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Andy is in contact with Alain Bodel in France who arranges commemorative gatherings near his home, close to the area where a total of five SAS-men were murdered, including the two Northern Ireland men. They are buried in Nécropole de Beauvais Cemetery, along with a collective memorial stone to all five soldiers where they died. Plans are underway for a commemoration there around 9th August 2026 and Alain wants to trace the family of Joseph Walker, from Moira, and William Pearson ‘Billy’ Young, previously Royal Ulster Rifles, from Randalstown, to invite them to the commemorations. (Alain is also seeking the families of two of the other soldiers – Thomas Varey from York and Corporal Serge Vaculik who had an address in Camberley, Surrey). At 23.34 on the night of 4th July 1944 Captain Garstin and 11 other SAS soldiers, including these five men, took off from Keevil Airfield in Wiltshire, England, in a Short Stirling aircraft, to be dropped by parachute behind enemy lines near La Ferte-Alais, to the south of Paris, as part of ‘Operation Gain’. At 01.53 on 5th July the men parachuted from the aircraft with most landing on the Drop Zone – a field of wheat. The final five came down in a wood. Men wearing civilian clothes greeted Captain Garstin with the words “Vive la France”, and immediately the soldiers came under fire from automatic weapons. They returned fire but it soon became obvious that the SAS-men were surrounded. They were taken prisoner and later interrogated by the Gestapo. In August the captured SAS-soldiers were given civilian clothing – ostensibly so that they could pass through civilian areas – and were told that they were to be exchanged for German agents held in London. On reaching a wood east of Noailles they were ordered out of the lorry and told to walk along a narrow path to a nearby clearing. The SAS-men were lined up facing the Gestapo soldiers. Two of the German officers were armed with machineguns at the ready whilst another read out the sentence which was translated as follows – “For having wished to work in collaboration with the French terrorists and thus to endanger the German Army, you are condemned to the penalty of death and will be shot.” On hearing the word “shot” the men immediately tried to escape into the woods. Corporal Vaculik got away but another SAS-man called Jones tripped and fell. The Gestapo ran past Jones thinking he was dead and when he got up again he saw four bodies lying where they had been shot but could not identify them before he tried to escape. The bodies of the murdered SAS-men lay at the scene for three days before finally being buried by a German army unit consisting of one officer and approximately nine men who were based in a nearby château. All of the bodies were subsequently buried in Nécropole de Beauvais Cemetery with Captain Garstin in grave number 325 and the others in 326-329. A tribute was held for the five SAS-soldiers murdered near Noailles in 2014 and then in 2023 some local folk, all volunteers, decided to hold a commemoration every year thereafter. The first annual ceremony took place in August 2024 and there was another earlier this year. “With some of the families now knowing about the annual tribute, both at the cemetery and at the memorial,” Alain Bodel explained, “it is hoped to be able to unite all of the families of the soldiers involved.” Advance plans for the event around 9th August 2026 next year include a ceremony at the cemetery and memorial, followed by a group lunch nearby. Alain reckons that Beauvais airport is most convenient to the event and says that the organisers will assist in finding accommodation. “It is hoped that the event will be brought to the attention of the Walker, Young, Varey and Vaculik families,” Alain continued “so that they can be involved in the commemoration.” And he stresses “please ensure that family members are asked to contact me, Alain Bodel, directly by phone on 00 33 3 44 84 25 70 (home) or by email at bodel.alain@wanadoo.fr”