PEOPLE in Holland are searching for relatives of Sgt Alfred Beauchamp, a crew member of a Halifax bomber which was shot down over their village in 1943.

No-one survived and the crew are buried at Voorst, where last year a memorial was erected to honour them. It stands at the exact location of the crash.

The villagers would love to invite any family of the seven crew to attend the next anniversary of the tragedy on March 2 but have not been able to find them through regular channels.

The Halifax, part of 51 Squadron, based at Snaith, was on its way back after a raid on Berlin.

Alfred was born in Dunstable in 1920 and at the time of his death was unmarried.

His parents were Alfred and Mabel, who had three other children, Frank, Hilda and Doris.

It’s known that brother Frank died in Hillingdon in 1967 and the Dutch are interested to know if there are any living relatives as Alfred would have been their uncle.

Anyone with information is asked to email brenda.ann.duckworth@gmail.com