The German Wehrmacht and the Danish police closed the area off
and not untill Thursday April 30 in the morning did a
Bergungskommando from Fliegerhorst Aalborg arrive to clear the
place for the dead crew and the wreck. The German Oberfeldwebel in
charge declared that he had been instructed that the the bodyparts
should be dropped in the bomb crater and not given a proper buriel,
or as he said : “Die Grösseren Stücke mit Sand bestreuen oder auf
der Stelle einbutteln und die kleinen Stücken holen die Krähen in
drei Tagen”.
The Danish teacher Frederik Tychsen complained about this and
managed to get permission to collect and bury the remains of the
crew. Tychsen brought in a ships chest and laid the body parts in
it. At noon it was filled and one more box and a bag was filled
during the afternoon. Tychsen then called for the help of Ivar
Gemmer, Nis Sandhol and Peter Riis and at sundown a grave was dug
in P.Riss`s plantation. The chest, the box and the bag was placed
in the grave and Tychsen performed the graveside ceremony. On the
next day the Bergungskommando left in the afternoon and the local
people was allowed to enter the crashsite. A lot of bones was found
and placed in a bag which was placed in the grave on the same
day.
On 2/5 30 men from CBU in Haderslev under command of Captain
Neergaard arrived to search the place for remaining bombs and
ammunition. The body of the pilot Sgt Irvine John Rollingson was
then found deep in the crater and the Danish police was called for.
A coffin was brought in and the body placed in it and brought to
the Luftwaffe post of Laadenhøj, to be buried in Bevtoft cemetery.
On 5/5 a truck carrying 8 or 10 German soldiers under command of
Obergefreiter Seem arrived at Riis`s plantation and emptied the
grave and placed the body parts in a white coffin. This coffin and
the coffin from Laadenhøj were then taken to Aabenraa cemetery
where the British flyers were finally laid to rest at 06:30 on 6/5
1942. The Marine priest Graumann from Flensburg officiated at the
graveside ceremony. Also attending were the German Ortskommandant
with his staff, Reverent Bauch, Mayor Fink and Hr. Heidenreich of
Aabenraa as well as the Chief police constable of Toftlund and
several other members of the Danish Police. Apart from Rollingson
the crew consisted of Pilot Sgt Alfred Thomas Fone, Observer Sgt
Alexander Duncan Saint, Wop/Air Gnr. Sgt William Gardiner Smith,
Wop / Air Gnr. Sgt James Small Grieve and Air Gnr. Sgt Albert
Edward Simmans.
Kilde http://www.flensted.eu.com/