Italy, PIEDMONT, District Turin, Rora, SAAF Memorial KH154

Cemetery information:- Album complete. eGGSA captions by: Riana le Roux The GGSA Cemetery DVD only has information on the cemetery location. Cemetery ID: 6486 Google Earth Cemetery Initiative Information:- GPSID: 7757 GPS: 44 45.941, 07 11.586 The Alpine 44 Story Background: On 12 October 1944, six SAAF Liberator bombers with 48 airmen were lost during a mission in Northern Italy to drop supplies to partisans behind enemy lines; this remains the largest loss of aircraft and men for a single SAAF mission to date. The flights encountered persistent heavy rain, low cloud, and frequent flashes of lightning. Eleven aircraft turned around, only three found their target, and six aircraft failed to return, with the loss of 48 men. The meteorologists had forecast a westerly wind, but, unbeknown to all, the wind was now blowing from the east, resulting in the aircraft being roughly 60 km west of where they should have been, with disastrous consequences. Five aircraft crashed into the Alps and one, KH158, is missing to this day, presumed to have ditched in the Ligurian Sea off Genoa. This research, initiated by Beppe Barbero and undertaken by Nick and Catherine Madina with the help of many concerned inhabitants in the villages in Italy and relatives from the UK and South Africa, covered all aspects of the incident: military background and reports, archive records, site reports from local villagers, photos of memorials and graves, photographs and family backgrounds of the airmen, family information, personal correspondence, newspaper articles, etc. This work was published on a CD in 2001, intended as a historical record and teaching aid for schools in the area of Bra. In 2001 a large commemoration was held in the city involving many representatives from South Africa, Australia and the UK, with many links and friendships being formed at that time. The deep emotional involvement of all participants is captured in the book written by Catherine Madina, “Bernardi La Rua”: Our other life in the Alps. KH154 Rora KG154 was scheduled to drop supplies close to Bra, South-East of Turin. At about 2000hrs when the plane flew overhead the partisans and many inhabitants followed its low level flight, its attempt to climb and its crash on the mountainside near the village of Rumer on the side of Monte Cornur. Some partisans were first on the scene, they found an airman who had been thrown clear of the plane but who was gravely wounded, possibly by falling into a tree, before his parachute could open. They tried to take him down to the village on an improvised stretcher, but tragically he died on the way. The remains of the other seven airmen were buried a short distance from the site because of the impossibility of moving them to the nearest cemetery. A cross and an airscrew were placed on a spot fenced off by rocks. In the afternoon a funeral service was held according to both Catholic and Protestant rites because they did not know the faiths of the dead airmen. On Sunday 17th October they held a funeral in Rorà for the airman who had been carried down to the valley, and his companions buried on the mountainside were remembered with a wreath. All the population and the partisans took part in the funeral rites, with a service in the Catholic Church and the then Protestant Valdese Church, and then his remains were buried on the dividing line between the two cemeteries. Later the bodies were moved to the Military Cemetery at Trenno, Milan. KH154 Casualties: BAWDEN Harry Heald Sgt. WOP/AG RAF (VR) BEST Aubrey Ross Sgt. B/A RAF (VR) DE LISLE Sydney Sapene Sgt. A/G RAF (VR) GRIFFIN Arthur Donald Sgt. A/G RAF HOUGHTON James Sgt. A/G RAF (VR) SHEARER Duncan Carswell Roland McNab Sgt. Nav. RAF (VR) WATSON Desmond Vincent F/Sgt. RAAF YOUNG Wallace Randal Sgt. F/E RAF (VR) (RAF – Royal Air Force : VR – Volunteer Reserve) Contact: For further information contact Peter and Beverley Moss at cemadmin@genza.org.za or Martin Urry of the Alpine 44 Group at urry.martin@gmail.com Details of the all the Alpine 1944 incidents are contained in these albums: Italy, LIGURIA, District Genoa, Neirone, SAAF Memorial KH158 http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206097 Italy, LOMBARDY, District Milan, Parco di Trenno, War cemetery http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4210284 Italy, PIEDMONT, District Cuneo, Ostana, SAAF Memorial KG874 http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206095 Italy, PIEDMONT, District Turin, Ala di Stura, SAAF Memorial KG999 http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206099 Italy, PIEDMONT, District Turin, Cantalupa, SAAF Memorial KH239 http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206093 Italy, PIEDMONT, District Turin, Rora, SAAF Memorial KH154 http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206098 Italy, PIEDMONT, District Turin, Valprato Soana, SAAF Memorial KG875 http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206096 Malta, South Eastern Region, District Valletta, VALLETTA, Malta Memorial incl SAAF Register http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4206092