|
|
|
 Michel
Rainfroy and Pierre Guegan, of the
ANSA, Norman Association for
the Arial Memory, investigate to know what happened to disappeared
pilots during WWII. "So that names may be put on sepultures",
for History and Memory.
On Monday Fev 25th, 2008, they were in the
villages of Saint-Germain de Montgommery, Sainte Foy de
Montgommery and Vimoutiers questing for any tiny indication that
would allow them to locate Sergent François Bonnet's body.
This French pilot, a former
legionary, born on the 26th
July 1917 at
Ancona, Italy,
trained originally with 57 OTU
at Eshott before flying with
Free French
Alsace
squadrons 341
and 342 and then joined
198 Squadron
RAF
on the 19th July 1944. His plane, a
Typhoon, was shot down on
August 19, 1944 nearby the village of Saint Germain de Montgommery.
François Bonnet was able to safely eject but then was taken POW.
"We know that on August 20, he was maintened in captivity in a barn
of Saint Germain de Montgommery with the English Georges Lane, of
the same squadron". Georges Lane later reported that
François Bonnet
had been injured when the tail plane of his aircraft had caught him
behind the left knee when bailing out. François Bonnet would have
attempted to escape and would then have been killed. Sqn/Ldr
Y.Ezanno made
repeated efforts to locate Flt/Sgt Bonnet's remains, but without any
luck.
Michel Rainfroy and Pierre Guegan met Charles
de Boever, living in Saint Germain de Montgommery, a witness who
remembers that he saw an English-uniform-dressed pilot's body in a
nearby ditch, either in Saint Germain or in Sainte Foy
de Montgommery. Today, an appeal
is launched to anyone who would be able to give information
regarding this body that could probably be Francois Bonnet's. "We
would like to know whether he was taken in charge by civilians,
Canadian troups or any others and thenceforth, where the body was
buried". |
For any information : please contact
►
Michel Rainfroy
|
