Kiwi Artist unearths story of WW2 RNZAF airman

Kiwi Artist unearths story of WW2 RNZAF airman

New Zealand music artist Aly Cook's tour started on the 12th of June performing as support top Australian Country Artist Beccy Cole at Blue Water Music Festival. Since then Aly has travelled over 30,000 kms. Performing at Towerfestival in Drax Yorkshire. Up to Radio Borders at the Scottish Borders, & on to Americana International this week end, where some 80,000 will attend.

An amazing story came about when Aly performed at Louhans, France. A Reporter Daniel Derriot from Chalon Sur Sione heard about the New Zealander being in the region and invited Aly & her family to the grave of a New Zealand RNZAF airman who died in a crash of an RAF Lancaster Bomber in WW2. Onboard were airman from England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The story is incredible as at the time France was under occupation and the people of Sassenay decided they would give the airmen a funeral, against the wishes of the Nazis. The mayor at the time was jailed by the Nazis and 40 people were shot dead for attending the funerals. The priest who conducted the service was also shot dead. Near to 2000 people walked across the field, some from 20kms away, in defiance of the Germans to attend the funerals of the 8 airmen and the 19 year old who was electrocuted by fallen powerlines as he tried to rescue the men. Every year on the 15th of August a service is held to remember.

In 1985 a monument was erected to the 8 men and The village of Sassenay invited members of the Royal Airforce, The Royal Canadian Airforce, The Royal Australian Airforce and the Royal New Zealand Airforce. However the only country which didn't attend was New Zealand and the excuse given was because of diplomatic relations, because of the Rainbow Warrior bombing.

The current Mayors and deputy mayors as well as the previous Mayor of Sassenay met Aly at the monument and asked that Aly see if she could get an official representative to visit and acknowledge the monument finally and was asked if she felt diplomatic relations had improved enough for this to happen.

Aly has now written to RSA who have forwarded and responded positively to get the ball rolling and Ministry for Culture and Heritage who have responded to say

"From the New Zealand government perspective, there is nothing that "needs to be put right" in this case"

"Ministry for Culture and Heritage is the official New Zealand government agent for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) One of the founding principles of the CWGC is equality and uniformity of treatment of the war dead. No one casualty, or particular group of casualties, is ever singled out by the government for special recognition by the erection of a separate memorial like the one at Sassenay"

However New Zealand is the ONLY country to have not officially attended the service acknowledging the monument & the reason given was not because of the CWGC policy but, diplomatic relations because of the Rainbow Warrior bombing.

Aly has promised the Sassenay Mayor that she will to the best of her abilities as a New Zealand citizen try to have an official acknowledgement of the monument happen, as Canada the UK and Australia has already done. This could be as simple as a letter or a visit of the NZ Ambassador to France, who is in Paris only a couple of hours from Sassenay.

References: Aly's video from Sassenay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZw9c0N8kmo

Article in the Vivre a Chalon http://www.vivre-a-chalon.com/lire_Autour-de-CHALON-_-Aly-Cook-rend-hommage-aux-aviateurs-de-la-R.A.F,2303bca0780b3b2faa00b1571f58fe8978267a4e.html
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