New Forest WW2
U.S.A.A.F. Medal of Honor.

The New Forest during WW2 saw the Medal of Honor (U.S.A.A.F.) posthumously awarded. There will be a memorial to this event held this year, I thought you would like more details.

This medal is the equivalent of the British Victoria Cross.

No British airmen were awarded the Victoria Cross from any of the New Forest airfields during WW2.

This summer, the charity Friends of New Forest Airfields will be dedicating a Memorial Plaque in memory of Captain Darrell R Lindsey of the United States Army Air Force in recognition of his Medal of Honor awarded during his time in the forest during WW2.

I thought you might like details of this memorial service to this forgotten hero.

If you are visiting or staying in the New Forest you might like to visit on the day?

The following details have been taken from a press release from The Friends of the New Forest Airfields.

On August 9th 1944 Captain Lindsey, of the 585th Bomb Squadron 394th Bomb Group, led a formation of B-26 Marauder aircraft on a mission from their base at Holmsley South Aerodrome.

Captain Lindsey stayed at the controls of his burning bomber to complete the attack and to allow his crew to escape but in doing so he sacrificed his own life. Captain Lindsay was subsequently awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest award for Bravery.

May 31st 2010 is the USA’s Memorial Day when Americans remember all those who fell in the service of the United States.

At 2pm on that day the Friends of the New Forest Airfields will dedicate the plaque at the New Forest Airfields’ Memorial at Holmsley South.

In addition to our official guests, including US veterans, the public will be most welcome to attend. The US bugle call Taps will sound at 3pm bringing the event to a close.

Obviously the Friends would like to erect as good a plaque as possible and so they are appealing for donations to help fund the plaque.

The cost will, they expect, be about £400 and any additional funds raised will be divided equally between the charity and the Help for Heroes campaign.

Donations should be made out to the Friends of the New Forest Airfields and sent to The Treasurer, the Friends of the New Forest Airfields, Merryfield Park, Derritt Lane, Bransgore. Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 8AU

For more details please contact John Levesley at Friends of New Forest Airfields Winkton
Or the main Winkton Airfield

Here's a bit about this charity and the wonderful work it does.

The Friends of the New Forest Airfields is a registered Heritage Educational charity whose patron is Ailsa Montagu. Th charity has three principal aims:

To maintain the New Forest Airfields Memorial at Holmsley South.

The New Forest Airfields’ Memorial is on Black Lane, off Forest Road at Holmsley South, just off the A35 between Christchurch and Lyndhurst.

To commemorate the achievements of the New Forest Airfields, and those associated with them, from 1910 to the present day.

To operate an interpretation centre to assist in the study of the history of airfields and to provide on request an outreach educational programme of talks, visits, articles and stands.

2010 is the centenary of powered flight in the New Forest.

The New Forest Airfields and Landing Grounds were (and in one case still are)

• Beaulieu
• Bisterne
• Calshot
• Christchurch
• East Boldre
• Holmsley South
• Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
• Ibsley
• Lymington
• Needs Oar Point
• Stoney Cross
• Sway
• Winkton

In case you have missed my information on these New Forest WW1 and WW2 airfields All the details are here. Some I have visited recently and have taken photos of their present state - which isn't always good unfortunately.