244159 Flt.Sgt. Matthew Miller Hamilton Royal New Zealand Air Force 484 Sqdn. 114 Squadron from:New Zealand (d.22nd April 1944) An Air Gunner in the Royal Air Force, Flight Sergeant Matthew Hamilton of Royal New Zealand Air Force was killed when his Douglas Boston bomber was shot down on a hill near Vallecorsa, a small village in Italy. Two others of his crew were killed but one survived and crawled from the wreckage with a broken leg.
Luigi Ceci was in hiding with his family and watched as German soldiers raced to the crash scene and removed the bodies. Luigi later recovered the bodies and made coffins for them and buried the three airmen.
Sergeant Hamilton was buried 4 times: once by the Germans, once by Luigi again in the village and finally in the War Cemetery at Cassino.
The crew member who survived was Mick Bradley.
The Crew were:
P/O Jenkins, Allen Phill, NZ413078, RNZAF Pilot.
F/Sgt. Hamilton, Matthew Miller, 42325, RNZAF, A/G.
Sgt. Moxey, Percy J.D. 1318956, W.Op./Air Gnr., RAF Volunteer Reserve of Exeter, Devon. aged 22.
F/O Bradley A.E. "Mick" 27117, Navigator, RAF of Worthing, Sussex
My mother Claire Paterson visited his grave site in Italy and met Luigi Ceci, who had buried him after the plane was shot down. Claire never met her father, as she was only a baby when he was killed. Read more
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