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Jack
Dawson Green - Spitfire Pilot
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On 17th March 1945, W/O Jack Dawson Green took off in his spitfire from RAF Ludham. He made an attack in Holland then went back to the forward RAF base in Ursel, Belgium to refuel. On the 2nd attack, he was shot down and his plane crashed near the village of Blaakschedijk in Holland. Jack is buried in the local cemetery at Barendrecht.
Local resident, Anton de Man witnessed the crash when he was 4 years old and he has kept alive the memory of Jack who gave his life so that people in The Netherlands could live in freedom.
Anton de Man at Jack's grave
In May 2010, a ceremony was held at which a local road near where the plane crashed was renamed after the pilot and a memorial stone placed on the spot where the crash took place. Jack's 90 year old sister travelled from Australia to do the unveiling.
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It is 65 years since the liberation of The Netherlands at the end of WWII. Thanks to Anton and to Jack, Ludham will always be linked to a windswept field in Holland.
LATEST NEWS July 2012
In July 2012, Anton and his wife Jo paid us a visit here in Ludham. They visited Ludham Airfield where Jack set off on his final mission and laid a wreath on Ludham war memorial. Here are a couple of pictures:
Anton laying the wreath. Jo and Mike Fuller pay their respects.
Anton with Mike Fuller taking a look round the former RAF Ludham
A QR code tile giving details of Jack's mission is added to the war memorial in The Netherlands
