Page 21 - Oundle Life August 2024
P. 21
Stuart Barker is a professional writer and author. He has a keen interest in local history and likes nothing better than riding round Northants visiting historical sites on his motorcycle.
Deenethorpe to complete her husband’s final mission. He and his crew all had identical glass-bottomed tankards during their time
at Deenethorpe and kept them afterwards as mementoes. The crew had made a pact that whoever was the last of them remaining alive would take the tankards back to Deenethorpe. When Tom Parker passed away, his widow Joan ensured the pact was fulfilled. The tankards
are now back home and serve as a reminder of just one air crew from the thousands that gave everything and perished in such great numbers to preserve our freedom.
An elegant memorial stands by the roadside just west of Upper Benefield to commemorate
the sacrifices made by all those who served at Deenethorpe.
In 2017 permission was granted to turn Deenethorpe Airfield into a 1000-house ‘garden village’, meaning all traces of this important historical site will likely be wiped out.
21
