We arrived at the Old Bell Inn in southwest Edinburgh and found a place in the corner where we anxiously awaited for Neil, the RAF researcher we had been communicating with since last August, to arrive. And arrive he did, with a 12 "stone" (160 lbs.) Newfoundland dog named Torin (which means chief in Gaelic). We immediately ordered some ale, Danette, tea and Liz, Pimm's:). Then the fascinating stories of those lost and missing as well as those whose names and wartime histories have been located by Neil and his partners at the 51 Squadron Historical organization.
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| Neil and Torin |
Their work is so important, not only to us and the members of the Barrie family, but to so many families whose loved ones fought for our freedom and were lost to us in that war, never to return home. The 51 Squadron Historical organization and others like them are preserving for future generations, the sacrifices made in World War II. He was able to share with us just how things "worked" during that time when our Dad was over here in 1943. For instance, did you know that only 3 out of 10 pilots survived that war? In retrospect, our Dad's crash actually allowed him to live and return to his wife and baby (Jayni was born while he was recuperating in England). His injuries were life changing and quite debilitating and certainly in part, contributed to his early death at age 43 but we all would not be here if it weren't for Sergeant Barrie and his heroism on that late night in April 1943.
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Halifax Bomber found in the North Sea. The gun turret at the back is where Sgt. Barrie would have been seated. |
We have heard both from Neil and his family members what a brave, feisty and quite strongly determined young man Alexander Barrie was - the young master baker from Cupar, Scotland with 2 young children himself - Michael and Wendy. He gave the ultimate sacrifice when he did not return from his last mission. He was a rear gunner on a Halifax bomber sent on a mission to bomb the German munitions plant in northern Germany. We were able to pay our respects at the War Memorial in Cupar where he was from.
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| RAF Patch |
Amazingly, we learned a lot from Neil about many brave young men from that time and it's quite humbling! The evening flew by and before you knew it, the "last call bell" had rung, our taxi was waiting and we said our goodbyes to Neil and Torin and headed back to our place in Old Edinburgh. It was hard to sleep that night, trying to process all those stories, and we will continue to do so for some time to come.
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| What a night at the Old Bell pub! We closed the place up at midnite but not until after hearing some incredible WWII stories! A night none of us will forget! This Bill and I with Neil. |
May 16
Here we are ready to meet the other members of Sgt. Barrie's family: his brother's daughter, Cathie and her son Ewan and Sgt. Barrie's sister's son, Keir. We met them at the Garden Restaurant at the National Gallery and were soon chatting like old friends. They were a wealth of information about where Alexander came from and his family connections in Scotland. They too have been in touch with Neil and have anxiously awaited for any news of what had happened to their "Uncle Sandy" as Keir so affectionately referred to him.
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| Met with the Scottish members of Sgt. Barrie's family today at the National Gallery (which also was wonderful) pictured are me, Cathie McGinn (Barrie) niece of Sgt. Barrie, Ewan McGinn ( her son), Keir (Sgt. Barrie's other nephew) and my brother Bill |
They shared memories of Alexander growing up in Cupar and going to school with him and Cathie shared how special she was to him as the only girl in the family at that time. In fact Alexander thought so much of his family that he brought his two children to them when he joined the RAF - Wendy said she thought of Keir as a brother. This part of the Barrie clan shared much about this great country, both historically and culturally and gave us tips on driving the coast to St. Andrews. We feel that we have a whole new set of friends in Scotland and England. When asked if the Barrie's had a clan affiliation, they said that "Granny Barrie" was a Simpson, so would belong to the Fraser clan!
May 17
Today we head to Cupar to pay our respects to the War Memorial where we found Alexander Barrie's name right away on the plaque to the left of the "angel's wing". Lovely little town nestled in the rolling hills if Scotland. We continued onto St. Andrews and braved the damp, drizzly weather to walk around the ruins of St. Andrew's Cathedral and the St. Andrew's golf course. Bill and Danette took a tour of the golf museum while Rick and I walked a bit more and then settled in at 1 Golf Place for a cup of coffee. Bill and Danette joined us and we headed back.
What a week it has been! Like Bill has said all along, the trip of a lifetime! I don't think it was any coincidence that Neil Smith found "the other Bill Sprinkle" - it was meant to be. My siblings and I have always had a thirst for more knowledge of our parents and certainly this trip has managed to answer a lot of that.
Rick and I continue on tomorrow to the Highlands of Scotland and Bill and Danette to Ireland - more adventures for all four of us!
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