Statue returned 70 years after crash

A LOST treasure from RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire has been returned to its rightful place after nearly 70 years.

The lion statuette was lost in 1943 when a Halifax II bomber from 429 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, crashed at Heathfield Park in Sussex as it returned from operations over Frankfurt.

The following day, children playing near the wreckage found the lion, still warm from the fire.

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Years later, black cab driver Eric White, from Northwood in Middlesex, became determined to trace its origins after hearing how it had been discovered and kept by his friend’s mother.

His investigations led him to RAF Leeming, where 429 Squadron was based during the war.

Flight Lieutenant Alfie Hall, who runs the Historical Training Facility at the base, said: “Air crews were notorious for playing practical jokes on each other. 427 Sqn had a room known as ‘the lion’s den’.

“Chances are that this was a treasured “Lion” Squadron mascot that the boys from 429 took on a raid as a practical joke, which gives an idea that their sense of humour was very similar to our own today.”

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The Halifax was one of more than 300 aircraft lost from RAF Leeming alone in the course of the Second World War, along with many of the crews. On the night of October 5, 1943, it was hit by a night fighter and only just made it back to England before crashing, killing two of its eight crew members.

Flt Lt Hall said the return of the lion provided a more personal link to the past, and added: “To have this personal artefact gives you a closer bond with those young men and what it was like to serve here 70 years ago.”

The lion will now take pride of place in RAF Leeming’s historical training facility.

Mr White said: “I think it’s a fantastic story, and it’s quite emotional for me to see him coming back to RAF Leeming. I hope that, one day, somebody comes to visit who knows him.”

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