WHEN Heinrich Richter was finally buried, more than 50 years after his death, his funeral attracted hundreds of mourners. But, although people who had never known the former Luftwaffe gunner came to pay their respects and lay wreaths on his grave, none of his relatives was present.

Oberfeldwebel Richter's remains had been found in the wreckage of a German bomber, unearthed to a great fanfare of publicity during work on a building site in South Bank, on Teesside. Originally mistaken for another of the four-man crew of the Dornier 217, the body had been identified by forensic scientists.

Efforts by both the RAF and the German Consul-General to trace the dead man's relatives proved fruitless, and the funeral, at Thornaby Cemetery, went ahead without them. But, within a year, Bill Norman was able to bring a half century of uncertainty to close.

"A few months after the funeral, I went on the Internet and I eventually tracked down the family," he says. "They weren't even aware of the fact there had been such a big song and dance about the events on Teesside and the funeral. I sent them 15 colour photographs of the funeral and they were very moved. It is their intention to come over at some time to see the grave."

Discovering the fate of missing airmen has become a bit of a habit for the 63-year-old former college lecturer, who lives in Guisborough, ever since he started researching Luftwaffe bombing missions over the North-East. His latest book, Broken Eagles, details the fate of the 70 German aircraft lost over Yorkshire during the Second World War, including the 33 which came down on land.

"One of the gratifying things for me, not only when I have been researching the activities of German flyers, but also RAF flyers, is that very often I have been able to discover exactly what happened to them.

"There are occasions when I have discovered the fate of people who were still registered as missing in the official records, and I have been able to contact members of their family and let them know what happened and where their relatives are buried in this country."

Among the 282 German airmen whose fates are recorded in the book, is Rudolf Leushake, the observer in a Heinkel 111H shot down over Whitby in February 1940 by Flight Lieutenant Peter Townsend, later to become the man Princess Margaret was refused permission to marry. The bomber crash-landed four miles north of Whitby, with a plaque commemorating the spot at Sleights Lane End, killing Unteroffizier Leushake and the plane's mechanic operator, although the pilot and wireless operator survived.

"I spoke to Rudolf Leushake's brother and he was not even aware of the fact his brother had been buried, he still thought he was missing, and he didn't know what the circumstances were. I'm pleased to be able to do this sort of thing.

"One of the things that has touched me when I have tracked down brothers and sisters and passed the message on, is that some of them have said they wished their mother was still alive to hear the news."

This has a personal resonance for Bill, who lost an uncle during the First World War. "When my mother was alive, she often used to say, 'I do wish I knew where our Ted was buried', but she was not sure of the date of his death.

"After she died, I decided to see if I could do something about it and, within the space of four days, I knew exactly where he was buried and I was full of regret. In doing this research on German airmen I'm answering my mother's question at one remove.

"On the 80th anniversary of my uncle's death, my wife and I went to France to see his grave. I knew if I had been able to say to my mother I know exactly where Ted was buried, she would have wanted to go."

Bill's interest in the fate of airmen on both sides of the conflict had been fuelled 20 years ago, when he started to research a daylight raid by a lone bomber on Middlesbrough's railway station. "I put an appeal in the newspaper, and I got a lot of letters that related to that incident, but a number that mentioned other incidents."

From the information contained in those letters, Bill then began looking into the history of German raids on the North-East, leading to the publication of his first book, Luftwaffe Over The North, in 1993.

"Often members of the public or old flyers, either Luftwaffe or RAF, might suggest a particular line of inquiry, and we do have a very extensive archive. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for now and I'm able to get hold of the official version of events.

"Because of my contacts with a number of Germany fliers, I can often get in touch with the people involved and get their version of events as well. What emerges then is that you realise that the guys who were coming over here going to do nasty things to us, were as frightened as our guys who were going to do nasty things to them."

Broken Eagles covers the Luftwaffe losses between Hull and Middlesbrough, with a second volume covering Durham and Northumberland expected out next year.

"I have vivid memories of sitting in air raid shelters and hearing anti-aircraft guns and bombs dropping," Bill says. "This work helps me to fit in part of my own history. I was part of it, but I don't remember that much of it, so I'm on a kind of voyage of discovery myself."

l Broken Eagles (Pen & Sword Books £19.95)