Flt/Sgt. Ronald Thomas
Royal Air Force 115 Squadron
(d.31st March 1944)
Doing a ride in the country with my bicycle, I suddenly saw a kind of monument situated between a little earth road and a field. It was a very beautiful sunny day and I was particularly happy on my bicycle, so I decided to have a look at that monument lost in the middle of nowhere. There was a panel on the wall on which it was written :
In Memory of:
- F/Sgt Ronald Thomas
- F/Sgt Dennis Atkinson
- Sgt Robert F. Taylor
- Sgt James Kensett
- Sgt Frank Haawksworth
- Sgt Peter Jack
- Sgt Harry Kendrick
- 115th Squadron of the Royal Air Force
- 31 March 1944
- Bois des 7 Fontaines (that means: Wood of the Seven Fountains which is situated in Belgium, near the little city of Braine l'Alleud (3 km from Waterloo, so not very far from Brussels)
- Ils sont morts pour notre Liberte - They gave their lives for our freedom
So, I unfortunately realized that their plane crashed there when WWII was almost over. Thanks to the sacrifice of those young men (and so many others), I have always been able to live in total freedom and without a swatiska sewed on my suit. Thanks again to all of you, young men. How lucky we have been in Belgium to have England and America (and of course, other countries) who liberated us.
We shall never forget - Never.
I took my bicycle back, it was still hot and sunny, but I was rather sad about what I learned some moments before.
God bless you all.
