A plea for mourners to attend the funeral of a former RAF serviceman who took part in the D-Day landings has received an enthusiastic response.

Rear Gunner Sidney Marshall earned a Distinguished Flying Medal after his Lancaster Bomber survived an attack from German fighters in 1944.

He died, aged 90, at his home in Caryl Road, St Annes, on 16 June, but has few relatives to attend his funeral.

Undertaker Eddie Jacobs is now hoping people will come to pay their respects.

The RAF has promised to send a contingent to the service.

The plea, which has also featured on Twitter, has echoes of last year’s funeral for Dambusters veteran Harold Jellicoe Percival which was attended by hundreds after a campaign from the RAF.
‘Say thank you’

Mr Jacobs, of funeral directors RL Whitehead and Daughter, said: “At the outset there were only going to be a few people coming until the brother got to hear of it and he said that Sidney deserved a better send off for what he had done.

“9 Squadron, who are in Afghanistan, picked up the story, and they’ll be sending a contingent to the funeral.

“I’ve had a call from a head teacher at a school in Blackpool and he wants to bring 15 pupils along. I think people just want to say thank you for all that he did.”

Mr Marshall served in 9 Squadron and completed 28 sorties into Germany under heavy fire.

He was decorated for helping to guide his Lancaster to safety following a raid on Bergen, when the plane was attacked by Focke-Wulf fighters.

The bomber’s guns were paralysed, but Mr Marshall managed to communicate with the pilot via radio, helping him dodge further fire.

Mr Jacobs said: “He was a lovely quiet man. I met him when his wife died and all this only came out after he died and it gives a different look to his life.”

The service will be held at Lytham Park Crematorium on 4 July.

BBC Web

Brian

26Jun14

The Catalina was on crew training again and out of the three days this was the best with a bit of speed, power and noise as it flew circuits and displays. The Fighter Collection had TF-51/Miss Velma, the Hellcat and Nimrod out on the grass. the Nimrod hadn’t flown by the time I left. Miss Velma went flying first with a test flight to the north and then an excellent high powered aerobatic display over the airfield by Pete Kynsey. On landing he literally jumped out of that and into the Hellcat with another test flight to the north but no aerobatics on the Hellcats return. Later Miss Velma went flying again and I’m sure the TFC engineer in the back seat did not enjoy the flight as they did aerobatics over the airfield to check out the fuel flow into the carburetor while inverted. Cliff Spink flew the other Mk.1 Spitfire/N3200 with a nice display routine. A possible Old Warden debut on Sunday?.

Brian

My dad’s eldest brother, my uncle.

As an aside, my dad’s dad was in the RFC and moved to the RAF when that was formed and his wife was in the short lived WRAF.

Brian

EDIT: Just spoken to my Dad and plenty family and friends are going to be at the funeral. Sid requested that his medals and log book, with over 30 missions in it including the Tirpitz raid, go to the RAF Museum.

What it doesn’t say is that the tickets are £20 and they are all sold out according to the RAFM web site.

Brian

24Jun14

Another warm and quiet day at Duxford although I did get wet going home on my motorbike as there appeared to be a wall of rain just between Bar Hill and Cambridge Services. The Catalina was up and down all day with circuits and short display routines with what looked like a spot of crew training. TFC came out to play in the afternoon. The Bearcat returned from its holiday in France and after it was tucked up in the hangar, Miss Velma had a successful engine run.

Brian

The day when I look at a line-up like that and shrug my shoulders is the day I give up aviation and take up crocheting.

Autumn Quilt Festival, Duxford,
Friday 31st October to Sunday 2nd November 2014 😀

Brian

18Jun14

Not something you see every day at Duxford. A pair of Agusta-Westland AW139 helicopters of the Dubai Air Wing (DU142 & DU140 for the number crunchers) dropping in for a bit of fuel. A bit of a helicopter day as there was also an S-76 and and an AW109Power visiting as well.

Brian