A BARRY war hero, RAF Flight engineer Sergeant Patrick Francis Gough, was commemorated in a major ceremony in Dieppe, France, to mark the anniversary of his plane being shot down in April 1944 by enemy flak in the run up to D Day.
A special ceremony to mark the anniversary was attended by Sergeant Gough’s closest living relative, his great niece, Barry-born, Ann Jones, who now lives near San Francisco in California. She later visited the Barry War Museum to thank them for connecting her with the ceremony organisers.
Patrick Francis Gough from Barry was one of the seven-man Halifax bomber crew on a mission to destroy enemy supply lines. It was shot down by enemy flak, crashing into the marshes around the River Scie, near Dieppe, France.
Two of its seven British and Canadian crew parachuted to safety to become prisoners of war, one drowned, one died on landing, and three were unaccounted for, including 20-year-old Sergeant Gough.
Some 79 years later, thanks to an intrepid and determined local French historian François Kowal, and his team of military archaeologists who excavated the site, the story of the brave flight crew, who succeeded in a last-ditch effort to steer the aircraft away from crashing into a nearby village, was recognised with a special commemorative plaque in Dieppe.
In an effort to trace any family members of the crew, Francois Kowal contacted the Barry War Museum, which eventually led to connecting with Sergeant Gough’s great niece, Ann Jones.
The ceremony, attended by Ann with her Barry-born husband Jay Jones, and members of one of the crew’s Canadian survivors, featured a fly past with the scattering seven red roses to mark each of the crew members, the local Mayor, numerous civic dignitaries, the families of some of the crew, a bagpiper and the playing of the respective national anthems.
A nearby flag in the next field marked the site of crash.
“It was an immensely proud and humbling experience. May we never forget the sacrifice of my late great Uncle Patrick Francis, and the rest of the crew. I was really grateful to the Barry War Museum for helping make the connection possible with the event organisers.” said Ann Jones.
Glenn Booker, chair of the Barry at War Group said: “We were glad we could help to commemorate a Barry war hero. His memory and inspiration lives on.”
Ann Jones, nee Smyth, was formerly of Castleand Street and Beryl Road, Barry, and a former pupil of Bryn Hafren School, Barry. In 1977, when she was 17, she emigrated with her mother Olive to the United States.
The Barry War Museum educates visitors about Barry’s wartime story and fight against fascism, featuring an original World War II Anderson shelter, a 1940s kitchen, and a World War I trench
Barry’s only museum, it offers a programme of free historical talks on local and military history is run by a community of volunteers. It has a Trip Advisor rating of 5.0 – the highest rating by any local tourist attraction.
For further details about Barry War Museum, go to: www.barrywarmuseum.co.uk
Read next:
- Former Barry office building transformed into vital new homes
- Prolific thief banned from entering shops in Barry
- I’m proud that all parties agreed on children in care plan
- Royal Welsh highlights the role of the rural economy
- Parent may have to lose job for school run
⭐ All of our social media in one handy place – here
Former Barry office building transformed into vital new homes
Prolific thief banned from entering shops in Barry
I’m proud that all parties agreed on children in care plan
WHEN you elected me in May, I said I had come to listen and to…
Royal Welsh highlights the role of the rural economy
Parent may have to lose job for school run
Double victory for Pencoed cricketers
