County Durham officer praised for tracing WW2 airmen's relatives

The crew of the bomber were photographed earlier in the war in front of another aircraft

A police officer has been honoured for his detective work in tracing relatives of two World War Two airmen whose remains were found in a Dutch lake.

The men were among the crew of British Short Stirling bomber BK716, which was shot down over the Netherlands in 1943.

Seven were killed, including two RAF men from County Durham.

Researchers contacted Consett police sergeant Paul Mawson, who took on the project in his own time.

As a result of his efforts, the relatives of Sgt Charles Armstrong Bell and Sgt Ronald Kennedy were traced, after researchers in the Netherlands struggled to make a breakthrough.

The families were later offered the chance to attend a ceremony in Holland, where a memorial to the men was unveiled.

A memorial stone has also been unveiled near the spot of the crash.

The missing plane was recovered in 2020 after being found submerged in Lake Markermeer, near Amsterdam, along the remains of the crew.

Two of the crew were from Canada, and Durham Constabulary has now revealed the country's Bomber Command Museum has written to the force praising Sgt Mawson's efforts.

A memorial to the men who died was unveiled in the Netherlands in 2021

In a letter of commendation, the museum's director Karl Kjarsgaard, said: "Imagine the relief and thankfulness of these families in the UK when this contact was made.

"It is the people in a team that make the difference between status quo and excellence. Sgt Mawson's initiative and results speak for themselves."

Sgt Mawson, who now works in the control room at the force's headquarters, said: "In policing you get used to dealing with difficult and interesting challenges, but this was certainly one of the more unusual I've had.

"I'm just pleased that after all this time we were able to help these families find out what happened to their loved ones and ensure that, all these years later, these young airmen have been given the recognition that their bravery deserves."