LETTERS

from Portland Monthly Magazine Winterguide 2023

SKIING, LIGHT

NO KNOWN GRAVES e Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) commemoration on one of the ‘Memorials to the Missing’ is for all those who do not have a grave that can be registered, marked, and maintained by them. is includes all those who died at sea, or in bodies of water such as Sebago Lake and whose bodies were not recovered. Whilst the location of their death may be known, neither Sub Lt Gill nor Sub Lt Knott has a formal grave and therefore they remain ‘missing’ [see “Secrets of the Deep,” November 2022]. e families of both men would have been contacted by the military authorities at the time of their deaths, so it is likely they were aware of the circumstances and that their bodies had not been recovered. During the preparation of the Lee-on- NOVEMBER 2022 37 Solent Memorial, the CWGC wrote to their next of kin as part of a process to nally verify details, but only the family of Sub Lt Knott responded. is case was discussed by the US and UK authorities in the late 1990s when a local archaeological group reported that they believed they could pinpoint the location of the aircra wreckage in the lake. Because neither of the airmen had been found, it was assumed by the group that their remains might still be within the wreckage. e correspondence records that the US and UK authorities had agreed that wreckage of the aircra would remain undisturbed.

It is possible that both men were initially in their respective aircra , but as I’m sure you can appreciate, this is not a certainty because of the collision, the subsequent crash, and the long immersion in water. It is therefore doubtful whether any recovery of the wreckage then or today would result in the retrieval of their remains. e UK Ministry of Defence and the CWGC still maintain the policy of nonrepatriation of casualties from the First

EXTRAORDINARY PERSPECTIVE Secrets of the DeepThe bodies of the pi-lots who went down with their planes 50 fathoms below the surface of Sebago have never been recovered. But whether they remain in their aircra , now deemed watery ‘graves,’ is murky. CBS News reported in 1999 that the British government and U. S. courts ruled the planes are war graves and must On May 16, 1944, two young British naval officers launched their two F-4 Corsairs from Brunswick Naval Air Station on a training mission over Sebago Lake. This —and perhaps only this—part of the legend is undisputed. BY COLIN W. SARGENTnot be disturbed. “ e aircra are on the bottom of the lake at a depth of 325 feet and both pilots have remained entombed in them since,” according to Sub-Lieutenant Knott’s list-ing in the Grantham Matters news site’s Hall of Fame archives. Knott attend-ed Grantham King’s School before ight training in Britain and Canada that led to his assignment in Maine. Alfred “Fred” Hagen of Aero Archaeol-ogy disagrees. “I don’t think [Sub-Lieuten-ant Knott] was strapped in.” On impact or

ADOBESTOCK during descent, “He was probably catapulted out. ey never oated. He might have gone into a mummi ed position inside his ight suit.” e pilots, Vaughan Reginald Gill and Raymond Laurence Knott, are both com-memorated on a Commonwealth War Graves Commission tablet in England. According to cwgc.org, “ e principal base of the Fleet Air Arm, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, was chosen as the site for the memorial to almost 2,000 men of that service who died during the Second World War

and Second World Wars. erefore, even if remains were discovered, they would be reburied with full military honours within a CWGC grave in the region.

We appreciate that our approach to non-disturbance and non-repatriation may be di erent to that followed by non-Commonwealth nations, but it has allowed us to ensure parity of treatment for all those who fought and died together during the First and Second World Wars, irrespective of their personal, family, or military circumstances. Nicola Nash SO3 Commemorations Joint Casualty & Compassionate Centre Defence Services Armed Forces & Veteran Service Innsworth House, Imjin Barracks Gloucester, UK

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER Very nice issue [September 2022]! I am a very small business and I’ve been overwhelmed with sales for the past few months—a good thing, not complaining! Please keep me on the list for next year. Linda Perry, Sheepscot Harbor Yarn, Damariscotta

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH [“Taking the Reins,” Summerguide 2022] came out so good! anks so much for including us. Lydia Studley, Ever A er Mustang Rescue, Biddeford

HOME PORT I was disappointed to see the cover of your November 2022 issue with a photo from Gloucester, MA. with no credit to the International Dory Racing Committee. Glenn Harrington, Phippsburg

LONE STAR, MEET LONE PINE I look forward to reading every issue and am so happy to be a part of your publication! You’ve made me want to visit Maine, and my family has been talking about planning a trip. Jen Rose, Bee Cups, Dallas, TX

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