THE family of a Southend RAF crew member who was shot down in the Second World War are pleading for justice after he was "buried under the wrong name". 

Richard Ashworth, 85, has been campaigning alongside Ray Williams since 2004 in honour of his uncle, Albert Stringer, who died aged just 18 in 1943. 

The officer, from Southend and his crew of seven set off in a Lancaster Bomber, W4276, from RAF Spilsby at 4.15pm on Monday October 18, 1943 and were shot down by German air defences. 

Six of the crew died and were originally buried in Ronnenberg, Germany.  

Fighting - Richard Ashworth Fighting - Richard Ashworth (Image: Richard Ashworth)
Richard claims the RAF confirmed the crew were then exhumed and reburied in Hanover War Cemetery in January 1947.

However, the families of all members of W4276 claim their relatives have been buried under incorrect names and are now campaigning to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to correct the historic error.

Richard never knew his uncle, having died so young, and is adamant that justice must be done for the families.
Lost crew - The crew aboard W4276 Lost crew - The crew aboard W4276 (Image: Richard Ashworth)

He said: “They were marked wrong, poor Ray lost his father and I lost my uncle, I never knew him as he was killed when I was so young.

“We have tried so hard to get justice and we get stopped in almost every situation, they won’t even listen to us and we are doing all we can.

“We know where it is, it is a grave in Hanover and they have assumed that 14 crew are in two coffins, owing to nearby crashes, when in fact the remains amount to two bodies in one and three in another. 

Justice - Flying Officer Albert William Springer Justice - Flying Officer Albert William Stringer (Image: Richard Ashworth)


“The ideal outcome, the only way to be positively sure, would be to exhume the grave and do a DNA test but as far as we know, other families currently believe it is their dead in these graves.”

Richard added that his uncle’s remains were recovered in two hours as the aircraft was downed near a police station and his uncle’s body was not badly burnt, allowing it to be recognised.

Richard added: “We don’t have much time to see this wrong rewritten.

“I think we are all hoping our grandchildren will carry it on and keep fighting.”