AFR-ZIMBABWE-L Archives

From: Erica Hills <>
Subject: Looking for Carol Appleton
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 23:17:05 +0800

Penny Willis <> has the following query - please
reply to her directly. Thanks... Erica Hills
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am very much involved with a project here in France that researches
crashed aircraft from WWII.
My friend Bill Musgrave who lives in England is an Ex- Spitfire pilot, and
I am an ex- Lancaster pilot. I was told about a highly decorated RAF pilot
Group Captain Charles Appleton OBE DSO DFC Croix de Guerre who was shot
down and killed in Normandy in August 1944. He is buried at the British
cemetery Bannville sur Campagne His grave stone lists that he was the son
of Cpt H Appleton and husband of Yvonne of Marandellas Southern Rhodesia.
We and a French association who research crash sites and try to locate
relatives, have discovered the debris of his Typhoon. He had two children
Willie and Carol.Sadly Willie was killed in a car crash in Marandellas as
it was then called in 1959 Both of the children must have gone out to
Rhodesia with their mother, shortly after the war.

It appeared that Charles Appleton was a Rhodesian. The French community and
war veterans want to erect a monument to his memory and to about thirty
other Rhodesian aircrew who were killed in France. This would be a
tremendous tribute to the fact that the small colony with a European
population of only about 67000 contributed so much to the Allied Forces for
the liberation of France and Poland.

We would like to verify that Charles Appleton was a Rhodesian. However,
even if he is not, the Association
Normande Souvenir Arienne ( ANSA) will want to bring his nearest relative
to the usual commemorative ceremony. We understand that GHS has a very
strong Old Girls Assosciation and may be able to give us her married name.
Can you help us to find Carol Appleton?

With high regards and best wishes in your troubled country
Bill Dives

This thread:

• Looking for Carol Appleton by Erica Hills <>