A COLLECTOR who bought a Second World War airman’s uniform is appealing for help in tracing the family of its original owner.
Danny Burt recently bought the rare RAF tunic on eBay and discovered a tailor’s label inside giving details of the airman it once belonged to, Flying Officer Fred Colville, who came from the Chester-le-Street area.
The Moss Bros label gives Mr Colville’s name and service number, which Mr Burt has used to trace some information about his wartime flying career.
He is now hoping to track down any surviving members of the Colville family to find out more about the airman and his life.
Fred Colville was an experienced air gunner who served with 97 Squadron during the war and was part of the elite Pathfinder force, which had the dangerous job of flying ahead of the main bomber force to drop flares pointing out the target.
On a mission to Nuremberg on March 1944 during his second tour of duty, his Lancaster was shot down by a Messerschmitt 110 and came down in the suburbs of Coburg, in Bavaria.
His death is commemorated in the book of remembrance at St Mary and St Cuthbert Church in Chester-le-Street.
If anyone has any information, they can contact Mr Burt via burt.danny@yahoo.co.uk
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