A memorial service to mark the 70th anniversary of the crash of a Catalina Flying Boat at Drumcose, near Ely Lodge, which claimed the lives of its nine-man crew, was held yesterday at the crash site.

On November 26 1944, in the early hours of the morning, the RAF aircraft, JX252 from 131 OTU Killadeas, crashed into the hillside on the farm at Drumcose, now owned by David Scott. There were no survivors but the men who perished in that crash were remembered yesterday at a stone memorial which was unveiled in 2006 which was then attended by the fiancee of the pilot, Reg Shallis. Joyce Hotston, who is now 93, still lives in England.

It is understood that the plane crashed after a snow storm reduced visibility as it was returning to Killadeas after a patrol over the Atlantic, probably for 12-16 hours.

Yesterday, on a foggy, winter’s day, a group of people associated with the Royal Air Force Association, Royal British Legion and local people, gathered for the special service.

One man present was Greg Kilfedder, from Derrychara, Enniskillen, who as a child of about five years old, lived with his family in the house now owned by David Scott at Drumcose and remembered a commotion during the night.

“I vaguely remember being up in the middle of the night and my mother and father were up. We had no electricity then just an oil lamp with a globe was lit. I didn’t understand what was going on and I was probably sent to bed. The next day, my father brought me to the crash site and I seemed to remember iron spikes in the ground with rope around the site. The only thing I remember about was the rear of the plane and the tail sticking up.

“The story became more important to me in later years,“ he said. When he heard about the memorial being placed on the crash site, he wanted to be there. He returned to the site yesterday.

Standard bearers from the RAFA and Royal British Legion, men’s and women’s sections were present and RAFA members paid their own official dedication.

There were Bible readings and prayers were read by the Rev. Sampson Ajuka. The Last Post and Reveille were sounded by Andrew Gordon and a lament, “Flowers of the Forest,” was played by piper, Paul Barton.

Dorothy Scott, David’s sister, read the poem, “The Flying Boats of Lough Erne” and Greg Kilfedder laid crosses at the site.

The air crew who died in the crash were; Sergeant E.T.Crow, Air Gunner; Flight Sergeant N.G.E. Ladbrook, Second Pilot; Sergeant D.H. Pidgeon, navigator; Sergeant J. Pringle, Flight Engineer; Sergeant J. Rew, Navigator; Sergeant B. A. Rosentreter, Navigator; W/O Reg Shallis, Captain; Sergeant A. Sonenthal, Wireless Operator and Air Gunner and Sergeant K.P. West, Flight Mechanic.

David said family members of the crew regularly keep in touch.