Embassy marks 75 years of British airman’s death in Fujairah crash
Sergeant ‘Billy’ Donnelly died after a bomber crash-landed during Second World War
Amember of the British air force who died in a bomber crash during the Second World War in Fujairah in 1943 was remembered yesterday, the British Embassy said.
A service of remembrance was held at Sayh Dhadnah in Fujairah on February 14 to mark the 75th death anniversary of the British airman, Sergeant William (‘Billy’) Donnelly, whose plane crash-landed at the site in 1943, the mission said in a press release.
The service to remember Sergeant Donnelly was attended by the British Ambassador to the UAE, Philip Parham, and representatives of the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
On February 14, 1943, a Wellington bomber of the Royal Air Force crash-landed at Sayh Dhadnah, near Dibba, after taking off from the Royal Air Force base in Sharjah.
Of the crew of four and one passenger, one of the crew, the navigator, Sergeant William Donnelly, was seriously injured, dying shortly afterwards. He was buried by his colleagues close to the crash site.
With encouragement from His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, research identified the site of the crash several years ago, with a memorial to Sergeant Donnelly being erected in 2010.
British Ambassador Parham said: “Today’s touching service allows us to commemorate the sacrifice that Sergeant Donnelly made in the name of freedom 75 years ago.”
He said it is also a reminder of the enduring friendship between the peoples of the UK and the UAE, and of all those who lose their lives in the line of duty for their country.
“I would like to thank His Highness Shaikh Hamad Al Sharqi for his support for today’s event,” the envoy added.
June Botten, Billy’s niece, said that she was so grateful to both Shaikh Hamad and the British Embassy for continuing to remember Billy.
“I remember him with fondness and it is comforting to know that he is remembered still in the country where he died serving his country. I would also like to thank the RAF for holding Remembrance Day events at the memorial every November and for organising a wreath from the family this year.
“I look back at the day I, along with my daughter Lesley, unveiled Billy’s memorial with a sense of wonder. It was astonishing that researchers Brien Holmes and Laurence Garey had pinpointed the site of the plane crash. At the ceremony, I met a local man who, as a boy, had witnessed the accident. His account of what happened and Brien’s work answered the question I’d been living with for 70 years — what happened to Uncle Billy?”