Honouring the Fallen in France | Pocklington School | Private Day & Boarding School In East Yorkshire near York

Pocklington School’s Flight Lieutenant Patrick Dare recently represented Pocklington School, the town of Pocklington, the 102 (Ceylon) Squadron Association and the RAF at a series of memorial events held near Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy, France.

The visit followed an earlier occasion in April 2025, when Flt Lt Dare attended the unveiling of a new war memorial in Boussières-sur-Sambre, in the Nord region of France. The ceremony, held on Saturday 26 April, marked the inauguration of the first memorial of its kind in over 60 years, dedicated to 116 Allied airmen who lost their lives in the Avesnois region during the Second World War.

The recent visit to Normandy was a continuation of these commemorations, paying tribute to members of the French Resistance and Allied airmen who fought and fell for freedom. The “Souvenir de Mortemer” event began at the Abbaye de Mortemer in honour of Madame Huguette Verhague, a courageous member of the French Resistance who helped Allied servicemen by hiding them in the loft of her hen house, even though she had enemy troops billeted on her farm. Some of the men she aided were from 102 Squadron, who had flown from RAF Pocklington, now the site of the Wolds Gliding Club.

Further tributes were paid at the Croix des Fusillés (Cross of the Fallen), where Resistance members were executed on 24–26 August 1944, and at the Carrefour de la Croix Vaubois, a memorial dedicated to members of the Organisation of the Army Resistance (ORA) and the Office National des Forêts (ONF) who were deported from the region.

Flt Lt Dare attended alongside Harry Bartlett, Chairman of the 102 (Ceylon) Squadron

Association, and John Williams, a member of the Association whose uncle served with 102 Squadron. His Halifax aircraft was hit during a mission, and although he parachuted to safety, he was tragically shot and killed after landing.

Among the dignitaries present were Charles Giusti, Préfet of the Eure region, who delivered a moving address, Frédérick Herbin, Mayor of Lisors, Thierry Plouviers, Mayor of Lyons-la-Forêt, former Mayor Jean-Marc Mouquet, Regional Senator Christina Luchet, and Deputy Thimotée Housin. Although French Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu has attended in previous years, he was unable to do so this year following his appointment as Prime Minister of France.

The ceremonies were well attended by local residents, who continue to honour the memory of those who fought and fell for freedom. During the event, Olek Brzeski spoke on behalf of honoured guest Cecily Hanson, whose father, H. Clark, was shot down in a Lancaster III ND 533 on 10 June 1944 while serving with 49 Squadron.

Flt Lt Dare described the experience as humbling and deeply moving, standing on ground where members of the French Resistance risked their lives to protect Allied forces. Pocklington School maintains a close connection with the 102 (Ceylon) Squadron Association, with CCF cadets and adult volunteers regularly forming honour guards and taking part in remembrance ceremonies in Pocklington and Barmby Moor. The School looks forward to continuing its support at future events, including this November’s remembrance commemorations.