THE fate of second world war pilot Joseph Seddon Kilgour has been revealed by contributor Ian Griffiths.

He explained: "On Wednesday, April 26, 1955 at 21.24 Lancaster Bomber ND 789 of 630 squadron took off from East Kirby airfield in Lincolnshire on a bombing mission to Schweinfurt in Germany. This aircraft was one of 600 ordered from the AV Roe company in Manchester and had seen action in Nurnberg on March 30 and 31, 1944 and when lost had some 82 flying hours on the clock.

"The pilot officer that evening was Joseph Seddon Kilgour who lived on College Street with his wife Mary Patricia Kilgour (nee Bradbury). His parents were Joseph Kilgour and Constance Mabel Kilgour (nee Perring). He had a sister Amelia. It is believed that his wife Mary is still alive and living somewhere in the UK.

"The Lancaster was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Mühlhausen where all the crew were initially buried before subsequently being reinterred in the Durnback War Cemetery. Joseph Kilgour's grave can be found in plot nine F15. To commemorate the event the town of Mühlhausen has raised funds to erect a memorial stone which was unveiled at a service on Sunday, April 26 this year. The service included a speech by the Mayor of Mühlhausen and Roland Watzl researcher of the aircraft crash site.

"The stone is inscribed 'Flug zeugabsturz 27 April 1944 Lancaster ND789. Die Toten mahnen zum frieden’ which roughly translated means 'Aircraft crashed at April 27 1944. The Lancaster with serial number ND789 the dead men admonish to peace'.

In the UK pilot officer JS Kilgour is commemorated on the St Helens war memorial in Victoria Square, at St Luke's war memorial in Eccleston and also on the Memorial Chapel wall at the Lincolnshire House Heritage centre at East Kirby airfield."

Anyone with further information about the pilot or his family can contact Ian at earlyaviation@gmail.com. I would welcome any information about other names on the war memorial.

Roland Watz provided the photograph and commemorative stone information