TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

A SON’S PILGRIMAGE TO RAF LANGAR
WORLD WAR TWO LANCASTER BOMBER AIRFIELD


My father was Flight Engineer Arthur Haydn Davies VR of 207 Squadron RAF who served at Bottesford, Langar and Spilsby in WW2. He was killed on the 18 October 1943 in his first flight from Spilsby when his Lancaster EM-L was shot down over Hannover. Only the rear gunner survived.
On Sunday 26 July and Monday 27 July 2009 my wife and I visited RAF Langar on the Leicestershire Nottinghamshire border to see where my father aged 26 had spent the last few weeks of his life.
I had read the book by Barry Goodwin and Raymond Glynne-Owen about RAF Langar. In it, they say that the Plough Inn at Strathern a village near Langar was popular with the Lancaster Bombers air crew so we made the Plough our first stop for lunch. It was smaller than I expected and it lacked any memorabilia about 207 Squadron. However, the current owner had purchased a copy of the Goodwin Glynne Owen book and we were able to have a chat about the role of the Plough during the days of WW2.
From the Plough we decided to book into our hotel which was Langar Hall, an up market country house in the village of Langar. In the 18th Century it used to be the home of Admiral Howe. It is now owned by Imagen, a delightful lady who knew a lot about RAF Langar. She told us that as a little girl she lived at Langar Hall and that she remembers the noise that the Lancasters made as they flew over the house. She said that she felt safe and that they were protected by the Lancasters. The house remained a private residence throughout the War and the RAF never billeted anyone at the house. In those days the house did not have a restaurant and therefore there were no visitors from 207 Squadron personnel.
Next to Langar Hall was the church of Saint Andrews which dates back to the 12th century. We went insde and saw the little plaque commemorating 207 Squadron at Langar. The Book of Remembrance was open at the page of EM-W whose crew were killed on the 17 July 1943..
We drove the short journey to Langar Airfield. The British Parachute Association use the airfield regularly and a very nice man showed us around the Control Tower. It had many extentions since WW2 and we were very surprised how small in area the original parts of the Control Tower were during the time 207 wre operational there. In the ground level room the wall is covered with photos of 207 Squadron aircraft and aircrew. There was also a very interesting Information Sheet about 207 Squadron. The airfield all looks so peaceful today. I imagined what it was really like during the dark days of 1942 qnd 1943.
As we left the airfield we paid our respects at the Memorial stone to those who lost their lives whilst serving at Langar.
We returned to Langar village and had a drink in another popular pub for 207 Squadron – The Unicorn’s Head. Much to my delight, there were pictures in the bar arear about 207 Squadron – including a photo of EM-W which with my father’s Lancaster was one of two Lancasters lost on the first raid on Hannover from Spilsby.
We had a great dinner at the Langar Hall in the evening and I made it a celebration and a tribute to my father and those like him who made it possible for me and my wife to have the freedom to enjoy our lives and have such a lovely family of children and grandchildren.
We took some time to tour the Vale of Belvoir and saw Belvoir Castle perched on top of a hill. We imagined the Laacaster pilots using the castle as a marker and the Grantham Canal as they returned home from a bombing raid. Bottesford Airfield is nearby and many other wartime airfields and I wondered how the crews picked out the right airfield to land in the dark.
After 66 years I still miss not having a father to see me grow up and I feel so sorry that he never saw his grandchildren and great grandchildren. My brother Jeffrey was only 9 months old when my father was killed. However, if it were not for the brave young men of 207 Squadron and their like and the Nazis had won the War, what kind of lives would we have lived – if indeed we did live under the brutal Nazi regime.
Thank you 207 Squadron, thank you for your courage, thank you for your skills. Thank you for our freedom. In 2009, your efforts are not forgotten and never will be forgotten.