30-31 July 2023

Beauvais, Léglantiers (Oise)

Visit of Rosalind Brice, daughter of F/S Colin A. ALT,

Australian pilot of the Vickers Wellington Mk II, 12 RAF Squadron,

shot down on the night of 2^nd to 3^rd September 1942

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     On 30 and 31 July, we welcomed Rosalind Brice and her husband Garth from Canberra (Australia). Also present were their cousin David and his wife Dorothy (from Sydney).

     Rosalind Brice is the daughter of Flight/Sergeant Colin A. Alt, Australian pilot of the Vickers Wellington of 12 RAF Squadron, shot down near Léglantiers on the night of 2^nd to 3^rd September 1942. He flew his 13^th mission.

     The crew of the Wellington # Z8529 PH U:

Mission and fate of the crew:

    That night, their target, designated by Bomber Command, was the city of Karlsruhe, Germany, a rail traffic hub and major port on the eastern bank of the Rhine.

     On returning from the mission, the aircraft was attacked by a German night fighter. Managing to escape the enemy and flying at low altitude, one of the Wellington's propellers was damaged when it hit the treetops, so F/S Alt decided to crash-land his bomber in a field (near Léglantiers Wood). The aircraft slid to the ground and the front section smashed into the trees on the edge of the field. The pilot momentarily lost consciousness on impact. After regaining consciousness, he managed to get out of the cockpit and discovered the lifeless body of F/S Francis Monckton entangled in the wreckage of the aircraft. He had been killed instantly. Sgt John Logan survived the crash. He was conscious but had one leg immobilised inside his turret. The pilot, still dazed, tried to free him but his efforts were in vain. William Holland, despite a broken collarbone, and John Foley managed to get out of the rear part of the aircraft and joined Colin Alt. The aircraft was about to burst into flames. The three airmen had no choice but to get away and hide in a recess in the woods. John Logan, aged 19, then perished horribly amid the flames.

     Left to their own devices for several days without any significant help, the three escapees tried to head south.

     On 10 September, they arrived in the Sainte-Geneviève area (around 40 km from the crash site) near a barn and decided to spend the night there. About 30 minutes later, they heard the arrival of a lorry. Six German soldiers accompanied by an officer began searching the barn. The three airmen were discovered and captured.

     First incarcerated at an air base (probably Beauvais-Tillé) and then at the Agel barracks, the three airmen were transferred to Paris. In October 1942, Colin Alt, William Holland and John Foley were sent to Stalag VIII B (renamed Stalag 344 in November 1943) near Lamsdorf (now Lambinowice, Poland). At the end of January, beginning of February 1945, due to the advance of Soviet troops, they were moved west to Germany, first to Stalag VIII A in Görlitz, then to Stalag XI B in Fallingbostel, where they were finally liberated by the British Army on 16 April 1945 after two and a half years in captivity.  

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     During a trip to Europe, Rosalind and her family wanted to visit the place where her father had been in 1942.

     Their visit began in the Saint-Jean district of Beauvais, on the site of the former Agel barracks where her father and his two crewmates were temporarily detained after their capture and before their transfer to Paris. The barracks were demolished in 2003 as part of an urban renewal project. All that remains today is a brick stele from the barracks, a reminder that it was a place of internment and transit to the concentration camps for many Resistance fighters.

     The following day, 31 July, at the Beauvais-Marissel national necropolis, a moving tribute was paid to the two crew members who perished: F/S Francis E. Monckton (Australian) and Sgt John. I. M. Logan (Rhodesian).

     On behalf of her father, Rosalind said a few words: "Apologise for failing to get them back to base – something that was my responsibility and mine alone…. I have never forgotten them and in fact the memory of them has lived with me ever since. Ask their forgiveness and express hope that life hereafter (as I believe exists) has been to their benefit…”

     With her hand on her heart, Rosalind then prayed and thanked God for the sacrifice made for their country and for the peace that followed. A minute's silence was observed, and roses were then placed in front of each of their graves.

     The next stop on the tour was the village of Léglantiers. At the foot of the church, the pilot's descendants were able to meet Mr Charles Beaufrère, certainly one of the last witnesses to remember the plane being shot down. In front of our grateful Australian friends, he recalled his memories:

     "I was 11 at the time. We lived in La Neuville-Roy, a nearby village. My father was an aviation enthusiast. He'd heard that a bomber had crashed near Léglantiers Wood so, in the days that followed, he took me with him to see the wreckage. I remember part of the fuselage in the field but I don't remember seeing the wings or the engines. The Germans must have removed part of it by the time we got there..."

     We then headed for the crash site on the edge of the Léglantiers woods.

     Like the visit to the Beauvais military cemetery, this pilgrimage to the crash site was a must for Rosalind and her family. Before their astonished eyes, a few small pieces of aircraft debris were quickly found. More than 80 years later, various small pieces of metal from the bomber still litter the undergrowth. Among the most significant pieces found: part of the altimeter, a parachute buckle and a plate from an oxygen regulator. All precious relics that the pilot's family will be taking back to Australia.

     Contemplating these small remains, Rosalind expressed her thoughts, her eyes flushed with emotion: "I have a mixed feeling about being here. My father would be incredulous to know that we're on the same spot where the remains of his plane still stand. I'm not sad, but I feel deeply connected to the difficult situation my father faced. My sadness is for the two young men of the crew who did not survive and for the way my father has carried this burden all his life".

     The day ended with a visit to the Beauvais-Warluis Aviation Museum. Among the collections on display, our Australian friends were able to see various parts of a Vickers Wellington, including a tailplane with its characteristic structure.