
My Mom adored him and he had a beautiful son Michael, he never got to meet. Michael grew up to be a wonderful person, brother, son and father  I wish my brother was aliNee Studleyve to see this. I am so honoured and grateful.’

Poppy & CandleWalter Dommett – read by Bev Coleberd Nee Studley:

I am here today for Walter Dommett. Caroline Dommett was my great grandmother. She lived with her parents and siblings here at Redlands farm. Walter Dommett was one of Carolines brothers.Their siblings were; Rosa, Mary, Caroline (herself), Arthur William, John Wyatt, Walter– who was born 1st Sept 1890, Olive, Dennis, and 2 step sisters Dorothy and Margaret (Taken from the Broadwindsor Parish Magazine for March 1917)
Killed in Action.The war has taken heavy the past month. Walter Dommett,to whose honour we remember that he was one of the first to offer himself in 1914 has been killed in action in Mesoptamia at the age of 26.
In Memory Of Private W.DOMMETT
Service Number 2506
!st/4th Bn., Devonshire Regiment who died on 03 February 1917
Remembered with Honour
Amara War Cemetery
AVIII.G.3.

Poppy & CandleSergeant Harry Frampton – read by Gillian Yeates (nee Frampton):

Sergeant Harry Frampton was my great uncle . He was born a mile away from here at Burstock Grange Farm in 1920.
He had two brothers and two sisters and worked on his family farm until the age of 18 where he signed up for the 43rd Wessex Division at the outbreak of World War 2. Being a farmer he didn’t need to join up as he held key worker status but all his friends had and so he began his training .He got engaged to Sylvia Bridal who’s family had the George Hotel in Broadwindsor square and the plan was that after the war they would marry and run the Hotel together.

On the 25th of June 1944 he and 16,000 other 43rd Wessex division soldiers landed on the beaches of Northern France and headed to Caen to begin Operation Jupiter . This was to capture a hill known as Hill 112 overlooking the planes of
Normandy and German General Rommel said “The forces that controls Hill 112 would control Lower Normandy“.
They faced fierce resistance from German 9th,10th and 12th SS Panza divisions and the division suffered 7000 casualties of the 16,000 that set foot in France.
On July the 15th 1944 Harry was killed by a German sniper in the French village of Etterville when he popped his head over a wall .He is buried less than 3km from there in St Manvieu War Cemetery near by his great friend Maurice Loosmore. He was 24 years old.
A memorial service for him was held in Burstock Church some months later in November with the mourners packing out the Church. Our family continue to visit his grave in France and we never forget his bravery and service to our country.

Poppy & Candle

 

Maurice Loosmore – awaiting text.

 

 

Poppy & CandleJean Decloedt – read by Andrew Frampton:

Jean was born in the St Giles district of London on May 31st 1916 to Belgium parents Prosper & Jeanne Decloedt. They had married in 1903 and had another son ten years after Jean was born called Raymond Decloedt Following the outbreak of World War 1 they fled Belgium and sort sanctuary in London until the war had passed.

On March 1, 1940 Jean Decloedt was enlisted as a student pilot in the Belgium 84th Promotion CSLR division. After the airforces mobilisation in 1940, he joined the Belgian 1st Airborne Regiment, that operated from Oostend . He was active there as a non-commissioned officer . After the capitulation, Jean then fled his homeland on 28 May 1940 and chose to join the Belgian forces in England. He arrived in England on 5th August 1940, where he joined the Belgian section of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve . He trained as a pilot at RAF Sealand near Chester with No.5 Service Flying Training School but because he was colour-blind, he was not able to join operational squadrons and  ended up at No. 3 Delivery Flight at RAF High Ercall, Shropshire, tasked with delivering new and repaired Spitfires as replacements around the country. He continued to do that until Sunday 15 March 1942.

He was given the orders to fly a Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb, serial number BL463 from Warrington to a cliff top air base on the south Devon coast called Bolt head to No 317 squadron a Polish squadron to replace Spitfires lost in action. That afternoon Jean prepared himself at RAF Burtonwood, Warrington in Cheshire for what would become his final flight. At about a quarter past six that evening, a sputtering aircraft engine was heard over head here in low cloud and his spitfire crashed into the North side of Lewesdon Hill killing him on impact.  My grandfather on home guard duty that day ,was one of the first on the scene armed with a hazel stick in case it was a German airman. Jean‘s body was taken to Bridport Hospital and later buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.

On 20 October 1949 he made his final voyage as his remains were repatriated to Brussels. Jean Decloedt received a headstone at the Belgian Airmen’s Memorial at the Brussels Cemetery in Evere.

Last year, 80 years to the day, his great niece attended a memorial service we held at Lewesdon hill where a permanent memorial remembers his story. (Click HERE to read more.)

To all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We will never forget.

Poppy & CandleAdded on social media by Clive Wilson:

Being brought up in Burstock and Broadwindsor, it was a great privilege to return today and see the unveiling of the War Memorial, exactly 79 years ago to the day, the D Day Landings took place in Normandy, France, 6th, June 1944.
It took a long time for the school children to read out all 84 names of Service Personnel killed in action from the 1st & 2nd World Wars. 87 people dead from such a small community, is unthinkable in today’s world.
My father, Reg Wilson, joined the 43rd Wessex Dorset Regiment, along with two other young men who also lived at Burstock , Harry Frampton and Maurice Loosmore. They were good friends who trained and fought together in France 1944. Sadly Harry & Maurice were killed in Normandy, a few weeks after D Day, with my Father being alongside Harry when when he was shot and killed by a sniper. These two names, along with many others were frequently mentioned by my Father throughout his life. He never forgot the two friends from Burstock, a bond I guess that many of us will never know, unless you have been in conflict.
He lived at Fullers for nearly fifty years and was the Broadwindsor British Legion Standard Bearer for the same amount of time. I think he would have been very proud of everyone’s contribution today.

Thank you Broadwindsor, for the long overdue Memorial, appreciated now, by many.

Main Photo & video recording – Editor.


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The Lost Pilot Ceremony

On Tuesday, 15th March 2022, a ceremony was held on Lewesdon Hill honouring Jean Verdun Marie Aime De Cloedt, the Lost Pilot, whose Spitfire aeroplane crashed into Lewesdon Hill one foggy day 80 years ago.

In the main photograph (L to R) –

  • Damien (Benjamine’s partner),
  • Benjamine, (Jean de Cloedt’s Great Niece)
  • Benjamine’s nephew (currently studying at Bristol University),
  • Aldon Ferguson (RAF Historian),
  • Heather Bunch (Doug Studley‘s daughter Home Guard),
  • Andrew Frampton at the back,
  • Rev. Jo Neary.
  • Knocker Wilson, representative of Dorset RAF veterans,
  • Clive Wakely (son of Jack from Home Guard)

From left to right: Jon Harvey (RAFA Standard Bearer),
Alan Kidson and Knocker White.


Supported by Knocker White, Bugler, Steve Chard changed from his
muddy wellies into his immaculately polished black shoes.

For those who missed it, or couldn’t make it up the hill, here is a 36 minute (amateur) recording of the full ceremony.  Unfortunately, the volume quality of the childrens’ poetry is not great as there was no amplification and a helicopter passed overhead:

 

Following the ceremony –

Several walked a further 500m up the hill with Andrew Frampton to view the actual crash site.

A Tigermoth aeroplance circled Lewesdon hill after the ceremony.

Unfortunately, the planned Spitfire encountered an oil leak and was substituted with this Tigermoth as this would have been the aircraft the pilot would have trained on, before being allowed to fly a Spitfire.

 

A piece of copper piping from Jean de Cloedt’s Spitfire made the plaque given to Benjamine by Andrew Frampton.



This image shows which part of the aircraft’s engine it would have come from.


Later in the afternoon, Benjamine and her nephew also visited Beaminster Museum where they saw the remains of one the wooden propellors from Jean de Cloedt‘s aeroplane.  Beaminster Museum open for their summer season on Good Friday, 15th April.


Thank you and well done to Andrew Frampton
who first brought Jean de Cloedt‘s name to a Parish Council meeting in November 2021 after a Covid infection had forced him to remain at home.  Then, with the involvement of the National Trust and others, this plaque is now in place for all of us to remember.

The National Trust’s Information memorial to Jean de Cloedt at Lewesdon Hill, Broadwindsor.

Re-titled The Forgotten Pilot, the National Trust have published their article – Click HERE.

The story as it unfolded on Broadwindsor.org.

Click on the date to read the posts and view more historic photographs….

  1.  11th November 2021
  2.  10th February 2021

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The Lost Pilot Event – Wear Your Wellies!

The National Trust’s Coordinator has sent this message regarding tomorrow’s event on Lewesdon Hill:

We are looking forward to seeing the community at Lewesdon Hill tomorrow for the memorial service of the Lost Pilot.
Whilst the weather is looking like its going to be dry please be aware that the ground is still very, very wet and muddy and so for this reason please wear suitable, waterproof boots and wellingtons. Also, if possible please plan to walk from the village as opposed to driving as the field we allocated for parking is very damp and we want to limit (where possible) the number of cars traveling across it.
Thank you for your understanding.

Marshalls will be in attendance and there will be a tractor with a trailer to take people unable to walk up the hill to the memorial site.

Read more about the event HERE.

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The Lost Pilot – 1.30pm, Tuesday 15th March

The National Trust have published the location of the memorial site for Jean De Cloedt, the Belgian pilot who fatally crashed his aircraft into the side of Lewesdon Hill in 1942. They have taken the information provided by local farmer and Councillor, Andrew Frampton and the 80th anniversary of this tragic event will be creating quite a stir…

On Tuesday, 15th March at 1.30pm, they plan to put a memorial in his honour in the woodland as you enter the hillside.  The actual crash site is about 500m further up the hill on a protected Iron Age fort.

Spitfire Mk IIa, P7923, No. 411 Squadron, 1941 similar to the Spitfire Mk Vb, BL463 flown by Jean De Cloedt

Site of WWII Spitfire crash, north side, Lewesdon Hill

Record ID: MNA194108 / MNA194108
Record type: Monument
Protected Status: None Recorded
NT Property: Lewesdon Hill; South West
Civil Parish: Broadwindsor; West Dorset; Dorset
Grid Reference: ST 4368 0136

About 100 -200 people are expected to attend and the story will generate a lot of media interest. It is quite possible that local TV and radio will also be covering the story. They are opening up a field on the Bridport road for parking but most villagers and school children will probably walk up. The National Trust will employ signage from the village to the car park. There is then a 5-10 minute walk up across the field into the hill entrance where the memorial service is planned. Wellies advisable!

  • Our Rev. Jo will open the ceremony with reflections and prayers.
  • The children from Broadwindsor Primary school, who have been studying this period of World War 2, will recite a poem they’ve written about the pilot’s story.
  • The National Trust will then give a brief resumé of the history of the Hill from the Iron Age fort to the byway road that used to exist through the hill and woodland species.
  • Andrew will then tell the story of Jean and introduce Jean’s great neice, Benjamine De Cloedt and the children of the Broadwindsor Home Guard who went to help Jean on that day have also been invited to attend.
  • Benjamine will then be invitied to ceremoniously cut the ribbon and say a few words.
Extract from Leonard Studley’s ‘ book – My Story’

People will then be  invited to the top of the hill to visit the crash site where Andrew will explain what they think happened and why Jean was 80 miles east of his destination. He will also talk about the Supermarine Spitfire Mk II plane and attempt to answer any questions about the story.
Part of the propellor was recovered by farmer Dudley Tolley at Wantsly Farm, Stoke Abbott and now hangs in Beaminster Museum.

They will be recording an audio version of the story which will be accessed via a QR code on the memorial which will take you to the National Trust web site.

Jean De Cloedt in the front row.

Andrew added “I would ask all villagers who are free and would like to see the event to please come along and represent our village to show solidarity and compassion for the brave pilot who faced a horrible dilemma in the fog of our landmark hill exactly 80 years to the day this tragedy occurred.”

 

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Armistice Day

On this day in 1918 the First World War ended. The guns were silenced on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.    Today we remember those who lost their lives in both World Wars and all our servicemen, servicewomen and animals killed or injured since 1945.

In Broadwindsor, there is a new name to be remembered – Jean Decloedt.  As told by farmer and Parish Councillor Andrew Frampton at Monday’s Parish Council meeting…

  Jean Decloedt was born in 1916 in London and was the eldest son of two Belgian diplomats. At the breakout of war, Jean joined the RAFVF (Volunteer Force) and was stationed at Burtonwood base near Warrington. His job as a member of the 37th Maintenance Unit was to repair and service allied planes, mainly spitfires and deliver them to squadrons around the country.
On 15 March 1942, Andrew’s late grandfather Jack Frampton, John Studley and Jack Wakely were on Home Guard duty in Broadwindsor. It was a dry, foggy and windy night and they heard the sound of an engine faltering and spluttering. In the cockpit unbeknown to them was Jean Decloedt taking a Super Marine Mk 2 Spitfire BL483 to 317 Squadron, based in Exeter. Sadly, he crashed into Lewesdon Hill on the north side. When the Home Guard reached it they found Jean and he had been killed on impact. Armed with only sticks the Home Guard didn’t know if they would discover a German plane or airman on the run. The following day Dudley Tolley from Wantsley Farm managed to squirrel away one of the wooden propellers which hangs in Beaminster Museum to this day.
Next March is the 80th anniversary of this event. Jean has no surviving family and this story isn’t remembered on Remembrance Sunday.
Councillor Frampton reported that he has set up a meeting with the National Trust Area Officer to discuss the possibility of erecting some form of memorial and information board at Lewesdon, on the site of the crash and will be establishing contact with the Belgian Embassy. The Parish Council expressed its support for a memorial and thanked the Councillor for his efforts in bringing this event to their attention.
Andrew is also liaising with Broadwindsor school and Rev. Jo to become involved.

We are all forgotten after a third generation or 100 years and this poor Pilot has been forgotten much sooner so as a mark of respect and gratitude I would like to honour his sacrifice and memory.” – Andrew Frampton.

Photo: Annie Collins.

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