THE search is on to find the relatives of an airman from Hadleigh who died in the Second World War.

Bertram Thomas Henry Scudder – a sergeant with the Royal Canadian Airforce – was killed when his Halifax bomber was gunned down in the Netherlands on September 6, 1943, on the way home fromamission in Bochum, Germany.

Next month, a memorial is being unveiled in the Dutch village of Bentelo, where the aircraft crashed, to mark the 70th anniversary.

Ahead of the ceremony, the hunt has begun to trace any of Sgt Scudder’s relatives who might still live in south Essex, in the hope they can travel to the Netherlands to attend.

His parents were Edith Maud and Bert Henry Scudder, who lived in Meadow Road, Hadleigh.

His father ran a drapers’ business in London Road, Hadleigh.

Historians around the world have been assisting with the search efforts by posting information on family history websites.

Kevin Regan, from Hastings, East Sussex, who used to live in Westcliff, said: “I was involved in a similar project in June and was only too happy to get involved and try to help this time to find out as much as I can.

“If it is meant to happen, it will, but there’s no harm giving fate a helping hand.

“We’ve been putting up information on the internet and have had a few responses.

“It would be great if we were able to locate his relatives and they were able to go to the ceremony.

“All I hope is if it were my relative, people would try as hard to get the message to me.”

Sgt Scudder was one of two members of the Clary Crew 16 with the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 434 Squadron who died in the crash.

The pilot, Lieutenant Jackson Temple Clary, managed to evade capture and made it back to Britain in November 1943, after being smuggled through Gibraltar by the resistance.

The remaining four members were captured as prisoners of war.

They survived until the war ended but all have since passed away.

Family members of the pilot, the rear gunner and the navigator have already been located, but the only relative of Sgt Scudder who has been found so far lives in Australia.

For more information, contact Rob Lanting who is organising the war memorial in the Netherlands, on lantingrob @hotmail.com

For more information on the 434 Squadron visit www.rcaf434squadron.com