Search for family of pilot killed in 1944
DAMIEN HENDERSON
AN appeal to find the relatives of a Scottish bomber pilot shot down during the second world war has been made following the discovery of his body in Germany.
Pilot Officer William Collins McLeod died in March 1944 when his Halifax bomber came under fire from enemy aircraft over Berlin. Six other crew were killed alongside him. Their bodies were discovered last year in the rusting remains of the aircraft and handed on to German authorities.
The RAF has since formally identified the men and is now attempting to contact family members so they can arrange a proper burial.
Mr McLeod, from Glasgow, was 31 at the time of his death. He was married and had one daughter, Irene, then aged eight, but efforts to trace relatives have proved fruitless. It is not known if his daughter, who would now be 68 years old, is still alive or whether she still lives in the Glasgow area.
The RAF possesses no pictures of the lost pilot. The only document still surviving is his service record, which describes him as being 5ft 9ins, with dark hair and hazel eyes.
Until his discovery, he was one of more than 20,000 men from the air forces of the British empire who have gone missing in action and have no known graves.
Sue Raftree, casework officer with the RAF casualty section, said that around two to three bodies were discovered every year, often as a result of building excavations.
"Often identifying the air crew is very difficult. Although RAF members were given tags, they were made of plastic and were often burnt or thrown off. In this case it was quite easy because we could identify exactly which aircraft it was."
The Halifax LW 430 bomber that Mr McLeod flew took off from Leaconfield air base on March 24, 1944 for what would be its last journey. It was shot down at 10.30pm over Torgan, in east Berlin, which became part of the Russian-controlled sector of the city.
The funeral of all seven crew is due to be held in Germany next year. "The bodies were found last year and passed to the VDK, the German equivalent of the war graves commission," Ms Raftree said. "His daughter or other family may still live in the area or they may have moved on. We don't know if we will be able to trace them but it is amazing how you find people who are not necessarily living in the same area after all these years but have contacts there."
Mr McLeod was originally from Hillington in the south side of Glasgow. He attended Allan Glen's, a fee-paying secondary school that was later incorporated into Strathclyde University. He went on to work as a service inspector in a machine plant. He was married to Williamina and their daughter Irene was born in 1936.
The rest of the crew were named as Sergeant Norman Cooper, navigator; Sergeant Sydney Wheeler, air bomber; Sergeant John Burdett, wireless operator; Sergeant Ronald Turner, rear gunner; Sergeant Jack Boston, gunner; Sergeant Angus Webb, flight engineer.
If you think you are a relative of Mr McLeod, contact The Herald newsdesk on 0141-302 7113.
©2004 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited.