| Accession Number | P02614.017 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Colour |
| Physical description | Colour |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Fillerval, France. April 1980. The barn where 415242 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Noel Stirling ...
Description
Fillerval, France. April 1980. The barn where 415242 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Noel Stirling Eliot was sheltered by the Berthomier family after being shot down on 1 May 1944. Monsieur and Madame Berthomier were the first people he approached for assistance. Flt Lt Eliot, pilot of No. 218 Squadron RAF, had escaped by parachute from his Stirling bomber which was shot down on 1 May 1944 while on a bombing raid over the Chambly railway marshalling yards, north of Paris. Madame Berthomier and her husband took Flt Lt Eliot in, fed him and provided shelter in a barn with an upper storey furnished as a bedroom. The Berthomiers made contact with the Underground and Flt Lt Eliot was moved to a series of safe houses on the Comet (Comete) escape route which included camps which held 152 Allied airmen in the Forest of Freteval for several months until liberation. (Donor N. Eliot)