Living close to the border with Northern Ireland .. a few years ago used to loads of Puma,Gazelle,Lynx,Chinook,BN Defender(?),Wessex.Before that Scout,Sioux, the beautiful old Beaver,once saw a Canberra doing some sort of photo recon or Infrared(?) search. On the IAC front Cessna 172,Allouette 111.

Now its the odd Puma ,Chinook, the Sa341’s dont seem to be around much are they gone? The IAC occasionally visits with a C172.

Unfortunately, I would be fearful of politically motivated vandalism at any new gravesite in Eire. Not because of genuine nationalistic ideals, but rather because of an orgy of publicity, combined with the blind bigotry of a tiny minority carried over from the Troubles.

I am very much aware of the new, enlightened attitudes prevailing in both North and South, but there is still a hardcore of resistance to change.

I doubt very much if you have any cause for concern about desecration of any grave …A number of years ago approx 1992, but certainly in the middle of what were known as the troubles, a number of local men decided to commemorate what has been described as the worst air disaster to occur in Ireland namely the crash of RAF LB-30 AL577 .They visited the crash site and erected a simple monument .

To the best of my knowledge this has NEVER been vandalised,removed or interfered with. ..and all this in the middle of a stunch republican area….Ok maybe this memorial isnt as easily got at as a grave stone but this was well publicised in the local media and the location very well known.

In Milltown cemetary the main Catholic graveyard in Belfast, again located in a stunch republican area , there are a number of WW2 graves including Polish, Canadian, Irish and English air crew and soldiers. Here minor damage occured at some stage but the exact same damage( chipping to the edge of two/three of the headstones ) can be found on other non military graves in the cemetary.This would appear to be mindless vandalism that now occurs all too often in modern times in many ” civilisied ” societies rather than politically motivated stupidity.

Few people here,both North and South, do not recognise what would have happened to a powerless and largely undefended Ireland had Nazi germany won the war…Hitler’s plans to eradicate the population and use the country as one huge hunting range are there for all to see .

As to whether or not the remains should be moved why not leave this to the next of kin..He was their relative after all.