Gosselies Communal Cemetery

Steve Arnold, on April 25, 2007, said:

The British Expeditionary Force was involved in the later stages of the defence of Belgium following the German invasion in May 1940, and suffered many casualties in covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. Commonwealth forces did not return until September 1944, but in the intervening years, many airmen were shot down or crashed in raids on strategic objectives in Belgium, or while returning from missions over Germany. All of the 102 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War at Gosselies Communal Cemetery are of airmen shot down by fighters from the Luftwaffe base that was then stationed at the town, The ten First World War servicemen buried here all died after the Armistice.

albinvega, on August 30, said:

Thank you Steve for what you've done. My uncle (George R.M. Warren - RCAF) is buried at Gosselies and I'll be visiting him again in a few weeks to say 'Hi'. His sister is still alive, but my Dad, his brother, died a few years ago; may they rest in peace.

My mother's brother sleeps in Normandy, a victim of the debacle of Varrieres Ridge and the Falaise Gap. Haven't visited Bill for a few years; time for a trip to Caen -maybe next spring.

Six of George's crewmates (10 Squadron, RAF) safely parachuted,evaded and returned to England to continue the fight.

I leave in a week for France/Spain/Belgium to replicate parts of the trek of two of them with the daughter of George's navigator; still alive in central England. We will visit safehouses in Paris and Bayonne, follow their route over the Pyrenees into Spain, and I will return to Belgium to visit George, and the family on who's farm JD368 crashed in Aug.'43. They kept his charred parachute for 60+ years before I brought it home in 2007 and gave it to my aunt.

Thank you again, Geoff