After the war, the Missing Research and Enquiry Service attempted to investigate the circumstances of the death of Allied casualties and to ensure their identity prior to burial, in most cases, in a recognised war cemetery. Immediately after their death, the German or local authorities interred casualties in graveyards close to the scene of their death. The MRES arranged for exhumation of the bodies, followed by formal identification whenever possible from whatever evidence was available, sometimes "dogtags", scraps of uniforms with, for instance pilot's wings, gunners brevet etc, or in the hardest cases, dental records. Below are extracts from the A705 MRES Casualty Report on Rowland Ward and the crew of Lancaster ME453.
The front cover of Acting Flying Officer Ward R T 's Casualty Report: note the date of 7.3.45
An extract from the A705: again note the date missing of 2.3.45, when the crew were actually still safe at RAF Waddington waiting for the op. to take place.
Note that Max Venton is listed in this section as "pilot" as well as Rowland Ward, though Max was of course the flight engineer. Despite his role in the crew, Max was still entitled to wear his pilot's wings instead of the FE brevet.
Tom Drennan's temporary cross in the Reichswald War Cemetery.
The front cover of Acting Flying Officer Ward R T 's Casualty Report: note the date of 7.3.45
An extract from the A705: again note the date missing of 2.3.45, when the crew were actually still safe at RAF Waddington waiting for the op. to take place.
Note that Max Venton is listed in this section as "pilot" as well as Rowland Ward, though Max was of course the flight engineer. Despite his role in the crew, Max was still entitled to wear his pilot's wings instead of the FE brevet.
Tom Drennan's temporary cross in the Reichswald War Cemetery.