Rapport

Rapport

Copy of Original Danish Police Report dated 1943 detailing the discovery of the body of an RAF Airman in a fjord near Ringkobing and his subsequent burial with a translation of the report into English dated 1996. There is an explanation as to why the name of the airman was incorrectly recorded.

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.

1943-05-24

Nine printed sheets

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MCarterT625517-160519-01

Man dag den 24’Maj 1943

[inserted] Copy taken. a.T [underlined] 123 [/underlined] [/inserted]

Rapport

Rapport anganende et fra Ringkøbing Fjord ilanddrevet Lig af en engelsk Flyver.

[vertical] [crest] [inserted] [indecipherable words] Kobenhaven.
den 26/5 1943
Seerup [/inserted] [/vertical]

Lørdag den 22’Maj 1943 Kl. 13,45 anmeldte [underlined] Vognmand Jens Christian Hansen, Dejbjerg pr. Lem [/underlined] telefonisk til Politiet i Skjern, at [underlined] et Lig var fundet i [/underlined] Ringkøbing Fjord liggende tæt ved Land lige Syd for Grænsen mellem Velling og Stauning.

Da Politiet i Skjern var forhindret i at foretage nærmere Undersøgelser, kørte Politibetjent Godt og undertegnede til det opgivne Sted, hvor Liget blev os paavist af Anmelderen.

Ligets Hoved og højre Ben var stærkt kævstet.

Vi bragte Liget paa Land og konstaterede her, at det var iført [underlined] engelsk Flyveruniform. [/underlined] Paa Ryggen havde Liget en Faldskærm, der ikke var udløst. Faldskærmen var mærket med engelsk Inskription. Uniformsjakken.var over venstre Brystlomme mærket: “E’”, og det højre Overærme var mærket med 3 lyseblaa Vinkler paa mørk Bund. I Benklædernes venstre Lomme fandtes nogle angelske Sølvmønter og en engelsk Uniformsknap.-

Det kunde se ud til, at Liget havde ligget i Vandet en Maaneds Tid, og det maa formenes at hidrøre fra den engelske Flyvemaskine, som styrtede ned i Ringkøbing Fjord Natten mellem den 20’ og 21’ April d. A.-

Den tyske Kysttilsynsstation i Esbjerg, Værnemagtsafdelingen i Ringkøbing og M.D.K. i Aarhus blev underrettet.

Liget med alt, hvad der fandtes paa det, blev samme Dag fjernet af den tyske Værnemagt, der er anmodet

Pk. 62 J. Nr. /194

[inserted] [indecipherable words] [underlined] Lurwig Kirkegnaid, Nislu [deleted] 826 [/deleted] 705 [/underlined] [/inserted]

Ringkjøbing
Politistation 1043/1943

[page break]

om at give Politiet Meddelelse om eventuelle Identitetsmarker, der findes paa Liget, samt om, hvornaar og hvor Liget begraves.

[signature]
C.Hau.
Ob.

[page break]

Enclosure 1 to HWG letter of 17th May 1996

TRANSLATION
VERBATIM

Police District no 62
Ringkøbing Town. p.p.
Police Station in Ringkøbing
Monday the 24th May 1943.

Report on one from Ringkøbing Fjord washed ashore body of an English Airman.

Forwarded to The Commissioner of Police, Copenhagen

26/5/1943

Signed

Seerup.

REPORT

Saturday the 22nd May 1943 at 1345 hours Carrier Jens Christian Hansen, Dejbjerg pr. Lem reported by telephone to the Police in Skjern, that a body had been found in Ringkøbing Fjord close to the shore just South of the Jurisdiction line between Velling and Stauning.

As the Police in Skjern did not have the capacity to undertake a closer investigation Police Constable Godt and the undersigned drove to the cited place, where the body was shown to us by the reporter.

The head and right leg of the body were severely damaged.

We brought the body ashore and noted here, that the body was dressed in English Airman’s uniform. On the back the body had a parachute, which was not released. The parachute was marked with inscription in English. The battle dress blouse was above the left breast pocket marked: “E”, and the right top sleeve was marked with 3 lightblue chevrons on dark ground. In the left pocket of the trousers were noted some English Silvercoins and an English uniform button.

It might be, that the body had been in the water for about one month time, and it must be assumed to stem from the English aircraft, which crashed into Ringkøbing Fjord the night between 20th and 21st of April this year.

Ringkøbing Police Station: 1o43/1943

[page break]

2.

The German Coastal Surveillance Station in Esbjerg, the German detachment in Ringkøbing and M.D.K. (Middle Jutland District Command, Air Protection) in Aarhus have been informed.

The body, with everything which was found on it, was the same day removed by the German Army detachment, which has been requested to inform the Police on possible Identitytags, which might be found on the body and when and where the body is to be buried.

C. Hau
Police Constable, 1. grade.

[underlined] Continued Ringkøbing Police Station 2nd June 1943. [/underlined]

From the German Army Detachment (Ringkøbing) has been reported, that the body mentioned in the report was buried in Lemvig 28th May 1943. It could only be informed, that it was the body of a Sergeant, named Bording. Anything else or more could not be reported.

C. Hau.
Police Constable, 1. grade.

Translation from photo copy of original document:

17th May 1996

[signature]
H.W. Gram.
Colonel.

[page break]

Enclosure 2 to HWG letter of 17th May 1996

TRANSLATION. (VERBATIM)

Police District No 62.
Ringkøbing Town p.p.
Ringkøbing 2nd June 1943.

Enclosing Report No 1o43/1943 and due to further administration of the matter information is being requested on when the body mentioned in the report of the English Sergeant Bording was buried, together with the registration number of the grave.

To: The Chief Police Constable of Lemvig.

(signed)
Seerup
(Chief Police Constable)

Returned to: Chief Police Constable in Ringkøbing referring to enclosed Report of 3rd June 43.

CHIEF POLICE CONSTABLE IN LEMVIG p.p. 4th June 43

(signed)
Schneekloth

Ringkøbing
Police Station: 1o43/1943,

Translation from photo copy of original document:

17th May 1996

[signature]
H.W. Gram.
Colonel.

[page break]

Annex 2/Enclosure 4/HWG letter/17th May 1996

Lemvig Police Report of 3rd June 1943.

Lemvig Købstads
og Skodborg-Vandfuld Herreders
Ordenspoliti

Politstationen i Lemvig.

[inserted] Copy taken [/inserted]

Rapport
Søn dagen den 3’ Juni 1943.

Pb. Christiansens Rapport ang. Liget af engelsk Flyver.

[vertical] [indecipherable words]

Sterrup [/vertical]

[boxed] Lemvig J. Nr./4 [/boxed]

I Anledning af fremstendte Skrivelse af [underlined] 2.6.1943 [/underlined] fra Politimesteren i Ringkøbing har jeg i Dag henvendt mig til [underlined] Graver A. Clausen, Vesterbjerg, Lemvig, [/underlined] der oplyste, at en [underlined] engelsk Soldat [/underlined] den [underlined] 28.5.1943 [/underlined] var [underlined] blevet begravet [/underlined] paa Kirkegaarden i Lemvig.

Ovennævnte Soldat stod i Begravelsesprotokollen anført som [undelined] “Ubekendt” [/underlined] med Navnet [underlined] “Bording” [/underlined] anført i Parentes. Der var intet Kendingsnummer paa ham.

Liget blev begravet under Matrikelsnr.: [underlined] Vester 705. [/underlined]

Nærmere Oplysninger om Ligets Identitet havde Gravere ikke kunnet faa.

[signature]
K. Christiansen.
Pbtj.

Ringkjøbing
Politistation [indecipherable word] /194.

[page break]

TRANSLATION.
VERBATIM.

Lemvig Town
and Skodborg –
Vandfuld districts’
Uniformed Police.

Policestation in Lemvig.

Report
Sunday the 3rd June 1943

PC Christensen’s report concerning the body of an English Airmen.

To the Commissioner of Police (in Copenhagen) referring to Ringkøbing Police earlier forwarded Report of 24th of May 1943, J. Nr 1o43/1943.
(signed)

Seerup
Chief Police Const.

On the occasion of forwarded letter of 2nd June 1943 from the Chief Police Constable of Ringkøbing I have to day addressed Sexton A. Clausen, Vesterbjerg, Lemvig, who reported, that an English Soldier the 28th of May 1943 had been buried in the churchyard at Lemvig.

The Soldier in question was entered in the Burial Protocol as “Unknown” with the name “Bording” listed in parenthesis. There was no Identitynumber on him.

The body was buried under Registration-number: Vester 7o5.

Additional information on the identity of the body the Sexton had not been able to obtain.

K. Christiansen.
Police Constable.

Translation from photo copy of original document.

17th May 1996

[signature]
H.W. Gram.
Colonel.

[page break]

Enclosure 4 to HWG letter of 17th May 1996.

[underlined] Reflections on the identity of the RAF Airman buried in Lemvig churchyard grave No 7o5. [/underlined]

1. Found 22nd of May 1943 and buried 28th of May 1943 Danish Police had identified a British Airman, a Sergeant and a Flight Engineer, and assessed the Airman to be a crew of Lancaster ED7o9.

German Detachment (Ringkøbing) had identified a Sergeant and suggested the name could be Bording.

2. There is no basis for believing that the body could stem from another British aircraft crashed in Ringkøbing Fjord during the same period. As stated in my letter of 31st March 1996 only Lancaster ED7o9, Stirling LJ999, Stirling LJ95o and Halifax NA672 crashed in the fjord during WW II.

The relevant chart with detailed water depth will rule out possibility of any other undetected crash.

3. However, he could have fallen – with unopened parachute from another passing British aircraft – and have hit the same part of the fjord where at least half the crew of ED7o9 was never found. This coincidence would have required that the Flight Engineer of ED7o9 was never found.

The statistical probability seems negligible.

4. Between the 24th of May and the 2nd of June the German Liason [sic] Officer (LO) reported to Lemvig Church Office or the Sexton, that the body was a British soldier, unknown and that the name could be Bording. This information was then entered in the Burial Protocol and the Church Book, please see Annex 1.

On the 2nd of June the LO informed the Police in Ringkøbing that the body was a Sergeant named Bording.

[page break]

Now suggesting that the body was Sergeant Thomas Carter seems impossible unless a plausible explanation can be given towards the believed name “Bording”.

This is my attempt:

Had the German LO suggested Cording or Cordin I believe it would almost have been considered a hint in the right direction.

Why did he then start out with a capital “B”?

If you look into a 5oo pages English Dictionary no less than 4o pages list words starting with a “c”.
If you look into the corresponding German Dictionary only half a page lists words starting with a “c”.

C is hardly ever used in German, and therefore not easily recognized.

Let me add a practical example. Please, see Annex 2 to this enclosure.

Had I not known the word “Copy” I would have said, that the first capital letter is a capital B. we don’t write capital C that way. Neither do the Germans.

The remaining misinterpretations by the German LO are fully understandable when one remembers, that the starting point was a name written on a piece of equipment or paper, which had been in the water for one month.