History - The Wellington bomber
incident in Bratislava
On the night of the 4th/5th
October 1944, RAF Wellington bomber MF 845-‘A’ was shot down
by a German ship on the banks of the Danube three miles south of
Bratislava. The bomber plane, which had been based in Italy but
given the task of laying mines in the river Danube to impede
German shipping, fell partially into the river and partially
onto the banks of the Danube.
The crew of the Wellington bomber, all members of the RAF’s
40th Squadron, consisted of six members:
Pilot Officer Arthur Leslie Mayers (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Vallance McCall (Navigator)
Warrant Officer Charles Herbert Gunby (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Harry Walker Hesketh (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant Robert Cummin Ropson Johnson (Air Gunner)
There were no survivors.
The destroyed bomber was found by a man from Dobrohost who
was standing about 50 meters from the site of the plane
wreck on the night. Vincent Szelle, who was walking with
his girlfriend, saw the plane fall and the fuel set on
fire. Mr Szelle found the body of Charles Herbert Gunby
(left) on the shore, but the remaining bodies got lost in
the river.
The memorial, situated
near the dam in Čunovo, became the first burial site
of British soldiers in Slovakia.
In December 2001 the British
Embassy in Bratislava became aware of this event. With the
help of the Slovak Authorities, a local historian, and the
testimony of the only witness, an account of what happened
was put together. In 2003 a memorial was dedicated to
these five men. Relatives of all crew members were traced
and invited to its inauguration, and on a rainy October
day sixteen family members and friends of the deceased,
along with Slovak and British officials, attended this
memorial service. (right)
Clare
Roberts
British International School of Bratislava
