VICKERS WELLINGTON 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
May 2018 FLYPAST 87Fossvogur Cemetery in Reykjavík.
Local people who witnessed the
incident were also deeply affected by
it.
Dorothy Howard, sister of wireless
operator/air gunner Kenneth Capper,
and her husband Maurice, visited the
British Consul in Reykjavík in 1975.
Dorothy announced she wanted to
visit the site where her brother had
died. The consul said it would be very
difficult for them to drive to that area
due to the poor quality of the roads,
and that they would be disappointed.
He suggested they visited other areas
of Iceland instead.
Later, Dorothy said it was obvious
he was trying to prevent her and her
husband visiting the site of the crash
although it was hard to understand
why.
A further 38 years passed before
Dorothy was given details of the crash
and confirmation that two members
of the crew had never been found.
Shortly before Kenneth’s mother
Mary died, she told Dorothy about
a dream she had experienced not
long before the aircraft crashed. In
it, Kenneth came to her bedside in a
desolate mood, saying: “Mum I am
starving”, after which his image faded.
Dorothy always believed this dream
indicated Kenneth had survived the
crash.
Whatever the precise details of their
deaths, we present details of six gallant
aircrew of Coastal Command (see
panels), patrolling far from home
to defend their colleagues on the
high seas from the threat of enemy
submarines.
H for Harry’s pilot, known as Ewart, hailed from Prestwich, Lancashire. John’s siblings,
nieces and nephews have photos of him and documents relating to his life. Speaking
to the family, it became clear that all they were told about Ewart’s death was that he
perished while taking part in a secret operation. It’s believed that this was connected
to a British suspicion that a German warship was about to enter the Atlantic by sailing
through the Denmark Strait. After hearing of Ewart’s death, his father chose not to talk
about it again.FG OFF JOHN EWART SPEAK
Donald’s parents were Donald and Edith MacPherson from Invergordon, Scotland. He
was also the foster son of D MacDermaid, also of Invergordon. Donald was very popular
and a good sportsman. On December 3, 1941, there was a short piece in the Aberdeen
press stating that the 26-year-old airman had been reported missing, presumed dead.
Just a fortnight earlier he had been on leave in Scotland.SGT DONALD JOHN MACPHERSON
James’ parents were Richard and Charlotte Gower from Shenfi eld, Essex. James, who
was 22 when he died, had two brothers, who have since passed away. Only distant
relatives are living today.PLT OFF JAMES BRIAN GOWER
Glyn was the son of Ray and Mary Griffi th from Chelsea, London. In 1941, just before his
departure to Iceland, Glyn married Betty C Briggs. The British Embassy in Iceland recorded
that Glyn’s mother travelled to Iceland in 1953 and visited the crash site at Kolgrafafjö rður.SGT GLYN DAVID HUMPHREYS
Kenneth, just 23 when he died, was born in Runcorn, Cheshire. He was the son of
Thomas and Mary Capper. Popular at school, he married Lucy Stelfox in 1940. He was
also on home leave a couple of weeks before his fi nal ‘op’. His sister, Dorothy Howard
(nee Capper), travelled to Iceland with her husband Maurice in 1975 (see main text).SGT KENNETH FREDERICK CAPPER
John, aged 20 when he died, was the son of Andrew and Elizabeth Fergus from
Millerhill, Scotland, and one of nine siblings. He joined the RAF when he was 18. Only two
weeks before he died, John was on leave at home and told his family he was going to
take part in an important mission, but was not allowed to give any details.SGT JOHN NELSON FERGUS
“It took some time to track down the
relatives of the crew. While talking to them
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”