Obituaries

Former Tuskegee Airman, 90, Dies in NYC
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 28, 2010
Filed at 6:36 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Lee A. Archer, a decorated member of the Tuskegee Airmen, has died. He was 90.

His son, Roy Archer, says his father died in a Manhattan hospital Wednesday night. The cause of death was not immediately determined.

Archer was an ace pilot in America's first black fighter group in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen fought with distinction but faced segregation when they returned home. The group was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 from President George W. Bush.

After serving in the military, Archer, of New Rochelle, N.Y., joined General Foods Corp. in the early 1970s and became a corporate vice president.

Archer was among the Tuskegee Airmen who attended President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009.

Funeral services have yet to be announced.


Respect !

Wing Commander Henry Lamond- NZ Great Escape Hero Dies...

Wing Commander Henry Lamond, who has died aged 94, was one of the first three men to escape from a tunnel at Stalag Luft III and remained at large for a week; he had been captured in Crete after gallant attempts to rescue stranded personnel in his Sunderland flying boat.
In the spring of 1942 Lamond was among the early arrivals at Stalag Luft III at Sagan, Goering's show camp for captured Allied airmen and one he claimed was escape-proof. Lamond and his colleagues immediately set about proving him wrong.

Lamond had already developed a reputation as an inveterate tunneller during his time at another prison camp. He and Bill Goldfinch, who had been his co-pilot when they were captured in April 1941, invited another PoW, Jack Best, to join them in an audacious attempt to dig their way out of Sagan.

The prisoners had managed to block and flood the latrines in order to convince their captors that it was necessary to dig a drainage ditch to a point near the perimeter wire. Lamond intended to use the ditch to dig a tunnel, from where they would "mole" – or burrow – their way out.

Just after the evening roll-call their helpers sealed them into the tunnel. The three men burrowed towards the wire, piling sand behind them. Kept alive by air holes pushed up through the soil, they worked all night; but the following morning their comrades were horrified to see wisps of steam rising from four air holes. Fortunately they remained undetected and carried on digging. After 36 hours underground and "moling" for 150ft they broke the surface outside the wire and crept to the nearby woods.

They headed for a local training airfield, intending to steal an aircraft in which they would fly to Sweden. Arriving at dawn, they hid all day, but then failed to locate a suitable aircraft. They spent the next five nights walking to the river Oder, where they found a rowing boat and set off for Stettin, 200 miles away, with the aim of finding a ship going to Sweden. While they were resting on the river bank they were arrested by local police.

The three men were the first to escape from Sagan by tunnel and were at liberty for seven days. Lamond later wrote: "This escape destroyed the Germans' overbearing sense of superiority, and re-established the morale of the PoWs, allowing them with great delight to jeer at the Germans about their escape-proof camp." Goldfinch and Best were sent to Colditz, where they were to build their famous glider. It was never explained why Lamond was left at Sagan.

Henry William Lamond was born on August 26 1915 at Kaukapakapa, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. He was educated at Auckland Grammar School before serving in the 1st Battalion Auckland Regiment. In 1938 he joined the RNZAF, transferring to an RAF scheme in 1939; he completed his pilot training and was commissioned.

After arriving in England he joined No 210 Squadron, and in December 1940 was ordered to ferry a Sunderland to Malta. Instead of returning to England, he was sent to No 228 Squadron and started operational flying. In March 1941 the remnants of 228 had to leave Malta, and Lamond flew one of the two surviving Sunderlands to Alexandria; on April 24 he was sent to Suda Bay in Crete.

With Goldfinch as one of his co-pilots, he reconnoitred the Greek coastline looking for RAF personnel fleeing the German advance. After a successful first mission Lamond was ordered to fly to Kalamata, where he saw signals from the shore. Although short of fuel, he landed and picked up 74 men of an RAF squadron.

Later the same evening, he was woken up and ordered to fly back to Kalamata. With no flare path for the night take-off, or for the landing at Kalamata, Lamond would have been justified in refusing. However, as he commented later: "In those days one did not." On landing, he hit an unseen obstruction and his Sunderland sank.

He and three members of his crew survived, and after several hours clinging to a wing they were picked up by a Greek boat. A few days later the Germans occupied the area and the men were captured.

Lamond was taken to Dulag 185 at Salonika, where conditions were primitive and the PoWs badly treated. It was here that Lamond and Goldfinch first met Best. They remained together during a desperate march in November over the mountains to a railhead at Corinth, where they were loaded into cattle trucks. After travelling through Yugoslavia, Austria and Germany, the RAF prisoners arrived at Stalag Luft I at Barth on the Baltic coast.

After his recapture and return to Stalag Luft III, Lamond was a member of numerous tunnelling teams. He worked on the three tunnels before the Great Escape, and on the night of the breakout – March 24/25 1944 – he was the dispatcher. Positioned in Hut 104 at the top of the entrance shaft which led to the escape tunnel "Harry", Lamond checked each prisoner and his chattels to ensure that they would not block the narrow tunnel.

He was also responsible for controlling the flow of prisoners into the tunnel. Just after he had dispatched his 87th escaper, "Harry" was discovered; 76 men had broken free, of whom 50 were later murdered by the Gestapo.

In January 1945 the camp was evacuated with minimum notice and the PoWs marched westwards to avoid the advancing Soviet army. During one of the worst winters on record, the prisoners suffered greatly on "the Long March". Eventually they reached a camp near Lübeck from where, in late April, they were repatriated.

Lamond remained in the RAF and flew transport aircraft. During the Berlin Air Lift of 1949 he was an operations controller at Gatow airfield in Germany, where he later served for two years. He was a flying instructor and served in Southern Rhodesia before becoming the chief instructor at No 2 Flying Training School at Syerston, near Newark, Nottinghamshire.

He retired from the RAF in 1962, and four years later joined the RAF Reserve of Officers. For the next 15 years he worked with the Air Training Corps, of which he later wrote a history.

A keen golfer, he did not allow hip and knee replacements to interfere with his enjoyment of the sport, but continued playing until late in life.

In December 1942 the King of the Hellenes awarded Lamond the Greek Distinguished Flying Cross. For his activities as a PoW he was mentioned in despatches, and in 1953 he received a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air.

Henry Lamond died on January 15. He married, in 1945, Nesta John; she predeceased him, and he is survived by two sons and a daughter.

source: The Telegraph

Ryszard Danilo Śnieżkowski - RAF war hero dies, aged 91...

Tributes have been paid to a decorated pilot from Poland who joined the RAF to fight the Nazis during the Second World War – and was still taking to the air on his 90th birthday.
Warrant officer Ryszard Danilo died on January 2 at the age of 91 in a Preston nursing home.
The father-of-two, from Conway Drive, Fulwood, was born in Galicia, Poland, in 1917.
He joined the Polish army and served with the country's air force at the start of the war, before escaping when Russia invaded.
Mr Danilo, who was known as Richard, travelled to France but was forced to flee when it fell to the Germans in 1940.
He then headed for Liverpool and volunteered to join the RAF, serving with 307 and 304 Squadron and No 10 Air Gunnery School at Walney Island, Barrow, where he married Eliza.
Mr Danilo's son, also called Ryszard, who now lives in Shropshire, said: "He had a colourful history. He achieved so much."
He said his father remained a keen pilot and was still taking to the air in his 80s. Ryszard added: "He took the controls of an aircraft when he was 89."
Grandfather-of-two Mr Danilo had a number of lucky escapes in his flying career.
On one occasion he was coming in to land at a Polish airfield in the first few days of the war when three bombs from an overhead bomber landed across his path.
He felt the ground shake as each hit the ground. Miraculously, none of them exploded.
He flew a variety of aircraft and types of missions including Bomber command, night fighters and Coastal command.
He had a nasty crash at Christmas 1941 when he had to crash land his Beaufighter due to engine failure while returning from patrol over the Solent.
His injuries kept him invalided for a year. He eventually returned to service and was stationed as an instructor pilot at at Walney Island near Barrow.
WO Danilo was awarded several medals including the Atlantic Star and the Defence Medal by the British government.
He was awarded the Polish Order of Merit by the Polish government in exile.
At the end of the war Mr Danilo settled in Preston and found work as an engineer at Leyland Motors, designing a large extension to the Spurrier Works building at Farington Moss and supervising the construction.
He also designed many church buildings around Lancashire on a voluntary basis.
Ryszard added: "He was writing a book of his memoirs. I'm hoping they can be put together and archived. It will be a lovely legacy for my father."
Richard, who has another son, Jan from his second marriage to Halina, was also an active member of the RAF Association, the Polish Air Force Association and the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team.
In 1998 he was part of a team which recovered the wreck of an American fighter plane near Walker Lane, Fulwood.
The aircraft had crashed while on a test flight from Warton in June 1944.
A tribute on the Aviation Forum website said: "He worked tirelessly to keep the memory of his fallen comrades alive, among other projects he was involved in, and he was working as much as possible at the end.
"Richard was a real gentleman and will be missed dearly by all that knew him."

Dick Francis, ex- RAF pilot, thriller writer and ex-jockey, dies

Dick Francis, the best-selling British thriller writer and former champion jockey, died on Sunday ( February, 14 ) in his home in the Cayman Islands. He was 89.

A successful steeplechase jockey, Francis turned to writing after he retired from racing in 1957. He penned 42 novels, many of which featured racing as a theme. His books were translated into more than 20 languages, and in 2000 Queen Elizabeth II — whose mother was among his many readers — honored Francis by making him a Commander of the British Empire.

His son Felix said he and his brother, Merrick, were "devastated" by their father's death, but "rejoice in having been the sons of such an extraordinary man."

"We share in the joy that he brought to so many over such a long life," Felix said in a statement. Francis' spokeswoman Ruth Cairns said the writer had died from natural causes, but did not elaborate.

During his writing career, Francis won three Edgar Allen Poe awards given by The Mystery Writers of America for his novels "Forfeit" (1968), "Whip Hand" (1979) and "Come to Grief" (1995).

He also was awarded a Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association for his outstanding contribution to the genre. The association made him a Grand Master in 1996 for a lifetime's achievement.

Aside from novels, Francis also authored a volume of short stories, as well as a biography of British jockey Lester Piggot.

In recent years Francis wrote novels jointly with son Felix, including "Silks" (2008) and "Even Money" (2009). A new novel by the two, "Crossfire," will be published later this year.

"It is an honor for me to be able to continue his remarkable legacy through the new novels," Felix said in his statement.

Richard Francis was born Oct. 31, 1920, as the younger son of a horse breeder in Tenby, South Wales. During World War II he joined the Royal Air Force in 1940 and was stationed in the Egyptian desert before being commissioned as a bomber pilot in 1943, flying Spitfires, Wellingtons and Lancasters.

A few years later he returned to his father's stables and became a steeplechase trainer's assistant. Later, as a professional jockey, he won 345 of the more than 2,300 races he rode in between 1948 and 1957, taking the title of Champion Jockey for the 1953-54 season.

His most famous moment in racing came just a few months before he retired, when, riding for Queen Elizabeth, his horse collapsed inexplicably within sight of certain victory in the 1956 Grand National.

Despite his many successes, he had expressed regret at never winning the prestigious Grand National.

"The first one I rode in I was second, and the last one I rode in I won everywhere except the last 25 yards. I would love the opportunity of having another go, but it's a young man's job," he said once during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp.

Francis' first book, published in 1957, was his autobiography, titled "The Sport of Queens." His first novel, "Dead Cert," came out in 1962 and was followed by a new title every year since.

He also worked for years as a racing correspondent for Britain's Sunday Express, and retired in the British Caribbean territory of the Cayman Islands.

Francis is survived by his two sons as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandson, Cairns said. A small funeral will be held at Francis' home on Grand Cayman, followed by a memorial service in London, she said, but could not say when they would be held.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8515165.stm

Local news here in Dallas mentioned his death, but focused on his writing and said nothing about his RAF experience.

Cy Grant: Guyanese Born Singer, Writer and Actor Dies at age 90 in England.

Cy Grant was a man of many talents and led an extraordinary life.

He was born in the village of Beterverwagting, Demerara, Guyana on November 8th 1919. At the tender age of 11, he moved with his family to New Amsterdam Berbice, Guyana. Cy had seven siblings and after graduating high school he worked as a clerk in a magistrate's office. He eventually decided to pursue law but a lack of money hindered his dreams until WW11 ended in 1945.

But before fulfilling his dreams, Cy joined the Royal Air Force and trained to hold the role as a navigator. In 1943, on his third mission, his plane was shot down over the Netherlands. He was captured by the German army and spent the next two years of his life as a prisoner of war. In 1945 when the war was over, Cy became free. He then pursued by dream in England and finally in 1950, he was accepted as a Barrister to the Middle Temple in London.

But during the 1950's it was quite difficult to find work as a colored man practicing law, thus, he decided to pursue acting. As his career developed, so did Cy creative abilities. Along with acting, Cy ventured into singing and writing. The rest was history.

He was the first black man to be regularly seen on British Television, singing the news on television on the BBC TONIGHT program. He had his own series on radio and TV and his acting career is on record in BLACKGROUNDS, an Oral History Project housed at the Theatre Museum. He is the author of RING OF STEEL, pan sound and symbol. He was the Chairman/cofounder of DRUM, the London based Black arts centre in the 70's and Director of CONCORD Multicultural Festivals in the 80's. He is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Surrey, Roehampton and a member of The Scientific Medical Network.

Cy Grant died on Saturday February 13th 2010 but not before gracing the world with his many talents. He was an extraordinary Guyanese that produced many works of art that have inspired individuals across the globe. He is survived by his wife Dorith and four children.

Veteran who flew Soviet flag over Reichstag dies

One of the men featured in the iconic picture of a Red Army soldier holding the Soviet flag above Berlin's Reichstag at the end of World War II has passed away at the age of 94 in the Republic of Dagestan.
Abdulhakim Ismailov, a native of Dagestan, was one of the three soldiers from the famous picture featuring the raising of the red Banner of Victory on one of the Reichstag's towers.

The iconic snapshot taken by military photographer Evgeny Khaldey became the symbol of the Soviet victory over Fascist Germany.

It is interesting to note that the photograph depicts the spirit of victory rather than a historical truth. The picture was, in fact, taken on May 2 on the request of Russia's major news agency. Khaldey took his famous snapshot after the Reichstag had already fallen.

During the last days of WWII the Reichstag building was attacked several times with a number of red flags raised over it, though the Banner of Victory historically refers to the one planted by Lt. Berest and sergeants Egorov and Kantaria on April, 30, 1945.

Abdulhakim Ismailov was born in 1916 in Dagestan. For his participation in the Great Patriotic War he was awarded several orders of merit, including the highest honorary title: the Hero of the Russian Federation. Ismailov was the last person alive from the picture by Khaldey.

BB's note: That soviet pic is to the russians, what the famous photo of the Iwo Jima flag raising is to the americans.

Rest in peace comrade.