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On the night of the the 16th June 1944 my late uncle F/O L Pulfrey left the Lincolnshire Air Field on Board Lancaster ME84o coded BQ-V to carry out a raid over the industrial area of Germany, he had already done 1 tour of duty with 103 Sqdrn and the voluteered for 550 Sqdrn as bomb aimer. On the return Journey the aircraft was attacked by night fighters and took a direct hit in one of the fuel tanks and the aircraft was boomed. On iformation received after the war my mother was informed that my uncle and the flight engineer baled out and wrer the only 2 of the crew to leave the aircraft. My uncles parachute failed to open and he was found by a local Dutch Farmer in one of his meadows in the early hours of the morning of the 17th June 1944 and is buried in Varsseveld General Cemetary with his other 5 crew members.
I have done some research into his death and in Sept 2001 I made a visit to his grave and had the honour to meet Mr Van Eerden who was 78 years of age and with the help of his son was told the story of that tragic morning in 1944.
On the 17th June this year (2004) on the 60th anniversary of his death I revisited his grave and the Van Eerden family once more to pay my respects and to honour the memory of the brave lads of Bomber Command.
I will never forget my uncle even though I never met him but I have in my posession his officer's jacket and also his Flying log book which I will always treasure and being able to have met the old gentleman who found him will stay with me for ever

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