SIX OR FOUR?
There are no official British records
or files from the cemetery that detail
the funeral. In a classified RAF
document, dated November 1941,
there is mention of a Wellington
crash on November 28, south west
of Hraunsfjö rður, stating that no
crew members survived. In 221’s
operational record book it says
all those aboard died, as does a
declaration by British Army officials
on December 31, 1941.
Photos of the funeral clearly show
that just four coffins were buried
although there are six graves, in
a line, each bearing the name of
a crew member. A few years ago,
a documentary was made about
the crash and the crew. An official
from the British Embassy in Iceland
commented to one of the film-makers
that, due to the violent explosions, it
was assumed all the crew had died.
It took some time to track down the
relatives of the crew. While talking tothem it became evident that, despite
more than 70 years having passed
since the crash, the fate of those
aboard T2988 remains a source of
sadness and confusion.
This was mainly because the families
received only limited information
about the tragedy. They were merely
told the crew died carrying out their
work and that they were buried inthe mountainside when the impact
occurred.
Conditions were very difficult at
the crash site due to the location, the
weather and wreckage was strewn over
a large area. Four badly burnt bodies
were found and were brought down
to lower ground where members of
the West Yorkshire Regiment were
waiting.
Two days after the discovery a farmer
went up to the crash site again but
descended via a different route. He
found two open parachutes close to
each other on the edge of a 300ft
canyon, known as Hrafnagil.
Locals believed that the two missing
men had parachuted out of the
Wellington and survived the crash.
With Harry low on fuel, and very
likely icing up, the captain would have
been duty-bound to warn the crew
of the danger and, as they were flying
over friendly territory, offered them
the opportunity to bale out.
Several searches have been carried
out over the years but the bodies of
the remaining two men have not been
found. It is generally believed that they
fell into the canyon.
On December 6, the bodies of the
four crew were buried with military
honours in Fossvogur Cemetery,
Reykjavík. A large group of soldiers,
both British and American, were
present along with representatives
from 221 Squadron. The unit had
started to return to Limavady that
week.86 FLYPAST May 2018
1918 2018about the tragedy. They were merely
told the crew died carrying out their
work and that they were buried inthe mountainside when the impactAbove
Wellington GR.VIII
W5674 of 221 Squadron,
similar to T2988. Note
the distinctive aerials
on the fuselage that
gave the variant its
nicknames: ‘Hedgehog’
or ‘Stickleback’. KEYRight
The graves of the crew
as originally laid out
in 1941.Right
The graves today,
under the care of the
Commonwealth War
Graves Commission.Below right
The navigator’s position
in a 221 Squadron
Wellington in 1941
at Bircham Newton,
Norfolk. WW2 IMAGES