AN appeal to find the family of a WW2 pilot from Westbury, who died in 1944, has been successful.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) released a statement on Tuesday (April 12) which stated that it was searching for the families of three pilots who died on-board the Lancaster JB640, which took off for the German capital on January 2 1944, but was not heard from again, with the men all missing, presumed dead.

One of the pilots was Flt Sgt Kenneth Sidney James Chapman, born in Westbury, in September 1923. 

Mr Chapman’s nephew, Ken Davis, 63, of Meadow Lane in Westbury, was informed of the statement by his cousin and initially could not believe it.

Mr Davis said: “It’s all quite amazing really, I’m still finding it hard to believe that we as a family now have closure on the matter.

“However, it is a shame the discovery didn’t happen a few years ago, as that would have meant some more of his close relatives who have since sadly passed away would have also had closure.

“I was too young to know him well when he was alive but I’ve heard a lot about him in the past from grandparents.

“It’s crazy, almost scary, to think that he was enlisted into the RAF at the age of just 17, but I guess that was the norm back then.”

Mr Chapman’s second cousin, Alison Calderan, from Yate, was scrolling through Facebook when she saw the statement shared in a Westbury discussion group and was also in a state of shock.

She said: “My initial reaction was a mixture of shock and excitement.

“It was the only thing that loaded on my screen to start with, as if it appeared there by magic.

“My mum and Kenneth were first cousins and got on very well, they were almost like brother and sister. When he joined the RAF all those years ago she feared that he wouldn’t return, and she was sadly right.

“She always presumed that he was just missing and was in denial that he was dead. She passed away just before Christmas, but if she was still alive, I’m sure it would’ve been very emotional for her to find out that he did indeed die.

“We all want to say thank you to the MOD for releasing the statement. It's nice for our family to have closure."

January 1944 was the worst month in history for losses in both Bomber Command and 156 Squadron.

Sergeant Chapman's body was found in 1944, but he has only recently been identified.

The remaining relatives, including Mrs Calderan and Mr Davis, plan to attend the burial service in Berlin on April 27.