Woman in £5k reward for return of stolen logbook belonging to Dambusters hero dad
THE daughter of a Dambusters hero has launched an appeal to trace his stolen logbook, urging people to come forward and help “bring a piece of Dad home”.
Shere Lowe (61) is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the memento, which belonged to the late Sergeant John Fraser, an RAF airman in the famous 617 Squadron.
Military historian Alexander Bateman (48) was jailed for two years at Wood Green Crown Court, north London, in February after he was found guilty of stealing the treasured record.
Sgt Fraser’s widow, 93-yearold Doris, had lent the logbook to Bateman, of Headstone Lane, Harrow, London, for research in 1996.
But he lied repeatedly when he was asked to return the item and it has never been recovered, prompting fears it has been sold.
Ms Lowe, who lives in Blaine, Washington, in the US, said she saw the missing record as a “piece” of her father as she issued a plea for its return.
Speaking while visiting the UK, where she marked the 74th anniversary of the Dambusters raid, Ms Lowe said: “I lost my father at a very young age, my mum lost her husband at a very young age.
“This is not a document, it’s not a piece of paper, it’s a piece of my father’s legacy of courage.
“I think that the logbook just finishes the story, it’s all part of his service to our country and especially to the Royal Air Force.
“I look at it as a piece of my father. It might sound strange, but that’s what it is.”